For almost an entire decade, James Cameron’s Avatar stood head and shoulders above the competition as the highest-grossing movie of all time – that is, until Disney and Marvel Studios unleashed this year’s superhero epic Avengers: Endgame.
The culmination of Marvel’s Infinity Saga grossed $2,797,800,564 over the summer, dethroning Avatar by just $8.1 million, although Cameron believes that Endgame is simply keeping top spot warm until the inevitable re-release of Avatar puts it back on top.
“I think it’s a certainty,” said Cameron in an interview with USA Today, when discussing the possibility of Avatar returning to theaters – and #1 – ahead of the first of four planned sequels. “But let’s give Endgame their moment and let’s celebrate that people are going to the movie theater. “I don’t want to sound snarky after I took the high road (by offering congratulations). But they beat us by one quarter of a percent. I did the math in my head while driving in this morning. I think accountants call that a rounding error.
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“I saw it as a really good sign,” Cameron continues, discussing the success of Endgame.” “I was really concerned with all the new streaming services and the different ways people can consume movies right now that the theatergoing experience might have been eroded to the point that a new Avatar film – even if it were better than the first one, and better received – could never achieve the same box-office levels. Now at least we know such a thing is still possible at the movie theater. This gives me heart to go forward.”
While a re-release of Avatar would more than likely see it regaining the box office crown from Endgame, it does of course remain to be seen how the sequels will fare, and whether they’ll have any chance of even coming close to repeating the runaways success of the first movie. Assuming no more delays, we’ll find out when Avatar 2 opens two years from now…
Avatar 2 is expected to hit theatres on 17th December 2021. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Matt Gerald, Dileep Rao, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi and Sigourney Weaver all reprise their roles from the first film, while new additions to the cast include Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Filip Geljo, Jamie Flatters, Bailey Bass, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, Duane Evans Jr., Edie Falco, Brandan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Keston John and CJ Jones.
Originally published December 24, 2019. Updated January 10, 2020.
