The king is dead. Long live the king.
It's been the talk of the film industry for months now; can Avengers: Endgame be the movie that
finally knocks Avatar from its insanely lofty box office record perch?
Yes. The answer is yes.
It may have taken a definitely not cynical whatsoever 'special edition' re-release of the year's biggest motion picture event to get the job done, but the results are in.
Well, almost.
Variety reports that Endgame's latest weekend haul will officially put it over the top when all the relevant numbers are duly crunched.
After a decade - seriously, how did this even happen? - Avatar steps down and clings lovingly to its total earnings of $2.7897 billion.
Endgame is the daddy now, raking in $2.7892 billion as of Saturday, but once the overall weekend count is in and the nailed-on difference of $500,000 is made up, it's game over for James Cameron.
He had a good run, and don't forget we're still apparently getting about four more of those movies in the near future, if Cameron is true to his word.
Avatar is of course part of the Disney dynasty now, following the studio's acquisition of Fox, so it really did all work out for the House of Mouse.
“A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgame to these historic heights,” said Alan Horn, Disney's co-chairman and chief creative officer.
“Of course, even with the passage of a decade, the impact of James Cameron’s Avatar remains as powerful as ever, and the astonishing achievements of both of these films are ongoing proof of the power of movies to move people and bring them together in a shared experience.
"The talented filmmakers behind these worlds have much more in store, and we look forward to the future of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Pandora," Horn concluded.
The news caps off a very productive weekend for Marvel Studios, having unveiled their next phase at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday.
Find out what's in store
right here.
