After nearly a decade, James Cameron’s revolutionary sci-fi hit Avatar finally lost its place as the highest-grossing film of all time to Avengers: Endgame last year.
The movie had fended off such major hits as Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avengers: Infinity War over the past few years, both of which brought in over $2 billion but couldn’t quite meet the $2.79 billion needed to oust the king. But the mighty do fall eventually, and the immensely successful film barely lost its title to Endgame when it grossed $2.8 billion worldwide during its theatrical run.
But it’s a short-lived success if one actor’s simple and straightforward prediction is correct. Stephen Lang, who played the original film’s villain, Colonel Quaritch, feels that the upcoming sequel Avatar 2 will surpass the box office success of Endgame and reclaim its rightful spot at the top. When asked whether he believes it stands a chance of surpassing Marvel’s highly-successful blockbuster, he stated plainly:
I expect so.
Of course, there’s always the chance James Cameron’s sequel could take its spot back, and it wouldn’t be anything new to the famous filmmaker whose other mega-hit Titanic raked in $2.19 billion globally in 1997 and earned its #3 spot on the highest-grossing movies of all time. The industry has changed drastically since 2009, however, with a significant shift toward shared universes and expansive multi-film properties. Though Cameron’s 5-film plan for the Avatar series would certainly fit the mold, he still faces the hurdle of being a little late to the party. The franchise’s ten year hiatus puts it playing catch up in a time where other movies have already both learned from and expanded on Avatar‘s success, completely redefining audiences’ ideas of a blockbuster.
In any case, Cameron recently updated his patient fan base about the development of the sequels, and Avatar 2 is currently still expected to launch on December 17th, 2021. Despite the assumed death of Colonel Quaritch at the end of the first film, Stephen Lang is also slated to return to the world of Pandora in an unannounced capacity.
