Avengers: Endgame Is On The Verge Of Breaking Two Records Everyone Thought Were Impossible

Published Sep 26, 2026, 7:15 PM EDT

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Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Religion and Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University, Karlis loves to examine the intersections of popular science-fiction and culture. His latest novel MASS. is available now on Amazon and examines a world where obesity has become a federal crime.

Avengers: Endgame is about to release in theaters once again, and with this enormous re-release, the film has a good chance of breaking two records that up to this point seemed impossible. On the eve of Avengers: Doomsday, this special re-release of the last big Avengers movie hopes to recapture the feelings of excitement it generated back in 2019.

Endgame is releasing this week as the already record-smashing Avengers: Endgame Encore, a re-release of the popular film that also adds several minutes of new footage that is said to tie the film into the upcoming release of Doomsday. The updated version will be 183 minutes in standard screenings, and 186 minutes in Infinity Vision.

While only adding a few minutes to the film, which was 181 minutes on its initial release, director Joe Russo has referred to Encore as essential viewing for the upcoming sequel. From this, it can be inferred that some meaningful changes to the original movie will be made, making the re-release an essential event at the cinemas this week.

Even without Doomsday, however, Endgame was a tremendously powerful release that is certain to attract a significant audience. In the vast constellation of re-released movies, the film's performance has the potential to set a couple of new box office records, each of which looked as if it might never be broken.

Avengers: Endgame Encore Only Needs To Make $125 Million To Become The Biggest Movie Of All Time

Avengers: Endgame Encore is currently the second highest-grossing movie of all time, just behind Avatar, but the film could retake that top spot soon. Upon its debut, Endgame earned just shy of $2.8 billion, and immediately became the highest grossing film of all time, until a March 2021 re-release of Avatar in China pushed that film's earnings above it.

Despite adding new footage, it has been confirmed that Endgame Encore's box office earnings will be added to the totals of Endgame. Considering Avatar's gross is now sitting at $2.92 billion, Endgame will be able to retake the top spot in box office history if the re-release earns $125 million or more.

Endgame Encore is tracking for a $22-27 million opening domestically, and if the international numbers follow, the movie could certainly achieve this feat. The highest grossing re-release to date, for comparison, was 2012's 3D showings of Titanic, which opened to $17 million domestically and earned a total of $350 million worldwide.

The performance of a re-release is harder to compare, and it is unlikely that Endgame Encore will earn this much upon re-release. Still, the new screenings for Endgame have already generated excitement, and earnings of $125 million do not seem unreasonable. If earnings go beyond this, the film could even set a new, unprecedented record.

Avengers: Endgame Could Become The First $3 Billion Movie

If Avengers: Endgame Encore earns a little more than $200 million, it will become the first $3 billion grossing film in history. These staggering records are influenced by inflation, of course, but it is still notable that no film has yet achieved this feat.

Titanic was the first movie to earn more than $1 billion, hitting that mark in 1998, while Avatar was the first to earn over $2 billion, which occurred partway into its run in 2010. Since then, more than 60 films have earned over a billion, while only eight films in history have earned more than two.

Due to an increase in costs, it might seem inevitable to some that a movie will eventually earn $3 billion. On the other hand, moviegoing trends have changed significantly in recent years, with the availability of films on streaming making the theatrical experience less vital for many.

Regardless, Avengers: Endgame has an incredibly good chance of becoming the first film to pass this mark. If it does, others could quickly follow, even including this year's own Avengers: Doomsday.