The US box office experienced an unexpected turn this weekend. The re-release of Avengers: Endgame, five years after its original release, has taken the number one spot with $26 million grossed in the United States alone.
The figure is even more significant when considering the context: the film was screened in only eight international markets and still added $60 million outside the United States, bringing its global re-release total to $86 million.
The second-best re-release in history
With these figures, Avengers: Endgame becomes the second-best re-release of all time, only behind Titanic, which returned to theaters in 3D in 2012, fifteen years after its original release.
In the case of Endgame, only five years have passed since its 2019 release, making the public's interest in seeing it again on the big screen even more remarkable.
Just $38 million away from surpassing Avatar
This re-release has not only triumphed in the weekly box office but has also reshuffled the historical global gross ranking. Until a few days ago, Spider-Man: Brand New Day held the second spot in history with $2.495 billion, closing the gap with Endgame.
The boost from this weekend changes the landscape. Avengers: Endgame now has a cumulative total of $2.885 billion worldwide, once again widening its lead over Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
But there is an even more striking detail: the Marvel film is now just $38 million away from surpassing Avatar's $2.923 billion to become the highest-grossing film in cinema history, a milestone that seemed distant just a few weeks ago.
Resident Evil holds on despite the drop
In second place is Resident Evil, which in its second week in theaters suffered a 61.3% drop compared to its opening, down to $23.3 million.
It is a sharp decline, although within the norm for this type of production. The fragmentation of the box office among the numerous releases of the week allowed it to retain second place, one spot lower than where it was the previous week.
The horror film has already accumulated $103 million in the United States and $196 million in international markets, numbers that confirm the positive reception of the franchise reboot.
Brad Pitt and Robert Pattinson star in the week’s releases
The rest of the top 5 is occupied by this week's releases, with very close figures between the third and fourth spots.
In the Heart of the Beast, Brad Pitt's return to the big screen, sits in third with $20 million in 3,435 theaters. The film, with a budget of $82 million, added another $30 million in international markets, for a total of $50.1 million worldwide.
In fourth place is Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson, with $19.2 million. Having been screened in 2,874 theaters, considerably fewer than the Pitt film, its per-theater performance is higher. This production, with a much tighter budget of $15 million, has not yet been released in international markets.
Both films have received good reviews and a positive response from the public, albeit with very different budget structures.
Closing out the top 5 is The Forgotten Island, from Universal, which lags behind with $12.8 million in the United States and just $7.8 million in the rest of the world, for a total of $20.6 million.
Spider-Man and The Odyssey leave the top 5
Practically Magic 2 occupies the sixth spot with $5.6 million in its third week in theaters. The sequel starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock has accumulated $59.8 million in the United States and $92 million worldwide, modest results for a production of this nature.
For the first time in months, neither Spider-Man: Brand New Day nor The Odyssey appear among the five highest-grossing films of the week. The spider-hero film falls to seventh place after nine weeks in theaters, with an additional $4.1 million that brings its total gross to $950 million.
Meanwhile, The Odyssey drops to eighth place after eleven weeks in theaters, adding $3.7 million more for a cumulative total of $616 million. Both productions have been major players in this year's cinema, although they are beginning to yield ground to new releases.
Coyote vs. Acme remains in ninth place with an additional $1.9 million, reaching $58.3 million in the United States and $88 million internationally. Closing out the top 10 is the religious film Daniel, which in its second week adds $1.5 million more, reaching $6.2 million in total.
What’s coming: Tom Cruise in Digger
The box office this weekend reached a total of $122 million, the best figure since the weekend of August 21-23, a little over a month ago. The next big question will be the public's response to the release of Digger, starring Tom Cruise.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much has the re-release of Avengers: Endgame grossed?
The re-release has achieved $26 million in the United States and $60 million in international markets, totaling $86 million worldwide.
Why was Avengers: Endgame re-released?
The film returned to theaters five years after its original 2019 release, in a strategy that has proven to be the second most successful re-release in history, only surpassed by Titanic in 2012.
Can Avengers: Endgame become the highest-grossing film in history?
Yes. After this re-release, the film has accumulated $2.885 billion worldwide and is just $38 million away from surpassing the $2.923 billion of Avatar, the current leader of the historical ranking.
What other films stand out at this week’s box office?
Resident Evil remains in second place with $23.3 million in its second week, while the releases In the Heart of the Beast, with Brad Pitt, and Primetime, with Robert Pattinson, occupy the third and fourth spots respectively.
Why are Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey out of the top 5?
Both films had been in theaters for nine and eleven weeks respectively and have yielded positions to the influx of new releases, although they continue to accumulate gross: $950 million and $616 million worldwide.
