Box Office: ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ Returns to No. 1 With $26 Million, ‘Primetime’ Scores Impressive $19 Million Debut

“Avengers: Endgame Encore,” a re-release of Disney and Marvel’s 2019 blockbuster (with extra footage!), emerged victorious at the domestic box office over several new releases. “Avengers: Endgame Encore” generated $26 million from 3,060 North American theaters over the weekend, a sizable haul for a movie that’s been available to watch online for years. Excitement for the re-release certainly bodes well for the studio’s upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday,” which opens in December and brings back nearly all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on another save-the-planet mission. “Re-releases rarely earn more than $10 million,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “As a marketing exercise, [this] is an effective way to build early word-of-mouth.” Popular on Variety Among new releases, A24’s “Primetime” enjoyed a sizable $19.2 million debut from 2,863 venues. This marks the third-best opening ever for A24, ranking behind this summer’s juggernaut “Backrooms” ($81.4 million) and Alex Garland’s 2024 dystopian “Civil War” ($25.5 million) and ahead of Josh Safdie and Timothée Chalamet’s 2025 frenetic sports drama “Marty Supreme” ($15.7 million). “Primetime,” directed by Lance Oppenheim and starring Robert Pattinson as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen, was produced for just $15 million, so it’s already well-positioned to turn a theatrical profit. “This is an outstanding opening for an original crime drama,” Gross says. “Robert Pattinson has built an impressive filmography. The actor is a bona fide star, and he’s carrying this movie.” Indeed, “Primetime” underscores the bankability of Pattinson, whose mighty year at the box office includes the indie hit “The Drama,” Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster “The Odyssey” and Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming “Dune: Part III.” Gen Z fueled the turnout for “Primetime,” with 69% of audiences under the age of 30. Moviegoers gave “Primetime” a mixed “B” grade on CinemaScore, which isn’t surprising given the unsettling nature of the film; it revolves around Hansen’s efforts to confront child sexual predators in complex sting operations. Meanwhile the real-life Hansen was less enthused. After he finally saw the movie, he called it “so bizarre” and “detached from reality.” This weekend’s other newcomers, Paramount’s Brad Pitt-led survival adventure “The Heart of the Beast,” Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s family friendly “Forgotten Island,” struggled in their opening weekends despite great reviews and will need to stick around to justify their budgets. “The Heart of the Beast” landed at No. 3 ahead of “Primetime” with $20 million from 3,435 theaters. It’s a decent start for an original movie that’s catering to adults. However, it’s disappointing for a movie carries a hefty $82 million price tag. Theater owners keep about 50% of ticket sales, so “Heart of the Beast” will rely on staying power and interest at the international box office to recoup in its theatrical run. It’s already faring better overseas, with $30.1 million from 63 markets for a global start of $50.1 million. Reviews and word-of-mouth should help; the film scored an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and a strong “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. David Ayer (“The Beekeeper”) directed “Heart of Beast,” which stars Pitt as a retired veteran who navigates a brutal 58-mile trek to safety after he and his trusted combat dog survive a harrowing plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness. “Forgotten Island” stumbled in fifth place with $12.8 million from 4,548 venues. It’s also struggling overseas, where it has earned $7.8 million from 34 markets. Globally, “Forgotten Island” has earned a soft $20.6 million. The PG movie cost $80 million to produce, so Universal needs the family film to enjoy the box office longevity that benefitted recent original animated efforts, such as DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” and Sony’s sports-centric “GOAT,” both of which parlayed positive sentiments into ticket sales in the months after their debuts. “Forgotten Island” was embraced by critics and audiences, scoring an 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A” on CinemaScore. Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, the story revolves around two best friends who get stranded in a mystical world. H.E.R., Dave Franco and Jenny Slate lead the voice cast. In any case, Universal has enjoyed a strong run at the box office and can afford a miss, should “Forgotten Island” struggle to break out. The studio recently became the first to cross $5 billion worldwide in 2026, fueled by Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” with $1.75 billion and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” with $1 billion. None of the new releases were able to outpace “Resident Evil,” which secured second place with $23 million from 3,684 locations in its second outing. Although that’s a steep 60% drop from last weekend’s leading $60 million debut, Sony’s reboot of the ’90s video game is already set up nicely in its theatrical run. The movie, directed by Zach Cregger of “Weapons” fame, has outperformed the entire domestic hauls of its franchise predecessors, having earned $103.4 million domestically and a mighty $196.5 million globally so far against a $75 million budget. After an unexpectedly strong summer and decent start to fall, the domestic box office stands at $7.8 billion is imminently crossing $8 billion — a milestone the market didn’t eclipse last year until December. With several big blockbusters on the horizon, including “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune 3,” this will easily be the biggest year for movie theaters since pandemic upended the box office. More to come…