James Cameron's Avatar 2 could be the biggest movie at the box office in 2021 - that's if it doesn't get delayed again. The sequel to 2009's record-breaking Avatar has been in the works since 2010; however, Cameron hasn't been working on just one follow-up and, instead, has four sequels in the pipeline from Avatar 2 all the way through to Avatar 5, which is currently poised to open in 2027.
The original Avatar held the record for the highest-grossing movie for almost a decade - until 2019's Avengers: Endgame surpassed it by a small margin, thanks to a re-release. Avatar was praised for its ground-breaking visuals and storytelling; the story followed former Marine Jake Sully as he infiltrated the world of Pandora and the Na'vi. It was an unprecedented film, one that Cameron thinks will eventually reclaim its title as the highest-grossing movie worldwide. Considering it took Cameron around 15 years to make the first film, it's not much of a surprise that Avatar 2 (and its subsequent sequels) have been in the pipeline for so long. After many delays and release date changes, the sequel is finally set to open in December 2021. If it's not delayed yet again, it could be one of the biggest movies to release in the stacked 2021 film calendar.
The coronavirus pandemic has meant that a lot of blockbuster movies have been delayed. While some movie have been postponed to later in 2020, Sony has pushed their entire summer 2020 slate to 2021. Furthermore, Fast & Furious 9 has also been delayed to 2021 - which was set to be one of the year's biggest films. Considering so many blockbusters were already set to open in 2021 - the likes of Jurassic World: Dominion, Mission: Impossible 7, and Avatar 2 - these delays just mean that the release calendar is going to be even busier than before, with more blockbusters vying for audience attention. However, even with increased competition throughout the year, Avatar 2 could still be 2021's highest-grossing film, taking a variety of factors into account.
F9, The Batman, Spider-Man 3 are all films that will likely do big box-office numbers in 2021 - probably even gross over $1 billion. However, Avatar 2 arrives on the scene with a few bonuses up its sleeve. For starters, Avatar 2 has a prime December release date - the spot previously occupied by Disney's Star Wars movies, superhero films like Aquaman, and other blockbusters in general. The only real competition Avatar 2 has in December is Uncharted, Black Adam, and Sherlock Holmes 3 - none of which have the wide appeal that Avatar does. Plus, Avatar 2 is coming out in the same slot that the first Avatar released in, which allowed it to maintain its record-breaking run for several months.
Even if the competition proves to be tough, Avatar 2 has Cameron at the helm. If one thing is certain, it's that Cameron has a very loyal fanbase backing every project his name is attached to - which makes sense when considering that, in addition to his films being critically acclaimed, they're almost always commercial successes. Avatar 2 has been in the making for so long - and remained widely talked about in that time, too - that people will turn up to theaters out of sheer curiosity. Few films have been as groundbreaking as 2009's original Avatar. Even if Avatar 2 doesn't gross as much as the first movie, it's the long-awaited sequel to the second highest-grossing film of all-time and directed by one of Hollywood's most audacious filmmakers, so there's a probable chance that it will be the biggest film of 2021. That is, only if it's not delayed again.
