Avatar surpasses Avengers: Endgame to reclaim highest-grossing film title

In less than two years after it was dethroned by Avengers: Endgame, Avatar has once again become the highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office following the film's re-release in China this week.

Disney has announced that the James Cameron directorial has bested the studio's Marvel superhero tentpole Endgame, which overtook Avatar in July 2019.

According to Variety, the China reissue, which began on Friday, has added an estimated RMB 80m (USD 12.3m) to the total collections of the 2010 blockbuster through its first two days.

The worldwide gross of Avatar, the sci-fi epic, stands at an estimated USD 2.802b versus Endgame's USD 2.797b.

Avatar, which now falls under the Disney umbrella after the Fox acquisition, first became the top-selling global release of all time in 2010 when it surpassed Cameron's 1997 movie Titanic.

Jon Landau, producer of Avatar, said the team is elated with the achievement and expressed gratitude to Chinese audience for returning to the theatres amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are proud to reach this great milestone, but Jim (Cameron) and I are most thrilled that the film is back in theatres during these unprecedented times, and we want to thank our Chinese fans for their support," Landau said.

The studio is set to release the second and third chapters of Avatar in 2022 and 2024, respectively, with the next two installments in every two years.

"We are hard at work on the next Avatar films and look forward to sharing the continuation of this epic story for years to come," Landau added.

Russo Brothers, directors of Endgame, congratulated Cameron on the feat.

Actor Zoe Saldana, who was part of both Avatar and Endgame, also reacted to the development on Instagram.

"Biggest congrats to @avatar for becoming, once again, the number 1 movie of all time. China, we owe you one! To know that I am a part of 'The Two Biggest Movies of All Time' is humbling to say the least. To all my fans of @avatar and @avengers #avengersendgame Thank You! Gracias! Grazie!" she wrote alongside posters from both the films.