Disney's expanded re-release of "Avengers: Endgame" topped the North American box office this weekend, taking in an estimated $26 million domestically and $86 million worldwide in a frame stacked with new wide releases ahead of the December debut of "Avengers: Doomsday."
Billed as "Avengers: Endgame: Encore," the reissue of the 2019 blockbuster adds roughly four minutes of new footage, including scenes that tie directly into "Doomsday." One sequence lingers on the clang of metal being forged into what becomes Doctor Doom's mask, drawing a visual line between the villain and Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, who is set to play Doom in the upcoming film. According to weekend box office data, the opening ranks as the third-best re-release debut on record, behind 1997's reissue of the original "Star Wars" and 2011's "The Lion King 3D."
The Russo brothers, who directed both "Endgame" and "Doomsday," have described the re-release as close to required viewing for audiences planning to see the new film, given how directly the added scenes connect the two stories.
"Endgame: Encore" narrowly edged out the horror reboot "Resident Evil," which added $23.3 million in its second weekend and pushed its domestic total past $103 million. Paramount's survival thriller "Heart of the Beast" opened in third place with roughly $20 million, while "Primetime" and "Forgotten Island" rounded out the top five. Altogether, the weekend's wide releases combined for more than $120 million domestically, an unusually strong showing for late September, historically one of the calendar's quieter box-office stretches.
The performance extends a busy fall for Marvel Studios, which has leaned on nostalgia-driven marketing — including the re-release strategy — to build momentum for "Doomsday" ahead of its December 18 release. Studio tracking suggests the approach is paying off: pre-sale ticket demand for "Doomsday" reportedly rose in the days after "Encore" opened in theaters.
"Resident Evil" and "Heart of the Beast" both benefited from largely positive word of mouth in their opening frames, helping offset what studios had expected to be a slower month between summer blockbusters and the holiday season. Distributors are watching the next several weekends closely as a test of whether audiences will keep showing up in theaters through October, traditionally a transitional month for wide releases.
