LOS ANGELES — “Avengers: Endgame” is once again the highest-grossing movie in box office history, taking the crown back from “Avatar” after the two blockbusters repeatedly traded the record through theatrical re-releases.
Following Disney’s latest theatrical run for “Avengers: Endgame,” the 2019 Marvel superhero film has reached $2.925 billion worldwide. That puts it slightly ahead of 2009’s “Avatar,” which has earned $2.923 billion globally through five re-releases.
“Avatar” held the box office record for a decade before “Avengers: Endgame” surpassed it during its original 2019 theatrical run. But “Endgame” fell back to second place in 2021 after “Avatar” returned to theaters ahead of the release of “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Five years later, Marvel’s heroes have reclaimed the top spot.
Disney benefits regardless of which film occupies No. 1. “Avatar” was originally released by 20th Century Fox, which became part of Disney after the companies merged in 2019. With Fox’s film library included, Disney is behind seven of the 10 highest-grossing movies of all time. The list also includes “Avatar: The Way of Water,” with $2.33 billion, “Titanic,” with $2.26 billion, and “Avengers: Infinity War,” with $2.05 billion.
Disney and Marvel brought “Avengers: Endgame” back to theaters as part of the buildup to “Avengers: Doomsday,” which is scheduled to debut in December. “Endgame” marked the conclusion of 21 movies released across 10 years and assembled a huge lineup of comic book characters, including Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther and Anthony Mackie as Falcon.
After an uneven period following the pandemic, Marvel is bringing together nearly every superhero in the galaxy for “Doomsday,” marking the first such gathering since “Endgame.” The re-release of “Endgame” has already earned more than $126 million worldwide, boosting excitement among theater owners for “Doomsday,” which is expected to rank among the biggest films of the year.
Anthony and Joe Russo are returning to direct “Avengers: Doomsday,” the 39th installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU remains the most commercially successful movie franchise in history. Following the summer blockbuster “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which has reached $2.5 billion and counting, the franchise has generated a combined $35.07 billion across all of its films.
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