NEW YORK — Seven years after “Avengers: Endgame” became the second-highest-grossing movie ever, it returned to No. 1 at the box office as a victory lap for Marvel and an appetizer for the upcoming blockbuster “Avengers: Doomsday.”
The rerelease grossed $26 million over the weekend and $60 million overseas, according to the studio’s estimates Sunday. The film, which grossed $2.8 billion in 2019, features several new credit scenes and Robert Downey Jr. It was released in theaters again with Chris Evans giving an introductory thank you speech to his fans.
Among rereleases, only 1997’s “Star Wars: A New Hope” ($35.9 million) and 2011’s reboot “The Lion King” ($30.2 million) opened higher than “Endgame” in domestic theaters.
Hollywood has increasingly turned to re-releases in recent years to take advantage of gaps in the release calendar. But The Walt Disney Co.’s re-release of “Endgame: Encore” came out on top on a particularly crowded weekend in theaters.
Three well-reviewed new movies: A24’s “Primetime,” starring Robert Pattinson; Paramount Pictures’ “Heart of the Beast,” opposite Brad Pitt; and Universal Pictures’ “The Forgotten Island” — all released theatrically.
However, the second place was taken by Zach Cregger’s revival of “Resident Evil”. The Sony Pictures release continued its above-expectations debut with $23.3 million in its second weekend. The video game adaptation grossed $103.5 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters in two weeks.
In a close race for third place, “Heart of the Beast” placed just ahead of “Primetime” with an estimated $20 million in revenue from 3,435 theaters. In the film, directed by David Ayer, Pitt plays a retired veteran who is forced to hike in the Alaskan wilderness with his war dog after a plane crash. It added $30.1 million in international theaters.
But the opening of “Primetime” was more impressive. “Heart of the Beast” cost $82 million to produce, making the path to profitability a rocky one. “Primetime,” in which Pattinson plays “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen, was shot on a modest $15 million budget and opened in 500 fewer theaters.
But “Primetime,” backed by strong reviews and a big hit at the Venice Film Festival, debuted with $19.2 million. Pattinson’s strong performance, who also starred in A24’s “The Drama” and Universal’s “The Odyssey” this year, showed the actor’s power to appeal to Generation Z audiences.
Approximately 69% of those who bought tickets for “Primetime” were under 30 years old. Gen Z has emerged as the most regular movie-going demographic, fueling hits like “Obsession” and “Backrooms” this year. “Primetime” is directed by 30-year-old documentarian Lance Oppenheim, one of the directors of the highly anticipated Elizabeth Holmes documentary “You Can See Everything”, which will be released next month.
DreamWorks Animation’s “Forgotten Island” struggled to stand out. The film, which cost $80 million to produce, opened in fifth place domestically with a disappointing $12.8 million. “The Forgotten Island” also had little success in 31 foreign markets, grossing $7.8 million internationally.
Universal hopes family audiences will watch the film, which received the weekend’s best Cinemascore (“A”) and best reviews (94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, “The Forgotten Island” tells the story of two friends stranded in a mystical world.
The combination of screenings contributed to a historically good September weekend in theaters. According to Rentrak, ticket sales were up 58.5% compared to the same weekend last year. The domestic box office has reached $7.8 billion so far, 19% ahead of last year.
This list, along with final domestic numbers released Monday, includes estimated ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to Rentrak:
1. “Avengers: Endgame: Encore,” $26 million.
2. “Resident Evil,” $23.3 million.
3. “Heart of the Beast,” $20 million.
4. “Primetime,” $19.2 million.
5. “The Forgotten Island,” $12.8 million.
6. “Practical Magic 2,” $5.7 million.
7. “Spider-Man: All-New Day,” $4.1 million.
8. “Odyssey” $3.7 million.
9. “Coyote vs. Acme,” $1.9 million.
10. “Daniel and the Fiery Oven,” $1.5 million.