Avengers: Endgame earned an estimated $2.9255 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing film of all time. The Russo Brothers said, "We cannot thank fans enough for making the historic comeback possible." The 2019 blockbuster regained the top spot after a recent re-release brought new footage to theatres for many fans.
Avengers: Endgame has wrestled back the title of highest-grossing film of all time and directors Joe and Anthony Russo cannot thank fans enough for making the historic comeback possible. After the film's successful theatrical re-release as Avengers Endgame: Encore recently, the Russo Brothers shared a message celebrating its return to the top of the global box office. The Marvel blockbuster has now earned an estimated $2.9255 billion worldwide, just ahead of James Cameron's Avatar at about $2.9237 billion. The milestone marks a new chapter in the remarkable box office story of Endgame, which began with a record-breaking opening in April 2019.
The directors of Avengers: Endgame, the Russo Brothers, thanked fans for going back to the movie theatres and helping the Marvel film regain the title of the No. 1 movie of all time. Their message came after Endgame: Encore brought the 2019 blockbuster back to theatres after seven years. The special features new footage and connections to the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, giving audiences another reason to see the MCU event on the big screen.
When Avengers: Endgame hit in April 2019, it instantly rewrote the box office record books. The movie grossed about $1.223 billion worldwide, making it the first-ever film to exceed $1 billion on its opening weekend. The film had a worldwide opening weekend of around $1.195 billion, the biggest worldwide opening weekend ever at the time, according to Guinness World Records.
Endgame hit $1 billion faster than any film in history. The blockbuster crossed the mark in just five days, more than twice as fast as Avengers: Infinity War, which took 11 days to do the same. It is one of the biggest Guinness World Records triumphs of the film. Endgame made more money in 5 days than several previous MCU movies made in their entire theatrical runs.
The next milestone came just as quickly. Endgame became the fastest film ever to cross $2 billion globally, reaching that mark in its 11th day of release. At the time, only four other movies had crossed the $2 billion mark. It surpassed Avengers: Infinity War, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Titanic on the all-time worldwide chart.
Endgame finally surpassed Avatar, after weeks of unprecedented demand in cinemas. Avatar had held the worldwide box-office record for almost a decade. As of July 2019, Endgame officially defeated James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster. At the time, Guinness recorded the Marvel film at $2.7902 billion, just ahead of Avatar's $2.7897 billion. The achievement made Endgame the biggest movie of all time without taking into account inflation. Its initial run finished at around $2.798 billion, a record that seemed less and less likely to be surpassed.
But the reign of Endgame was not forever. Avatar was re-released in China in 2021 and again surpassed the Marvel movie. Subsequent re-releases pushed the lifetime total for Cameron's film into first place in worldwide rankings. It made the box-office rivalry between Avatar and Endgame one of the most watched records in modern cinema.
Seven years after its original release, Endgame was back in cinemas under the title Avengers Endgame: Encore. The re-release was in advance of the release of Avengers: Doomsday, adding material related to Marvel's upcoming Avengers chapter.
Avengers: Endgame has now reclaimed the title of highest-grossing film in history. What's interesting about this achievement, however, is that Endgame has now reclaimed the top spot, after having lost the crown, instead of simply holding on to a record set during its original run.
The film's journey is also a reflection of the incredible scale of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney says the MCU's 38 theatrical releases have grossed over $35 billion worldwide, making it the most successful film franchise of all time.
Endgame may have closed the Infinity Saga, but its legacy still resonates in the next chapter of Marvel. The Russo Brothers will be back in the director's chair for Avengers: Doomsday, which will bring together characters and teams from across the MCU and the X-Men universe. The new movie will be out on December 18, 2026.