Avengers: Endgame Encore posts strong early box office numbers in China and North America

Avengers: Endgame is back on the big screen. The Marvel blockbuster returned to theatres worldwide on September 25 as Avengers: Endgame Encore, and early estimates suggest the reissue is off to a strong start in both China and North America.

In China, the film reportedly closed a seven-day pre-sales window with $3.1 million for its September 25 to 27 run. Opening day Friday accounted for about $2.4 million of that, with $550k for Saturday and $175k for Sunday. Thursday previews, held on only around 4,000 screenings, are said to have added another $975k.

That pre-sales total reportedly puts the reissue ahead of several MCU releases in China, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at $1.1 million, The Marvels at $1.5 million and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at $3 million. Estimates for its Chinese opening weekend have cooled from over $20 million to between $14 million and $18 million. That may fall short of the $21.2 million Avatar earned on its 2021 re-release debut, but it could top the $13.7 million reissue opening of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, making it Hollywood's second biggest re-release debut in the country.

North America is looking just as lively. Tracking reportedly has the film earning more than $3 million from Thursday previews, the best among this weekend's releases and ahead of Primetime at $2 million to $3 million. It could even pass the $3.4 million preview haul of the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith re-release. A domestic opening of $25 million to $30 million would send Endgame back to number one, and with around $25 million expected from international markets, the global debut could reach $50 million.

The film features a huge ensemble led by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Josh Brolin, and follows the surviving Avengers as they try to undo the destruction Thanos caused in Infinity War. In its original run, Endgame earned $858.4 million domestically and $1.94 billion internationally, for a worldwide total of $2.79 billion.