Avengers: Endgame Encore Re-Release Tops Box Office With $86M Worldwide
A seven-year-old Marvel film returned to theaters and beat every new release, while Heart of the Beast and Primetime opened solidly and DreamWorks' Forgotten Island flopped.
Marvel's «Avengers: Endgame» returned to theaters and immediately reclaimed the top spot at the global box office, earning $86 million worldwide in its encore debut. The re-release, which includes previously unseen footage, pulled in $26.1 million domestically from 3,060 theaters, according to the weekend recap. That total lifted the film's lifetime domestic gross to $884.4 million and pushed its worldwide haul to $2.885 billion.
The encore performance ranks among the strongest re-release openings ever. It beat last year's re-release of «Revenge of the Sith» at $25.4 million and came in just behind «The Lion King 3D» at $30.1 million and the 1997 re-release of «Star Wars» at $35.9 million. Audiences who watched in InfinityVision received 6 minutes and 17 seconds of extra footage, while standard screens got 2 minutes and 6 seconds of bonus material. The result suggests the Marvel brand remains a powerful draw despite recent stumbles.
Last week's champion, «Resident Evil», added $23 million in its second weekend, a steep 62% drop. That fall was harsher than those of «Barbarian» at 38% and «Weapons» at 44%, though it still outpaced most video game adaptations. The film has now earned $103.1 million domestically, the first in the franchise to cross that mark, and remains on pace to pass «Weapons» at $151.5 million to become director Zach Cregger's highest-grossing film.
Among the weekend's newcomers, Paramount's «Heart of the Beast» opened with a solid $20 million from 3,435 theaters. The survival drama, starring Brad Pitt, benefited from strong reviews at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and drew an older audience: 31% of ticket buyers were over 55, and nearly half were over 45. Women made up 44% of the audience, and the film earned an A– CinemaScore, pointing to strong word-of-mouth. With its core demographic known for waiting to see films, «Heart of the Beast» could reach $60 million or more domestically, with overseas markets expected to deliver even more given Pitt's international popularity.
A24's «Primetime» over-performed with $19.1 million from 2,874 theaters, the studio's third-biggest debut behind «Civil War» at $25.5 million and «Backrooms» at $81.4 million. The film cost just $15 million, making it an immediate win. Robert Pattinson's star power, strong reviews at 87%, and awards buzz helped drive interest, as did the film's subject matter centered on «To Catch a Predator» host Chris Hansen. The audience skewed young, with 80% between 18 and 34, and 52% male. They gave it a B CinemaScore, reflecting mixed reactions to its tone. Friday accounted for 44% of business, and the film slipped from second to fourth place, but it should still reach $50 million domestically.
Universal and DreamWorks' «Forgotten Island» was the weekend's major disappointment, opening to just $13 million from 3,548 theaters. That was below DreamWorks' own «Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie», which made $13.6 million on the same weekend last year. With an $80 million production budget, the debut is far too low for a DreamWorks animated title. The film also faced a puzzling market position as the first properly animated wide release since «Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie», which had targeted only small children.
Overall, the top 10 earned a combined $118.2 million, up 71.5% from the same weekend last year when «One Battle After Another» led the chart. The strong frame was driven by a mix of a nostalgia-fueled re-release, solid adult-skewing drama, and a modestly budgeted A24 hit, even as one big-budget animated title stumbled.
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