Why Top Gun: Maverick Wasn't the movie that saved Hollywood, but rather Avatar: The Way of Water

 

Although Top Gun: Maverick has received much acclaim as the film that saved Hollywood, Avatar 2: The Way of Water may be the one that truly merits the honor. The compliment "You saved Hollywood's ass and you might have saved theatrical distribution" should have been aimed at James Cameron, who is coming off a strong 2022 thanks to the Avatar sequel. At the ticket office, the Top Gun: Maverick movie brought in an astounding $1.488 billion. Unexpectedly and admirably outgrossing four superhero blockbusters, including Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Batman, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panda: Wakanda Forever, was the Tom Cruise vehicle. Top Gun: Maverick, however, fell far short of Avatar: Way of Water's global gross of $2.268 billion.

Steven Spielberg is justified in wanting to acknowledge Top Gun: Maverick's accomplishments in the post-pandemic cinematic landscape, but the emotion is flawed. In 2009, the Avatar franchise, a previously unheard-of creative creation, was released. Thirteen years later, the sequel proved that, despite the enormous expansion of both the Marvel and DC universes, mainstream audiences are still ravenous for high-quality, original material. Avatar 2 is certainly no underdog with over $2 billion in the bank, but it should still be acknowledged for its impact on the current cultural and entertainment environment.

Superheroes aren't the only game in town, as Avatar demonstrates.

The age of superheroes appears to be ebbing for the first time in a decade. Heroes like Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man have become widely popular among mainstream audiences as a result of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's enormous popularity. In comparison to DC, which only has four such films—The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Joker, and Aquaman—Marvel has ten films that have earned more than $1 billion globally. Nevertheless, the majority of their DC work has earned more than $500 million. Without a question, the superhero genre is a profitable one, so it makes sense for Hollywood to continue making superhero-related content. The category has suffered from an overabundance of mediocrity, which has hurt the industry as a whole.

The Fast and Furious, Jurassic Park, and James Bond franchises are the most notable of the few franchises that have now successfully competed with the superhero category. The distinction is that those movies have well-known intellectual assets that have developed into billion-dollar franchises. Not so with Avatar. James Cameron's reputation and the innovative technology that launched the 3D trend for big-budget movies were leveraged by Avatar.

The Financial Success Proved That Consumers Still Have a Demand for Original Content

Due to their high caliber, wide range, and rarity, superhero movies have been successful for a long time. Deadpool, Logan, and Joker, among others, altered the parameters of what a comic book movie could be. Marvel protagonists can be just as captivating on the small screen, as WandaVision, Jessica Jones, and Daredevil demonstrated. As the years went by and the general market shifted to place a strong emphasis on high-budget superhero movies, the genre remained successful. Marvel has earned more than $25 billion in total revenue, just from the movies. However, the fact that Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water are among the top five highest-grossing movies of all time shows that James Cameron is aware of what audiences want. Before Maverick joined Top Gun, there was Avatar.

Beyond that, the theatrical business was seriously threatened by the closure of many theaters in the post-pandemic environment when patrons were reluctant to visit their old haunts. The Way of Water revived the "movie-going experience" by making a big deal out of its release, even though Maverick did help fill the seats in the cinema once more. As a result, Avatar 2 and not Top Gun: Maverick is the movie that kicked Hollywood's ass.