Disney is turning a catalog title into the weekend’s main event. Avengers: Endgame Encore is projected to open at the top of the North American chart with around $26 million, after an estimated $11.2 million Friday that includes Thursday previews. The 2019 Marvel blockbuster is back on 3,060 screens, and the rerelease includes an early look at footage from Avengers: Doomsday, which opens Dec. 18.
For ScreenStat readers, the number to note isn’t just the gross. It’s the mechanism: Disney is using a proven theatrical asset as marketing and distribution for the next Avengers film. The original Endgame opened to $1.2 billion globally in April 2019 and finished with $2.7 billion worldwide, second on the all-time chart.
A crowded top five
Sony’s Resident Evil should hold second place in its second weekend. The reboot grossed $6.9 million on Friday and is projected to earn $23.5 million domestically, a roughly 60% decline that would bring its North American total to $103.6 million.
A24’s Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson, took in about $8.4 million Friday and is targeting $20.5 million from 2,800 theaters. Its production budget is a lean $15 million, and critics are onside at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. THR chief film critic David Rooney called it a “peak Sleaze TV rerun, for whoever wants it,” which is a sharp audience signal for an adult-targeted title.
Reviews, budgets and the break-even bar
Paramount’s Heart of the Beast, with Brad Pitt as a Special Forces officer stranded with his combat dog, grossed $7.4 million Friday and is projected to reach about $20 million from 3,400 locations. Its reported production budget is $82 million, so the film’s runway depends on international and post-theatrical performance. THR’s Frank Scheck wrote that it “packs a surprising emotional punch.”
DreamWorks Animation and Universal’s Forgotten Island rounds out the top five with a projected $11.5 million weekend after $4.3 million on Friday. The $80 million animated feature, rooted in Philippine mythology, carries the strongest critical score of the frame at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
What media buyers should watch
- Event rereleases are marketing inventory. The Doomsday footage turns a catalog screening into a trailer window with a built-in fan audience.
- Strong reviews are not the same as profitability. Primetime benefits from a low budget; Heart of the Beast needs scale despite an 87% score.
- Counterprogramming is working for animation. A 94% score gives Forgotten Island a family option in an adult-heavy marketplace.
For planners, the Encore number is a reminder that catalog titles can carry release weeks when the calendar needs depth. The real test is whether the rerelease’s Saturday hold and the Doomsday attachment lift interest in the Dec. 18 title—something to track in search and social conversation before the next Marvel push.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
