Avengers: Endgame has topped Avatar to become the highest-grossing film of all time.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige made the news official at the studio's Comic-Con panel in San Diego, California on Saturday, announcing the blockbuster would pass Avatar's $2.78 billion global box office mark over the weekend, ending the James Cameron-directed movie's nine-year reign.
"Thanks to you, Avengers: Endgame is the biggest film of all-time," Feige told fans in Comic-Con's fabled Hall H.
While Avengers: Endgame co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo took to Twitter to share a similar sentiment.
"To the greatest fans in the universe, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you...," they commented.
Avengers: Endgame, featuring an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and Brie Larson, follows the surviving members of the Avengers and their allies as they attempt to reverse the damage caused by Thanos, as played by Josh Brolin, in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War.
The blockbuster has passed Avatar's record in just 13 weeks, and in a statement, Alan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer of Marvel's parent company, The Walt Disney Studios, praised the cast and crew for their achievements.
"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," he commented. "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 (Avatar's setting) Pandora."
Bosses at Disney are also celebrating another record-breaking weekend in North America, as The Lion King has roared to the top of the box office to become the biggest July opening of all time.