‘Avengers: Endgame’ Passes ‘Avatar’ to Become Biggest Movie in History
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UPDATED: After “Avatar’s” impressive 10-year reign as box office champion, “Avengers: Endgame” has officially dethroned James Cameron’s sci-fi epic to become the biggest movie of all time.
On Saturday, Disney and Marvel’s blockbuster crossed $2.7902 billion at the global box office. Once weekend ticket sales were tallied on Sunday, the tentpole exceeded the $500,000 needed to surpass “Avatar’s” $2.7897 billion benchmark.
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“Avengers: Endgame” has amassed $853 million at the domestic box office, making it the second-highest grossing movie in North America behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($936 million). Internationally, it collected a mighty $1.9 billion, boasting especially strong performances in China ($629 million), the United Kingdom ($114 million), South Korea ($105 million), Brazil ($85 million) and Mexico ($77 million).
Disney, ever determined to reach ultimate box office glory, re-released “Avengers: Endgame” in theaters last month with additional footage in an effort to beat “Avatar.”
Since Disney closed its $71.3 billion acquisition of Fox, “Avatar” is now part of the Disney empire. That means the Buena Vista company is currently home to seven of the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time.
Marvel president Kevin Feige announced the benchmark during the studio’s Comic-Con presentation in San Diego on Saturday.
“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,” Alan Horn, Disney co-chairman and chief creative officer, said in a statement. “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.”
“Avengers: Endgame” set numerous box office records since debuting in April. The superhero tentpole holds the title for biggest global opening weekend with $1.2 billion, best domestic launch with $357 million and strongest international bow with $866 million.
“Avengers: Endgame,” the 22nd entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, features an all-star cast including of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk and Paul Rudd as Ant-Man.
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