One of the biggest movies of all time is making an encore.
“Avengers: Endgame,” which became the second-highest-grossing movie in box office history after its 2019 release, is coming back to theaters starting this Friday.
In what’s being marketed as “Avengers: Endgame Encore,” the blockbuster superhero film will not only reappear on the big screen, but it will feature some brand-new scenes that will tie into the upcoming sequel, “Avengers: Doomsday.”
What we know about ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’
Joe Russo, who directed both “Endgame” and “Doomsday” with his brother Anthony Russo, called “Endgame Encore” “required viewing” for fans before “Doomsday” is released in December.
“It’s going to connect the story of the two movies,” Joe Russo told Fandango last month of “Endgame Encore.” “There’s a natural progression from ‘Endgame’ into ‘Doomsday,’ which is also inclusive of all the other stories that have been playing out. ... I think it’s required viewing for following the story in ‘Doomsday.’”
“If you saw ‘Endgame’ when it was originally released, you couldn’t see this coming,” Anthony Russo added.
The total runtime for “Avengers: Endgame Encore” is 185 minutes, which means there are roughly four minutes of extra footage added to the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Will ‘Avengers: Endgame’ break a box-office record?
“Endgame Encore” could take the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office this weekend, where it’s vying against the reboot of “Resident Evil” as well as Robert Pattinson’s “Primetime” and Brad Pitt’s “Heart of the Beast,” per Variety.
Marvel has already had a banner year at the box office, with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” smashing multiple records since its July release, including for the highest-grossing film of all time at the domestic box office, as the Deseret News previously reported. “Spider-Man” is also the third highest-grossing film globally, after “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame,” and surpassed “Endgame” for the biggest box-office opening of all time.
“Endgame” earned $2.79 billion at the global box office, falling behind James Cameron’s “Avatar,” which earned $2.9 billion, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s possible that the rerelease of “Endgame Encore” could topple “Avatar” for the No. 1 spot.
What we know about ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
“Doomsday” will feature the first return of Chris Evans in the role of Steve Rogers since his appearance in “Endgame.” Robert Downey Jr., who previously played Tony Stark/Iron Man, will be returning in a new role, as the villainous Dr. Doom.
Plenty of other characters who featured in “Endgame” will also appear in “Doomsday,” including Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), as well as new characters who have been introduced to the MCU more recently, like the Fantastic Four, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Shang-Chi (Simu Liu).
“Avengers: Doomsday” arrives in theaters Dec. 18.