‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ Tracking to Top Crowded Box Office Weekend

Disney’s remastered theatrical return of Avengers: Endgame is tracking to lead a crowded domestic box office weekend, with industry projections putting Avengers: Endgame Encore at roughly $25 million to $28 million and some exhibition sources giving it a shot at clearing $30 million, Variety and TheWrap reported Wednesday.

The 2019 Marvel blockbuster, still the second-biggest movie in box office history with about $2.799 billion worldwide per Variety, is returning ahead of Avengers: Doomsday in December. TheWrap said the Encore reissue could set a new inflation-unadjusted record for the biggest weekend ever for a re-release if it tops the $30.2 million taken by Disney’s 2011 3D return of The Lion King.

Its main competition for No. 1 is Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil reboot, which opened last weekend to about $60 million to $61 million — a franchise-best debut — and is tracking for roughly $24 million to $26 million in its sophomore frame, according to both outlets. That projected drop would leave room for the Marvel re-release to reclaim the chart even without a full blockbuster-scale debut.

The Heart of the Beast, directed by David Ayer, follows a retired veteran and his combat dog on a brutal trek after a plane crash in Alaska. Hollywood will watch the Paramount release closely after the studio’s recent antitrust settlement with state attorneys general cleared a major obstacle to closing its Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition, Variety reported, with CEO David Ellison pledging higher annual film volume.

Forgotten Island, directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, strands two friends in a mystical world and features voice work from H.E.R., Dave Franco and Jenny Slate. Variety noted it arrives in a family marketplace that has lacked a major kid-centric hit since Moana in July, while TheWrap highlighted Filipino cultural references and a perfect early Rotten Tomatoes sample even as original animation remains a hard theatrical sell.

Marketing for Endgame Encore also tees up Doomsday. TheWrap said mid- and post-credit teasers are fueling more than $50 million in Doomsday presales and that Disney’s Infinity Vision campaign will push premium large formats beyond Imax, which is prioritizing other partners this season. For Hollywood readers tracking awards-season and franchise calendars alongside recent titles such as Prima Facie, the weekend is a rare mix of nostalgia, horror holdover, and prestige newcomers.

Whether Encore merely leads or rewrites the re-release record, the frame is a stress test of theater demand: can a seven-year-old Marvel landmark outdraw fresh critically acclaimed movies, and can any of the newcomers convert reviews into multi-week theatrical legs before Doomsday consumes the conversation this winter.

Three new titles are expected to battle for third place. A24’s Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as Dateline NBC journalist Chris Hansen in a drama inspired by To Catch a Predator, and Paramount’s Brad Pitt survival adventure The Heart of the Beast are each projected in the $17 million to $20 million range, Variety reported. Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island is aiming for about $15 million to $17 million. TheWrap framed all three newcomers as high-teens openers with a chance to clear $20 million.

Budget math favors Primetime. Variety put its production cost at $15 million, while The Heart of the Beast carries an $82 million price tag and Forgotten Island about $80 million. Theater owners typically keep roughly half of ticket sales, so the costlier titles will need strong holds beyond opening weekend to justify their spends.

Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim, bowed at Venice to strong reviews and continues a busy year for Pattinson after The Drama, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and his upcoming turn in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part III. Variety listed Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo and Phoebe Bridgers among the supporting cast. TheWrap noted the trailer’s massive online traction and a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score heading into a 2,800-location launch.