‘Avengers: Endgame’ Returns To No. 1 At The Box Office

Avengers: Endgame made a powerful return to theaters, taking the top spot during a crowded weekend at the North American box office. Resident Evil held strong at No. 2, while Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast and Robert Pattinson’s Primetime delivered competitive debuts.

DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island also entered the race, though the original family film struggled to stand out against the weekend’s heavier competition. Overall domestic ticket sales reached roughly $122.3 million, up 10.6 percent from last weekend and 58.5 percent from the comparable weekend last year.

‘Endgame’ Returns to the Top

Marvel Studios brought its 2019 blockbuster back to 3,060 North American screens with Avengers Endgame: Encore. The rerelease earned $26 million domestically to claim the No. 1 position.

The film added another $60 million internationally, giving Endgame: Encore an $86 million worldwide total. That makes it the second-biggest global rerelease ever, behind only the 2012 rerelease of Titanic 3D.

Infinity Vision screens played a major role in the comeback. The newly launched premium large-format certification accounted for about 52 percent of the film’s domestic weekend total.

Disney added unreleased footage to the rerelease along with an exclusive look at Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday. That film is scheduled to open Dec. 18.

Joe and Anthony Russo’s original Endgame launched in April 2019 with a record-setting $1.2 billion global opening weekend. It ultimately earned $2.7 billion worldwide and finished No. 2 on the all-time global box office chart.

‘Resident Evil’ Holds Strong in Second Place

Sony’s Resident Evil continued to show strength in its second weekend. The reboot earned approximately $23.3 million domestically and pushed its North American total past $100 million.

The film, starring Austin Abrams and directed by Zach Cregger, is expected to decline about 60 percent from its opening weekend. Its domestic total now stands at $103.4 million.

International audiences added another $27 million to the weekend haul. The performance keeps the video game adaptation firmly in the box office race despite several major new releases.

Brad Pitt’s ‘Heart of the Beast’ Finds an Audience

Paramount Pictures’ Heart of the Beast opened with approximately $20 million from 3,400 North American locations. Brad Pitt stars as a Special Forces officer stranded in the wilderness with his combat dog.

The film also collected $30.1 million internationally. Paramount was encouraged by the overseas performance, particularly because the story might have been expected to appeal more heavily to American audiences.

Strong reviews and positive word of mouth appear to be helping the film internationally. Director David Ayer’s movie carries an $82 million production budget and earned an A- CinemaScore from audiences.

The film also holds an 87 score from Rotten Tomatoes reviewers. The Hollywood Reporter critic Frank Scheck wrote that the movie “packs a surprising emotional punch.”

Robert Pattinson’s ‘Primetime’ Connects With Gen Z

A24’s Primetime opened with roughly $19.1 million from 2,800 North American theaters. Robert Pattinson stars as journalist Chris Hansen in the original crime drama.

The film earned a B CinemaScore and drew particularly strong interest from younger moviegoers. About 69 percent of the opening-weekend audience was under age 30.

Director Lance Oppenheim’s feature carries a $15 million production budget. It also holds an 87 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, chief film critic David Rooney described the movie as a “peak Sleaze TV rerun, for whoever wants it.” Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo and Phoebe Bridgers also star.

‘Forgotten Island’ Opens in Fifth Place

DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island rounded out the top five with a slower-than-expected start. The Universal Pictures release earned $12.8 million domestically during its opening weekend.

The animated film received an A CinemaScore from audiences. It could benefit in the weeks ahead from the lack of major family releases scheduled until early November.

The $80 million production follows two friends who are magically transported to an island rooted in Philippine mythology. H.E.R., Liza Soberano and Dave Franco lead the voice cast.

Critics have responded strongly to the film, which holds a 94 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Scheck called Forgotten Island “an exciting original” in his review for The Hollywood Reporter.

A Crowded Weekend Lifts the Overall Box Office

The mix of rereleases, franchise titles and original films gave the domestic box office a significant boost. Weekend ticket sales totaled about $122.3 million across the market.

That figure represented a 10.6 percent increase from the previous weekend. It also marked a 58.5 percent jump from the equivalent weekend one year earlier.

The top 12 movies of the weekend, as of Sunday, September 27, are as follows.