The biggest prize went to Taylor Swift, but the biggest haul belonged to Madonna. At the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, Swift won Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia,” while Madonna finished the night with seven awards.

The ceremony took place on Sunday, September 27, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Snoop Dogg as host. Madonna collected three of her awards during the televised show: Artist of the Year, Best Dance for “Confessions II – The Film,” and Best Collaboration for “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter.

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Swift took the top video prize

Swift’s Video of the Year win was only part of her night. She also won Best Direction for “Opalite” and received the inaugural Artist Director Honors, recognising her work behind the camera. The honours added another chapter to a VMA career that has increasingly celebrated her as both a performer and a director.

Madonna’s wins reached across performance and filmmaking. Alongside her three televised awards, “Confessions II – The Film” won Best Cinematography, Best Choreography and Best Long Form Video. Her album Confessions II took Best Album, bringing her total to seven. She also returned to the VMA stage as a performer for the first time in 23 years.

There were other names to celebrate. BTS won Song of the Year for “Swim,” Best K-Pop for “SWIM” and Best Group. Sienna Spiro was named Best New Artist, while LISA won Best Pop for “Dream” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi.

For Swift, it was a night crowned by the award every Video of the Year nominee wanted. For Madonna, it was a sweeping return to the VMA spotlight: seven trophies and a performance that brought her back to the show’s stage after more than two decades.

Chuck Lorre was meant to be accepting an award for his philanthropy. He used the microphone for something considerably less conventional: a speech that took swipes at Donald Trump, Melania Trump, the political left and Robert F. Kennedy Jr..

The television producer spoke on Saturday, September 26, at Project Angel Food’s Angel Awards in Los Angeles. His daughter, director Nikki Lorre, presented him with the Founders Angel Award, the organisation’s highest honour and one it has given only once before in its 37-year history.

Lorre began by acknowledging the pressure on a comedy writer to get laughs. Then he turned to politics. He said he wanted a government more concerned with people’s health and welfare, before launching into a profane joke about President Trump. He also made a harsh personal remark about the first lady, contrasting her with Michelle Obama. The comments were part of Lorre’s routine, rather than claims established by the event.

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His criticism did not stop with Republicans

Lorre urged the Democratic National Committee to move away from what he called “far-left woke culture” and seek a “common sense middle ground” with working-class voters. He quickly turned that point into another joke, this time targeting Kennedy over vaccination. His remarks moved between political argument and punchline, with little interest in the polite script of an awards acceptance speech.

The setting gave the speech another dimension. Project Angel Food prepares and delivers medically tailored meals for people facing serious illnesses in Los Angeles County. Lorre’s family foundation helped make its expanded kitchen and campus possible; according to the organisation, the project increased its annual meal-production capacity from 1.5 million to more than 4.5 million. The gala raised more than $1 million, according to the event coverage.

Lorre may have delivered the night’s most provocative lines, but the award recognised work with a practical effect: helping the charity put more meals in the hands of people who need them.

Seven years after its original release, Avengers: Endgame has unfinished business at the box office.

The Marvel Studios blockbuster has overtaken James Cameron’s Avatar to become the highest-grossing film worldwide once again. According to The Walt Disney Company’s October 4 announcement, Endgame now holds an estimated $2.9255 billion, narrowly ahead of Avatar’s $2.9237 billion. That puts just $1.8 million between two of cinema’s biggest hits.

The lead is small. The comeback, however, is substantial: a film released in 2019 has drawn enough fresh ticket sales to rewrite the all-time chart.

The ‘Encore’ release that tipped the balance

The latest theatrical run, titled Avengers Endgame: Encore, has earned $126 million worldwide, according to TheWrap. That includes $36.2 million in North America and $89.8 million from international markets—the extra business that pushed the film back into first place.

Audiences also had a reason to return beyond revisiting a familiar blockbuster. TheWrap reports that the reissue features a modified ending and three new scenes during and after the credits, connected to Avengers: Doomsday. The release therefore serves two purposes: bringing an established favourite back to cinemas and giving viewers a bridge to the next Avengers story.

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A rivalry with a history of reversals

This is another change of leadership in a box office contest that has lasted for years.

Endgame first displaced Avatar in 2019. Cameron’s science-fiction epic regained the crown following its Chinese re-release in 2021. Now, another theatrical return has swung the result in Marvel’s favour. Re-releases have become a decisive part of the competition, extending both films’ earning lives well beyond their original runs.

The distinction matters: this is the record for worldwide theatrical revenue without adjustment for inflation, including re-release earnings. It measures money collected rather than the number of tickets sold.

Why ‘Endgame’ matters to ‘Doomsday’

The timing gives Marvel’s comeback an added significance. Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to reach cinemas on December 18, 2026, and Disney has positioned Endgame as an important foundation for that next chapter.

Explaining the connection, Anthony Russo said: “You really need to pick the story up from where you left it in Endgame.”

That makes this return more than a victory lap. A film remembered for closing a major chapter of Marvel’s story is now helping introduce the next one—and, along the way, has taken back Hollywood’s most closely watched box office title.