'Avengers: Endgame' Reclaims Box Office Crown After Five Years With $2.9 Billion

'Marvel Studios''s landmark film 'Avengers: Endgame' has reclaimed the No. 1 spot at the global box office five years after its original run, using a re-release as its boldest move. The Numbers, a leading film data website, announced Thursday, local time, that 'Avengers: Endgame''s cumulative revenue had surpassed $2.9255 billion (about 3.9275 trillion won). The film narrowly overtook 'Avatar' (2009), directed by 'James Cameron', which had held the top spot.

A $2 million margin: 'Avengers' overtakes 'Avatar' in box office history

The cumulative box office revenue of 'Avatar', which surrendered the crown, stands at $2.9237 billion (about 3.9251 trillion won). The two blockbusters were separated by less than $2 million, underscoring just how close the race was. 'Avengers: Endgame' generated about $894.6 million in North America and an astronomical $2.0309 billion in international markets, once again proving the scale of its global phenomenon.

The reversal resulted from a worldwide re-release campaign Marvel organized to build anticipation for the new film 'Avengers: Doomsday', which is scheduled for release at the end of this year. Variety reported that the re-release alone generated an astounding $126 million in ticket revenue. The 'Avengers: Endgame Encore' version returning to theaters added previously unreleased bonus footage designed to spark fans' nostalgia, drawing an explosive wave of moviegoers.

The box office battle between the two films has a long history. In 2019, 'Avengers: Endgame' immediately broke the record held by 'Avatar', which had been considered unbeatable for a decade, and rose to No. 1. But in 2021, 'Avatar' reclaimed the top spot with a preemptive re-release ahead of its sequel's debut. Marvel has now taken back the crown through this re-release, completing a dramatic reversal five years later.

Marvel's expanded empire: Revenue surpasses $35 billion as Disney dominates

The all-time box office rankings are just as striking. 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day', which recently took theaters by storm, ranks third, followed by 'Avatar: The Way of Water', 'Titanic', 'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens', 'Avengers: Infinity War', 'Ne Zha 2', 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' and 'Zootopia 2'.

The most notable factor is the overwhelming market dominance of global content giant 'Disney'. Seven of the top 10 films in all-time box office rankings belong to 'Disney'. Both 'Avengers: Endgame' and 'Avatar', which are competing for the top two spots, are powerful intellectual properties owned by 'Disney'. 'Avatar', originally distributed by 20th Century Fox, joined Disney's lineup after the company acquired Fox in 2019.

As the successful return of 'Avengers: Endgame' coincided with the box office surge of 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day', the 38-film 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' franchise surpassed $35.07 billion in cumulative revenue (about 47.080 trillion won), setting an unprecedented record.