Marvel Studios’ 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame has powered its way back to the top of the all-time global box office chart, thanks to Disney’s rerelease Avengers: Endgame — Encore. The rerelease is timed to build excitement for this year’s Avengers: Doomsday.
In its second weekend, Endgame — Encore collected $4.4 million domestically and $14.4 million overseas. That brought Endgame’s worldwide total to $2.9255 billion, just enough to surpass *Avatar*’s $2.9237 billion.
James Cameron’s Avatar, released by Twentieth Century Fox in 2009, held the global box office record for a decade until Endgame overtook it in 2019. Two years later, Avatar reclaimed the crown with a rerelease ahead of the 2022 sequel Avatar: The Way of Water.
In its opening frame, Endgame — Encore grossed $86 million worldwide and $26 million domestically, making it the second-highest-grossing worldwide rerelease ever, behind only 2012’s Titanic 3D. It also topped the domestic box office in a crowded marketplace that included Paramount’s Brad Pitt-led Heart of the Beast, A24’s Robert Pattinson-starring Primetime, and DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo for Marvel Studios, Avengers: Endgame follows its superheroes as they deal with Thanos having erased half of the universe’s inhabitants. The star-studded cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner.
The rerelease’s strong performance is a promising sign for the big-budget Doomsday. The Russo brothers are returning to direct the upcoming MCU film, which hits theaters Dec. 18—the same day as Warner Bros.’ similarly buzzy Dune: Part Three.