See What Idris Elba Could Look Like As Deadshot In The Suicide Squad

See What Idris Elba Could Look Like As Deadshot In The Suicide Squad

The DC live-action universe is in a fascinating place right now. While things looked bleak after the release of Justice League, Warner Bros. changed its plan of action, and seems to be on the upswing. With less of a focus on serialized storytelling, James Wan's Aquaman was a critical and box office success, and there's plenty of other exciting projects coming down the pipeline. One of them is James Gunn's still developing The Suicide Squad, which will make liberal changes to the titular team and cast.

James Gunn's plans for The Suicide Squad are slowly coming to light, as the story and characters are chosen for the upcoming sequel to David Ayer's original film. While rumored character lists have already started swirling around the internet, one bit of casting has been confirmed: Idris Elba will replace Will Smith as DC's Deadshot. Smith won't be participating in the blockbuster due to conflicts, and fans are eager to see what 46 year-old actor Elba will do with the villain. Now we've got an idea of what he could look like as the man who never misses. Check it out below.

Does anyone else have chills? Idris Elba looked like a hulking force as Deadshot, and this image should get any naysayers a better idea of what the recasting could look like on the silver screen. Elba's star power has been growing for years, and now seems like the perfect time to give him another comic book role in The Suicide Squad.

The above image comes to us from Boss Logic, who regularly renders potential superhero looks for rumored actors. But Idris Elba's role as Deadshot has been confirmed, so his art is especially exciting. If James Gunn keeps Deadshot's costume consistent with the one Will Smith rocked in Suicide Squad, then that might be exactly what Elba could look like in the still developing sequel. And it's awesome.

Suicide Squad adapted Deadshot's costume fairly accurately, although the Batman rogue didn't wear his signature white mask quite as much as comic book fans are accustomed do. This was obviously so director David Ayer could better feature Will Smith. Why book the A-lister if you're going to keep his face covered? As such, it seems logical that James Gunn would use a similar design for his follow up, and might once again opt to keep the character mostly unmasked. When you've got the Sexiest Man Alive, you're going to want to show that Golden Globe winning mug to the audience.

Then again, James Gunn could opt to change Deadshot's appearance in The Suicide Squad, and differentiate his version of the character from Will Smith's. The sequel will reportedly feature returning characters in Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and Rick Flag, but reports also indicate that Gunn is going to be adding in some newcomers. The developments for The Suicide Squad have been fascinating, especially as the writer/director has already shown a willingness to recast if the original actors are unavailable.

Regardless, the rendering of Idris Elba as Deadshot is sure to excite both comic book enthusiasts and casual moviegoers. Elba's career has been on a serious trajectory, and he's got experience in the superhero genre as well. Before we get to see him suit up as the DC villain, he'll be the big bad Hobbs & Shaw. So while he's shut down rumors of replacing Daniel Craig as James Bond, the action genre is one that Elba clearly feelings comfortable in.

Suicide Squad's performance was fascinating, as it had both highs and lows once arriving in theaters. While David Ayer's blockbuster made a good bit of money at the box office, it was a critical failure that failed to really resonate with audiences. But that didn't stop the blockbuster from picking up an Oscar along the way, and starting a franchise and spinoff in Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

Will Smith's Deadshot was one of the strongest aspects of Suicide Squad, as he and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn helped to carry the somewhat disjointed blockbuster. Deadshot's fixation and hatred of Batman was fleshed out, as was his undying love for his daughter. The character was arguably the most nuanced member of the Squad, as Smith balanced a love for killing and villainy with a family focused story. Idris Elba has some big shoes to fill, but the actor luckily got the following and star power to hopefully set him up for success.

Idris Elba has had his own long tenure in the superhero genre, thanks to his role as Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Elba played the powerful Asgardian in all three Thor movies, in addition to making brief appearances in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Infinity War.

Unfortunately, Idris Elba was never given quite enough material to showcase his talents during the Thor trilogy. This is a symptom of the franchise, which has put most of its focus on the title character and Loki. Shazam! star Zachary Levi has previously expressed his dissatisfaction with playing Fandral in the last two Thor movies, because the Warrior's Three never got to be properly fleshed out. The same can arguably be said for Heimdall, who mostly served as a tertiary presence as the keeper of the Bifrost.

Heimdall was tragically killed off during the opening moments of Avengers: Infinity War. After Thanos laid siege to the Asgardian ships from Thor: Ragnarok, Heimdall summoned the last of his powers to teleport Hulk back to Earth. His last action was a heroic one, and Thanos made him pay by taking his life. Heimdall and Loki's murders were the primary motivation for Thor to get revenge on the Mad Titan. Although he probably should have aimed for the head.

Now that Heimdall's story has been wrapped up, it frees Idris Elba to hop over to DC and get a starring role in The Suicide Squad. The combination between Elba and James Gunn is enough to get most comic book fans extremely excited.

The Suicide Squad is currently set to arrive in theaters on August 6th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Mckenna Grace Had A Scary Set Experience Making Annabelle Comes Home

Mckenna Grace Had A Scary Set Experience Making Annabelle Comes Home

For audience members sitting in a darkened theater, the right horror film can truly scare you and have you squirming in your seat, watching the screen through your fingers. But does that scariness extend to the making of the film itself? It seems it can, and did for Annabelle Comes Home star Mckenna Grace, who had a scary set experience making the Conjuring Universe film, as she explained:

I’ve done about three scared scenes so far, and I haven’t been too scared in those, but I do have a scary story. On one of the first days, I came and looked at the house that they built, on set. We were doing our rehearsal and my nose was pouring blood, all of a sudden. The lights were off because they had to re-set something, and I was like, “There’s blood!” And then, as soon as I stepped outside to go to the restroom to get a tissue, it stopped. It was creepy. But then we had the set blessing, so everything is good now.

Well, that’s disconcerting. The 12-year-old actress who plays the Warren’s daughter Judy in the film hasn’t been frightened by the actual scary scenes she’s filmed, where she is required to act scared, but she still experienced a creepy moment on set. As she told reporters during a set visit attended by CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg while on the set of the Warren home, which is filled with haunted objects, her nose started bleeding profusely.

She seemingly didn’t even know it was her blood at first because the lights were off. Then as she left to get a tissue and got outside of the set’s radius of supernatural effect, the bleeding stopped. A coincidence perhaps, but one that could definitely freak someone out, especially a young actress on one of her first days on a big horror film.

Also, I imagine that hearing Mckenna Grace, a child actor, scream out “There’s blood!” provided a different kind of fright for those on the set within earshot and must have given a few people mild heart attacks. Fortunately, they had the set blessing and there was no more blood. There were still some weird occurrences though. Elaborating on some of her other Annabelle Comes Home filming experiences, Mckenna Grace said:

Yes! There was this statue thing. It had its eyes closed, but to me, it looked like they were open. I was like, “Oh, that’s fun!” It was creepy. And then, one day, our trailer lights were just out, at the end of the day. None of the other trailer lights were off. There were two trailers, and the other one wasn’t off. It was so weird. They wouldn’t turn on and off, so they had to go re-set stuff. After they re-set it, they were like, “Everything is perfect. Why isn’t it turning on?” It just wouldn’t turn on. It took them 15 minutes to figure it out. It was crazy!

It’s fascinating how everyday occurrences can take on a poltergeist-like, supernatural quality when they happen in the right context. That was the case here, where the actual stuff that is supposed to be scary in the film is just cool, but it creates an environment where what in most other contexts would be a frustrating technical malfunction, here becomes something quite strange.

It even sounds like a scene out of a horror movie where the hey keep trying to flick the trailer lights on and they won’t come on, but when they do, you get a killer jump scare with a creepy doll or something. Fortunately, these were just weird occurrences and Mckenna Grace seems to have taken them all in stride. I suppose we should expect nothing less from the actress who played young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel.

Annabelle Comes Home sees the Warrens bringing the possessed Annabelle doll into their home and locking it in the artifacts room where it can hopefully do no more harm. But that move proves to be like lighting a match near barrels of gunpowder, as Annabelle awakens the room's evil spirits, which then go after the Warren's daughter Judy and her friends. The trailer for Annabelle Comes Home debuted recently and it really is a homecoming, with the return of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.

Annabelle Comes Home to the Warren’s and theaters on June 28. Check out our 2019 release schedule to see this and all the other movies you can look forward to this year, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the latest movie news.

The Final Avengers: Endgame Trailer Was Watched An Insane Amount Of Times

The Final Avengers: Endgame Trailer Was Watched An Insane Amount Of Times

Well, this is it, folks. The long-running saga that has been the MCU for over a decade now is about to wrap up all the major threads (so far) when Avengers: Endgame finally hits theaters on April 26. So, when Disney actually saw fit, last week, to release a new (and final) trailer for the upcoming epic, you can probably imagine that it drove fans wild. It drove them so wild, in fact, that fans were obliged to watch that trailer many, many times. How many times, you ask? Why, only 268 million times in 24 hours. That's all.

When things got rolling with Iron Man in 2008, we had no idea where we'd be several years later, and we certainly had no idea how highly anticipated the film that was once (and for a long time) only known as Avengers 4 would come to be. That all changed, however, when Avengers: Infinity War was released and we realized that many of the heroes we'd spent so many years watching were either going to go into Endgame as big fat losers or as...big piles of dust. The desire to see and hear anything possible from the actual footage of Endgame has been building for almost a full year, but we've been treated to a lot of misdirects, out right lies and tons of secrecy when it comes to how the story of The Decimation will be resolved. Thus, the crazy response to the final Endgame trailer.

Here's a thank you to the fans that was posted on the official Avengers Twitter feed:

Now, it's not unusual for trailers (usually the first trailer) from big budget blockbuster extravaganzas to hit views of many several million, mostly because they tend to be based on properties that have built in audiences (like comic books) who are eager to see some of our biggest stars take on something they've loved for many years. But, even knowing that...268 million views in only 24 hours is kinda insane. That's actually 56 million more views than the number of people in the entire United States as of the 2017 census. I mean, wow.

Someone has certainly overachieved when it comes to watching the last Avengers: Endgame trailer, right? Actually, I have no doubt that hundreds of someones watched this trailer many times in an effort to parse out all the relevant information that could be found in the, mostly new, footage contained within. The trailer was released last Thursday, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people suddenly got "too sick" to go to work that day and just spent all their newly allowed free time lazing around in bed and revisiting the awesomeness that was Avengers: Endgame.

Of course, now the question is whether or not we'll get more new footage before the film releases at the end of next month. Most fans at least seem to agree that no more full length trailers are required at this point, especially if Marvel wants to continue to keep as many secrets of the film away from us as possible. And, there's also the fact that many of us now just want to see the damn movie, and can't bear any more teases, rumors, suppositions and the like.

Well, I'm sure everyone who was on board with the super secretive, and long-standing, marketing plan that's driven the publicity behind Avengers: Endgame is officially breathing a sigh of relief that all the withholding worked to help drive up anticipation for the film. Those opening night crowds are going to be ridiculous. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have something I need to watch about 50 more times before April 26.

Someone Edited Deadpool Into The Avengers: Endgame Trailer, And You Can’t Unsee It

Someone Edited Deadpool Into The Avengers: Endgame Trailer, And You Can’t Unsee It

While we may not know the fate of everybody in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, it does appear that Deadpool survived, as a fan who has been making a habit of inserting Deadpool into Avengers trailers has now given the same treatment to the latest Avengers: Endgame trailer, and the result is actually pretty entertaining. Check it out.

The Deadpool-filled trailer gives us all of the video that we got with the new Avengers: Endgame trailer, but replaces all of the audio with commentary by Deadpool, or at least a reasonable facsimile provided by the Mightyraccoon! YouTube channel. If you've seen any of the previous trailers the channel did that added Deadpool, you'll know what you're seeing here. We get a combination of Deadpool making sardonic comments to the Avengers as well as becoming several of them at various points in the trailer.

There are a couple of rock solid highlights, which come when Deadpool actually becomes part of the trailer, in the flashback shot from Captain America: The First Avenger, Deadpool actually lifts the pre-super soldier Steve Rogers so that he can better see himself as a soldier, which is great, and a nice bit of video manipulation. Then, at the end, Deadpool gets clocked in the back of the head by Stormbreaker. It's a simple gag, but an effective one.

It's actually sort of nice to get this shot of humor in the Avengers: Endgame trailer. The Marvel movies usually have a good sense of humor to them, but the dour and desperate circumstances surrounding the new movie means that everybody is very serious and nobody is cracking a smile. There's probably some humor in the film, but showing it off in the trailers would almost certainly shift the tone quite radically.

Of course, with the expectation that the Disney/Fox merger will be officially complete as of later this week, one can't help but wonder if something like what we see here is actually in our future. The Deadpool movies are one of the few parts of the Fox/Marvel universe that are hits and likely to survive the merger without being rebooted. Does that mean we could see Deadpool along side the Avengers in a future movie? It seems like a long shot, but at this point pretty much anything is possible.

With this likely being the last trailer we will see before Avengers: Endgame hits theaters, it could be our last Deadpool-infused trailer. We have no idea at this point if there will ever even be another Avengers movie, or what characters it will include if we do see it. We're not sure what MCU movies we'll get after Spider-Man: Far From Home. While we now know that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will happen, it's going to come much later than originally planned.

Is Toy Story 4 A Great Idea Or Bad One? We Weigh In

Is Toy Story 4 A Great Idea Or Bad One? We Weigh In

This morning, a brand new trailer for Toy Story 4 sent the world into a spin of nostalgia and anticipation, as the latest adventure of Woody, Buzz, and the gang feels so much closer to happening now we know what it's about. Yet, as with any sequel to a storied franchise that keeps on chugging, there are some who are wondering just why Toy Story 3 wasn't a good enough ending for the saga that started Pixar's feature film empire. It's the type of question the internet loves to discuss, and we here at CinemaBlend are ready to discuss the pros and cons ourselves.

Weighing in from the positive corner is our own Dirk Libbey, while I, Mike Reyes, will hail from the opposing side of the issue. Both of our arguments will be laid out in meticulous fashion; but in the end, you'll have a chance to tell us what you think about Toy Story 4's existence. Don't forget to vote in our poll, and give us your extended remarks of feedback in the comments section below. Now, to give Dirk's Toy Story 4 opinions their day in the sun!

Dirk

Almost since it was first announced there was going to be a Toy Story 4, there have been voices asking, "Why?" It’s certainly true the third film ended things on a powerful note, but I’ve never been one who felt the franchise was untouchable. Thus, I'm excited by the potential of Toy Story 4.

I like the Toy Story movies well enough. I think they tell great stories and are full of fun characters, but there’s honestly a lot from Pixar that means more to me on a personal or emotional level than the Toy Story movies. Maybe I’m a little too old, I was almost out of high school when Toy Story came out, so I didn’t really “grow up” with the franchise. Maybe I just didn’t have a favorite toy that meant as much to me as Buzz and Woody mean to Andy. Either way, it seems that because I don’t hold these movies in such high regard that I’m actually more interested in another adventure with these characters. The first three movies were good, so as long as the fourth one is too, I’m in.

At the same time, even for those people for whom the Toy Story trilogy is perfect as it is, I still think there’s a value in Toy Story 4. Toy Story 3 perfectly rounded out an impressive trilogy of films, but so much of what the Toy Story movies do well is the way they reflect real life with the characters, and life rarely fits into a perfect three-act structure. After you’ve grown up and moved on from your childhood toys and begun your adult life, the story doesn’t end. Really, it’s just beginning.

Based on the new trailer, it feels like Toy Story 4 is going to be the “mid-life crisis” movie of the Toy Story franchise. Forky is clearly a character trying to come to terms with who he is and what his purpose in life is. We also see Woody beginning to question everything that he has known up to this point. Will he continue in the role that he has played for so long or is it time to move on and try different things, experience a different adventure?

As somebody who writes these very words now because I once asked myself very similar questions, I’m certainly intrigued by where Toy Story 4 could be going. There is always another story to tell and I’m excited to see this one.

Mike

As someone who was right at cusp of childhood and adolescence when Toy Story debuted in 1995, it's safe to say that the films were definitely a part of my formative years as a moviegoer. The visual spectacle of CG animation, mixed with some of the freshest storyline and dialogue to come out of an animated film in the '90s made me pretty damned happy as a kid. So it's that basis of fandom that has me wondering just why we need another Toy Story sequel, considering the last one was pretty questionable itself.

Toy Story 2 was the gamble of all gambles when it came out in 1999, but even as a high school kid, I was still with it. It was a rare sequel that matched, if not outdid, the original; and provided a nice ambiguous note of finality. So naturally, Disney/Pixar had to go ahead and push its luck with Toy Story 3.

It's not that I didn't like Toy Story 3, it's just that it felt to me like a step down from the heights of the franchise. The most redeemable factor, and the one thing that really helped keep me from writing it off completely, is that it brought closure to the series once and for all. And it did so in such a beautiful way that it still makes me cry when Andy tells Bonnie about his dear old friends.

Yes, there have been TV specials and shorts continuing the adventures of the Toy Story gang, but none of those fundamentally undid the ending of Toy Story 3, nor did they repeat story beats from throughout the series. We've already seen the toys wrestle with saying goodbye to a trusted kid in Toy Story 3, and we've already experienced the push and pull between what Woody wants to do with his own life, and what he'll do for Andy in Toy Story 2. But Toy Story 4 looks like it's ready to do both all over again, and I just wish Pixar had left well enough alone.

Sometimes, you just need to know when to leave a series alone, and Toy Story 4 looks to be living proof of that fact. Watching that trailer this morning which featured the manipulative shorthand of using The Beach Boys' “God Only Knows” wasn't even enough to crack my shell. I'll still see it out of curiosity, but at this moment, I think Toy Story 4 is a bad idea. If the studio really wanted us to know what Bo Peep was up to, then maybe she shouldn't have hastily been written out of Toy Story 3.

Ultimately, Toy Story 4 is happening, so really the only question is whether or not it will resonate with a fanbase that has stuck with it for decades. Still, there you have it: Both sides of the argument have been made, and now the floor is turned over to you, the audience. Take our poll below, and tell us why you think Toy Story 4 is a good or bad idea. As for the film itself, you can catch Toy Story 4 in theaters on June 21, 2019. But if you want to find some other animated antics to tide you over until then, head over to our 2019 release schedule, and find a new "pardner" for your next cinematic roundup!

Annabelle Comes Home Trailer Makes The Warrens Fight That Damned Doll's Friends

Annabelle Comes Home Trailer Makes The Warrens Fight That Damned Doll's Friends

Annabelle 3 is called Annabelle Comes Home, and the official trailer brings Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) back into the mix. The trailer is also a 2 minute, 24 second warning not to make friends.

Friends will go into the room in your home that you told them not to go in. They'll touch things they shouldn't touch. They'll free a creepy doll named Annabelle. And they'll let that doll become a beacon for other spirits. Those creepy spirit friends will crash at your house and torture you with jumpscares. Then your parents will have to jump in and save the day -- again. Behold the trailer:

Mckenna Grace! She is everywhere. Maybe that should be the next Conjuring movie -- The Warrens realizing that Mckenna Grace has been cloned and that's why she's in every movie and TV show these days.

Mckenna Grace plays 10-year-old Judy Warren in Annabelle Comes Home, the seventh movie in The Conjuring Universe. It's a sequel to the 2014 movie Annabelle, which was a spinoff from The Conjuring. This movie also follows the prequel Annabelle: Creation.

James Wan, who directed the first two Conjuring movies, produced Annabelle Comes Home. Because the Warrens are in this film and the doll returns to their home, Wan said the movie feels like a new Conjuring film.

Here's the synopsis from New Line Cinema:

Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her “safely” behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest’s holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target—the Warrens’ ten-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends.

In addition to McKenna Grace (Captain Marvel) as Judy -- who appears to have inherited her mother's gifts; Madison Iseman (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) stars as Judy's babysitter, Mary Ellen; and Katie Sarife (Supernatural) plays Judy's troubled friend Daniela. This appears to be Daniela's fault, since she touched everything in the artifact room and set this all in motion. Then again, you could also blame the Warrens for keeping all that dangerous supernatural stuff in their own home.

Gary Dauberman -- who wrote the previous Annabelle films, IT, and The Nun -- made his directorial debut with this movie.

The Conjuring Universe is pushing movies out as fast as the DCEU and MCU these days. Before we see Annabelle Comes Home this June, we have the sixth film in the Conjuring Universe -- The Curse of La Llorona. That one is only tangentially connected to the world, but it does have an Annabelle link.

After Annabelle 3, we have The Conjuring 3 coming out in September 2020. That is being directed by Michael Chaves, who also directed The Curse of La Llorona. Aquaman director James Wan is now too busy to direct Conjuring movies, but he's still a producer in this world. After Conjuring 3 comes out, we should get more updates on The Crooked Man, which should be next.

Annabelle Comes Home will open in theaters (and IMAX) on June 28, 2019, as one of the many films to look forward to in 2019.

Avatar's Box Office Record Is Even More Impressive After Avengers: Endgame

Avatar's Box Office Record Is Even More Impressive After Avengers: Endgame

There has not been a movie event in our lifetimes quite like Avengers: Endgame. No amount of pie-in-the-sky box office forecasting or broken pre-sales records could have prepared the industry or us for the opening weekend of Marvel’s culmination film. By the time all the money was counted on Monday morning, Avengers: Endgame had obliterated the domestic opening weekend box office record by nearly $100 million and left a sea of exhausted movie theater employees in its wake.

Avengers: Endgame shot off like a rocket and the domestic opening weekend record was just the first major victim to fall to Marvel’s decade-in-the-making achievement. One by one, the Russo Brothers film climbed the box office charts, breaking records and felling many other massive movies, including those of the MCU, on its way to the top. Records are made to be broken, and like a blow from Stormbreaker, Endgame has done plenty of breaking.

But there is one record in particular left to break. One record that cements a movie as the biggest ever and the all-time box office champ. One film that stands alone. That record is for the worldwide box office gross, and it belongs to James Cameron’s Avatar.

After an opening weekend that got it over 40% of the way there, and after it sunk James Cameron’s other box office stalwart Titanic, it seemed to many like it was a matter of ‘if’, not ‘when’ Avengers: Endgame would break Avatar’s record. That inevitability might have been premature though.

Avengers: Endgame currently sits at $2.713 billion worldwide, but Forbes’ Scott Mendelsohn does not see it having enough juice to make it to the $2.788 billion and beyond needed to match Avatar and claim the worldwide box office crown. Instead, he predicts that it will top out at a staggering, but still second-place, total $2.766 billion.

It is still a monumental achievement and no one involved has anything to hang their heads over if the film has to ‘settle’ for being 2nd to James Cameron’s 2009 film. Yet, regardless of whether the MCU film ultimately claims the top spot on the worldwide charts or comes up just short, Avatar’s box office record is even more impressive after Avengers: Endgame.

I think we sometimes hand wave Avatar’s record and take it for granted because it has become a constant in our minds. We all know that Avatar is the biggest movie of all time, but the abstract nature of that fact has made it seem at times less like something that the film achieved and more like something that just is. That detracts from how impressive its run really was.

First, it must be addressed how long Avatar’s record has lasted. Avatar was released in December of 2009 and since it ended Titanic’s reign at the top, it has never once been so much as threatened until Avengers: Endgame. That’s nearly a decade of dominance where the biggest films Hollywood could muster all failed to even sniff Avatar’s record.

The Na’vi held off the reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise, a franchise whose original 1993 film once held the worldwide record before Titanic. The end of Harry Potter, the animated phenomenon Frozen and the MCU’s finest and biggest films all fell short. Even the return of Star Wars, an incredible cultural and cinematic moment, with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, wasn’t enough.

Hollywood may have become more myopically focused on tentpole blockbusters since 2009, but in that time it still couldn’t craft one that could to bring down Toruk Makto. And if Avengers: Endgame too falls short, Avatar’s long reign will continue on.

Domestically, Avengers: Endgame beat Avatar and currently sits at $815.7 million according to Box Office Mojo. That makes it the second film, after Star Wars: The Force Awakens (which made $936.7 million domestically, a record Endgame definitely won’t be beating) to best Avatar’s $760.5 million take.

Consider this though: Avatar got to $760.5 million domestically and that current Number 3 spot with a max domestic theater count of 3,461. At the height of its run Avengers: Endgame enjoyed a theater count of 4,662. That’s over 1,200 more theaters than Avatar had to achieve what it did. And according to the National Association of Theater Owners, the average U.S. ticket price was $7.50 in 2009 versus $9.11 last year.

Inflation means that movie tickets were less in 2009, which would be to Avatar’s benefit, but James Cameron’s movie was also the first, and arguably last, 3D event, and thus demanded premium ticket prices from audiences wanting the full experience. So to be fair, that issue gets a bit financially muddled. And domestically, when adjusted for inflation, the movie that sold the most tickets and remains and will forever remain the GOAT is Gone With the Wind.

Also, while Endgame started out with a massive bang at the box office that got it a lot of its haul very quickly, it also burned out faster. Whereas Avatar was a slow burn at the box office, with small percentage drops week to week that saw it methodically build its total. Avatar did also have a special edition re-release in the summer of 2010 that added $10.74 million domestically to its final tally.

Endgame debuted with a stunning $357.1 million and held on to the top spot on the domestic charts for 3 weeks. Avatar didn’t even crack $100 million opening weekend, making $77 million. That puts it in 97th place for opening weekends. But it stayed in first place for seven straight weeks and didn’t leave the top 10 until week 15. That’s crazy, and internationally Avatar’s accomplishments are just as impressive.

Avengers: Endgame has opened to a record $866.5 million overseas and to date has made $1.897 billion. Compare that with Avatar, which opened to a meager $164.5 million and went on to make $2.029 billion. And although blockbusters often make a huge chunk of their gross internationally, the foreign box office of 2009 wasn’t what it is today.

We often cite the ever-growing importance of the China market for Hollywood films, but Avatar only made $204.1 million there. That’s because back then China only had less than 5,000 movie theater screens. Today the Middle Kingdom has around 60,000 according to The Washington Post. That incredible market growth has given blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame greater opportunity to make money. Endgame did just that, with $614.3 million in China so far, triple what Avatar did.

More screens equals more money, and because it played on fewer screens worldwide, Avatar had to do more with less, which makes the fact that it is still Number 1, whether it stays that way or not, all the more impressive.

Those are all just quantitative measures though and when you consider the qualitative factors of Avengers: Endgame and Avatar, the latter’s worldwide record is even more admirable.

While we sing the praises of Avatar’s record, it must be said that for all the factors like inflation and theater count, James Cameron’s film did have some distinct advantages that Avengers: Endgame did not enjoy. The most obvious of those is that Avatar released in December of 2009, years before studios decided on a year-round blockbuster season. That’s something Avatar arguably started, Disney continued with Star Wars and will soon alternate holiday seasons between Star Wars movies and the Avatar sequels.

In the weeks and months that followed Avatar’s release, Sherlock Holmes, The Book of Eli, The Wolfman, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Dear John were released. It wasn’t really until March of 2010 when a true blockbuster arrived in the form of Alice in Wonderland. Endgame was given no such quarter, with Detective Pikachu, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Aladdin and Godzilla: King of the Monsters all following in the month or so after its release.

Nevertheless, despite its advantageous release month, Avatar still had more work to do than Endgame to reach the heights it did. Avatar was an original movie, from the filmmaker who made Titanic sure, but it had no real star power beyond James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver in a supporting role. We’ve seen other original sci-fi blockbusters from name filmmakers and some with even more star power fail to launch, and Avatar could have easily gone the way of Jupiter Ascending.

It had to succeed by selling audiences through its marketing and in the theater, and it did so with fantastic word of mouth and repeat viewings from audiences that fell in love with the spectacle of the film and wanted to live in Pandora.

Conversely, Avengers: Endgame was always guaranteed to be huge. Before we saw the first trailer, I’d say it had a good chance to snag the opening weekend record. That’s because it was the culmination of a franchise and characters audiences have invested in for over a decade. Everyone had already made up their minds to see it a long time ago.

It has the powerful Marvel branding and is the biggest film in the MCU, which is the biggest franchise in movie history. Those factors made Avengers: Endgame a true monoculture event that everyone wanted to be a part of, and the frenzy opening weekend is testament to that.

So the fact that it had all that going for it and it still might not surpass Avatar, and if it does it will be close, throws into stark relief just how impressive what Avatar did was. That’s not to take anything away from Avengers: Endgame, which has been a monumental achievement and no matter what film holds the top spot, Disney is the winner in all of this with Fox’s Avatar now under its umbrella.

That Avatar has finally been challenged though shows just how much it takes to beat it and looks to be a truly herculean and perhaps Sisyphean task. The question then becomes, if something like Marvel’s biggest film can’t beat it, can anything?