James Cameron’s Avatar reclaims the title of history's highest-grossing film

Avatar has reclaimed the title of history's highest-grossing film.

The James Cameron-directed sci-fi movie - which was released back in 2009 - has reclaimed the record after overtaking Avengers: Endgame.

Avatar's recent spike in popularity was largely driven by its reissue in China, which saw it take an estimated US$8.9 million (S$11.96 million), according to Deadline.

This money helped to bridge the gap between Avatar and the hit Marvel movie, which starred the likes of Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr and Brie Larson.

Previously, a gap of US$7.82 million had existed between the two films, with Avengers: Endgame taking the record to US$2.797 billion after its release in 2019.

Prior to the release of the Marvel movie, Avatar had held the record for more than a decade, having surpassed the previous record set by Titanic.

And despite being more than 10 years old, Cameron recently insisted that Avatar remains as relevant now as it was when it was first released.

The acclaimed filmmaker - who also directed Titanic - told China.org: "We've got climate change, we've got deforestation, our relationship with nature is more at risk than it's ever been, and Avatar is about those things, but it also is a timeless film.

[embed]https://twitter.com/officialavatar/status/1370779683088822276[/embed]

"Some people criticise the stories for being too simple. It wasn't that simple - it was universal. It was something that everybody everywhere could understand and emotionally related to."

Cameron is currently working on an Avatar sequel and although production work was suspended at one point last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was subsequently restarted in New Zealand.

Despite this, the sequel has seen its release date moved back and the eagerly-awaited film is now not due to reach cinemas until December 2022.

ALSO READ: Avatar re-release in China spells doom for Avengers: Endgame box office record