Seven years after its original release, Avengers: Endgame is back at the top of the North American box office. Its Encore rerelease earned an estimated $26 million from Friday through Sunday, beating a Brad Pitt thriller, a Robert Pattinson drama and a new DreamWorks animated film. But the most revealing result may be which of those newcomers can turn its opening weekend into a financial success.
Marvel's return drew an estimated $60 million overseas, bringing the rerelease to $86 million worldwide. The result shows that audiences will still pay to see a familiar blockbuster in theaters, even one that has been available to watch at home for years. Resident Evil, last weekend's No. 1 film, took second place with $23.3 million. Its 61% drop was steep, but it has now earned approximately $103.5 million domestically in two weeks.
Among the new films, Pitt's Heart of the Beast narrowly led with an estimated $20 million domestic opening and roughly $50 million worldwide. Its audience response appears encouraging, including an A- CinemaScore. Yet the survival thriller reportedly cost $82 million to produce, so its opening alone cannot establish whether it will be profitable. Its next test is whether strong reactions translate into sustained ticket sales.
Pattinson's Primetime followed closely with an estimated $19.2 million, despite playing in fewer theaters. That near tie looks more significant when production costs enter the picture: Primetime reportedly cost $15 million to make. Marketing and theater revenue shares still matter, but its opening gives the A24 drama a much more favorable starting position than its fourth-place ranking suggests. About 69% of its ticket buyers were under 30, according to weekend reporting.
The clearest disappointment was DreamWorks Animation's Forgotten Island. It opened to an estimated $12.8 million domestically and $7.8 million overseas against a reported $80 million production budget. The weak start is striking because audiences who did turn up gave it an A CinemaScore. That leaves a question for the weeks ahead: can enthusiastic word of mouth bring families to theaters after a crowded opening weekend, or has the film already lost too much ground?
Calling Forgotten Island a definitive box office bomb would be premature; Sunday's numbers are estimates, and several overseas markets have yet to receive it. For now, the weekend has produced three distinct stories: Marvel's unusually successful return, Primetime's promising start relative to its cost, and a well-liked animated film struggling to find its audience. Final domestic figures are expected Monday.
