Avengers: Endgame set to pass Avatar as top movie

Avengers: Endgame is set to pass Avatar this weekend to become the highest-grossing movie of all time.

The weekend take of the Disney and Marvel Studios' sequel should push it past the record held by James Cameron's epic of $2.7897bn, according to BBC New.

Marvel chief Kevin Feige hailed the achievement at Comic-Con in San Diego on Saturday, although it was still officially $500,000 short at the time.

Disney boss Alan Horn said fans had taken the film to "historic heights".

Avengers: Endgame has not just been a success at the box office, it has also drawn widespread critical acclaim. Reviews when it was released spawned descriptions such as "glorious", "irresistible", "intensely satisfying" and "masterful".