Avengers: Endgame Encore’ Presales Reportedly Top Every Re-Release Before It as Opening Weekend Nears

Re-releases usually get treated like nostalgia side dishes, but ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ has been behaving like a main course. It has spent weeks breaking presale marks and drawing forecasts that would be respectable for a brand-new blockbuster. With opening day here, box office watchers are getting a fresh look at just how strong that early demand has been.

The record chase began in late August, when tickets went on sale. Within hours, the film posted the biggest first-day presales of this century for a re-release, surpassing the benchmark set by the ‘Titanic 3D’ return. The all-time domestic total for a re-release still belongs to the 1997 Special Edition of ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’, which earned about $138 million.

Now a new tracker update is pushing the story further. Box office tracker @Itsjat32 posted on Thursday that the Encore has nearly $15 million in presales in North America. He called it the highest ever for a re-release, passing the ’20th Anniversary’ return of ‘Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith’, and said the weekend should reach $25 million-plus with potential to hit $30 million. The post was shared on Reddit’s r/boxoffice.

The ‘Revenge of the Sith’ comparison is a meaningful one. That April 2025 re-release opened to $25.2 million domestically after $3.4 million in Thursday previews, which made it one of the biggest re-release openings on record. Ahead of that weekend, Pinkvilla reported its presales had topped $10 million, so nearly $15 million would be a clear step above that figure.

Presale totals don’t always line up across sources, since trackers count different windows and platforms. The same account posted on September 20 that the Encore had passed $10 million, and it predicted a $40 million to $50 million weekend at that point. He also warned that momentum had slowed for about a week, and the new call of $25 million-plus is more conservative.

That newer range fits the wider consensus. Variety has the film tracking for $25 million to $28 million, and TheWrap said independent trackers see at least $25 million with a good chance at clearing $30 million. Murphy’s Multiverse projects $22 million to $27 million, while Box Office Theory’s forecast starts lower at $18 million.

The number to beat depends on how you define a re-release. The ‘Titanic 3D’ opening of $25.6 million is widely cited as the biggest domestic opening weekend for a re-release. But SlashFilm noted that the 1997 ‘A New Hope’ Special Edition opened to $35.9 million and the 2011 3D ‘The Lion King’ opened to $30.1 million, though those came with new footage or a new 3D presentation.

That is why the Encore’s approach matters. It adds four minutes of footage, a new post-credits scene and an exclusive look at ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, which arrives December 18. IMAX and Infinity Vision screenings include an additional sneak peek.

A total in the $25 million to $30 million range would land the film in that same conversation. It would also be a strong opener against ‘Resident Evil’, which is targeting $24 million to $26 million in its second weekend.

Reassemble the team & relive the experience as Avengers Endgame: Encore returns to theaters September 25.

Tickets now available for IMAX and Infinity Vision screens: https://t.co/pZZ4PiOyQb pic.twitter.com/2wKSVG4FLz

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 25, 2026

The domestic weekend is only part of the story. The film has also posted strong overseas presales, including $965,000 in China after two days of nationwide sales, ahead of the two-day totals for ‘The Batman’ and ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’. Trackers see a potential global opening north of $50 million.

The bigger prize is the all-time crown. ‘Avengers: Endgame’ sits at about $2.799 billion worldwide, while ‘Avatar’ stands at $2.9237 billion after its own re-release, a gap of roughly $124 million. Even a $25 million to $28 million domestic weekend leaves the film about $96 million to $99 million short, so international audiences will have to carry it.

Caution is still warranted. Presale enthusiasm doesn’t always translate into final grosses once opening weekend arrives, and screen availability could limit walk-up business. Still, the early numbers suggest a re-release that is punching well above its weight.

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