The upcoming Avengers: Endgame Encore will add just four minutes to the original version of Marvel's climactic Infinity Saga finale.
That's according to AMC Theatres, which has now revealed a confirmed runtime for Endgame Encore that stretches to a whopping 185 minutes. But while certainly lengthy, this suggests fans shouldn't go in expecting too much new material.
Indeed, Endgame Encore appears to only be four minutes longer than the original Endgame's 181-minute runtime. Presumably nothing has been taken out from the existing movie, and all of those four minutes will be made up by footage shot during the production of Avengers: Doomsday, which have now been slotted in.
Some fans had hoped that this new, longer version of Endgame would feature substantial changes, and stronger links to the story of Doctor Doom or elements of the multiverse explored in Doomsday. Instead, it sounds more like what we'll actually get is the previous Endgame movie with a couple of clip(s) from Doomsday added in.
"It’s critically important to re-release the movie, and, in fact, we’ll be re-releasing the film with footage that is set in the Doomsday story that we have added to Avengers: Endgame," Avengers director Joe Russo said previously. Exactly what footage this might be, however, has not been discussed.
"It’s an opportunity to create a bridge from Endgame to Doomsday in a very unique way, and because the movie was so successful, we have an opportunity to re-release it," Russo continued. "You don’t always get the chance to re-release because it costs money, so the fact that we can enhance the story of Doomsday by bridging it to Endgame and these characters that we worked with for years that we love so much, and continue their story: It’s a really unique opportunity."
It's also an opportunity to make a lot more money. Avengers: Endgame briefly became the highest-grossing film of all time upon its launch back in 2019, overtaking James Cameron's Avatar. But a re-release of the latter film saw Avatar climb back on top. Could Avengers: Endgame overtake Avatar once again? It's currently sitting on a box office total of $2.79 billion, meaning it will need to take another $127 million to eclipse Avatar's record $2.92 billion haul.
Avengers: Endgame Encore arrives in theaters on September 25, ahead of Avengers: Doomsday's long-awaited arrival on December 18.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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