The sci-fi epic Avatar, released in 2009, has reclaimed its position as the highest-grossing film of all time, thanks to its re-release in China recently.
Directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron, the movie held onto its position of the highest-grossing film of all time for almost a decade before it was overtaken by Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
However, its re-release in China, which is one of the biggest movie-watching markets in the world, pushed it above the USD 2.8 billion mark over the last weekend.
The worldwide earnings of Avatar now stand at an estimated USD 2.802 billion versus Endgame’s USD 2.797 billion.
According to its distributor Walt Disney, Avatar took in around USD 4 million on 12th March, Friday alone which pushed it ahead of Avengers: Endgame.
Interestingly, Disney owns both the highest-grossing films after the company bought entertainment assets from Fox in 2019.
As it stands, Disney now owns the top five highest-grossing movies of all time, and eight of the top ten such movies. Notably, “Titanic,” which currently sits in third was a joint production between Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. The other films in the top 10 that it owns are “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” 2019′s live-action remake of “The Lion King,” “Avengers” and “Frozen II.”
“We are proud to reach this great milestone, but Jim (James Cameron) 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,” said Avatar producer Jon Landau.
Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver, Avatar is set in the mid-22nd century when humans are colonizing Pandora, which is a habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system, for the purpose of mining a superconductor. Its ground-breaking visual effects were highly praised by masses and critics, and the movie won three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.
The second and third movies of Avatar are set to release in 2022 and 2024, respectively, with the next two installments in every two years.
We can’t wait to watch the next two movies in the series. How about you? Let us know your views in the comments section below.
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