‘Avengers: Endgame’ retakes box office crown; Robert Pattinson drives sales for ‘Primetime’

NEW YORK (AP) — Seven years after becoming the second-highest grossing film ever, “Avengers: Endgame” returned to the No. 1 spot at the box office in a victory lap for Marvel and an appetizer for the upcoming blockbuster “Avengers: Doomsday.”

The rerelease grossed $26 million over the weekend and another $60 million overseas, according to studio estimates Sunday. The film, which grossed $2.8 billion in 2019, was put back into theaters with several new end-credits scenes and an introductory thank you to fans from Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.

Among rereleases, only the 1997 release of “Star Wars: A New Hope” ($35.9 million) and the 2011 repeat of “The Lion King” ($30.2 million) have opened higher than “Endgame” in domestic cinemas.

Hollywood has increasingly turned to rereleases in recent years to take advantage of holes in the release schedule. But The Walt Disney Co. rerun, billed as “Endgame: Encore,” came out on top on an especially crowded weekend in theaters.

Three well-reviewed new releases — A24’s “Primetime,” with Robert Pattinson; Paramount Pictures’ “Heart of the Beast,” with Brad Pitt; and Universal Pictures’ “Forgotten Island” — all landed in theaters.

Second place, though, went to Zach Cregger’s reboot of “Resident Evil.” The Sony Pictures release followed up its above-expectations debut with $23.3 million in its second weekend. In two weeks, the video-game adaptation has grossed $103.5 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters.

In a close race for third place, “Heart of the Beast” came out just ahead of “Primetime” with an estimated $20 million from 3,435 theaters. Directed by David Ayer, the film stars Pitt as a retired veteran who must trek through the Alaskan wilderness with his combat dog after a plane crash. It added $30.1 million in international theaters.

Pattinson drives ‘Primetime’ sales

But the opening for “Primetime” was more impressive. “Heart of the Beast” cost $82 million to produce, making its path to profitability challenging. “Primetime,” starring Pattinson as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen, was made with a modest budget of $15 million and it opened in 500 fewer theaters.

Yet “Primetime,” buoyed by strong reviews and buzz out of the Venice Film Festival, debuted with $19.2 million. For Pattinson, who also starred this year in A24’s “The Drama” and Universal’s “The Odyssey,” the strong performance showed the actor’s drawing power with Gen Z audiences.

Some 69% of ticket buyers for “Primetime” were under the age of 30. Gen Z has emerged as the most regular moviegoing demographic, fueling hits this year like “Obsession” and “Backrooms.” “Primetime” is directed by 30-year-old documentarian Lance Oppenheim, who co-directed the much-anticipated Elizabeth Holmes documentary, “You Can See Everything,” due out next month.

“Forgotten Island,” from DreamWorks Animation, had a hard time standing out. The film, which cost $80 million to make, opened in fifth place with a disappointing $12.8 million domestically. In 31 overseas markets, “Forgotten Island” also didn’t make much of a dent, grossing $7.8 million internationally.

Universal will hope family audiences catch up to the movie that landed the weekend’s best CinemaScore (an “A”) and the best reviews (94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). “Forgotten Island,” directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, is about two friends who get stranded in a mystical world.

The confluence of releases added up to a historically good September weekend in theaters. According to Rentrak, ticket sales were up 58.5% from the same weekend last year. The domestic box office has massed $7.8 billion thus far, putting it 19% ahead of last year.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, 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. “Forgotten Island,” $12.8 million.

6. “Practical Magic 2,” $5.7 million.

7. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” $4.1 million.

8. “The Odyssey,” $3.7 million.

9. “Coyote vs. Acme,” $1.9 million.

10. “Daniel and the Fiery Furnace,” $1.5 million.