Disney Re-Releasing ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in Effort to Beat ‘Avatar’ Box Office Record
If “Avengers: Endgame” doesn’t beat “Avatar’s” all-time box office record, it won’t be for lack of trying.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told numerous publications that “Avengers: Endgame” will be re-released in theaters with extended footage that didn’t make it into the initial film, which already clocks in at a butt-numbing three hours and one minute. Disney, which owns Marvel, did not respond to Variety’s request for comment.
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The second run of the movie will not be available in the Imax format, a spokesperson for the company told Variety.
“Not an extended cut, but there will be a version going into theaters with a bit of a marketing push with a few new things at the end of the movie,” Feige told ScreenRant. “If you stay and watch the movie, after the credits, there’ll be a deleted scene, a little tribute, and a few surprises. Which will be next weekend.”
Its return to the big screen is likely a bid to take down James Cameron’s “Avatar” as the biggest film of all time. “Avatar” has remained the highest-grossing movie ever for nearly a decade with $2.78 billion in global ticket sales. “Avengers: Endgame,” after two months in theaters, has collected $2.74 billion worldwide to date. “Avengers: Endgame” emerged as a serious challenger to “Avatar’s” record when it came out of the gate sprinting, crossing the $2 billion mark in just 11 days. Since its performance was so front-loaded, its momentum has unsurprisingly slowed. It now needs roughly $44 million to surpass “Avatar.”
It’s unclear if there’s an appetite for an “Avengers: Endgame” re-release so soon, especially since the film is still in most theaters. But then, it’s unwise to underestimate the power of comic-book enthusiasts. After all, few expected that “Avengers: Endgame” would reach $357 million in North America and $1.2 billion worldwide during its opening weekend. The prospect that Marvel might unveil deleted scenes and post-credit footage, features typically reserved for DVD releases, could be enough to already draw fans back to their local movie theater. “Avengers: Endgame” could also get a bump in ticket sales from “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” which hits multiplexes in July.
Marvel devotees have been vocal on social media, utilizing a #WhateverItTakes hashtag to rally support behind “Avengers: Endgame’s” ultimate box office domination. At the very least, “Avengers: Endgame” will have to settle with being the second-biggest movie of all time. “Avengers: Endgame,” a culmination to the current phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, features a band of heroes including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd).
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