Weekend Box Office Recap: Avengers: Endgame Encore Returns to No. 1 as Resident Evil Holds Strong

The weekend of September 25–27, 2026 delivered one of the strangest and most crowded box office frames of the fall.

A seven-year-old Marvel movie returned to theaters and beat everything.

Avengers: Endgame Encore opened at No. 1 with an estimated $26 million domestic from 3,060 theaters, giving Disney and Marvel a strong theatrical reminder of just how much audience power the MCU can still summon when the release feels like an event. Worldwide, the re-release earned about $86 million, including roughly $60 million internationally.

That would be a fun story on its own. But the weekend was more interesting because the rest of the top five was packed. Resident Evil held second with $23.3 million, Heart of the Beast opened with $20 million, A24’s Primetime launched with $19.2 million, and DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island opened with $12.8 million.

For late September, that is a healthy and unusually varied frame: Marvel nostalgia, horror, Brad Pitt survival drama, Robert Pattinson true-crime commentary, and original family animation all showed up at once.

Avengers: Endgame Encore Assembles a No. 1 Return

The biggest story of the weekend was Avengers: Endgame Encore.

The Marvel re-release earned $26 million domestic, enough to take the top spot and slightly edge last year’s strong Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith 20th anniversary re-release. Globally, the film added $86 million, pushing Endgame to about $884 million domestic and $2.88 billion worldwide in lifetime grosses.

That is a huge number for a re-release, but it makes sense in context. Marvel has Avengers: Doomsday coming in December, and Endgame Encore gave fans a reason to revisit one of the defining theatrical events of the modern superhero era before the next major Avengers chapter arrives.

The performance also reinforces how valuable re-releases have become. Studios are no longer using them only as quiet calendar fillers. When positioned correctly, they can become real theatrical events, especially when tied to nostalgia, franchise momentum, or upcoming releases.

Domestic Top 10

Here is the estimated domestic top 10 for September 25–27, 2026:

1. Avengers: Endgame Encore — $26.0 million
2. Resident Evil — $23.3 million
3. Heart of the Beast — $20.0 million
4. Primetime — $19.2 million
5. Forgotten Island — $12.8 million
6. Practical Magic 2 — $5.7 million
7. Spider-Man: Brand New Day — $4.1 million
8. The Odyssey — $3.7 million
9. Daniel and the Fiery Furnace — $1.5 million
10. Coyote vs. Acme — $1.3 million

Resident Evil Takes a Sharp Drop, But Still Looks Healthy

After last weekend’s franchise-best debut, Resident Evil dropped to second place with $23.3 million.

That is a 61% decline, which is steep, but not shocking for horror. The genre tends to be front-loaded, especially when the opening weekend brings out fans of the franchise and director Zach Cregger’s growing horror audience.

The important part is that the movie has already crossed $100 million domestic, reaching about $103.5 million after two weekends. That is a strong total for a rebooted video game horror property and keeps the film positioned as one of the fall’s biggest genre wins.

The drop may limit how high it ultimately climbs, but the film has already done the hard part: it brought the Resident Evil franchise back as a real theatrical player.

Heart of the Beast Opens Solidly, But Needs Legs

Paramount’s Heart of the Beast opened in third place with $20 million domestic and about $50 million worldwide.

The David Ayer survival thriller stars Brad Pitt as an Army veteran who crashes in the Alaskan wilderness with his combat dog. That premise gave the film a clear adult-skewing hook, and the opening is respectable. The issue is cost. With a reported production budget around $80 million, the movie needs strong holds to become a clean theatrical success.

The early audience response is encouraging. Heart of the Beast earned an A- CinemaScore, along with strong PostTrak scores, which suggests the core audience liked what it saw.

That matters because this is exactly the kind of movie that needs word-of-mouth. It is not a superhero film, a horror breakout, or a family franchise. It is a star-driven survival drama aimed at adults. A $20 million start is useful, but the next few weekends will decide whether it becomes a durable fall performer or just a decent opening weekend.

Primetime Gives A24 Another Strong Opening

A24’s Primetime opened in fourth place with $19.2 million, a strong start from 2,874 screens.

The film stars Robert Pattinson and dramatizes the rise and downfall of the NBC true-crime phenomenon To Catch a Predator. That subject matter is very specific, but the release clearly connected with younger audiences. TheWrap reported that 69% of the audience was under 30, which shows both Pattinson’s current drawing power and A24’s ability to mobilize younger moviegoers.

Financially, Primetime may be in a better position than some of the weekend’s bigger titles. The film reportedly cost around $15 million before marketing, so a $19.2 million domestic opening gives it a strong starting point.

The one question is word-of-mouth. Audience scores were positive but not glowing, and the film’s critical take on true-crime media may not be what every opening-weekend viewer expected. Still, this is another reminder that A24 has become a real theatrical brand, especially with younger audiences.

Forgotten Island Opens Soft Despite Strong Audience Scores

DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island opened in fifth place with $12.8 million from 3,548 theaters.

That is a disappointing start for original theatrical animation, especially when the reception from those who saw it appears strong. The film earned an A CinemaScore and very high PostTrak marks, which suggests audiences liked the movie once they gave it a chance.

The problem is that not enough people showed up.

This has become one of Hollywood’s harder problems to solve. Original animation can receive strong reviews and strong audience scores, but still struggle to convince families that it is a must-see theatrical event. In a year where Toy Story 5 became a giant and Minions & Monsters still performed globally because of brand familiarity, Forgotten Island shows how tough it is for new animated stories to break through.

The film has only opened in 35 international territories so far, so there is still some runway overseas. Domestically, though, it will need very strong word-of-mouth to avoid getting lost quickly.

Practical Magic 2 Keeps Falling

Practical Magic 2 finished sixth with $5.7 million, bringing its domestic total to about $59.8 million.

The sequel has had a modest run after opening at No. 1 earlier this month. It has nostalgia, recognizable stars, and a seasonal fall-friendly vibe, but it has not become a major breakout.

That said, the movie may still have value beyond its theatrical run. A film like this could play well during October and find a longer life in home viewing, especially with audiences who have affection for the original.

The theatrical ceiling looks clear now, but the brand still has audience awareness.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey Keep Adding

Two of 2026’s biggest movies continued to add money lower on the chart.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day earned $4.1 million, bringing its domestic total to about $950.7 million. That puts it in rare domestic territory and keeps it firmly among the defining commercial stories of the year.

The Odyssey added $3.7 million, bringing its domestic total to about $616.5 million. Christopher Nolan’s epic is now deep into its run, but the totals remain extraordinary for a nearly three-hour, R-rated mythological film.

Neither movie needs another huge weekend to prove anything. At this stage, both are simply adding to historic 2026 runs.

Faith-Based and Family Holdovers Round Out the Top 10

Daniel and the Fiery Furnace earned $1.5 million, bringing its domestic total to about $6.2 million. That is a modest but meaningful result for a faith-based release aimed at a specific audience.

Coyote vs. Acme rounded out the top 10 with $1.3 million, bringing its domestic total to about $57.8 million. The once-shelved Looney Tunes hybrid comedy has cooled quickly, but it still turned into a real theatrical release after initially looking like it might never see theaters.

Given the movie’s long and controversial path to release, that still matters.

The History of Concrete Expands Well

Outside the top 10, John Wilson’s documentary The History of Concrete expanded from one theater to 50 and earned about $350,000.

That is a strong result after last weekend’s massive single-screen debut at the IFC Center in New York. The expansion suggests there is real specialty interest in the film, though the question now is whether it can keep scaling beyond the initial cinephile and documentary crowd.

Even in a crowded weekend, the movie found room. That is a good sign for specialty releases heading into awards season.

The Bigger Story: Late September Suddenly Looks Alive

The most important takeaway from this weekend is not simply that Endgame returned to No. 1. It is that the whole marketplace looked active.

The top five all cleared $10 million, and four films cleared or nearly cleared $20 million. That is not normal for late September, especially without a brand-new superhero movie or obvious holiday tentpole.

The mix is what stands out. A Marvel re-release won the weekend. A horror reboot held strong. A Brad Pitt survival thriller opened solidly. A Robert Pattinson A24 film brought out young audiences. A DreamWorks original animated film at least gave families something new, even if it opened soft.

That variety matters.

A healthy box office cannot rely only on mega-franchises. It needs re-releases, horror, adult dramas, specialty players, family films, faith-based releases, documentaries, and holdovers all contributing at the same time. This weekend delivered that kind of spread.

It also reinforces a larger 2026 pattern: audiences are willing to go to theaters when the release has a clear identity. Endgame Encore had nostalgia and Marvel momentum. Resident Evil had horror credibility. Primetime had A24, Pattinson, and true-crime curiosity. Heart of the Beast had star power and an easy-to-understand survival premise.

The films that struggle are the ones that do not create enough urgency, even when audiences like them once they arrive.

International Box Office

Internationally, Avengers: Endgame Encore was the clear winner with about $60 million overseas and $86 million worldwide. The re-release pushed Endgame to roughly $2.88 billion worldwide in lifetime grosses, giving Marvel another major box office headline ahead of Avengers: Doomsday.

Heart of the Beast opened to about $50 million worldwide, meaning international markets added roughly $30 million on top of its $20 million domestic debut. That is a solid global start, though the film still needs strong holds given its reported budget.

Resident Evil continued its run with $23.3 million domestic in weekend two and has now passed $103 million domestic. The franchise has historically depended on international strength, so its overseas holds will be important as it tries to build beyond its strong domestic start.

Forgotten Island added about $7.8 million from 35 international territories, bringing its early worldwide total to about $20.6 million. The Philippines led the way overseas with about $1.5 million, which makes sense given the film’s cultural references. The movie still has more markets ahead, but it will need better international momentum to offset its soft domestic debut.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey continued adding globally, but the weekend’s international headline belonged to Endgame Encore, which turned a re-release into a worldwide event.

Bottom line: Avengers: Endgame Encore won the weekend and proved that Marvel’s biggest theatrical moments still have pull. But the real story was the depth of the frame, with Resident Evil, Heart of the Beast, Primetime, and Forgotten Island creating one of the most varied late-September box office weekends of the year.