‘Avengers: Endgame’ does not have a long road to cover to become the world’s biggest film of all time but looks like it won’t be able to push numbers beyond those of world no 1 film -- ‘Avatar’.&nbsp;

Endgame sits pretty at a comfortable $2.713 billion but its still $75 million shy of Avatar’s total, after being on the screens for more than a month. It was earlier&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/avengers-endgame-falls-short-of-105-million-to-topple-worlds-highest-grossing-film-ever-avatar-222303">$105 million short </a>of toppling Avatar from its no 1 position.&nbsp;

Marvel Studios can, however, be happy as the film is already among the top films of all time in the US collections. But the international markets is where the real fight stands.&nbsp;

The film that worked wonders at the box office was given stiff competition in the recent weeks from ‘Pokemon: Detective Pikachu’, ‘Aladdin’, ‘John Wick: Chapter 3’ and ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’.&nbsp;

According to a report in Forbes, if the film gets a re-release or there’s a miracle, Endgame can top Avatar. It has already emerged as the top foreign grosser in China and India, and is the number two grosser in the US, after ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.&nbsp;

The Forbes report predicts that Endgame will conclude its run with $2.66 billion, around $20 million less than Avatar.&nbsp;

Endgame’s staggering performance has pushed the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s combined total to $21 billion worldwide, further increasing its gap as the biggest film franchise of all time.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ does not have a long road to cover to become the world’s biggest film of all time but looks like it won’t be able to push numbers beyond those of world no 1 film -- ‘Avatar’.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ does not have a long road to cover to become the world’s biggest film of all time but looks like it won’t be able to push numbers beyond those of world no 1 film -- ‘Avatar’. Endgame sits pretty at a comfortable $2.713 billion but its still $75 million shy of Avatar’s total, after being on the screens for more than a month. It was earlier $105 million short of toppling Avatar from its no 1 position. Marvel Studios can, however, be happy as the film is already among the top films of all time in the US collections. But the international markets is where the real fight stands. The film that worked wonders at the box office was given stiff competition in the recent weeks from ‘Pokemon: Detective Pikachu’, ‘Aladdin’, ‘John Wick: Chapter 3’ and ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’. According to a report in Forbes, if the film gets a re-release or there’s a miracle, Endgame can top Avatar. It has already emerged as the top foreign grosser in China and India, and is the number two grosser in the US, after ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. The Forbes report predicts that Endgame will conclude its run with $2.66 billion, around $20 million less than Avatar. Endgame’s staggering performance has pushed the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s combined total to $21 billion worldwide, further increasing its gap as the biggest film franchise of all time.

'Avengers: Endgame' might not be able to beat 'Avatar' to become world's no 1 film

`Avatar` fans will have to wait a little longer for the release of its sequel as the release date of the upcoming film has been postponed.

The long-awaited `Avatar 2` will now release hit the theatres on December 17, 2021, instead of December 18, 2020, reported Variety.

The move also means that `Avatar 3` will now release on December 22, 2023, rather than on December 17, 2021, `Avatar 4` will open on December 19, 2025, instead of December 2024 and `Avatar 5` will release on December 17, 2027.

The upcoming sequel is being directed by James Cameron and will introduce seven young cast members who will take a trip to Pandora.

The news comes as a part of a larger shift in release dates announced by Walt Disney Studios.

The entertainment company is moving around the debuts of various films it inherited after buying the bulk of 21st Century Fox`s film and television assets in a mega-merger.

Disney also announced that there will be a trio of untitled `Star Wars` films.

These will hit the big screens after `Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker` brings the Skywalker spinoff saga to a close this December.

The first of the new three films will release on December 16, 2022.

There will be two other follow-ups that will premiere in the Christmas corridor on December 20, 2024, and December 18, 2026.

`Avatar` fans will have to wait a little longer for the release of its sequel as the release date of the upcoming film has been postponed. The long-awaited `Avatar 2` will now release hit the theatres on December 17, 2021, instead of December 18, 2020, reported Variety.

`Avatar` fans will have to wait a little longer for the release of its sequel as the release date of the upcoming film has been postponed. The long-awaited `Avatar 2` will now release hit the theatres on December 17, 2021, instead of December 18, 2020, reported Variety. The move also means that `Avatar 3` will now release on December 22, 2023, rather than on December 17, 2021, `Avatar 4` will open on December 19, 2025, instead of December 2024 and `Avatar 5` will release on December 17, 2027. The upcoming sequel is being directed by James Cameron and will introduce seven young cast members who will take a trip to Pandora. The news comes as a part of a larger shift in release dates announced by Walt Disney Studios. The entertainment company is moving around the debuts of various films it inherited after buying the bulk of 21st Century Fox`s film and television assets in a mega-merger. Disney also announced that there will be a trio of untitled `Star Wars` films. These will hit the big screens after `Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker` brings the Skywalker spinoff saga to a close this December. The first of the new three films will release on December 16, 2022. There will be two other follow-ups that will premiere in the Christmas corridor on December 20, 2024, and December 18, 2026.

Disney announces new release date for 'Avatar' sequel

Some 15 years in the making and after multiple delays, sci-fi epic 'Alita: Battle Angel'&nbsp;finally arrived on Thursday, but the Japanese manga-inspired action film earned only lukewarm reviews.

The tale of a cyborg heroine in a post-apocalyptic world, 'Alita: Battle Angel'&nbsp;was a passion project for acclaimed 'Avatar'&nbsp;director James Cameron for years before he turned it over to director Robert Rodriguez.

Speaking at the world premiere in London on Thursday, Rodriguez said Cameron, who first wrote a script in 2004, had crafted "a story that could really play around the world, even to people who don't know manga."

"It's a more universal story than I think people are expecting," the director told Reuters.

Rodriguez has said the movie's budget was around $150 million. The release date was pushed back twice by Hollywood studio Twenty-First Century Fox.

Early reviews were largely disappointing.

While praising the film's slick action sequences and the expressive, huge-eyed Alita - who is played by actress Rosa Salazar with CGI effects - many movie critics found the characters thinly developed.

Britain's Independent newspaper said "Alita" lacked the emotional pull of Cameron's other blockbusters, 'Avatar'&nbsp;and 'Titanic.'&nbsp;Hollywood website The Wrap called the movie "a glossy muddle" while Britain's Guardian newspaper said it was "a vanilla dystopian romance."

Los Angeles-based IndieWire was more enthusiastic, saying the film "lives up to its potential while leaving you wanting more."

Manga movies have proved a hard sell to Western filmgoers in the past, but Cameron, who retains a writing and producing credit, said on Thursday that "Alita" was different.

"We know the film is a crowd pleaser. We know that for sure. Now, we know the audience will go with her (Alita) on her journey and believe in her and feel her spirit," he said.

The movie has also faced criticism for not casting Asian actors in the lead parts.

Yukito Kishiro, who wrote the original graphic novels, said on Thursday he did not share the misgivings.

"I think it's a perfect cast. Had they had, say, a Japanese actress who can act the great action scenes, sure. But I suppose the casting people decided to go with what we have because there is a reason for that. I'm happy with that," Kishiro told Reuters on the London red carpet.

'Alita: Battle Angel'&nbsp;opens in the UK on Feb. 6 and in the United States on February 14.

Some 15 years in the making and after multiple delays, sci-fi epic 'Alita: Battle Angel' finally arrived on Thursday, but the Japanese manga-inspired action film earned only lukewarm reviews.

Some 15 years in the making and after multiple delays, sci-fi epic 'Alita: Battle Angel' finally arrived on Thursday, but the Japanese manga-inspired action film earned only lukewarm reviews. The tale of a cyborg heroine in a post-apocalyptic world, 'Alita: Battle Angel' was a passion project for acclaimed 'Avatar' director James Cameron for years before he turned it over to director Robert Rodriguez. Speaking at the world premiere in London on Thursday, Rodriguez said Cameron, who first wrote a script in 2004, had crafted "a story that could really play around the world, even to people who don't know manga." "It's a more universal story than I think people are expecting," the director told Reuters. Rodriguez has said the movie's budget was around $150 million. The release date was pushed back twice by Hollywood studio Twenty-First Century Fox. Early reviews were largely disappointing. While praising the film's slick action sequences and the expressive, huge-eyed Alita - who is played by actress Rosa Salazar with CGI effects - many movie critics found the characters thinly developed. Britain's Independent newspaper said "Alita" lacked the emotional pull of Cameron's other blockbusters, 'Avatar' and 'Titanic.' Hollywood website The Wrap called the movie "a glossy muddle" while Britain's Guardian newspaper said it was "a vanilla dystopian romance." Los Angeles-based IndieWire was more enthusiastic, saying the film "lives up to its potential while leaving you wanting more." Manga movies have proved a hard sell to Western filmgoers in the past, but Cameron, who retains a writing and producing credit, said on Thursday that "Alita" was different. "We know the film is a crowd pleaser. We know that for sure. Now, we know the audience will go with her (Alita) on her journey and believe in her and feel her spirit," he said. The movie has also faced criticism for not casting Asian actors in the lead parts. Yukito Kishiro, who wrote the original graphic novels, said on Thursday he did not share the misgivings. "I think it's a perfect cast. Had they had, say, a Japanese actress who can act the great action scenes, sure. But I suppose the casting people decided to go with what we have because there is a reason for that. I'm happy with that," Kishiro told Reuters on the London red carpet. 'Alita: Battle Angel' opens in the UK on Feb. 6 and in the United States on February 14.

'Alita: Battle Angel' movie finally arrives, to lukewarm reviews

She is emerging as the go-to star for big budget action blockbusters, knocking human and alien heads together in Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy&nbsp;and Star Trek. 
 
But 38-year-old US actress Zoe Saldana isn&#39;t averse to giving her real-life adversaries a kicking either, with Star Trek&nbsp;grandee George Takei and English James Bond&nbsp;novelist Anthony Horowitz the latest in her firing line. 
 
Takei - in the headlines last week for criticising the upcoming Star Trek Beyond&nbsp;for giving his old character Hikaru Sulu a gay back story - ought to get out more, according to Saldana. 
 
&quot;I think that he&#39;s still too personally attached to this character that he created and I think that he needs to find that line between his personal life and this character,&quot; she told AFP ahead of the movie&#39;s July 22 US release. 
 
Openly-gay Takei took to Facebook on Wednesday to say that while he was &quot;delighted&quot; with the idea of LGBT characters in Star Trek, he didn&#39;t think writers Simon Pegg and Doug Jung should &quot;tinker with an existing character&quot;. Pegg, along with current Sulu actor John Cho and other cast members have defended the decision, but have been less forthright in their responses to Takei&#39;s criticisms than Saldana, who suggested she found them insulting. 
 
&quot;Maybe that&#39;s not the way (Takei) played him, but that&#39;s the way we decided to go,&quot; the actress, who took on the role of Nyota Uhura from series original Nichelle Nichols, told AFP. 
 
&quot;It is an alternate universe and maybe Uhura is gay too and that&#39;s why her and Spock maybe may not work. Is Nichelle Nichols going to come and insult the whole franchise?&quot; 
 
&#39;I am black&#39; 
 
Saldana, born in the United States to Puerto Rican and Dominican parents, grew up in New York before moving to the Dominican Republic at the age of 10 when her father was killed in a car crash. 
 
Although ballet was her first love, she got into acting on her return to the US as a teenager and began bagging TV roles by the late 1990s.&nbsp;She appeared in more than a dozen films over the following decade, including Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl&nbsp;in 2003 and, fittingly, as a Star Trek&nbsp;fan in Steven Spielberg&#39;s The Terminal&nbsp;in 2004. 
 
Her big break came, though, in the 2009 movie reboot of the Star Trek&nbsp;film series by JJ Abrams. 
 
She has since been exploring the far reaches of the universe as blue-skinned Na&#39;vi heroine Neytiri in James Cameron&#39;s Avatar&nbsp;(also 2009) and green alien assassin Gamora in Marvel&#39;s Guardians of the Galaxy.&nbsp;It was another kind of skin tone alteration that caused her the most controversy, when she became embroiled in a &quot;blacking up&quot; scandal earlier this year for her portrayal of African American singer Nina Simone. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s no one way to be black,&quot; the mother of 20-month-old twin boys told Allure magazine in response to the criticism that she had darkened her skin and worn facial prosthetics in the widely-panned &quot;Nina&quot;. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m black the way I know how to be. You have no idea who I am. I am black. I&#39;m raising black men. Don&#39;t you ever think you can look at me and address me with such disdain.&quot; 
 
&#39;No more space&#39; 
 
In fact, Saldana has spoken frequently about prejudice in Hollywood, whether it be the backlash against the gay Sulu storyline, sexism, ageism or racism. 
 
Star Trek Beyond&nbsp;is Saldana&#39;s third film with her friend Idris Elba, who found himself at the centre of a controversy last year when new James Bond novelist Anthony Horowitz described the actor as &quot;too street&quot; to play the spy.&nbsp;Saldana brings up the episode unprompted as she is singing Elba&#39;s praises, her expression darkening and her contagious smile contorting suddenly into a defiant sneer as she lets off a volley of one-syllable words you&#39;d never hear Uhura use. 
 
&quot;What kind of ignorant comment to make is that? Just say &#39;I don&#39;t see James Bond as a black man.&#39; I would respect that more than hiding behind some cowardly, stupid answer,&quot; Saldana said. 
 
Star Trek Beyond, a swash-buckling return to the knockabout fun of the first of the new films, looks likely to enjoy a generous reception from the critics, who gave a press screening in LA this week to an enthusiastic ovation. 
 
With the Guardians of the Galaxy&nbsp;sequel coming in 2017 and the announcement of a new Avatar&nbsp;movie, it seems Saldana&#39;s place in the stratosphere is safe for the foreseeable future. 
 
&quot;Hopefully that will be enough space for me for now. No more space,&quot; she said. 
 
(AFP)

Saldana blasted George Takei's criticism of making the Star Trek character 'Sulu' gay in the upcoming movie

She is emerging as the go-to star for big budget action blockbusters, knocking human and alien heads together in Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Trek. But 38-year-old US actress Zoe Saldana isn't averse to giving her real-life adversaries a kicking either, with Star Trek grandee George Takei and English James Bond novelist Anthony Horowitz the latest in her firing line. Takei - in the headlines last week for criticising the upcoming Star Trek Beyond for giving his old character Hikaru Sulu a gay back story - ought to get out more, according to Saldana. "I think that he's still too personally attached to this character that he created and I think that he needs to find that line between his personal life and this character," she told AFP ahead of the movie's July 22 US release. Openly-gay Takei took to Facebook on Wednesday to say that while he was "delighted" with the idea of LGBT characters in Star Trek, he didn't think writers Simon Pegg and Doug Jung should "tinker with an existing character". Pegg, along with current Sulu actor John Cho and other cast members have defended the decision, but have been less forthright in their responses to Takei's criticisms than Saldana, who suggested she found them insulting. "Maybe that's not the way (Takei) played him, but that's the way we decided to go," the actress, who took on the role of Nyota Uhura from series original Nichelle Nichols, told AFP. "It is an alternate universe and maybe Uhura is gay too and that's why her and Spock maybe may not work. Is Nichelle Nichols going to come and insult the whole franchise?" 'I am black' Saldana, born in the United States to Puerto Rican and Dominican parents, grew up in New York before moving to the Dominican Republic at the age of 10 when her father was killed in a car crash. Although ballet was her first love, she got into acting on her return to the US as a teenager and began bagging TV roles by the late 1990s. She appeared in more than a dozen films over the following decade, including Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003 and, fittingly, as a Star Trek fan in Steven Spielberg's The Terminal in 2004. Her big break came, though, in the 2009 movie reboot of the Star Trek film series by JJ Abrams. She has since been exploring the far reaches of the universe as blue-skinned Na'vi heroine Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar (also 2009) and green alien assassin Gamora in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. It was another kind of skin tone alteration that caused her the most controversy, when she became embroiled in a "blacking up" scandal earlier this year for her portrayal of African American singer Nina Simone. "There's no one way to be black," the mother of 20-month-old twin boys told Allure magazine in response to the criticism that she had darkened her skin and worn facial prosthetics in the widely-panned "Nina". "I'm black the way I know how to be. You have no idea who I am. I am black. I'm raising black men. Don't you ever think you can look at me and address me with such disdain." 'No more space' In fact, Saldana has spoken frequently about prejudice in Hollywood, whether it be the backlash against the gay Sulu storyline, sexism, ageism or racism. Star Trek Beyond is Saldana's third film with her friend Idris Elba, who found himself at the centre of a controversy last year when new James Bond novelist Anthony Horowitz described the actor as "too street" to play the spy. Saldana brings up the episode unprompted as she is singing Elba's praises, her expression darkening and her contagious smile contorting suddenly into a defiant sneer as she lets off a volley of one-syllable words you'd never hear Uhura use. "What kind of ignorant comment to make is that? Just say 'I don't see James Bond as a black man.' I would respect that more than hiding behind some cowardly, stupid answer," Saldana said. Star Trek Beyond, a swash-buckling return to the knockabout fun of the first of the new films, looks likely to enjoy a generous reception from the critics, who gave a press screening in LA this week to an enthusiastic ovation. With the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel coming in 2017 and the announcement of a new Avatar movie, it seems Saldana's place in the stratosphere is safe for the foreseeable future. "Hopefully that will be enough space for me for now. No more space," she said. (AFP)

Zoe Saldana: action heroine fights in real and reel life

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