The new numbers
It’s official: Avengers: Endgame is once again the highest-grossing film of all time.
The film’s theatrical re-release — titled Avengers: Endgame: Encore — opened on September 25, 2026, with a few minutes of new footage and revised post-credit scenes. According to Disney, that was enough to push Endgame’s lifetime worldwide gross to $2.9255 billion, narrowly ahead of Avatar’s $2.9237 billion. (Box-office tracker The Numbers lists Avatar at $2.924 billion — either way, Endgame is back on top by a whisker.)
The Encore re-release itself was a hit: an $86 million worldwide opening weekend ($26 million in North America, $60 million overseas), making it the second-highest opening ever for a re-release — behind only the 2012 3D re-release of another Cameron film, Titanic ($98.9 million). Opening Friday alone pulled $11.2 million from 3,060 locations.
Cameron’s classy response
James Cameron has made congratulating Marvel a tradition. On October 16, he posted a bespoke crossover artwork on Instagram and X: Iron Man being welcomed by the Na’vi tribe of Pandora, overlaid with the message “YOU ARE ONE OF THE PEOPLE” and “CONGRATULATIONS TO MARVEL AND THE #1 AVENGERS: ENDGAME: ENCORE FOR BRINGING MOVIEGOERS TO THE CINEMAS! — JIM CAMERON.”
The history: Endgame first passed Avatar in July 2019, and Cameron posted the Na’vi phrase “Oel ngati kameie” — “I see you.” Avatar reclaimed the crown with its 2021 re-release. Now the pendulum has swung again.
Why re-releases are the new box office weapon
Here’s the part nobody should miss: both films are now owned by Disney. The company has figured out that a low-cost theatrical reissue can flip the all-time rankings, generate fresh revenue, and double as marketing for upcoming sequels.
The Encore re-release leaned on premium formats like IMAX, and its new footage was designed to tease the next chapter. Which means the box office crown is now essentially a marketing asset — vulnerable to whichever studio reissues next.
What it means for Avengers: Doomsday
The new footage in Encore was engineered to set up Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters December 18, 2026. Marvel just turned a re-release into a hype machine for its biggest upcoming bet — and reminded everyone that the road to Doomsday runs through Endgame.
Cameron, meanwhile, gets the last laugh either way: he directed the film that lost the crown, and he’s the gracious kingmaker every time it changes hands.
Related: everything we know about Avengers: Doomsday — and the Spider-Man: Brand New Day first look.