James Cameron salutes Avengers: Endgame for dethroning Avatar at box office
On Monday morning, after Avengers: Endgame dethroned Avatar as the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar‘s director, James Cameron, sent a congratulatory note to Marvel for the box office record. It’s game recognizing Endgame.
The note begins with an old Na’vi saying: “Oel Ngati Kameie.” It means, “I see you.”
“I see you, Marvel” Cameron wrote, accompanied by an image of Iron Man showered in a flurry of woodsprite seeds from Avatar‘s Tree of Souls. “Congratulations to Avengers: Endgame on becoming the new box-office king.”
It’s a social media tradition that’s been going around in Hollywood as films continue to break records.
Cameron did something similar when Endgame surpassed the box office record of Titanic. The same goes for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool and Wonder Woman, and Star Wars and Jurassic World.
Congratulations, @MarvelStudios! pic.twitter.com/DWZDX0uDVi
— Avatar (@officialavatar) July 22, 2019
As of Friday, Endgame‘s total worldwide gross hit $2,789.2 million with just $500,000 to go before surpassing Avatar’s $2,789.7 million record. By Sunday, that gap closed with Endgame reaching $2.79 billion.
“A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgame to these historic heights,” Alan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement. “Of course, even with the passage of a decade, the impact of James Cameron’s Avatar remains as powerful as ever, and the astonishing achievements of both of these films are ongoing proof of the power of movies to move people and bring them together in a shared experience. The talented filmmakers behind these worlds have much more in store, and we look forward to the future of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Pandora.”
Joe and Anthony Russo, co-directors of Endgame, echoed this sentiment in a tweet to Cameron.
“You’re a monumental reason why we fell in love with film in the first place,” they jointly wrote to the filmmaker. “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.”
To @JimCameron- you're a monumental reason why we fell in love with film in the first place. 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... pic.twitter.com/nrOqKVjGFa
— Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) July 22, 2019
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