【2005 Archives】

Don't forget005 Archives kids: it's all Disney now anyway.

Marvel's bid to get Avengers: Endgame one, last broken box office record has paid off. Until July 21, 2019, Avatarwas the top-earning release of all time worldwide, with a total of $2.789 billion earned at the box office. Now, Endgameis out in front, with an estimated $1.5 million in weekend ticket sales bringing its grand total to an Avatar-topping $2.790 billion.

The broken record was all but assured by Saturday, which ended with just $500,000 separating the two movies. Disney even sent out a press blast celebrating that, complete with a statement from Walt Disney Studios co-chairman and chief creative officer, Alan Horn.

A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgameto these historic heights. Of course, even with the passage of a decade, the impact of James Cameron’s Avatarremains 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.

Of course, in the wake of Disney taking ownership of various Fox studios -- including, of course, 20th Century Fox -- this news reads a little differently. Disney might not have been in charge when the Fox-produced Avatar broke records a decade ago, but it's all in the family now.

On one hand, it's always a little strange for fandom to get invested in the box office race. Ticket sales are always an interesting data point for industry observers and analysts, but the weekly, monthly, annual, and all-time jockeying doesn't really mean so much to your average moviegoer.

That said, if you look at Marvel's big Saturday announcements from San Diego Comic-Con, it's hard to miss the shift that's happened. When the Marvel Cinematic Universe first launched a decade ago with the opening movies of what's now called The Infinity Saga, it was all about introducing the heavy hitters of the Marvel Comics universe: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, and, of course, the Avengers.

Phase Four kicks off a whole new saga in 2020, and the first two years of movies are highlighted to a major extent by less mainstream comic book figures. Blade, The Eternals, and Shang-Chigot a lot of attention during Saturday's panel, as did the first-time solo outing for Black Widow (who may or may not have much of a future in the MCU after Endgame) and the Scarlet Witch-enhanced Doctor Strangesequel.

There's also the new Thor, which we know for sure will lean in on introducing the Jane Foster version of the superhero. And all that Disney+ stuff! WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Loki, and the biggest surprise of all, a series based on Marvel's "What If...?" line of comics.

After 11 years and 23 movies, Marvel has achieved a level of success that clears the way for riskier creative endeavors. No one's going to argue at this point that a movie fronted by the Marvel Studios logo is truly a risk. And that's because of dominant box office performances across the past 11 years, up to and including Avengers: Endgame.

Most of this Phase Four stuff was decided long before Endgameeven hit theaters, if not all of it. But the newly broken record is a reminder of just how successful Marvel has been at creating a sprawling, interconnected network of stories. That's why the box office success matters, even if it has no meaningful impact on your life. A winning Infinity Saga gives way to what seems at this point like a much more creatively interesting direction for the MCU in Phase Four.