'Avatar' first became the top-selling global release of all time in 2010 when it usurped Cameron’s 'Titanic'.
James Cameron’s Avatar has surpassed Avengers: Endgame to reclaim its place as the highest-grossing film of all time. Over the weekend, Cameron’s sci-fi epic was re-released in China and garnered enough in ticket sales to overtake Avengers: Endgame for the record.
In just two days of being re-released, Avatar managed to bring its global total to $2.802bn. The film only needed $7.4m to get past Avengers: Endgame, which claimed the title after its release in 2019 and sits at $2.797bn globally.
While Avengers: Endgame has yet to see a theatrical re-release, having made its record-setting gross in summer 2019, Avatar has now had three re-releases that combined to gross over $54m. During the film’s original 2009 run in China, it grossed $202.6m, becoming part of the first wave of blockbuster hits during the country’s growth into a box office superpower.
In a statement, producer Jon Landau said: “We are proud to reach this great milestone, but Jim and I are most thrilled that the film is back in theatres during these unprecedented times, and we want to thank our Chinese fans for their support. We are hard at work on the next Avatar films and look forward to sharing the continuation of this epic story for years to come.”
The re-release of Avatar in China comes as the country is experiencing unprecedented box office demand while recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. Already, several movies in China, including Detective Chinatown 3 and Hi, Mom, have reached blockbuster status.
The first new film in the Avatar franchise is slated for release in 2022. It will be one of five coming in the next decade. Disney only recently acquired Avatar, although the film had previously been licensed to build a land at the Animal Kingdom theme park in Florida.
