Avengers: Endgame has once again become the highest-grossing film in history, thanks to its latest re-release, but this news is deeply depressing for a film critic and fan alike. Despite the strategic push from Disney and Marvel Studios, there is little to celebrate in this achievement.
The 2019 blockbuster was reissued as Avengers Endgame: Encore on September 25, ahead of the December release of Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel hopes the return of directors Joe and Anthony Russo will revitalise the studio's fortunes since this record-breaking film, which they also directed.
The Numbers Behind the Crown
It took just two weekends for this re-release to snatch the all-time box office crown from James Cameron's 2009 original sci-fi Avatar, with a worldwide haul of $2.925 billion (£2.215 billion). This tips it just past Avatar's global $2.923bn (£2.215bn), which had been generated from five re-releases.
This is how Avatar squeezed its way back to number one in 2021, when the first film returned to cinemas ahead of the release of the long-gestating sequel Avatar: The Way of Water. It's a tried and tested formula for success, artificially boosting the previous film before the next one is released.
A Question of Originality
While there is clearly demand for this, and the regenerated excitement in seeing things on the big screen in the age of streaming is welcome, the ease with which a lazy re-release reclaimed the record is hardly inspiring. The same could be said for Avatar previously, also owned by Disney since 2019 through 20th Century Studios.
At least Cameron was offering original IP with his immersive alien world, rather than the climax of 21 previous films based on already popular and influential comic books. He also held the number one spot for 12 years as the writer-director of Titanic, before replacing it with another of his own movies in 2010 with Avatar.
Beyond the Box Office
If this is all simply a theatrical numbers game, Cameron could simply plan Avatar's sixth re-release to climb back on top. This could also see him re-commit to helming Avatar 4 and 5, still planned for December 2029 and December 2031 releases, but having gone quiet since Avatar: Fire and Ash's relative underperformance ($1.49bn/£1.13bn) last year.
Discussing massive movies mainly in financial terms is soul-crushing, no matter how important that is to the studios. While there are things to admire about Marvel movies, not least how they've largely carried the cinema business on their backs for the past 10 or so years, they don't represent the best of what cinema can offer.
This year has seen a big boost at the box office, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day slinging its way into the third all-time spot with $2.505bn and Sir Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey currently placed at 11 with $1.767bn (£1.338bn). Nolan is another force we look to to keep cinemas thriving with his unique brand of complex popcorn flick.
Breakout hits like Obsession and Backrooms this year tell us a lot more about cinema in 2026 and its direction for the future. The horror genre is stepping into its own as a mainstream success after the popularity and awards prestige of Sinners last year, with YouTubers like Curry Barker and Kane Parsons being welcomed by fans for their skills and perspective.
This is not something anyone would have predicted in 2019, when Avengers: Endgame first came out, so it's weird for it to be in this sort of conversation again, seven years later. Finally, the most crucial lesson of all is that the financial success of a film shouldn't have any impact at all on how much you enjoy it as an audience member.
