‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ Is Already Breaking Box Office Records, and It Hasn’t Even Hit Theaters Yet

Marvel Studios has spent years perfecting the art of the comeback tour, but even by that standard, the buildup to ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore‘ feels different. Seven years after the Infinity Saga’s emotional finale first hit theaters, Marvel is betting big that nostalgia alone can move serious box office numbers.

Tickets for the rerelease officially went on sale Tuesday, August 25, giving fans their first real chance to lock in seats ahead of the September return. The rollout arrives as part of a broader campaign designed to bridge the gap between ‘Endgame’ and December’s ‘Avengers: Doomsday.’

Almost immediately, the demand made itself known. Early reports indicate ‘Endgame Encore’ posted the biggest pre-sales start ever recorded for a theatrical rerelease within just two hours of tickets going live, putting it on pace with some of the strongest advance ticket launches of any film in recent memory.

That kind of opening isn’t entirely surprising given what ‘Endgame’ represents in box office history. The original 2019 release earned $2.799 billion worldwide, briefly making it the highest-grossing movie ever before ‘Avatar’ reclaimed the title during a pandemic-era rerelease of its own.

This time around, Marvel isn’t just replaying the original cut. ‘Endgame Encore’ reportedly runs 185 minutes, four minutes longer than the theatrical version, thanks to new footage tied directly into the ‘Doomsday’ storyline along with a custom introduction and a special end tag.

Marvel has kept the specifics of that new material under wraps, and the trailer released so far doesn’t reveal any of it. Reporting has suggested the added footage runs closer to five minutes and is designed to set up plot threads heading into ‘Doomsday,’ though the studio hasn’t confirmed exactly what audiences will see.

There’s also a format wrinkle worth noting for anyone planning their trip to the theater. The new ‘Doomsday’-related content will be available at every screening, but audiences who specifically choose IMAX or Disney’s newly introduced Infinity Vision-certified theaters will get an additional sneak peek not shown elsewhere.

Infinity Vision itself represents Disney’s answer to a scheduling problem. With IMAX screens locked exclusively to Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Three’ for the same December 18 release window as ‘Doomsday,’ Marvel needed another way to offer a premium large-format experience for its next tentpole.

Rolling out that certification now, tied to a proven crowd-pleaser like ‘Endgame,’ gives Disney a low-risk opportunity to build recognition for the format well before ‘Doomsday’ actually needs it to compete. It’s a strategy that seems to be working, at least judging by how quickly tickets have been moving.

The merchandising push has matched the ticket demand, too. New posters have gone out branded for both 4DX and Infinity Vision screenings, alongside two collectible popcorn buckets shaped like Iron Man’s helmet and the Nano Gauntlet from the film’s climactic battle.

Whether this record-setting presale pace holds up through September 25 remains to be seen, but the early numbers suggest Marvel has once again tapped into exactly the kind of nostalgia that turned ‘Endgame’ into a cultural phenomenon back in 2019. For a franchise gearing up for one of its biggest releases yet, that’s about as strong a start as the studio could have hoped for.

‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ returns to theaters September 25, with ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ following on December 18.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!