AVENGERS: ENDGAME Overtakes AVATAR Again to Become the Highest-Grossing Movie Ever
The box office crown has changed hands again, and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are back on top. Disney and Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame has officially overtaken Avatar to reclaim its title as the highest-grossing movie of all time at the global box office.
The Marvel blockbuster now sits at $2.9255 billion worldwide, edging past James Cameron’s sci-fi epic at $2.9237 billion.
The victory comes courtesy of Avengers: Endgame Encore, the theatrical re-release designed to get audiences fired up for Avengers: Doomsday, which arrives December 18. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, who directed Endgame, are also directing the upcoming multiverse event.
Of course, this isn’t Endgame’s first trip to the top. Back at Comic-Con in 2019, Marvel Studios celebrated the news that Endgame had surpassed Avatar to become the highest-grossing movie in history. Cameron’s film eventually reclaimed the record through subsequent re-releases, but now Marvel has snatched it back.
Endgame Encore took a major hit during its second weekend in theaters, dropping 81% with $4.4 million after opening at No. 1 with $26.1 million. Even with the drop, the re-release has done more than enough to push the movie back into the record books.
The domestic total for Endgame now stands at $894.6 million, making it the third highest-grossing movie ever in North America. It trails Spider-Man: Brand New Day at $954.4 million and Star Wars: The Force Awakens at $936.6 million.
Internationally, Endgame has reached $2.03 billion, placing it at No. 2 on the all-time MPA box office list. The re-release has also been performing especially well overseas.
Its second global weekend brought in another $18.8 million, with $14.4 million coming from 52 international territories. The re-release has now earned $126 million worldwide, including $36.2 million domestically and $89.8 million internationally.
Endgame Encore has also become the highest-grossing re-release across Latin America, including Mexico with $6.1 million and Brazil with $3.1 million, along with Colombia, Peru and Paraguay. It has achieved the same distinction in Malaysia, India, where it has earned $3.8 million, and Indonesia.
All of this is serving as a warm-up for Avengers: Doomsday. The Marvel event hits theaters December 18, where it will go head-to-head with Dune: Part Three from Paramount, Warner Bros. and Legendary. With two massive franchises landing on the same day, Hollywood could be looking at another Barbenheimer-style box office showdown.
As for the Endgame versus Avatar battle, nobody should get too comfortable. At some point, Avatar will almost certainly return to theaters again at some pooint in the future. When that happens, Cameron’s Na’vi epic could very well reclaim the worldwide box office crown, continuing what has become a ridiculously entertaining game of box office ping-pong between two of the biggest movies ever made.
For now, though, Avengers: Endgame is once again the highest-grossing movie in the world.