"Avengers: Endgame" is returning to the big screen in the Chinese mainland, set for nationwide release on September 25 in sync with re-releases in North America and many other parts of the world. This is no simple re-run: the film will debut brand-new footage and include exclusive content tied to "Avengers 5."
The enhanced edition runs 185 minutes - about four minutes longer than the 2019 theatrical version. The additions include new footage prepared for this re-release that links the story to the upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday." Director Joe Russo revealed that the new scenes were shot during the production of the fifth Avengers film, intended to build a bridge between "Endgame" and the new Avengers story.
"Avengers: Endgame," directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and others, was the capstone of the "Infinity Saga" phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Picking up from "Avengers: Infinity War," it follows the surviving superheroes as they regroup and attempt to undo their earlier defeat after Thanos's snap.
When it opened in the Chinese mainland on April 24, 2019, the film set numerous records for midnight screenings and presales, ultimately grossing 4.239 billion yuan to become the highest-grossing imported film in Chinese history at the time. Worldwide, its final box office approached 2.8 billion US dollars, briefly overtaking "Avatar" as the all-time global box-office champion.
The re-release not only brings the classic back to the big screen but also warms up Marvel's next phase. "Avengers: Doomsday" is planned for release this December, with the Russo brothers directing again and Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom. For audiences who lived through the "Endgame" craze of 2019, this re-release is both a chance to relive a classic and an early overture to a new round of Avengers storytelling.
