By now, I’m expecting that pretty much anybody reading this article has seen Avengers: Endgame. Additionally, it may also be safe to assume that you’re well aware of the film’s enormous success. In its debut weekend alone, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s season finale of sorts raked in $356 million domestically, with the worldwide gross being an impressive $1.2 billion.
Having posted those kinds of numbers, one would think that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will dethrone Avatar before long. In case you didn’t know, James Cameron’s science fiction flick currently sits atop the list of the highest grossing movies of all time with $2.788 billion.
Well, that may not last for much longer, as Scott Mantz posted the following breakdown on Twitter today:
“BREAKING!!! #AVENGERS #ENDGAME crossed $1.2 BILLION OVERSEAS and has now grossed $1.664 BILLION WORLDWIDE!! It’s set to cross $2 BILLION WORLDWIDE this weekend & should pass AVATAR ($2.78 billion) as the highest grossing movie of all time in a couple more weeks!”
If you were to ask me, that pacing sounds entirely realistic and believable. Heck, if Endgame were to experience even a 50% drop this weekend at the domestic box office, it’d still pull in $178 million – and that’s really something else when you stop to think about it.
Of course, this conversation could be reversed in due time if Avatar 2 outperforms its predecessor once it arrives in theaters. Still, my gut tells me that the Avengers have won over enough moviegoers so that it may remain king of the hill for years to come.
Also, it’s kind of hard to accurately predict how any Avatar sequels will fare because the franchise has been away for so long, but it’s that anticipation which may add appeal. Then again, I haven’t seen Avatar represented at the many conventions I’ve attended over the years. I always see Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Star Trek and Doctor Who fans strutting their stuff, but never any of Avatar. It’s like you’d think the movie is an urban legend.
In any case, let’s continue basking in the phenomenon that is Avengers: Endgame while we wait for its eventual home video release.