Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame.
It's almost hard to believe, but Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for nearly two months. Anticipation for The Russo Brothers' blockbuster was at a fever pitch when it arrived in April, especially given the wild events of Infinity War before it. But the co-directors delivered on all their promises, and crafted an unpredictable movie that was begging to be re-watched on the big screen.
Moviegoers did just that, experiencing the Time Heist and insane final battle more than once. What resulted was massive box office numbers, with Endgame sitting just below Avatar for the highest grossing movie of all time. And now Kevin Feige was revealed the way that record could be toppled: by re-releasing a new cut of Endgame in theaters, complete with new footage. He recently revealed this, saying:
We are doing that. I don't know if it's been announced. And I don't know how much... Yeah, we're doing it next weekend
Honestly, just take my money. Disney's handling of the MCU has been pretty flawless throughout Phase Three, and now the House of Mouse pulled out another trick, in the form of an extended cut of Avengers: Endgame.
Kevin Feige revealed the plans for Endgame's second release to Comic Book, while doing press for Spider-Man: Far From Home. While somewhat shocking, it's a revelation that makes sound business sense. And it's not like there isn't plenty of footage that ended up on the cutting room floor of the 181-minute epic.
Related: Avengers: Endgame And Infinity War Shot A Whopping 900 Hours Of Footage
The Russo Brothers shot Infinity War and Endgame back to back, and shot a ton of material that never actually made it into the theatrical cut. The editing process is key to any release, but especially such a complicated and crossover-heavy story like Endgame. There's 900 hours of footage to comb through, although smart money says the new cut will include deleted scenes that almost made it into the final film.
A new cut of Avengers: Endgame guarantees the hardcore fandom will be flocking back to theaters, to see what Marvel Studios cooked up this time. It's a great placeholder to satiate moviegoers until the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, and will also give Endgame the final box office boost it needs. The 22nd MCU installment is around $40 million behind James Cameron's Avatar, so the re-release is coming at a perfect time.
News of the new Avengers: Endgame release is sure to excite the hardcore fandom, and it should be fascinating to see what new footage gets added to the blockbuster. Smart money says the final battle will be extended, as there's probably even more action that didn't make it into the film. Maybe we'll finally see Kraglin? But overall the movie goes so many places, that any of its three acts has room for expansion. We'll just have to see when that new version of the blockbuster makes it to theaters.
Avengers: Endgame is still in theaters now, although Kevin Feige indicated the re-release might be arriving as soon as next week. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
