Recent extended material moments blur the line between bridge content & release. In anticipation of Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel brought Endgame back to theaters, this time labeled as Encore. With new footage and post-credits scenes designed to connect the 2019 blockbuster to the next chapter, the re-release opened at No. 1 globally, adding an estimated $86 million to the film’s lifetime box office.

Taylor Swift happened to get the memo too, releasing The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore on the exact same day. The expanded edition of her 2025 album included four brand-new songs.

Endgame fans showed up ready to relive the moment, with the re-release pulling in a huge global opening and giving audiences new Doomsday clues to dissect. Swifties, meanwhile, did what Swifties do best: stayed up all night, pieced together every lyric, and debated the new songs. But some fans and critics wondered whether the four-song addition offered anything meaningful or was simply one encore too many, with Rolling Stone asking, “Did The Life of a Showgirl need an encore?"

For Entertainment marketing, these extended material moments are a point of inspiration to rethink creative approaches to rebooting IP, or bridging audiences between TV seasons and film sequels, by eventizing a “second act” that revives the material in pop culture ahead of an upcoming release. Here are three creative takeaways from Endgame and Swift’s recent “encore” stunts to inspire fresh ways to revive IP in pop culture ahead of a release:

1. Turn a cult following’s fan frenzy into an invitation for new audiences.
An encore can speak to more than the people who were there the first time. For longtime fans, it’s a reunion. For everyone else, it can be a way in. Give each group a reason to show up: lead with the new additions for existing fans, and remind newcomers what made the original worth the hype. Endgame’s return, for example, is positioned as both a fresh look for Marvel devotees and a chance to catch up before Doomsday. The campaign moment should make joining in feel easy, without assuming everyone already knows the lore.

How this might come to life: integrate a social CTA that allows existing fans to share a memory from their experience with the IP the first time around, turning that nostalgia look back into a push for new audiences to get on board for an upcoming release.

2. Lead with a new reason to return.
A re-release may be familiar, but the campaign beat needs a fresh hook. What can audiences discover this time that they couldn’t before? For any series or film, that would ideally be a connection to what’s coming next. Endgame Encore invites audiences back for a glimpse of Doomsday. Swift’s four new songs offer a fresh way into Showgirl, giving listeners a reason to revisit the full album. Lead with what makes the return worth people’s attention now, rather than relying on affection for the original.

How this might come to life: Surface any never before seen BTS, outtakes, or extended scenes and gift them to fans to drum up anticipation for an upcoming release.

3. Give the core fandom a social role.
Assume that core superfans aren’t just consuming again. They’re decoding clues, debating additions, sharing memories, and bringing someone else into the experience. Endgame’s new footage gives fans theories to build; Swift’s new songs give listeners lyrics to unpack. Build those participatory elements into the campaign to invite fans to share what they caught the second time around. The engagement among core fans becomes its own social engine with audiences having something new to discover and discuss.

How this might come to life: Partner with influencers to spark conversation around dissecting bridge campaign stunt content, to validate the IP for any fence-sitters who didn’t consume it its first time around.