Avengers: Endgame Beats Avatar to Become the Highest-Grossing Movie of All Time (Again)

Marvel Studios' Encore re-release of Avengers: Endgame has helped it beat Avatar to become the highest-grossing movie at the box office of all time—again. Despite not cracking the top five earners for this weekend’s box office returns, Avengers: Endgame Encore managed to scrounge together enough cash to reach a total of $2.9255 billion worldwide. This figure puts it just a few bucks over Avatar's standing total of $2.9237 billion, securing the Marvel movie’s place as the highest-grossing film in theaters.

Considering the Infinity Saga-ending team-up movie first premiered in 2019, re-releases did much of the lifting to help it reach its current number. Endgame first passed Avatar when it hit $2.79 billion back in July 2019. However, an Avatar re-release from 2021 saw Cameron’s sci-fi epic reclaim victory when its total reached more than $2.81 billion.

With one re-release already under its belt, Endgame's latest Encore—which attracted a staggering $86 million in its debut—helped it take the top spot again. While this marks an overall victory, the movie’s new place amongst the rankings is narrow, and its worldwide total of just $18.8 million shows a steep decline from last weekend.

Part of the allure for Avengers: Endgame Encore is the new footage it brought to the table. Although bonus content totals about four minutes across four new scenes, each segment serves as a teaser for December’s Avengers: Doomsday. The Doctor Doom introduction movie is poised to be another gigantic release for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.