Avatar ticket sales breathe life into Disney’s blockbuster machine

Avatar: The Way of Water has grossed more than $1.7bn at the global box office, giving a boost to Disney as some Wall Street analysts are warning that its famed blockbuster engine has started to run out of steam.

The movie’s haul at the weekend makes The Way of Water the seventh-highest grossing film of all time, ahead of Jurassic World. The original Avatar, released in 2009, remains the top moneymaker in cinema history with $2.9bn in total grosses.