2026’s Biggest Box Office Shake-Up Proves The Movie War Isn’t Over

Published Oct 10, 2026, 12:55 PM EDT

Zoë Miskelly is an editor and second in command for Screen Rant's Movies team, having covered the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. Zoë's love of superheroes and all things Marvel & DC started out in childhood, and has blossomed into a career getting to talk about some of the biggest and best movies and shows of all time, having previously focused on comics while working at WhatCulture.

The record of what film is the current highest-grossing movie of all time has changed hands once more, confirming that a long-term box office war for this spot that's been taking place between two major franchise is still ongoing, and is likely to continue on for the foreseeable future.

While any movie that makes $1 billion or more is generally classified as a colossal win the likes of which we only usually see a few times a year at maximum, there are plenty of films that go well beyond these reaches. Thanks to a combination of passionate fans, engaging stories, and film series that grow audience interest with time, a healthy roster of movies have made it to the $2 billion mark and way beyond in the past decades, building the world of film to new heights.

We're now closer than ever to a film breaking the $3 billion mark, as two movies are now notably at the $2.9B milestone, and competing over who can get the nearest to this $3 billion dream. Indeed, it seems like we may see both films get even closer to this possibility in the years to come, based on the current highest-grossing movie of all time, and how it obtained its crown once more.

Avengers: Endgame's Re-Release Making The Movie The Highest-Grossing Film Of All Time Confirms The War For First Place Is Ongoing

The re-release of the MCU's highest-grossing movie of all time with Avengers: Endgame Encore has once again shifted the title of the highest-grossing film of all time back to Endgame itself, with the additional scenes added to Encore to help set the stage for Avengers: Doomsday's release this year helping the film to reach an impressive $2.925 billion worldwide gross over the course of its overall lifespan.

This allows the movie to take the title back from Avatar and its own $2.924 billion results, which themselves were bolstered thanks to re-releases tied in with the unveiling of the sci-fi series' sequels.

While it doesn't seem this record will be changing hands soon subsequently - since Avatar 4 still seems to be some way off on the horizon - the thin margin between Avatar and Avengers: Endgame's box office results certainly suggest it is set to change hands when said film hits screens, since this is also likely to come with another re-release of Avatar alongside it.

The Record Of The Highest-Grossing Movie Of All Time Is Likely To Keep Swapping Hands For Some Time

Notably, it doesn't seem like the competition between Avengers: Endgame and Avatar for the highest box office gross of all time is set to end anytime soon, since there are plans for plenty of future installments for both series.

For the MCU, Avengers: Doomsday is confirmed to be followed up in 2027 by Avengers: Secret Wars, and the franchise doesn't seem to be going anywhere after that, especially with the X-Men set to emerge properly into the MCU with their own movie in 2028. Though the Avengers may take more of a backseat with this in mind, it's borderline impossible to think the franchise will leave their most popular series in the dust, and Endgame's popularity and success with Encore supports the idea that the film could be re-released again going forward.

Similarly, there are plans for the Avatar movie series to branch out into fourth and fifth films, and James Cameron has spoken previously about having ideas for a sixth and seventh Avatar installment that could become reality if there is a demand for them, though he also stated he'd have to train a successor to create them. As such, the path already seems at least semi-paved for the title of the highest-grossing movie of all time to trade hands a fair few times in the years to come, though we'll only know how things transpire with time.

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  Tony Stark / Iron Man

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  Steve Rogers / Captain America

Avengers: Endgame, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, concludes the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Infinity Saga. It follows the remaining Avengers as they attempt to reverse the destruction caused by Thanos.