Best September Weekend Since 2018: “Avengers: Endgame Encore” Leads With $3.8 Million in Thursday Previews

“Avengers: Endgame Encore,” the Marvel/Disney re-release with a few minutes of additional deleted scenes, earned $3.8 million in Thursday previews. It is projected to make around $30 million over the weekend and has a real shot at first place — an extraordinary figure for a re-release.

In second place is Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil,” which collected about $3.31 million on Thursday from 3,684 theaters, bringing its domestic total to around $80 million. Its second weekend is projected at around $25 million.

A24’s “Primetime,” starring Robert Pattinson, took $2.7 million in previews. Although initial tracking placed it around $20 million, Thursday’s numbers suggest $25 million is within reach. With a budget of just $15 million, the film is an easy win for A24 — and critics have embraced it, with 86–89% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Paramount’s “Heart of the Beast,” starring Brad Pitt and directed by David Ayer, earned $2 million on Thursday and is projected at $17–20 million for the weekend. With 88–89% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is the best-reviewed film of Ayer’s career, but with a budget of around $85 million it will need to hold well in the coming weeks.

Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s “Forgotten Island” took $1.48 million in previews. With 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, $20 million for the weekend is “not out of reach,” even though its $80 million budget demands a strong run.

If projections hold, as many as five films could earn $20+ million from Friday to Sunday — it would be the strongest late-September weekend since 2018, when films together took $106.4 million, according to World of Reel. September is usually a quiet stretch between summer and the year-end holidays, but this weekend looks big for theaters.