Three months after its release, Avengers: Endgame has dethroned Avatar to become the highest-grossing film of all time.
James Cameron’s sci-fi epic reigned supreme for a decade, setting a £2.2312 billion ($2.7897 billion) benchmark at the global box office. On Saturday (July 20), Avengers: Endgame had grossed £2.2316 billion ($2.7902 billion), and after weekend ticket sales were tallied on Sunday, the estimate had crossed the £399,950 ($500,000) gap in global sales it needed to beat Avatar, Variety reports.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced the news on Saturday at San Diego Comic Con. Alan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer of Disney, issued a statement: “A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgame to these historic heights.”
Horn also paid tribute to Cameron and Avatar: “Of course, even with the passage of a decade, the impact of James Cameron’s Avatar remains 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.”
Cameron had been similarly gracious after Avengers: Endgame overtook his 1997 classic Titanic in May, saluting Feige and Marvel for their “amazing achievement” on social media.
The Russo brothers, who directed Avengers: Endgame, marked the milestone with a short yet grateful tweet yesterday (July 21):
To the greatest fans in the universe, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you…https://t.co/MRKEKaKvVW
— Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) July 21, 2019
Avengers: Endgame was re-released last month in theatres with extra footage. Per Time, the additional footage included a tribute to Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee (who didn’t manage to see the film before his death last November) and a post-credits scene from the now-released Spider-Man: Far From Home movie.
Marvel had a field day at Comic Con this past weekend, unleashing update after update on their upcoming movies. Marvel revealed that Mahershala Ali has been cast as iconic vampire hunter Blade, and unveiled its jam-packed Phase Four slate of films, including Black Widow, The Eternals, a fourth Thor movie and more.