Seven years after its original release, 'Avengers: Endgame' is once again the highest-grossing movie of all time. Disney and Marvel Studios rereleased the film on Sept. 25 as 'Avengers: Endgame Encore,' adding a few minutes of footage teasing December’s 'Avengers: Doomsday' plus an introduction from Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.
The rerelease opened to $26 million domestically and $86 million worldwide in its first weekend. That was the third-best domestic debut ever for a rerelease, behind only the 1997 special edition of 'Star Wars' and the 2011 3D release of 'The Lion King.' It beat 'Resident Evil' in its second weekend and outgrossed three new non-franchise releases: 'Heart of the Beast,' 'Primetime,' and 'Forgotten Island.'
Ticket sales then fell more than 80% in the second weekend, but the run had already done its job. 'Endgame Encore' added another $18.8 million worldwide this weekend, bringing the rerelease to roughly $126 million globally. That pushed 'Endgame's' lifetime total to $2.9255 billion, just ahead of James Cameron’s 'Avatar' at $2.9237 billion.
Rereleases rarely earn more than $10 million, according to box office analyst David A. Gross. 'Endgame' has been available to stream for years, yet it still outdrew a slate of new movies. That is the clearest sign yet that Hollywood’s intellectual property machine remains the industry’s safest bet.
The numbers come first. In 2019, nine films grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, and every one was a sequel, remake, or spinoff of existing IP. Hollywood has spent the years since trying to recapture that model, even as the pandemic and streaming wars changed moviegoing habits. Big franchise swings from Marvel, DC, and Star Wars have not matched the critical or commercial force they had in the previous decade.
Marvel’s slide after 'Endgame' was especially sharp. Before the pandemic, the studio’s biggest releases routinely approached or cleared $1 billion. Between 2020 and this summer, only two Marvel movies crossed that mark: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' and 'Deadpool & Wolverine.' Last year, 'Captain America: Brave New World,' 'Thunderbolts*,' and 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' grossed roughly $1.3 billion combined, less than half of what 'Endgame' made on its own.
There was a brief moment this summer when original ideas appeared to be breaking through. Curry Barker’s 'Obsession' was made for under $1 million and grossed more than $500 million worldwide, while Kane Parsons’ 'Backrooms' became A24’s biggest hit ever. Christopher Nolan’s 'The Odyssey' also became a cultural phenomenon, showing that audiences would still turn out for something ambitious and unique.
But legacy IP regained momentum. 'Toy Story 5' opened to $312 million globally and went on to gross more than $1.14 billion worldwide. 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' opened with a record $168 million first day, held No. 1 for six straight weekends, and has now grossed about $2.5 billion worldwide.
The market has already voted. Hollywood can keep talking about fresh ideas, but the ticket buyers keep rewarding brands they already know. That is good news for the studios and bad news for anyone hoping the business would permanently break its dependence on recycled intellectual property. Capital rewards clear rules, and in entertainment the rule is simple: recognizable franchises still command the strongest leverage.
