Avengers: Endgame is getting another chance to make box-office history.
Marvel Studios is bringing the 2019 blockbuster back to cinemas as Avengers: Endgame Encore on September 25, 2026, with new material connected to Avengers: Doomsday. The timing gives Marvel something most theatrical re-releases don’t have: a major upcoming event movie waiting just around the corner.
There is also a very specific target.
As of August 27, Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie worldwide with approximately $2.924 billion, while Avengers: Endgame stands at approximately $2.799 billion. That leaves a difference of roughly $124.3 million, meaning Marvel needs about $125 million in additional worldwide box-office revenue to put Endgame back at No. 1.
The question is no longer whether Endgame can make history.
It already did.
The question is whether it can make history twice.
How Much Does Avengers: Endgame Need to Beat Avatar?
The mathematics behind the rematch are surprisingly straightforward.
According to Box Office Mojo, Avatar has a current worldwide lifetime gross of $2,923,710,708, while Avengers: Endgame has earned $2,799,439,100. That creates a gap of approximately $124.3 million.
In practical terms, Endgame doesn’t need another billion-dollar run. It needs to generate roughly $125 million more than its current lifetime total.
That is still a substantial amount for a seven-year-old movie.
But Endgame: Encore isn’t being positioned as an ordinary catalog re-release.
That’s what makes this box-office race interesting.
Avengers: Endgame Already Beat Avatar Once
The rivalry between Avatar and Avengers: Endgame isn’t new.
When Endgame opened in 2019, it became an unprecedented theatrical phenomenon. The Marvel blockbuster eventually moved ahead of Avatar to claim the worldwide box-office record.
Its current lifetime gross remains just under $2.8 billion, according to Box Office Mojo.
But Avatar demonstrated why the box-office record is never necessarily permanent.
James Cameron’s film returned to theaters multiple times, with re-releases adding tens of millions of dollars to its lifetime total. Box Office Mojo’s release breakdown shows additional theatrical runs in 2010/2011, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
That helped Avatar regain the crown after Endgame had temporarily taken it.
The important lesson is that blockbuster movies don’t necessarily stop competing once their original theatrical runs end.
Re-releases can change the record.
Now Endgame gets another opportunity.
What Is Avengers: Endgame Encore?
Avengers: Endgame Encore is a new theatrical version of the Marvel blockbuster arriving on September 25, 2026.
The re-release is not simply the original movie returning to cinemas unchanged.
Reports indicate that the Encore version adds approximately four minutes of new material, including content designed to connect the film with Avengers: Doomsday. The release will also include an exclusive look at the upcoming Avengers movie, with additional preview material available in select IMAX and Infinity Vision screenings.
That distinction could be important for the box office.
Audiences who have already watched Endgame dozens of times now have a new reason to buy a ticket.
The promise of Doomsday footage gives Marvel another marketing hook, while the return to theaters gives fans an opportunity to experience one of the MCU’s biggest moments on the big screen again.
Why the Doomsday Connection Matters
The biggest advantage Endgame: Encore has over a conventional re-release is timing.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to arrive exclusively in theaters on December 18, 2026, giving Marvel a major event movie only a few months after Endgame: Encore. Marvel and Disney have officially confirmed that release date.
That creates a natural promotional cycle.
Fans can revisit the conclusion of the Infinity Saga in September and then begin preparing for the next major Avengers event in December.
The connection isn’t merely marketing, either.
Joe Russo has described the new Endgame theatrical experience as a bridge into Doomsday, with the new material helping connect the two stories.
That could make the re-release feel more relevant than a standard anniversary screening.
For casual moviegoers, it’s another chance to see Endgame on a giant screen.
For hardcore MCU fans, it potentially contains material they don’t want to miss before Doomsday.
That is a much stronger proposition than simply telling audiences to watch a seven-year-old movie again.
Can Avengers: Endgame Really Earn Another $125 Million?
This is where the situation becomes much harder to predict.
Making $125 million worldwide is a huge challenge for any re-release, particularly for a movie whose audience has already seen it.
The original Endgame was powered by extraordinary opening-weekend demand and years of anticipation surrounding the conclusion of the Infinity Saga. Its original worldwide total reached almost $2.8 billion.
A 2026 re-release obviously won’t recreate that phenomenon on the same scale.
But it doesn’t need to.
The target is approximately $125 million.
And Marvel has several factors working in its favor.
First, Endgame remains one of the most recognizable movies of the modern blockbuster era.
Second, the film is returning with new footage.
Third, that footage is tied to Avengers: Doomsday.
Fourth, Doomsday itself is one of the most anticipated upcoming Marvel films, with an enormous returning ensemble that includes MCU, Fantastic Four and X-Men characters.
That combination gives Endgame: Encore a reason to exist beyond nostalgia.
$125 Million Is a Lot — But Endgame Has a Global Advantage
Another reason not to dismiss the possibility is the worldwide nature of Endgame’s audience.
Box Office Mojo reports that approximately 69.3% of the movie’s current lifetime gross comes from international markets, compared with 30.7% from the domestic box office.
That matters because Marvel doesn’t need to generate the entire $125 million in North America.
The film can accumulate revenue across multiple international territories, just as it did during its original run.
The global theatrical model is one of the biggest reasons Endgame became such a massive phenomenon in the first place.
Whether the same audience is willing to pay for another theatrical viewing remains the crucial question.
But the potential market is far larger than the U.S. alone.
Why Avatar Is Such a Difficult Movie to Beat
Avatar isn’t sitting at the top because of one massive theatrical run.
Its record has been strengthened by repeated re-releases.
Box Office Mojo’s lifetime breakdown shows the original film earning more than $2.74 billion from its initial release before subsequent theatrical engagements pushed the total above $2.9 billion.
That history makes Avatar particularly difficult to overtake.
Cameron’s film has effectively shown that a blockbuster can continue generating meaningful theatrical revenue years after its original release.
And Avatar has another advantage: its theatrical experience is highly dependent on large-format and 3D presentation, making the cinema itself part of the appeal.
Endgame has a different selling point.
Its greatest strength is the emotional connection audiences have with the characters and the MCU’s larger story.
That makes this less a battle between two movies and more a battle between two different kinds of theatrical experiences.
Could Endgame Become Marvel’s First $3 Billion Movie?
If Endgame manages to pass Avatar, another milestone immediately comes into view.
$3 billion.
However, that would be a significantly more difficult achievement.
Passing Avatar requires roughly $124.3 million based on the current figures. Reaching $3 billion would require Endgame to add approximately $200.6 million to its current worldwide total.
That is a much larger target.
There is no guarantee that Endgame: Encore will continue playing long enough—or perform strongly enough—to reach it.
For now, Marvel’s realistic objective should be much simpler:
Beat Avatar.
If that happens, the $3 billion conversation can begin afterward.
What Would It Mean If Endgame Reclaimed the Record?
If Avengers: Endgame becomes the highest-grossing movie worldwide again, it would be more than another number on a box-office chart.
It would demonstrate the extraordinary staying power of the Marvel brand and the continued theatrical value of established event movies.
More importantly, it would create a fascinating full-circle moment.
Endgame originally defeated Avatar.
Avatar subsequently reclaimed the record through additional theatrical releases.
Now Endgame is returning to theaters to try to take it back.
That makes the competition unusually personal from a movie-history perspective.
It also highlights how the modern box office has changed.
Theatrical records are no longer determined solely by a film’s first release.
Franchises can return years later, use new footage, take advantage of anniversary events and connect older films with upcoming releases.
Endgame: Encore is essentially testing how powerful that strategy can be.
When Is Avengers: Endgame Encore Releasing?
Avengers: Endgame Encore is scheduled to return to cinemas on September 25, 2026.
The theatrical edition includes new material and an exclusive look at Avengers: Doomsday. In India, the film is also scheduled for release in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
Avengers: Doomsday follows on December 18, 2026, giving Marvel a relatively short window to turn renewed interest in Endgame into anticipation for the next Avengers event.
That makes September 25 more significant than an ordinary re-release date.
It could be the beginning of another box-office campaign.
The Avengers Have One More Box-Office Battle to Fight
Avengers: Endgame currently trails Avatar by roughly $124.3 million worldwide.
Rounded up, that’s the $125 million Marvel needs to reclaim the title of highest-grossing movie of all time.
The challenge is substantial.
But the circumstances are unusual.
Marvel isn’t simply putting a seven-year-old movie back on the schedule. Endgame: Encore arrives with new footage, an exclusive Doomsday preview and a direct connection to one of the biggest upcoming superhero movies.
That gives the re-release something most older blockbusters don’t have: a reason to be part of the current cinematic conversation.
Whether that is enough to generate $125 million remains uncertain.
But if it does, the result would be one of the most remarkable box-office reversals in modern movie history.
Avatar took the crown from Endgame.
Now the Avengers have another chance to take it back.
And this time, the battle may be decided one ticket at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much money does Avengers: Endgame need to beat Avatar?
Based on current worldwide lifetime grosses, Avengers: Endgame needs approximately $124.3 million more to overtake Avatar. For simplicity, that figure can be rounded to $125 million.
2. Is Avengers: Endgame still the highest-grossing movie of all time?
No. Avatar currently holds the worldwide lifetime box-office record. Box Office Mojo lists Avatar at approximately $2.924 billion and Avengers: Endgame at approximately $2.799 billion.
3. When is Avengers: Endgame Encore releasing?
Avengers: Endgame Encore is scheduled to return to theaters on September 25, 2026.
4. Does Avengers: Endgame Encore have new footage?
Yes. The Encore version includes approximately four minutes of additional material, including content connected to Avengers: Doomsday.
5. When is Avengers: Doomsday releasing?
Marvel has confirmed that Avengers: Doomsday will be released exclusively in theaters on December 18, 2026.
6. Could Avengers: Endgame become the first $3 billion Marvel movie?
It is possible, but it would require substantially more than simply overtaking Avatar. Based on the current Endgame total, the movie would need roughly another $200 million to reach $3 billion, making that milestone considerably more difficult than reclaiming No. 1.
Conclusion
Avengers: Endgame has already defeated Avatar once at the global box office. Now Marvel is giving its Infinity Saga finale another theatrical run—and the timing could hardly be more interesting.
With roughly $125 million separating Endgame from the current record, Avengers: Endgame Encore has a clear box-office target when it arrives on September 25.
Whether Marvel can close that gap will depend on audience demand, the strength of the re-release and how effectively the Avengers: Doomsday connection drives fans back into theaters.
For now, Avatar remains on top.
But the Avengers are coming back for the crown.
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