'Avengers: Endgame' returns to No. 1 on global box office chart with rerelease

'Avengers: Endgame' has overtaken 'Avatar' to reclaim top spot on all-time global box office chart

Avengers: Endgame has returned to No. 1 on the all-time global box office chart after its Avengers Endgame: Encore rerelease pushed the 2019 Marvel film past Avatar.

During the second weekend of the Disney rerelease, Avengers: Endgame earned $4.4 million domestically and $14.4 million internationally. The additional $18.8 million brought its worldwide total to $2.9255 billion, narrowly surpassing Avatar's $2.9237 billion.

James Cameron's Avatar originally became the highest-grossing film worldwide after its 2009 release through Twentieth Century Fox. Avengers: Endgame overtook it in 2019 before Avatar reclaimed the record two years later following another rerelease.

The latest Endgame rerelease has also performed strongly at the box office. Its opening weekend generated $86 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing theatrical rerelease globally, behind Titanic 3D's 2012 rerelease.

Avengers: Endgame: Encore also opened at No. 1 domestically with $26 million. Its opening weekend came as films including Heart of the Beast, Primetime and Forgotten Island entered the market.

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, Avengers: Endgame follows Marvel's superheroes as they deal with the consequences of Thanos erasing half of the universe's inhabitants.

The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner.

The rerelease comes ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, which will also be directed by the Russo brothers. The forthcoming Marvel Studios film is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on December 18, the same day as Warner Bros.' Dune: Part Three.