Status: Reported. The runtime comes from AMC’s official listing, first flagged by ComicBook.com. The re-release itself is confirmed by Marvel Studios.
The Avengers: Endgame Encore runtime has surfaced, and it tells us something concrete at last. AMC Theatres now lists the re-release at 3 hours and 5 minutes, which is 4 minutes longer than the version that ruled the box office in 2019. Marvel has been quiet about what exactly is inside Avengers: Endgame Encore beyond “unseen footage”, so those 4 extra minutes are the first hard clue about how the studio plans to hand the baton from Thanos to Doctor Doom before Avengers: Doomsday opens on December 18, 2026.
What is Avengers: Endgame Encore?
Announced earlier this year, Avengers: Endgame Encore brings the 2019 blockbuster back to theaters on September 25, 2026, just under three months before Avengers: Doomsday. This is not a plain re-release. According to Collider’s original report, the package includes a custom introduction, additional footage, and a special end tag that will be exclusive to IMAX and Marvel’s new premium “Infinity Vision” certified screens. Marvel’s own site frames it simply as a chance to “experience the Avengers’ final stand against Thanos” again on the big screen.
The timing is the tell. Kevin Feige has spent this year rebuilding hype around the original Avengers era: Robert Downey Jr. is back as Doctor Doom, Chris Evans appeared in the D23 footage, and Doomsday tickets went on sale a full four months early. Putting Endgame back in theaters in late September keeps that nostalgia machine running straight into December.
How long is Avengers: Endgame Encore?
Per the AMC listing spotted by ComicBook.com on August 21, the Avengers: Endgame Encore runtime is 3 hours 5 minutes. The original theatrical cut ran 3 hours 1 minute, still the longest MCU film ever released. That leaves roughly 4 minutes of new material, and ComicBook.com’s report stresses this is expected to be genuinely new footage built for this release, not simply the deleted scenes Marvel has already shipped on home video.
| Version | Runtime | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Avengers: Endgame (2019) | 3h 01m | Original theatrical cut |
| Endgame “Bring Back” re-release (2019) | 3h 07m | Tribute, unfinished Hulk scene, Far From Home teaser |
| Avengers: Endgame Encore (2026) | 3h 05m | Custom intro, new footage, premium-screen end tag |
What could 4 minutes of new footage show?
Marvel has kept the contents sealed, but the smart money says the new material is connective tissue for Doomsday. The most popular theories: a proper introduction for Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, new context around Steve Rogers going back through time to live his life with Peggy Carter, or a scene underlining how Endgame’s time heist cracked the multiverse open and invited the incursions that Doomsday is built on. ComicBook.com’s Tom Bacon leans toward the Steve and Peggy angle, since the Russo Brothers have hinted that decision matters again in the next two Avengers films.
There is precedent for all of this. The 2019 “Bring Back” re-release added a Stan Lee tribute, an unfinished Hulk scene and a Spider-Man: Far From Home sneak peek. A 4-minute package of Doomsday setup would be a much bigger swing, and a real reason for lapsed fans to buy a ticket for a film most of them have watched ten times.
Why it matters for Avengers: Doomsday
Doomsday picks up a universe still shaped by Endgame: Tony Stark’s sacrifice, Steve’s exit, and a multiverse that has been fraying ever since. If Marvel is spending money on new Endgame footage, it is because the studio wants a billion-dollar audience re-primed on those threads. It also softens the landing for the film’s boldest idea, the man who played Iron Man returning as the MCU’s next great villain. We broke down the latest on that front in our Doomsday opening battle leak report and the Battleworld ending rumour, and Marvel already opened Doomsday ticket sales four months early.
What happens next
Avengers: Endgame Encore opens September 25, 2026, with tickets already live on AMC and other chains. Expect Marvel to confirm the runtime officially, and possibly tease what the new footage contains, as the date gets closer. If the extra minutes really do set up Doomsday, expect frame-by-frame breakdowns everywhere within the hour, including here.
| STATUS | Reported (runtime); re-release confirmed |
| SOURCE | AMC Theatres listing, via ComicBook.com (21 Aug 2026) |
| CORROBORATED BY | None yet; awaiting Marvel’s official runtime |
| WHAT’S CONFIRMED | Encore releases 25 Sep 2026 with a custom intro, unseen footage and a premium-screen end tag |
| WHAT ISN’T | The exact runtime and what the new 4 minutes contain |
| OUR TAKE | Theater chain listings are usually accurate this close to release. 8/10 |
Sources: ComicBook.com, Collider, Marvel.com, AMC Theatres. Image: Marvel Studios.
About Post Author
