Avatar officially passes Avengers: Endgame at the worldwide box office to reclaim its title of the highest-grossing movie of all-time. James Cameron's original blockbuster pushed 3D technology forward in 2009 and became a global phenomenon in the process. People around the world flocked to theaters and sent Avatar to earn $2.789 billion, crushing the previous all-time record James Cameron set before with Titanic. Due to inflation and the emphasis put on blockbusters, franchises, and so on in recent years though, many were waiting to see if another movie could top Avatar's record.
There were a few contenders but only Avengers: Endgame managed to outearn James Cameron's film. Marvel Studios' twenty-second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a worldwide event that wrapped up an eleven-year story, while also teasing what else could lie ahead. Avengers: Endgame ended its theatrical run with a total of $2.797 billion. With only a few million dollars separating the two films, it has long been expected that Avatar will reclaim its top spot from Avengers: Endgame through re-releases - especially ahead of the four sequels coming by 2028.
Thanks to Avatar's re-release in China this weekend, James Cameron once again has the highest-grossing movie of all-time. After only two days playing in one of the world's biggest markets, Avatar has earned an additional $8.9 million. The film's new life-time global total is $2.798 billion, which is only one million more than Avengers: Endgame's current total. However, Avatar's box office haul will continue to grow in the next few days. According to Deadline, Avatar leads all titles in presale tickets in China through Tuesday.
The popularity Avatar is experiencing in China once more should be positive news for Disney, especially with its reclaimed title. With Avatar 2 set to hit theaters next December, the studio (which now has the franchise under its control due to the acquisition of 20th Century Fox) can have some confidence that the Middle Kingdom will show up to see what happens next. The first Avatar made $203 million in China originally, but the market has grown substantially in the last decade. For example, Avengers: Endgame made $331M in its opening weekend in China and the country just set a new record for the biggest single-territory opening weekend with Detective Chinatown 3 earning $398M in its first three days.
While some MCU fans are unhappy to see Avengers: Endgame no longer holds the record, there's a chance it could take back the title at a later date. Depending on how much money Avatar winds up making with this re-release, Avengers: Endgame could top it in the future whenever Disney issues its first theatrical re-release. However, that might not happen anytime soon. With Avatar 2 on the horizon, Disney and its marketing team probably want to be able to say it is the sequel to the highest-grossing movie ever.
Source: Deadline
