Entertainment briefing

'Avengers: Endgame Encore' takes No. 1 with an estimated $26 million as 'Primetime' and Pitt's 'Heart of the Beast' open

Sunday studio estimates put Disney/Marvel's 'Avengers: Endgame Encore' re-release at about $26 million domestic and $86 million worldwide. Sony's 'Resident Evil' held No. 2 near $23 million; Paramount's Brad Pitt survival film and A24's Robert Pattinson drama 'Primetime' opened near $20 million and $19 million, while DreamWorks' 'Forgotten Island' started soft at about $12.8 million.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-09-27T11:10:00-07:00

Marquee of the IFC Center movie theater on Sixth Avenue in New York City (file photo)

Editor’s note: All weekend figures are Sunday studio estimates reported Sep 27, 2026 by Variety (Rebecca Rubin) and TheWrap (Jeremy Fuster); studios revise totals on Monday. Where the two outlets differ slightly (Resident Evil ~$23M vs $23.3M; Primetime $19.2M vs $19.1M and screen counts; Heart of the Beast production spend ~$80M–$82M), both are noted. Forgotten Island location counts: TheWrap and earlier Friday reporting said 3,548; Variety's Sunday piece listed 4,548 — we use 3,548 pending clarification. Budgets are as reported by those outlets, not studio-confirmed.

Disney and Marvel's 'Avengers: Endgame Encore' re-release won the weekend with an estimated $26 million from 3,060 North American theaters, according to Sunday studio estimates reported by Variety and TheWrap — a rare reissue haul that also booked about $60 million overseas for roughly $86 million worldwide.

What happened: The 2019 blockbuster returned with extra footage and new post-credit material ahead of December's 'Avengers: Doomsday'. Variety said the weekend lifts Endgame's lifetime totals to about $884 million domestic and $2.88 billion worldwide, leaving it roughly $39 million behind Avatar's all-time global record. Analyst David A. Gross told Variety re-releases rarely clear $10 million, calling the Encore run an early word-of-mouth push for Doomsday.

New releases: Paramount's 'The Heart of the Beast', a David Ayer survival drama starring Brad Pitt, opened to an estimated $20 million from 3,435 theaters and about $30.1 million from 63 overseas markets ($50.1 million global). Trade reports put its production cost near $80 million to $82 million; it earned an A- CinemaScore and strong reviews, so theaters will watch whether adult audiences give it legs.

A24's 'Primetime', Lance Oppenheim's drama starring Robert Pattinson as 'To Catch a Predator' host Chris Hansen, debuted to about $19.1 million to $19.2 million (Variety and TheWrap differ by $100,000) from roughly 2,860–2,870 theaters without premium formats. Variety called it A24's third-best opening ever, behind 'Backrooms' and 'Civil War', against a reported $15 million budget. Audiences skewed young (about 69% under 30). CinemaScore grades were mixed across reports (B in Variety; B+ in TheWrap).

Holdover and soft animation launch: Sony's Zach Cregger 'Resident Evil' took second with about $23 million to $23.3 million in its second weekend — a roughly 60%–61% drop after a ~$60 million debut — reaching about $103.4 million domestic and $196.5 million globally against a reported $75 million budget. Universal/DreamWorks Animation's 'Forgotten Island' opened to an estimated $12.8 million from about 3,548 locations (TheWrap; earlier Friday reporting matched that count) plus about $7.8 million overseas, a soft start against a reported ~$80 million budget despite an A CinemaScore and strong critic scores.

Why it matters: Every film in the domestic top five cleared an estimated $10 million, and Rentrak's Paul Dergarabedian told Variety the weekend showed audiences still turning out for reissues, horror, thrillers and specialty titles. The domestic year-to-date box office sits near $7.8 billion and is on pace to cross $8 billion far earlier than last year, with 'Avengers: Doomsday' and 'Dune: Part III' still ahead.

Caveats: These are Sunday estimates, not Monday final tallies. Screen counts and a few grosses vary slightly by outlet; production budgets are reported figures. Chris Hansen's negative reaction to 'Primetime' after seeing it is color, not a box-office metric.

What's next: Monday final weekend numbers; second-weekend holds for Primetime, Heart of the Beast and Forgotten Island; and whether Endgame Encore's teaser material moves advance interest in Doomsday.

Method note: US Brief digests are AI-assisted from the US Brief desk.

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'Avengers: Endgame Encore' takes No. 1 with an estimated $26 million as 'Primetime' and Pitt's 'Heart of the Beast' open

Sunday studio estimates put Disney/Marvel's 'Avengers: Endgame Encore' re-release at about $26 million domestic and $86 million worldwide. Sony's 'Resident Evil' held No. 2 near $23 million; Paramount's Brad Pitt survival film and A24's Robert Pattinson drama 'Primetime' opened near $20 million and $19 million, while DreamWorks' 'Forgotten Island' started soft at about $12.8 million.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-09-27T11:10:00-07:00

AI-assisted digests from the US Brief desk. Synthesizes reputable reporting with cited sources; not a wire service. Corrections welcomed.

Marquee of the IFC Center movie theater on Sixth Avenue in New York City (file photo)

Disney and Marvel's 'Avengers: Endgame Encore' re-release won the weekend with an estimated $26 million from 3,060 North American theaters, according to Sunday studio estimates reported by Variety and TheWrap — a rare reissue haul that also booked about $60 million overseas for roughly $86 million worldwide.

What happened: The 2019 blockbuster returned with extra footage and new post-credit material ahead of December's 'Avengers: Doomsday'. Variety said the weekend lifts Endgame's lifetime totals to about $884 million domestic and $2.88 billion worldwide, leaving it roughly $39 million behind Avatar's all-time global record. Analyst David A. Gross told Variety re-releases rarely clear $10 million, calling the Encore run an early word-of-mouth push for Doomsday.

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