Just as Steve Rogers is worthy of wielding Mjölnir, Avengers: Endgame is worthy of a theatrical re-release. On Friday, Marvel Studios announced that the game-changing Infinity Saga film will return to theaters next year on Sept. 25, 2026.
The timing puts the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie back in theaters two months before the anticipated Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 18, 2026.
Avengers: Endgame was a cinematic success and a communal celebration
Originally released in theaters in April 2019, Avengers: Endgame remains Marvel’s top-grossing movie. It made over $2 billion during its original theatrical run, and understandably so. The film marked the end of an era — a culmination of more than 10 years of storytelling, going back to 2008’s Iron Man. It served as a conclusion but was just as much a celebration.
Fans gathered in movie theaters and became a community that enjoyed a story together. There were cheers when Chris Evans’s Steve Rogers/Captain America finally lifted Mjölnir (and even summoned lightning!). There were cries when Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man snapped his fingers and made the ultimate sacrifice. There were yells with each portal that opened, revealing hero after hero revived from the Snap, before Rogers eventually proclaimed, “Avengers, assemble!" The video Marvel Studios posted on social media to announce the news even featured audio of one movie theater's cheers in reaction to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson/Falcon saying, "On your left."
In recent years, Marvel Studios hasn’t experienced the same box-office success as it did throughout the Infinity Saga, when the company was at its peak. Since the beginning of the Multiverse Saga, only two Marvel films have surpassed the $1 billion mark globally: Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine (although Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came extremely close). That’s not to say the other MCU movies have been box-office failures, but, for Marvel’s standards, a lot of them have performed poorly. By bringing Avengers: Endgame back to theaters, Marvel has an easy way to make more money.
Is the Avengers: Endgame theatrical re-release more than just nostalgia bait?
With the increasing sentiment of superhero fatigue, giving fans the chance to re-experience the cinematic thrills of an established success can help Marvel Studios win back some favor. Not all fans have the same confidence in Marvel anymore. They aren’t all sold on the new heroes and the next era of the MCU. Some just don’t want to move on. But the re-release doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, it could be more strategic than any fans realize.
Maybe Avengers: Endgame features events that will end up being important to the plot of Avengers: Doomsday. Maybe it includes a connection that will become integral to the multiverse and the Doctor Doom of it all. Maybe Tony Stark/Iron Man’s role in Avengers: Endgame is something Marvel will want fans to remember for Avengers: Doomsday.
The theatrical event could also be telling of the commitment that Disney, Marvel's parent company, has to the theater experience. It's doubtful that this move is meant to contrast Netflix's recent acquisition of Warner Bros., parent company to Marvel's rival DC, and the streaming service's preference for shorter theatrical windows. The theatrical re-release of the best-performing Marvel movie isn't an impulsive decision. But the timing works in Disney's favor.
No matter the reason(s), the news is an exciting surprise. The re-release serves as a fun way for MCU fans to experience the emotion and thrills of Avengers: Endgame all over again. And while DVDs, Blu-rays, and Disney+ give people the chance to watch the movie whenever, movie theaters let people experience it in the same way the Avengers defeated Thanos: Together.