Tom Holland inSpider-Man: No Way Home(2021).Photo: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection
Spider-Man: No Way Homemight soon be unseatingAvataras the third-highest-grossing film of all time at the U.S. and Canadian box office.
As of Monday, the third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’sSpider-Manfranchise had racked up over $735 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales since its Dec. 17 release, putting it only $25 million behindAvatar’s domestic gross haul, according to IMDb’sBox Office Mojo.
Despite opening over a month and a half ago,No Way Homealso took the top spot at movie theaters this past weekend, beating out newer buzzed-about releasesScreamandSing 2.
BothNo Way HomeandAvatarstill trail behind 2019’sAvengers: Endgame, which grossed close to $860 million domestically, and 2015’sStar Wars: The Force Awakens— the No. 1 highest-grossing film of all time at U.S. and Canadian box offices, with over $935 million.
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Zendaya and Tom Holland inSpider-Man: No Way Home(2021).Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection
This isn’t the first time a Marvel film has overtakenAvatar— in fact, whenEndgameedged into the No. 1 spotworldwide,AvatardirectorJames Cameroncongratulated Marvel on its achievement. (Avatarhassince taken the top spot again.)
“Congratulations,@MarvelStudios!” he wrote on Twitter in July 2019, alongsidean image of Iron Manin what appeared to be Pandora. The image read, “I see you Marvel — Congratulations to Avengers Endgame on becoming the new box-office king. James Cameron.”
Anthony and Joe Russo, the directors ofAvengers: Endgame, alsoposted their admirationfor Cameron, 67, at the time.
“To@JimCameron– you’re a monumental reason why we fell in love with film in the first place,” they tweeted. “Thank you for always inspiring us and opening the world’s eyes to what’s possible. We can’t wait to see where you take us next … "
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Cameron certainly has a chance to make up the difference domestically with the upcoming, long-awaitedAvatarsequels, though he recently toldEntertainment Weeklythat, given the state of moviegoing amid theCOVID-19pandemic and beyond, he worries whether the subsequent installments can match the first film’s success.
“The big issue is: Are we going to make any damn money? Big, expensive films have got to make a lot of money,” said Cameron, who also directed the No. 3 movie with the biggest box office, 1997’sTitanic. “We’re in a new world post-COVID, post-streaming. Maybe those [box office] numbers will never be seen again. Who knows?”
“It’sall a big roll of the dice,” he said.
source: people.com
