‘Avengers: Endgame’ Steals the Box Office Crown Back From ‘Avatar’ and the Russo Brothers Are Getting Emotional
Few records have changed hands as often as the title of highest-grossing film of all time. For years, the crown has bounced back and forth between two blockbusters, and every re-release has felt like a rematch.
‘Avatar’ held the worldwide box office record for roughly a decade after its 2009 debut. ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ first overtook it in 2019, and ‘Avatar’ took the crown back in 2021 with its own re-release. For a while, it looked like Marvel’s finale might stay in second place.
That changed on October 4. ‘Endgame’ reclaimed the top spot at $2.9255 billion worldwide, and directors Joe and Anthony Russo celebrated with a video message to fans. Marvel Studios also posted its own message on X, writing, “Thank you for assembling to make Avengers: Endgame the biggest movie of all time,” in a Marvel Studios post that ended with the line fans know well.
Thank you for assembling to make Avengers: Endgame the biggest movie of all time. We love you 3000. https://t.co/eZFbN1x724
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) October 4, 2026
The comeback was powered by ‘Avengers Endgame: Encore’, an extended theatrical re-release that arrived on September 25. It includes new footage and four new scenes during the closing credits, plus a look ahead at ‘Avengers: Doomsday’.
In its second weekend, the re-release collected $4.4 million domestically and $14.4 million overseas. That was just enough to push the film’s global total to $2.9255 billion, barely edging past ‘Avatar’ at $2.9237 billion. In total, the Encore run has added about $126 million to ‘Endgame’s’ lifetime gross.
The Russos shared a 52-second video thanking audiences for returning to theaters and making the film the No. 1 movie of all time. They closed by telling every fan who has been part of the journey for the last seven years that they love them 3000, a nod to Tony Stark’s most famous line.
In the video, the brothers also said their favorite part of making ‘Endgame’ was sitting in theaters with audiences, and that the Encore release let them do that all over again. They called it one of the most special moments of their careers, adding that fans brought people who hadn’t seen it the first time and introduced new fans to the movie.
The Encore wasn’t a small nostalgia play. It topped the U.S. box office on the weekend of September 27 with $26 million, becoming the first re-release since ‘The Lion King’ in 3D in 2011 to take the number one spot.
The win also fits a bigger Disney picture, as the studio is responsible for seven of the 10 highest-grossing films of all time. The MCU as a whole has now passed $35 billion worldwide, cementing it as the highest-grossing film series in history.
The timing is no accident. The Russos are directing ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, and ‘Doomsday’ arrives in theaters on December 18. It recently became the earliest film to reach $50 million in domestic advance ticket sales.
The brothers’ relationship with Marvel stretches back to 2014’s ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’. Back in 2019, they also launched the “We Love You 3000” tour to celebrate the home release of ‘Endgame’, so this latest message feels like a full-circle moment.
Reassemble the team & relive the experience as Avengers Endgame: Encore returns to theaters September 25. Tickets now available for IMAX and Infinity Vision screens: https://t.co/pZZ4PiOyQb https://t.co/2wKSVG4FLz
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 25, 2026
Of course, the record may not last. ‘Avatar’ has already reclaimed it once, and the margin is razor thin, at about $1.8 million. For now, though, the biggest number belongs to the Avengers.
Do you think Avengers: Endgame can hold onto the all-time box office crown?
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