‘Avengers: Endgame’ Overtakes ‘Avatar’ as Highest-Grossing Movie in History With $2.925 Billion After ‘Encore’ Re-Release — SkimNews
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- "Avengers: Endgame" has reclaimed the all-time global box office crown at $2.925 billion after Disney's recent theatrical re-release, narrowly edging "Avatar" at $2.923 billion across five re-releases.
- The re-release has generated more than $126 million worldwide for "Endgame" and is explicitly tied to building audience excitement for "Avengers: Doomsday," which debuts in December as the 39th MCU installment.
- Disney now owns seven of the 10 highest-grossing films ever, including "Avatar: The Way of Water" ($2.33B), "Titanic" ($2.26B) and "Avengers: Infinity War" ($2.05B), following its 2019 merger with 20th Century Fox.
- Anthony and Joe Russo returned to direct "Doomsday," reuniting nearly every Marvel hero for the first time since "Endgame" closed out the Infinity Saga as the culmination of 21 prior MCU films.
- The MCU has generated a combined $35.07 billion across all movies, boosted by this summer's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" climbing past $2.5 billion.
- The top spot has ping-ponged between the two films since 2019: "Endgame" first took No. 1 during its original run, lost it in 2021 when "Avatar" returned ahead of The Way of Water, and now retakes it five years later.
Why it matters: Disney is essentially funding its own record-breaker — the Endgame re-release is a marketing engine for December's 'Doomsday,' not a standalone hit, and theater owners are reading the turnout as a leading indicator for one of 2026's biggest releases. With seven of the top 10 grossers and an MCU franchise at $35.07 billion cumulative, the crown swap doesn't change who actually wins: Disney captures the box office either way.
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