‘Avengers: Endgame’ Steals the Box Office Crown Back From ‘Avatar’ Again

Few rivalries in Hollywood have lasted as long as the tug-of-war between ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ and ‘Avatar’. The two blockbusters have passed the title of biggest movie ever back and forth as they return to theaters for various engagements. Every re-release has turned into a mini-event for box office watchers.

The history makes the latest twist feel inevitable. ‘Avatar‘ held the record for 10 years until ‘Avengers: Endgame’ overtook it in 2019 during its initial run. James Cameron’s film later pulled ahead again thanks to a China re-release.

Now Marvel’s 2019 finale has reclaimed the box office crown once more. According to the figures in the shared post, the second weekend of ‘Avengers Endgame: Encore’ brought in $18M, split into $13.5M overseas and $4.5M domestic. That lifts the re-release total to $126M and pushes the film’s worldwide gross to $2.926B, edging past ‘Avatar’ at $2.924B and making it the highest-grossing film of all time again, though the total carries an asterisk because it is still an early tally.

Outlets are reporting slightly different numbers. Variety put ‘Endgame’ at $2.925B worldwide, just above ‘Avatar’ at $2.923B after 5 re-releases. The margin is razor-thin, so expect the exact figures to shift as studio reports come in.

This was never a simple re-issue. The film returned with several new end-credits scenes and an introductory thank-you to fans from Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. The ‘Encore’ version added 4 new scenes tying into ‘Avengers: Doomsday’.

The opening weekend showed how much appetite there was. ‘Endgame’ returned to theaters and earned $86M globally, including $26M in North America and $60M overseas. IMAX screens accounted for $13.7M of that haul

Re-release history puts those numbers in context. Among re-releases, only the 1997 release of ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ ($35.9M) and the 2011 repeat of ‘The Lion King’ ($30.2M) have opened higher domestically. ‘Encore’ also posted the second-best international opening weekend for a re-release, behind the $67M overseas debut of the 3D ‘Titanic’ in 2012.

Re-releases rarely hold their numbers. They often see sharp sophomore weekend drops, and projections for ‘Encore’ had it ending somewhere between $116M and $160M worldwide. Domestic business did fall hard this time. The second Friday brought in about $1.1M, a steep decline that one report described as around a 90% drop.

The overseas share of the second weekend, $13.5M of the $18M, did most of the work in closing the gap. That international strength has been a big part of the story since opening weekend. ‘Endgame’ also became the second movie ever to clear $2B at the international box office.

The timing is not an accident. The re-release arrived on September 25 with a special preview of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, which opens in theaters on December 18. The Russo brothers are directing, and it will be the 39th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Exhibitors have taken notice. The re-release’s turnout has theater owners buzzing about ‘Doomsday’, which is expected to be one of the year’s biggest movies. The record also stays in the family, since Disney is responsible for 7 of the 10 highest-grossing movies of all time.

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 https://t.co/2wKSVG4FLz

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 25, 2026

Whether ‘Endgame’ can hold the crown is another question. ‘Avatar’ has proven it can fight back through re-releases, and the lead is only a couple of million dollars. For now, though, Marvel fans have their record back, with a big new Avengers movie still ahead.

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