‘Avengers Endgame: Encore’ Beats ‘Revenge of the Sith’ With Record Re-Release Previews

The Avengers are back at the top of the box office conversation, and ‘Avengers Endgame: Encore’ is already making a strong case that it’s more than just a nostalgia trip. Marvel’s re-release arrived with new color balancing and post-credit scenes teasing ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, and it was projected to be one of the biggest draws of the weekend.

The film has plenty of history on its side. Before ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ came along, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ held the domestic record for previews at $60 million, and it now sits at No. 2, according to Deadline.

That legacy is paying off again. The Encore opened Thursday night with $3.8 million in previews, as TheWrap and Deadline reported, putting it ahead of the $3.4 million earned by last year’s ‘Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith‘ re-release.

Box office analyst Luiz Fernando highlighted the result on X, calling it the biggest Thursday preview haul ever for a re-release. He framed it as the Avengers coming to challenge Star Wars’ power at the US box office. The result also lands a bit below the $4 million early estimate from box office analyst Jatinder Singh, as reported by Murphy’s Multiverse, but it’s still a record-setting start.

Now the question is how big the full weekend can get. TheWrap reported that the re-release is set to earn $25 million to $28 million, and if walk-up business is strong enough to clear $30.2 million, it would set a new unadjusted record for the highest weekend ever for a re-release, topping the 2011 3D reissue of ‘The Lion King’.

The #Avengers are coming to challenge #StarWars power at US #BoxOffice, as #AvengersEndgameEncore reissue led the previews palooza on THU grossing STRONG 3.8M on BIGGEST THU Previews EVER for a re-release, beating #RevengeOfTheSith’s 3.4M THU Previews! A 25M-30M 3-day opening weekend could be in the cards, what would challenge #RevengeOfTheSith’s 25.5M as the biggest re-opening for a reissue in the modern era since #TheLionKing’s 30.2M 3D re-release back in 2011, beating even #Titanic 15th anniversary 3D re-release’s 17.3M back in 2012, or #Avatar’s 10.5M back in 2022.

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) September 25, 2026

Fernando noted that a $25 million to $30 million debut would challenge ‘Revenge of the Sith’ for the biggest re-release opening in the modern era since that ‘Lion King’ reissue. Estimates of that ‘Star Wars’ opening vary slightly by source, with ComicBasics putting it at $25.2 million. World of Reel was even more optimistic, saying the Encore now looks headed for about $30 million and a real shot at No. 1. The outlet did caution that strong presales could make the run frontloaded.

The Encore faces plenty of competition. Deadline reported that A24’s ‘Primetime’, starring Robert Pattinson, earned a solid $2.7 million in previews, while Brad Pitt’s ‘Heart of the Beast’ pulled in $2 million. DreamWorks’ ‘Forgotten Island’ added $1.5 million from previews, according to TheWrap, and holds a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score. Last week’s champion, Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’, is targeting $24 million to $26 million in its second frame, Variety noted.

Reassemble the team & relive the experience as Avengers Endgame: Encore returns to theaters September 25.

Tickets now available for IMAX and Infinity Vision screens: https://t.co/pZZ4PiOyQb pic.twitter.com/2wKSVG4FLz

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 25, 2026

This isn’t just about one weekend. Deadline reported that there’s a $124 million worldwide gap between ‘Avatar’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and Disney is in wait-and-see mode to find out whether the film can reclaim the all-time top spot before ‘Doomsday’ opens on December 18.

Unlike ‘Revenge of the Sith’, which played for only 1 week, the Encore has no set end date for its fall run. That gives it far more time to build its total. Not everything has gone perfectly. BoxOfficeTheory pointed out that some of the bonus footage leaked online, and it’s hard to measure what impact that could have on a re-release.

Many outlets summed up the phenomenon well, arguing that re-releases are often treated as nostalgia side dishes, but the Encore has been behaving like a main course. With record presales, record previews, and a strong weekend outlook, Marvel’s return to its biggest hit is proving there’s still plenty of love for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

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