Chris Hemsworth as Thor in "Avengers: Endgame."Marvel Studios
"Avengers: Endgame" is expected to surpass James Cameron's "Avatar" this weekend and snag the record for the biggest global box-office gross of all time, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced on Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con.
"Avatar" held the record for a decade with $2.79 billion, and it seemed out of "Endgame's" reach before Disney rereleased the movie last month. "Endgame" was only $500,000 behind "Avatar" as of Friday, and will top it by the end of the weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"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," Walt Disney Studios cochairman Alan Horn said in a statement (via THR). "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."
Disney, which owns Marvel Studios, also owns the "Avatar" franchise after this year's Disney-Fox merger. The studio will release four sequels in December 2021, 2023, 2025, 2027.
"Endgame" broke plenty of records on its way to the top, including the biggest domestic box-office opening of all time with $357 million in April. But "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" remains the highest-grossing movie of all time domestically (before adjusting for inflation) with $936 million compared to "Endgame's" $853 million.