We’re all on the cusp of diving back into Pandora with Avatar: The Way of Water set to hit cinemas this weekend, and judging by the current 84 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it certainly sounds like a sci-fi epic worth checking out, but we’ll just have to see if the critical nods of approval can translate to a recouping of its excruciatingly massive budget.
Indeed, James Cameron‘s second entry in his passion project just might have to break records for 20th Century Studios to justify going ahead with the franchise; with The Way of Water boasting a $350-400 million production budget alone, one can almost hear Cameron’s pleas for full houses across the country come Dec. 16.
Luckily, the film already has a history of record-breaking behind the scenes, namely in the form of Kate Winslet‘s recent feat of holding her breath underwater on camera for seven minutes and 14 seconds, surpassing a record previously set by Tom Cruise during the production of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.
Winslet herself was proud of the accomplishment, but she was even more proud of the fact that she survived the ordeal. In an interview with Total Film, Winslet recalled how her first question upon resurfacing had to do with the ongoing status of her mortality, before feeling awash with pride for her death-defying record.
I have the video of me surfacing saying, ‘Am I dead, have I died?’ And then going, ‘What was [my time]?’ Straight away I wanted to know my time. And I couldn’t believe it… The next thing I say is, ‘We need to radio set.’ I wanted Jim to know right away.”
Hopefully Winslet’s penchant for record-breaking and ability to cheat death serve as happy omens for The Way of Water‘s upcoming box office battle, and with just three days before it hits theaters, all eyes are on the numbers.
Avatar: The Way of Water releases to theaters on Dec. 16.
