Besides releasing his own films on time, there’s nothing director James Cameron seemingly dislikes more than superhero blockbusters.
The Oscar winner has made his feelings about the genre more than clear, invoking what he described as “Avenger fatigue” in an interview last year and angering legions of fans.
While his stance isn’t particularly revelatory, Cameron does have skin in the game. His films “Avatar” and “Titanic,” which sit atop the list of highest-grossing films of all time, are at risk of being toppled by the latest Marvel offering, “Avengers: Endgame.”
The Russo Brothers-directed film has now officially unseated “Titanic,” which raked in $2.187 billion back in 1997, as the second highest-grossing film of all time. The “Infinity War” sequel shattered box office records since its release in April with a net gross of $2.3 billion and counting worldwide.
Cameron issued a surprisingly congratulatory statement on Thursday, conceding the win to Marvel Studios with a photo of the “Avengers” logo capsizing the famed vessel.
“To [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] and everybody at Marvel,” Cameron wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. “An iceberg sank the real Titanic. It took the Avengers to sink my ‘Titanic.’ Everyone here at Lightstorm Entertainment salutes your amazing achievement. You’ve shown the movie industry is not only alive and well, it’s bigger than ever!”
The Oscar winner, of course, still holds the record with “Avatar,” which remains the biggest movie ever with $2.78 billion at the end of its global theatrical run.
But “Avengers: Endgame” already bested its competition in one regard, becoming the fastest film to reach $2 billion at the box office in record time, and could very well unseat the Cameron’s “Avatar” in a matter of weeks.
Cameron will, however, have ample opportunity to reclaim the title given that he has four more sequels in the pipeline, which will hit theaters every other December beginning in 2021 until 2027.