And down goes Avatar: Avengers: Endgame is now the highest-grossing movie ever

Well, it finally happened. While the headlines this weekend focused on the colossal flop that was Tom Cruise in Digger (that film really cratered), a much bigger story was quietly making history at the box office. Thanks to its recent Encore Edition re-release, Avengers: Endgame has officially leapfrogged James Cameron’s Avatar to claim the title of highest-grossing film of all time. If you’re the sort who keeps tabs on these numbers (and if you’re reading this, let’s be honest, you probably are), you know that’s no small feat.

Avengers: Endgame has now banked $2.925 billion globally, knocking Avatar off the top spot for all-time box office revenue.

Re-releases and Rivalry

Now, before the keyboard warriors come out swinging about re-release cheating, here’s the thing: Avatar padded its own total with multiple re-releases over the years, so it’s only fair both mega-blockbusters got the same treatment. It’s like a never-ending tennis match for the top box office crown—except the balls are made of cash and nostalgia.

Looking at just the US numbers, Endgame still lags behind a couple of heavyweights. Its $894 million domestic haul puts it well below Spider-Man: Brand New Day (which sits at $954 million), not to mention The Force Awakens. So, Marvel can gloat about global domination, but Spider-Man is still king at home.

The Inflation Game

Here’s where it all gets a bit wonky. Once you start fiddling with inflation, the box office leaderboard flips on its head. Gone with the Wind is still sitting comfortably at the top perch, with adjusted lifetime grosses reportedly soaring to something like $4.56 billion (if you include all its many returns to cinemas over the decades). Avatar lands in second, with its inflation-fuelled total around $4.16 billion.

Avengers: Endgame, having hit cinemas in 2019, doesn’t get quite as big a boost from inflation, but even so, its revised tally lands well north of $3.5 billion. Far from shabby. Titanic and Star Wars (both modern and original re-released variants) would bump in just ahead, coming in with $3.86 billion and $3.74 billion apiece.

Changing Times at the Box Office

The shape of the record books isn’t quite what it used to be. It’s a bit odd seeing Spider-Man: Brand New Day as the US box office champ, considering it’s hardly left a dent in the wider cultural landscape. Compare that to Star Wars in its late-70s heyday, which basically rewrote pop culture for a generation. The same goes for Avatar, which pulls mammoth totals but doesn’t get talked about outside franchises or tech circles. That’s just the modern game: films pull in mountains of cash in a fraction of the time, but often leave a much smaller cultural footprint than their slow-burning predecessors.