It took 15 years to get a sequel to James Cameron’s Avatar, which meant the already-stunning visual effects of the first were better, leading more people to descend into a kind of depressed mania that they couldn’t plug themselves into the world of the Na’vi (look it up, it’s a real thing). Unsurprisingly, cinema-goers went hard for Avatar‘s follow-up, because it would be almost sacrilegious to view it any other way. Quite simply no films have been more tailored to the big screen, which is why this sequel immediately sky-rocketed into the top 3 highest-grossing movies of all time with more than $2.3b at the box office.
2. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Gross: $2,797,501,328
The endgame to end all endgames (well, until Marvel ups the ante with its next phase of superhero team-ups). The official end of Marvel’s third phase came in with a bang, finally resolving its teensy cliffhanger of half the world’s population, including some superhero faves, vanishing into thin air. It’s natural that the culmination of more than a decade of movies would prove to be Marvel’s crowning jewel, immediately launching to second in the ranking of highest-grossing films of all time. It simply clicked and earned more than $2.7b.
1. Avatar (2009)
Gross: $2,923,706,026
It will take a lot for James Cameron’s Avatar to be punted from the top spot of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Many have tried, but in the 16 years since its release, only a handful have got close. Avatar changed cinema as we know it, introducing an entire world of visual graphics that felt like witchcraft at the time and, to be honest, still kind of does even now. A sequel came 15 years later, and we’re due to get another three, meaning this list could shape up to be a one-man party before long. A feast for the eyes in every single way, Avatar became the cinematic event of the decade, and with $2.9b racked up at the box office, it’s likely to remain it for another decade to come.
First published on gq-magazine.co.uk