Marvel blockbuster "Avengers: Endgame" has blown past the 10-year record of James Cameron's juggernaut "Avatar" to become the highest grossing worldwide release of all-time.

According to Boxofficemojo.com, "Avengers: Endgame" has so far earned more than $2.79 billion in film markets worldwide, unadjusted for ticket price inflation and based on last Sunday's estimate. This figure includes earnings of $854 million in North America and 4.24 billion yuan ($627.49 million) in China, the world's two major film markets. 

Alan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Studios, said in his statement released over last weekend, "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'."

Joe and Anthony Russo's "Endgame" has broken hundreds of global box office records since its release in April. When its box office sales slowed, "Avengers: Endgame" was re-released in theaters from June 28 adding about seven minutes of new footage not included in the original theatrical release. Toppling "Avatar," which grossed just shy of $2.79 billion in 2009, the movie marks the new peak of the remarkably profitable Marvel Cinematic Universe.

So far, 23 films of The Infinity Saga under the Marvel Cinematic Universe have grossed $22.42 billion worldwide. Disney and Marvel Studios are now exploring the next phase of the series with more Marvel superhero films, including one starring the first Chinese superhero Shang-Chi.

"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. The talented filmmakers behind these worlds have much more in store, and we look forward to the future of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Pandora," Horn added.

In the North American domestic box office, "Endgame" has now settled in the No. 2 spot on the all-time list, $82.5 million behind "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" which hauled in $936.6 million in 2015.

Without considering ticket price inflation, "Endgame" definitely benefited from one of the most important game-changers in the global film market landscape: China. When "Avatar" was released 10 years ago, China had far fewer screens and cheaper ticket prices. Even so, the Chinese market managed to contribute US$204 million to the total global sales of "Avatar," which marked the highest box office record for the Chinese market at that time.

Ten years later, "Endgame" exceeded the $600-million-mark in China, which has since developed into the world's second largest market and now has the highest number of movie screens globally. "Endgame" is indeed a big milestone in China and performed exceedingly well largely due to the huge Chinese fanbase for the Marvel Cinematic Universe that grew over the past decade. The movie became the highest-grossing imported foreign film ever screened in China, according to China's box office tracking app Maoyan. 

In any case, The Walt Disney Studios is the biggest winner and doesn't have to worry about box office records because it owns both the Marvel and Star Wars franchises. In addition, it has also added "Avatar" to its collection after acquiring 21st Century Fox assets, which includes the film's distributor 20th Century Fox, for $52.4 billion in March this year.

Cameron's "Avatar 2," which has been in development for 10 years and delayed for release several times during the process, is now on Disney's calendar to be released on Dec. 17, 2021. The movie could get a chance to strike back and break the new worldwide box office record set by "Endgame." A total of four "Avatar" sequels are currently in development with "Avatar 3" set for a Dec. 22, 2023 release, while "Avatar 4" and "Avatar 5" are planned for release on Dec. 19, 2025 and Dec. 17, 2027 respectively.

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