There’s currently a lot of debate taking place between fans and box office pundits alike over whether or not Avengers: Endgame will overtake Avatar’s record for the highest grossing film of all time worldwide. Every few days, new statistics come along that sway its likelihood one way or another, and this weekend’s box office is no different.
As of Sunday night, the Marvel Studios megahit has grossed just $169 million short of Avatar’s $2.79 billion worldwide record.
Though Endgame continues to drop by at least 50 percent its domestic box office haul each week, it’s not for a lack of popularity. In fact, it seems like everybody and their mothers have not only seen it but have seen it multiple times. Not only that, but this marks the very first weekend Endgame didn’t land at the top of the box office, finally being dethroned in its third week by John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
It’s important to note that Avatar aggregated its $2.79 billion total over 34 weeks in theaters, while the latest Marvel movie is coming up on its 25th day. Cameron, who’s been vocal in wishing Avengers-fatigue on audiences, has stayed silent on Avatar’s possible usurpation but congratulated Marvel on surpassing Titanic’s entire box office intake in such a short timespan. Whether Endgame succeeds or not, Disney, which now owns both properties, can’t complain.
In all honesty, Cameron is probably too busy with the four Avatar sequels currently in development to truly care. But for Marvel fans, this seems like a victory lap for a blockbuster tasked with closing the chapter on eleven years of films. Critics have praised it and there are even rumblings that Robert Downey Jr. could get an Oscar nod for his last outing as Tony Stark.
If you haven’t seen Avengers: Endgame by now (seriously, who are you?), you still have plenty of time to catch it in theaters. And if you have seen it, let us know in the comment below if you think the film will overtake Avatar at the worldwide box office before it finishes its run.