2020 and 2021 are weird years. Avatar came out in 2009 and lit the world up with its box office gross. Grossing $2.789 billion at the box office in it’s first run, it beat out the previous record holder, Titanic. Then ten years later, Avengers: Endgame went on it’s march to beat Avatar. That film grossed $2.798 billion at the global box office.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, movie theaters and box office gross were sort of shelved. Thanks to the efforts of China and its response to the pandemic, their theaters are open. So Avatar got a re-release in Chinese theaters. Now, it’s official. Avengers: Endgame is no longer the top dog at the box office. Marvel Studios official Twitter and the Russo brothers both tweeted congratulations to the producers and crew of Avatar.
James Cameron is busy at work with Avatar 2 at the moment. It shot for a full three years, and was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That film is set for late 2022. There are a full FIVE sequels planned for Avatar, so this could be a good omen for the future of the franchise.
What does this mean for Avengers: Endgame? Well the Chinese box office is big on re-releases at the moment, so classic films are seeing more time in the theaters. Endgame came out fairly recently, so it’s hard to see it getting enough to knock off Avatar again. So for the foreseeable future, it’ll be the king of the box office.
What do you think of Endgame getting knocked off the top spot? What movies coming up do you think could knock off Avatar?
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