Power of 'Endgame' Re-release: Over-takes 'Avatar' to Claim All-Time Box Office #1

Marvel Studios' superhero film 'Avengers: Endgame' has reclaimed the number one spot at the worldwide box office through its re-release.

According to U.S. movie data site The Numbers on the 4th local time, 'Avengers: Endgame' recorded a cumulative gross of $2.9255 billion (approx. 3.9275 trillion won), surpassing James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar', which previously held the top spot, to retake the crown.

'Avatar' accumulated a total box office revenue of $2.9237 billion (approx. 3.9251 trillion won), making the revenue gap between the two films less than $2 million.

'Avengers: Endgame' grossed about $894.6 million in North America and $2.0309 billion in regions outside North America.

This box office ranking reversal was driven by a worldwide re-release implemented by Marvel to build anticipation ahead of the year-end release of its new film 'Avengers: Doomsday'.

U.S. entertainment outlet Variety reported that box office revenue collected solely from this re-screening reached $126 million.

The film, shown in theaters under the title 'Avengers: Endgame Encore', included some additional footage such as bonus clips in addition to the original theatrical cut.

Initially, when it first premiered in 2019, 'Avengers: Endgame' broke the record held by 'Avatar', which had maintained the number one spot for 10 years, to claim the title of highest-grossing film.

However, the rankings flipped again when 'Avatar' chose to re-screen in 2021 ahead of the release of its sequel, and has now been reversed once more after five years.

The third highest-grossing film of all time was taken by the recently released 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day', followed by 'Avatar: The Way of Water', 'Titanic', 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', 'Avengers: Infinity War', 'Ne Zha 2', 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', and 'Zootopia 2'.

Disney currently holds 7 of the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time.

Both 'Avengers: Endgame' and 'Avatar' are films for which Disney holds the intellectual property rights.

'Avatar' was originally distributed by 20th Century Fox, but Disney acquired the company in 2019 to secure its film assets.

Bolstered by the re-release of 'Avengers: Endgame' and the box office success of 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day', the total cumulative revenue of the 38 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise has surpassed $35.07 billion (approx. 47.08 trillion won).

(Photo provided by Marvel Studios/Disney, AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.