Avatar is nearing $3 billion at the global box office

Avatar has just crossed a major box office milestone, and is now on the path to becoming the first movie to earn $3 billion worldwide.

James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster has returned to cinemas in the lead-up to Avatar: The Way of Water, his first long-awaited sequel in a batch of four follow-ups over the coming decade.

While other movies have made not-so-noble efforts to dethrone Avatar from the box office throne, like Avengers: Endgame’s re-release with PS2 Hulk CGI, Cameron’s film is the king of the world – and it probably always will be.

And for those who claim Avatar has no cultural presence, look no further than the performance of the re-release – people are still booking tickets, and it’s carried its haul to a new milestone.

Avatar is on the path to $3 billion at the worldwide box office

Avatar has amassed a total of $2.905 billion at the global box office. In its first weekend, it outgrossed Don’t Worry Darling overseas, with audiences flocking to their nearest IMAX screens to catch the original hit in 3D, as well as a post-credits sneak peek at Avatar 2.

Avatar is now the highest-grossing movie of all time by a large margin; $107 million ahead of Avengers: Endgame, to be exact.

If it manages to rake in another $95 million over the next two months before The Way of Water, it’ll be the first movie in history to cross the $3 billion mark.

As per Variety, the sequel is expected to generate around $649 million at the domestic box office – that’s more than $100 million shy of the first film’s initial haul – but these projections are still early. Avatar 2 is also releasing slap-bang in the holiday season, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hitting cinemas the month prior.

Avatar is available to watch in cinemas now. For more on Avatar 2, click here.