‘Avengers: Endgame’ Tracking to Surpass ‘Avatar’ Again This Weekend

Avatar photoValentina Kraljik
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The competition for the title of highest-grossing movie of all time remains fierce. ‘Avengers: Endgame’ and ‘Avatar’ have been exchanging the crown for years, with each film finding ways to reclaim its position whenever the other takes the lead.

‘Endgame’ first overtook ‘Avatar’ in July 2019, reaching $2.7902 billion compared to ‘Avatar’s’ $2.7897 billion. However, ‘Avatar’ regained the title in March 2021 after a re-release in China, boosting its total to approximately $2.924 billion.

The pendulum may be swinging back. Disney and Marvel reissued ‘Avengers: Endgame’ on September 25 as ‘Avengers Endgame: Encore’, and Global Box Office reports that the film is on track to surpass the original ‘Avatar’ this weekend, potentially reclaiming the title of highest-grossing movie of all time.

In its first weekend back in theaters, ‘Encore’ earned an estimated $86 million worldwide from September 25 to 27, with $26 million from North America and $60 million internationally. This brings the film’s lifetime total to around $2.885 billion.

With ‘Avatar’ currently at about $2.924 billion, ‘Endgame’ is roughly $39 million short. During its initial run, ‘Endgame’ earned $2.799 billion, and the re-release has already made significant progress in closing that gap.

The re-release performed exceptionally well, topping the global box office and earning about $36 million more worldwide than ‘Resident Evil’, which was the second-place film that weekend. It marked the first re-release since 2011’s ‘The Lion King’ in 3D to lead the North American box office.

The $26 million domestic debut ranks as the third-best opening for a re-release, trailing behind 1997’s ‘Star Wars’ special edition at $35.9 million and 2011’s ‘The Lion King’ 3D at $30.2 million. It also surpassed the $25.4 million opening of last year’s ‘Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith’ 20th anniversary re-release.

Internationally, the $60 million debut is the second-highest foreign opening for a re-release, only behind 2012’s ‘Titanic’ 3D. The film dominated the box office in China, the UK, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, and Germany.

Screenshot 2026 09 29 at 15 24 02 Avengers Endgame Rotten Tomatoes

This situation mirrors 2019 when Disney re-released ‘Endgame’ with additional footage to surpass ‘Avatar’, then facing a similar gap of about $37 million. Ultimately, it succeeded in crossing the finish line and reclaiming the title. ‘Avatar’ has also benefited from its own re-releases, including a 2022 reissue that allowed it to hold the title of the biggest movie of all time twice, now under Disney’s ownership through its acquisition of Fox.

The projected timing for this weekend is ambitious and should be viewed as a projection rather than a certainty. Typically, re-releases experience a sharp decline in their second weekend, but ‘Encore’ is performing better than usual for a reissue.

One analysis estimates the film’s total earnings from the re-release could range between $116 million and $160 million. At the lower end, this would only add about $30 million to its current lifetime total, still falling short of ‘Avatar’. GamesRadar suggests that ‘Endgame’ might regain the crown in a few weeks, while Deadline noted that Disney is currently in a wait-and-see mode.

This re-release is not just a simple reissue; it features bonus scenes, including a revised ending with Loki and a sound over the credits that connects to Doctor Doom, running about four minutes longer than the original.

Additionally, it introduces Marvel’s new premium large format, Infinity Vision. The timing is strategic, as ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is set to open on December 18, and ‘Encore’ serves as a promotional push for that film.

‘Endgame’ is also the third-largest North American release of all time, with $884 million, and it became the second film ever to surpass $2 billion at the international box office. The re-release has contributed to Marvel’s films crossing $35 billion globally across 38 titles.

In other box office news, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is currently at approximately $2.495 billion, making it the eighth film ever to cross the $2 billion mark. Despite a rocky post-pandemic run, the figures indicate that audiences are still eager to attend event movies.

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