Avatar has reclaimed box office records. Photo / Provided
It’s been more than a decade since James Cameron Avatar was released, and the epic film has reclaimed its box office crown.
It was knocked out of the all-time grossing film by Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame, but a re-release in Chinese theaters this week has changed it.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film made more than $ US8 million (NZ $ 11m) in China this weekend alone, putting the box office total for the 2009 film at $ US2.8 billion, compared to Endgame’s $ US2,797 billion total.
Film producer Jon Landau said: “We are proud to achieve this extraordinary milestone, but Jim and I are very happy that the film is back in theaters during these unprecedented times, and we want to thank our fans in China. for their support. We are very happy to work hard on the next Avatar film and look forward to sharing the continuation of this epic story for years to come. “
The Avatar and Marvel Twitter accounts acknowledge the achievement.
“Irayo to our fans in China for coming out to see Avatar on the big screen this weekend! This crown belongs to the Na’vi Nation – it could not have happened without you. @Jonlandau @JimCameron,” wrote the official Avatar account.
And the Marvel Studio account congratulates Cameron and Landau.
Endgame’s director, the Russo brothers, wrote: “To challenge you … @JimCameron.”
Avatar fans are eagerly awaiting the planned sequel to the film that is currently in the works in Wellington.
Last September, Landau spoke to the podcast The Detail about how Avatar’s production was affected by the pandemic.
He said of the more than 30 crew who were granted border exemptions last May: “These are the people who will open the doors for millions of dollars flowing into the economy.”
“The plan has always been to do live action work here in New Zealand. We were here last year for about six months … and the plan is to come back in March. [2020]. Look at the week we were supposed to have a pandemic trip emerge and we made the decision not to come even before your borders were demarcated. “
Later that month, Cameron provided an Avatar update during an interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“Covid hits us like it hits everybody, it hits us hard,” Cameron said. He said at the time of the pandemic it caused the film to lose four or five months of production.
“Where we are now – I’m shooting in New Zealand. We’re shooting the rest of the live-action, we’ve got about 10 percent left to go. We’re 100 percent done in Avatar 2, and we’re up to 95 percent on Avatar 3.”
Cameron also praised New Zealand’s Covid-19 response: “We are very fortunate that we chose this as our production site years ago, we made our first film here in New Zealand. It turned out to be the first or second best country in the world for the Covid response. her. “
“We can shoot, we can operate, and we can have a more or less normal life here. We are very lucky, so I don’t see any obstacles for us to finish the picture.”
The highly anticipated first sequel to 2009’s epic is slated for release in December 2022.