Avatar Retakes Box Office Crown from Avengers: Endgame!

March 15, 2021

Avatar retakes box office crown from Avengers: Endgame After re-release

Whether just out of spite, or just because he can, James Cameron decided to re-release Avatar in China in an effort to retake the box office crown from Avengers: Endgame. As it turns out, the gamble paid off. Per Deadline, Avatar took in a surprisingly lucrative $21.1 million over the weekend, enough to propel it over Avengers and regain the title, “Highest Grossing Film of All Time” with a massive worldwide take of $2,798,579,794 — compared to Avengers‘ $2,797,501,328. In a humorous tweet, the Russo Brothers commended Cameron for his victory, though it’s probably just a matter of time before they re-release their own film and take back the crown.

Passing the gauntlet back to you… @JimCameron

Thanks for the beautiful art @bosslogic. pic.twitter.com/URSxUMzf8D

— Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) March 13, 2021

Something to consider: in 2009, China had roughly 5,000 theater screens. Despite this, Avatar still managed to gross over $200 million. In 2019, when Avengers was released, Chinese theaters rose to nearly 70,000 and added nearly $630 million to the Marvel blockbusters worldwide haul. It stands to reason that, with the aid of those additional theaters, Avatar may have eventually crossed the $3 billion mark, which is incredible to think about.

Though, all of this is moot as neither film’s success was enough to land a spot in the Top 10 all time domestic earners when adjusted to inflation. As it stands, that list belongs to (per BoxOfficeMojo) Gone with the Wind, Star Wars: A New Hope, The Sound of Music, E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial, Titanic, The Ten Commandments, Jaws, Doctor Zhivago, The Exorcist and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Of course, most of those films had the benefit of dozens of re-releases over the years, less competition from other media sources, including TV, home media and/or digital streaming. So, any way you slice it, Avatar and Avengers: Endgame are still massive hits in their own right, no matter which one ultimately lands on top.

Also, Disney owns both so who really cares, right?

Jeff lives and breathes all things sports and entertainment! As a die-hard Seahawks fan and devoted Utah Jazz supporter, you'll often find him cheering his heart out for his favorite teams. Jeff's passion for movies is unrivaled, and he has channeled that enthusiasm into a successful stint at ComingSoon.net. When he's not immersed in the world of media, Jeff loves spending quality time swearing at his favorite sports teams with his family. He also loves hats.