Avengers: Endgame has overtaken Avatar to become the highest grossing film ever.

The superhero blockbuster, released in April, has taken an estimated 2.79 billion US dollars (£2.3 billion) at the global box office, surpassing the 2.789 billion dollars taken by James Cameron’s Avatar.

Avengers: Endgame
Paul Rudd, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth star in Avengers: Endgame (Ian West/PA)

Alan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Studios, said: “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.

“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 (MCU) and Pandora.”

Avengers: Endgame, boasting a superstar cast including Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America, is the 22nd entry in the MCU.

Cameron’s Avatar, released in 2009, surpassed Titanic as the highest grossing film ever and spent 10 years with the record.