'Avengers: Endgame' passes 'Avatar' to become highest grossing movie

It's official – Avengers: Endgame has beaten Avatar to become the highest grossing movie of all time.

By yesterday, the final movie in Marvel's 22 movie series had earned $2.9 billion – around £2.3 billion – at the global box office.

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James Cameron's pioneering sci-fi adventure Avatar was the previous leader, having earned $2.79 billion in 2009.

The extra bump came, in part, thanks to a re-release of the movie with some additional footage, plus a tribute to the legendary Stan Lee, the Marvel co-founder who died before he could see the final Avengers film.

“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,” said Alan Horn, the co-chairman and chief creative officer at Disney.

“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.”

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Chris Hemsworth - aka Thor - also chimed in:

Marvel boss Kevin Feige had noted during an appearance at Comic Con in San Diego on Saturday that Endgame was poised to pass Avatar.

But he made sure to add that 'if you adjust for inflation, [James Cameron] still holds the title'.

Indeed, with the inflation added from 2009, Cameron's movie still edges out Endgame with a haul of $3.3 billion, which could prove just out of reach.