In 2019, Avengers: Endgame did what many thought was impossible when it dethroned Avatar at the worldwide box office to become the biggest movie of all time. With a massive $2.79 billion haul, it held that honour for two years before Avatar was re-released in China last year near the end of the pandemic.
That took the 3D blockbuster to $2.8 billion, but a remastered version of Avatar started rolling out across the globe last month.
Disney re-released the movie in order to build excitement for December's Avatar: The Way of Water, and The Numbers is now reporting that the 2009 sci-fi adventure has become the first movie in history to surpass the $2.9 billion mark. That total is made up of $779 million from North America and $2.13 billion internationally.
What's interesting about the former number is that it's actually behind movies like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. There have already been questions about how well Avatar: The Way of Water will fare this December, particularly as there's no longer as much interest in the 3D format.
We expect it to be a massive hit, but perhaps not one that breaks as many records as its predecessor. Still, we're sure Disney would be very happy with another $1+ billion blockbuster, and that would surely be more than enough to ensure this franchise sticks around for the long haul (director James Cameron has already shot the third movie).
Written and directed by Cameron, Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver.
The film was produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, and ended up being nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Ultimately, Avatar won three Oscars for Best Cinematography, Production Design, and Visual Effects.
How many times have you watched Avatar on the big screen?