Ragesh Dipu
Despite all the efforts of Disney to boost international box office returns of ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ the superhero movie still short of nearly $26M to surpass the all-time box office record set by ‘Avatar.’ Marvel Studios has released a new theatrical version of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ with 6 minutes of additional footage that includes a tribute, a deleted scene and a teaser for ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home‘ on Friday.
Though the re-release helped Disney to earn another estimated $5.5M in the U.S. and $2.3M abroad, that wasn’t enough to overtake the mammoth $2.78B mark of ‘Avatar.’ James Cameron’s futuristic sci-fi epic has remained the topper for the last 10 years. ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ which hit theaters on April 26, has earned $2.76B globally so far.
Described as a “Bring Back event” by Marvel, the re-release helped ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to return to the weekend top ten lists on Saturday. The movie captured the seventh place this weekend after almost two months of release. Disney and Marvel are keen to knock down ‘Avatar’ before ‘Endgame’ leaves theaters.
In a statement announcing the “Bring Back event” of June 28, Marvel revealed, “Fans who buy a movie ticket will receive an exclusive piece of Avengers art (available in select theaters and until supplies run out) and will also be treated to a video introduction by director Anthony Russo and an unfinished deleted scene from the film, and it will be a chance for fans to get a head start on the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home via a special sneak peek!”
Even though the six minutes of footage and the perks weren’t sufficient to bring viewers back into multiplexes as the movie fell short of $26M, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ hasn’t done yet. Since the movie marks the culmination of the third phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is an emotional affair for die-hard Avengers fans which will trigger a slew of repeat viewings in the coming days. ‘Avatar’ ran for 234 days in theaters before becoming the top grosser of all time. ‘Endgame’ has just finished two months at the box office with the whole summer season ahead. While word of mouth and fandom are the big boosts for the movie, its three-hour run time may backfire in the long run.
Moreover, The grand finale of the third phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ hits theaters in the U.S. on July 2, 2019. The long-awaited flick will also influence the box office returns of ‘Avengers: Endgame.’
Cover Image Courtesy: Marvel.
