“Heart of the Beast” Opens to Around $20 Million: Audiences Love It, but the $80 Million Budget Makes Profit an Uphill Battle

The survival drama “Heart of the Beast,” starring Brad Pitt and directed by David Ayer, closed its first day of release in North America with $7.4 million in revenue across 3,435 theaters, and according to industry estimates cited by TheWrap, the film is heading toward an opening weekend of around $20 million.

Pitt plays a Special Forces veteran stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with his military dog, and audiences have received the film warmly: “Heart of the Beast” has earned an A- CinemaScore, while on Rotten Tomatoes it scores 87% from critics and 95% from audiences.

However, with a production budget of around $80 million, the road to theatrical profit will be difficult for the Paramount production.

In the same weekend, the film is competing with the re-release “Avengers: Endgame Encore,” which is heading toward $26 million, and with “Resident Evil,” which is closing its second weekend with $23.8 million.