Marvel’s biggest film is back on screens, and it’s not the only big name fighting for attention this weekend. Avengers: Endgame is returning to theaters with Brad Pitt and Robert Pattinson both premiering new films on the same weekend.
Disney is giving Avengers: Endgame: Encore a second life on Friday, with the film reaching 3,060 North American theaters seven years after the first 2019 superhero blockbuster hit screens. Thursday’s previews drew $3.8 million, with Disney predicting a domestic total around $25 million and an overseas haul of $25 million to $30 million.
The Reboot Returns
Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters Dec. 18, and the rerelease comes with a special look at the action. Both films are from the Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe Russo, and they will appear on Infinity Vision screens, the new certification for premium large format theaters launching this weekend.
Endgame launched in April 2019 to a record-setting opening weekend of $1.2 billion globally before claiming No. 2 on the all-time worldwide chart with a cume of $2.7 billion.
Pattinson and Pitt in the Mix
A24 is putting Robert Pattinson’s journalist Chris Hanson in Primetime into more than 2,800 North American theaters, where it has already brought in $2.7 million from Thursday previews. The film’s domestic opening is now tracking to land somewhere in the range of $12 million to $16 million.
Director Lance Oppenheim’s film carries a 86 Rotten Tomatoes score from reviewers, with The Hollywood Reporter chief film critic David Rooney calling it a “peak Sleaze TV rerun, for whoever wants it.”. Skyler Gisondo and Phoebe Bridgers round out the cast alongside Merritt Wever.
Paramount Pictures is releasing Heart of the Beast in 3,400 North American theaters, with Brad Pitt starring as a Special Forces officer and his combat dog. Thursday previews brought in $2 million, and the studio projects the film will land between $17 million and $20 million domestically for the weekend.
After getting the green light from the previous Paramount regime, Heart of the Beast came in with an $82 million budget and now sits at just 87 percent critical approval on Rotten Tomatoes.THR critic Frank Scheck wrote that it “packs a surprising emotional punch.”
DreamWorks Animation and Resident Evil
Universal Pictures is releasing the original animated feature Forgotten Island, distributed by DreamWorks Animation, with 3,548 North American locations. H.E.R., Liza Soberano and Dave Franco are the lead voices in the cast.
Thursday previews combined with paid advance screenings on Sunday and Monday brought in $1.8 million. The film carries a budget of $80 million and centers on two friends who find themselves magically transported to an island tied to Philippine mythology.
Rotten Tomatoes gives Forgotten Island a score of 96 percent, and Scheck at THR describes the film as “an exciting original.”.
Also at the box office this weekend is Screen Gems’ Resident Evil, after director Zach Cregger’s video game adaptation raced to $60.1 million to set a franchise record in its opening weekend.
| Film | Screens | Thursday Previews | Tracking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avengers: Endgame: Encore | 3,060 | $3.8 million | $25M-$30M |
| Primetime | 2,800+ | $2.7 million | $12M-$16M |
| Heart of the Beast | 3,400 | $2 million | $17M-$20M |
| Forgotten Island | 3,548 | $1.8 million | Mid-teens |
Two new films are premiering at the same weekend, starring Pitt and Pattinson, while Endgame returns for a second run. Pattinson’s Primetime is being tracked for a domestic total between $12 million and $16 million.
Source material: “‘Avengers: Endgame’ Returns to Box Office With $3.8M Previews as Brad Pitt, Robert Pattinson Join Fray,” The Hollywood Reporter.
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