Joe and Anthony Russo acknowledged Avengers: Endgame's return to second place "highest grossing box office" status with a new BossLogic image of Avatar Thanos-snapping their film's title into oblivion.
"Passing the gauntlet back to you... @jamescameronofficial," the Russo Brothers wrote on their Instagram, followed by a shoutout to BossLogic for his "beautiful art." The artwork shows Thanos' armor scarecrow resting alongside the luminescent flora and fauna of planet Pandora, with the Avengers: Endgame title being Blipped from existence and the dust morphing into the remaining letters and font of Avatar's title.
Thanks to a re-release of director James Cameron's 2009 film in China, Avatar earned an extra $8.9 million worldwide, successfully bumping up its total box office sales to $2,798,579,794. This just edged out Avengers: Endgame's previous record-breaking amount of $2,797,501,328. Prior to 2019's Endgame, Avatar held the title of the highest-grossing film of all time for nearly a decade after exceeding the record set by Cameron's own Titanic in 1997. In a statement celebrating Avatar reclaiming the top spot, Cameron spoke about the growing urgency of his movie's themes since its release, stating "We've got climate change, we've got deforestation, our relationship with nature is more at risk than it's ever been, and Avatar is about those things, but it also is a timeless film."
Since Avatar came out, Cameron has been working on multiple sequels centered around the Na'vi inhabitants of Pandora and their relationship with humanity. Avatar 2 wrapped up filming last September, with various behind the scene photos teasing roles played by the franchise's new cast members including Edie Falco and Kate Winslet. The film will release theatrically on December 16, 2022, with a third sequel set to come out two years later in 2024.
Directed by James Cameron, Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, CCH Pounder, Wes Studi and Sigourney Weaver.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Danai Gurira as Okoye and Bradley Cooper as Rocket, with Gwyneth Paltrow Pepper Potts, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Benedict Wong as Wong, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Josh Brolin as Thanos.
Source: Instagram