‘Avengers: Endgame’ Could Reclaim the Box Office Crown From ‘Avatar’ – Here’s How

Box office rivalries rarely stay settled for long, especially when the two contenders are separated by less than a couple hundred million dollars in lifetime earnings. Marvel Studios has spent much of 2026 building toward the climax of its Multiverse Saga, and that campaign is about to take an unusual detour through the past before pushing forward.

Rather than jumping straight into new territory, Marvel is sending audiences back to where its Infinity Saga wrapped up, using nostalgia as a bridge to what comes next. That trip down memory lane arrives courtesy of ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore,’ the retitled theatrical rerelease of 2019’s genre-defining finale, returning to theaters on September 25 ahead of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars.’

Director Joe Russo has called the rerelease “critically important” in the lead-up to ‘Doomsday,’ but the numbers behind its return tell an interesting story of their own. According to industry tracking cited by MovieHub, ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ is projected to open with somewhere between $20 million and $28 million domestically, a modest total compared to the original’s historic $350 million debut back in 2019, but a solid showing for a six-year-old rerelease going up against new competition.

Those numbers matter beyond just opening weekend bragging rights. ‘Avatar’ currently holds the worldwide box office crown with roughly $2.92 billion, while ‘Endgame’ sits at approximately $2.79 to $2.80 billion, leaving a gap of around $120 to $130 million separating the two films.

This wouldn’t be the first time these two franchises have traded blows for the top spot. ‘Endgame’ briefly overtook ‘Avatar’ back in 2019 following a limited rerelease featuring bonus footage, only for James Cameron’s film to reclaim the record through its own subsequent rereleases and continued international earnings. Now, ‘Endgame Encore’ gives Marvel another shot at closing that gap, though a modest $20 to $28 million domestic opening would require an unusually strong global run, particularly in China, to make up the remaining difference.

Unlike a typical rerelease, ‘Endgame Encore’ isn’t simply reintroducing the 2019 cut as-is. The new version includes fresh footage, a custom introduction, and a new post-credits scene, and it’s earned Disney’s Infinity Vision certification for premium large-format theaters, a designation meant to highlight venues offering the studio’s biggest and most immersive presentations.

According to an official listing on AMC’s website, the rerelease runs three hours and five minutes, four minutes longer than the original’s three-hour and one-minute runtime. That added footage isn’t just filler either, with reports indicating the new content explores the direct multiversal consequences of the original time heist that closed out the first eleven years of the MCU.

Getting access to all of that new material comes with a caveat. The exclusive footage, including the special end tag, is reportedly limited to IMAX and Infinity Vision certified screens, meaning standard theatrical showings will still include the new introduction and additional footage, but audiences hoping for the complete package will need to specifically seek out a premium format screening.

That exclusivity appears to be doing double duty for Disney’s broader marketing strategy. Beyond simply reintroducing ‘Endgame’ to audiences before ‘Doomsday’ arrives in December, the rerelease also functions as a launchpad for Infinity Vision itself, giving Disney a built-in incentive to steer ticket sales toward its own branded premium format.

With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ landing in theaters on December 18, the Encore rerelease gives Marvel roughly twelve weeks to reignite excitement for the franchise’s next chapter while simultaneously testing the commercial viability of its new theatrical format. Given the built-in fanbase for a film as beloved as ‘Endgame,’ even a modest opening in the $20 to $28 million range would represent a meaningful win for a movie that’s been available to stream and own for years.

Whether ‘Endgame’ can actually reclaim the box office crown from ‘Avatar’ remains mathematically possible but far from guaranteed, especially with Cameron’s franchise always capable of fighting back with a rerelease of its own. For now, Marvel seems content simply using the rivalry as another way to build buzz heading into its biggest release of the year.

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