Nobody could have predicted today’s announcement that Avengers: Endgame will be re-released in theaters next weekend with six additional minutes of footage. According to Kevin Feige, this new material will consist of “a deleted scene, a little tribute, and a few surprises.”
Cynical types may well look towards Endgame‘s ongoing battle with Avatar to become the highest grossing movie of all time and wonder whether this is Disney’s last roll of the dice to get Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to triumph over James Cameron’s Na’vi. After all, the Marvel movie is now just a couple of million dollars away from claiming that prize and a re-release like this should tip it over the edge.
Fans weren’t slow to make the connection, either, with a ton of reactions on social media referencing the battle between the two movies. And here’s a selection of some of the best:
https://twitter.com/formerussianspy/status/1141344011313008640
the box office next week after the new #AvengersEndgame cut is released pic.twitter.com/mY2KfVteLV
— alias (@itsjustanx) June 19, 2019
https://twitter.com/venomfuckers/status/1141403086084173825
https://twitter.com/kmxrix/status/1141380316164173831
https://twitter.com/MisAnthroPony/status/1141384541971582976
#AvengersEndgame re-release: The World VS Avatar.
RE-ASSEMBLED! pic.twitter.com/rXjOjOiGMD
— Geek Zone 🍿 (@GeekZoneGZ) June 19, 2019
#AvengersEndgame deleted scene pic.twitter.com/XlJ9TYDTMB
— Michael🐝 (@_MichaelWhite__) June 19, 2019
So #AvengersEndgame will have a new post credit scene next week?! You’re expecting me to go back to the movie theater to rewatch a 3 hour movie for a scene after the credits?!@Kevfeige, you’re damn right I’ll be at that movie theater next week to cry my eyes out again! pic.twitter.com/HZRKJfntRK
— Ellis Mbeh (@EllisMbeh) June 19, 2019
I’m betting that this little gambit from Marvel Studios and Disney will succeed. Once the slightly altered edition hits cinemas and fans dutifully buy tickets, Avengers: Endgame will indeed be ranked as the highest grossing film of all time. But for how long? With the first Avatar sequel due out in December 2020, it’s likely that the original will see a limited re-release to remind audiences what they loved so much back at the start of the decade. If that proves even a modest success, we could see Endgame once more bumped back down to second place.
What’s even more ridiculous about this is that Disney owns both of these franchises. Essentially one arm of the House of Mouse is battling against the other for a title that’s ultimately kinda meaningless. I also seriously doubt whether this additional footage is going to be worth buying yet another Avengers: Endgame ticket for. In fact, my recommendation is not to buy into their little game and check out anything new when it inevitably hits YouTube.