There’s no doubt about it. Superhero movies really do dominate the box office. Case in point is the recent feat that ‘Avengers: Endgame’ achieved.
New Record
After speculations that the Marvel film might finally take the top spot from James Cameron’s 2009 fantasy film ‘Avatar‘, the film has officially done so as its earnings reached $2,790,200,000. In comparison, Cameron’s movie grossed $2,789,700,000, according to numbers from Mental Floss. A close fight, no doubt, but a fight that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) won nonetheless.
‘Avatar’ has held the prestigious record for the highest-grossing film of all time for about a decade now. And in the beginning, beating this record seemed out of reach for ‘Avengers: Endgame’. You see, the Marvel film initially finished its theatrical run still $500,000 behind the epic film. However, after a rerelease, it finally caught up with the record and has now surpassed it earning the title of the highest-grossing film of all time for itself.
The Real Winner
In the end, though, it seems that Disney is the real winner. After a merger with Fox, the company now owns the ‘Avatar’ franchise. Meanwhile, Disney owns Marvel Studios as a subsidiary.
Aside from clinching the top spot when it comes to global ticket sales, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ also broke other records on its way up. The film set a new record for biggest domestic box office opening when it raked in a whopping $357 million back in April.
It’s worth noting though that the record for the top-grossing film domestically remains in the hands of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. The sci-fi film brought in $936 million (adjusted for inflation). In comparison, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ earned $853 million in the domestic box office.
With this recent record-breaking feat, it’s no surprise that Marvel Studios executives are excited to bring new MCU and ‘Avatar’ films to their audience.
Marvel Lineup
At the recently concluded Comic-Con in San Diego, California. Marvel Studios announced some upcoming films they’re working on.
One of them is a prequel film which would feature the character Black Widow in her first-ever standalone movie. Scarlett Johansson will return to play the Russian spy. She will be joined by other big stars like ‘The Favorite’ actress Rachel Weisz, English newcomer Florence Pugh and ‘Stranger Things’ star David Harbour. Filming for the project has already begun last May with the final product being set for a May 2020 release.
There’s also the coming adaptation of The Eternals comic books starring actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie. Fans can expect to see the film come November of 2020. Mexican actress Selma Hayeka, comedian Kumail Nanjiani, ‘Game of Thrones’ star Richard Madden and Korean American actor Don Lee will co-star with Jolie.