More than seven years after its original release, Avengers: Endgame is returning to theaters. Marvel Studios and Disney have confirmed that the film will be reissued between September 23 and 25, depending on the country, as Avengers: Endgame Encore, an extended version featuring new material connected to Avengers: Doomsday, the next major installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released in Italy, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Finland on December 16, followed by Spain, the UK, the US and Canada on December 18.
In Italy, the film will be released under the title Avengers: Endgame Extra.
Avengers: Endgame back in theaters is not just nostalgia
This operation is a calculated move tied directly to the Doomsday rollout. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have confirmed they shot and inserted new footage connected to the Doomsday storyline, turning the re-release into a narrative bridge between the end of the Infinity Saga and the new arc built around Robert Downey Jr.‘s Victor Von Doom.
There’s also an industrial motive, obviously. Endgame Encore is the film launching Infinity Vision, Disney’s new premium-screen certification (bigger screens, 7.1 audio, higher brightness standards). Bringing back one of the highest-grossing films ever is a low-risk way to introduce and promote the new format before it rolls out widely with Doomsday.
Commercially, it’s also a cheap way to generate fresh box office (no production or marketing costs of an original film), keep the Avengers brand in the spotlight ahead of December, and sell advance tickets, and hype, for the next movie.
Here’s what’s new compared to the 2019 version:
- A newly shot introduction.
- About 4 minutes of previously unseen footage, pushing the runtime from 181 to 185 minutes. Per the Russo brothers, the new scenes tie into Avengers: Doomsday‘s story, possibly involving Victor Von Doom, though Marvel hasn’t confirmed specifics.
- An exclusive end tag linked to Doomsday, but only visible in IMAX and Infinity Vision-certified theaters — standard screenings get the new intro and footage, but not the end tag.
Business expectations
Endgame was the highest-grossing film of all time for a couple of years ($2.798 billion worldwide) before being overtaken by Avatar‘s re-releases ($2.9 billion). Analysts estimate roughly $125 million more in global box office would be enough for Endgame to reclaim the all-time #1 spot from Avatar. Opening weekend projections in North America sit around $20–25 million, pretty solid for a re-release. Disney‘s real bet is twofold: build advance-ticket momentum and hype for Doomsday, and establish Infinity Vision as the go-to premium format before the bigger December launch.
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