Avengers: Endgame returned to theaters last weekend as Avengers Endgame: Encore, an extended cut of the 2019 blockbuster featuring new scenes that lead directly into this December's Avengers: Doomsday.
The re-release was a success, and by the end of the weekend, the movie had grossed $86 million worldwide. That narrowed the gap between Avengers: Endgame and Avatar to $39 million, and it's looking increasingly likely that the Marvel Studios title will return to the top of the list of highest-grossing movies ever in the coming days.
While we're waiting on updated box office numbers (tracking a re-release isn't as big a priority or as straightforward as a new title), Avengers Endgame: Encore is expected to decline by 60% in North America this weekend.
That means it should make around $11 million, and if the same holds overseas, that's a global second weekend haul of around $34 million. Given that Avengers: Endgame has made an additional $5 million or so in the U.S. alone this past week, Avengers: Endgame should be the biggest movie in the world by the end of Sunday.
Elsewhere at the box office, Verity is set to open at #1 this weekend with an estimated $30 million to $35 million. Tom Cruise's Digger will flop, making a projected $12 million to $15 million. It's only eyeing a $35 million start globally, and with a production budget of $125 million, things don't look good for the movie.
While Warner Bros. disputes these numbers, the trades are reporting that Digger might have cost upwards of $160 million to $180 million after going over schedule. Warner Bros. gambled on Cruise, and it didn't pay off.
The grave course of events set in motion by Thanos that wiped out half the universe and fractured the Avengers ranks compels the remaining Avengers to take one final stand in Marvel Studios’ grand conclusion to twenty-two films, Avengers: Endgame.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the movie features an epic ensemble which includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin.
"Avengers: Endgame is a masterpiece which not only delivers on every expectation you had but exceeds ones you didn't even think about," we wrote in our review of the re-release. "This isn't just a movie; it's an experience and one that only gets better for its Encore."
Avengers Endgame: Encore is now playing in theaters.