Marvel fans react to Avengers Endgame beating Avatar at the box office, Russo Brothers thank ‘greatest fans in the universe’

Almost as if it were orchestrated months ago, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on Saturday took to the stage at the hallowed Hall H of the San Diego Comic-Con, where the idea of the MCU was first revealed to the world in 2007, to announce that Avengers: Endgame had become the highest grossing film of all time. Feige thanked fans who’d stuck with the franchise for over a decade, and helped push Endgame’s worldwide gross ahead of James Cameron’s Avatar, with which it has been in a tight race for the past month.

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Endgame current global total stands at $2.7892 billion, just $500,000 short of Avatar’s $2.7897 billion record, which the science-fiction epic posted in 2010. “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,” Disney Studios co-chairman and chief creative officer Alan Horn said in a statement.

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“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,” Horn continued in his statement. “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.”

Said Feige, “I’ve just heard from our folks in Disney distribution that within a matter of days Avengers: Endgame will be the biggest film in history. You have to shout out to James Cameron who held that title for a long time. If you adjust for inflation he still holds the title, and he’ll probably get the title again as soon as he puts out another movie.”

“But for right now today in Hall H, thanks to you, Avengers: Endgame is the biggest film of all time,” Feige added to a loud ovation.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who’ve been with the MCU since Captain America: The Winter Soldier, wrote on Twitter, “To the greatest fans in the universe, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you...”

Thor star Chris Hemsworth took to social media and wrote, “Thank you to all the fans around the world that lifted Avengers Endgame to historic heights making it the top grossing film of all time !!”

Endgame broke records right off the bat. It debuted to $1.233 billion worldwide in its opening weekend, including a mammoth $357 million in the US. The film has since made $855 million in the US, $629 million in China, and more than Rs 400 crore in India.

Marvel fans took to Twitter to share in the joy. Many of them over the last month had posted messages encouraging others to make repeat trips to the theatres in a bid to help beat Avatar’s record. Disney had re-released the superhero film with bonus content such as a deleted scene, a message from Anthony Russo, and a tribute to Stan Lee.

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All eyes are now on James Cameron, who posted a congratulatory message for Marvel and Disney when Endgame crossed the box office total of Titanic. The filmmaker will release the first of his four Avatar sequels in 2021. With the takeover of Fox, Disney now owns both Avatar and Marvel.

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