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‘Avengers: Endgame: Encore’ $3.8M, ‘Primetime’ $2.7M, ‘Heart Of The Beast’ $2M Previews In Weekend Where There’s Something For Everyone
Four major film releases are opening this weekend with strong preview numbers, suggesting the late September box office could reach its best performance since 2018. Disney/Marvel's Avengers: Endgame: Encore, A24's Primetime, Paramount's Heart of the Beast, and Universal/DreamWorks Animation's Forgotten Island are all targeting different audience demographics, creating a diverse competitive landscape rather than a single dominant release.
Disney/Marvel's Avengers: Endgame: Encore led preview numbers with $3.8 million, ahead of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith's previous $3.4 million record. A24's Primetime earned $2.7 million in previews across 2,859 theatres, with industry sources suggesting it could potentially reach a $20 million opening despite initial expectations of $12–16 million. Paramount's Heart of the Beast made $2 million and has received an exceptional 97 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Universal's Forgotten Island accumulated $1.48 million in preview screenings and holds a 95 per cent critics' score, making it the only family option until Warner Bros' Cat in the Hat arrives. A potential three-way battle for first place could develop between Avengers, Primetime, and Resident Evil in its second weekend.
In short
- Late September 2026 could be strongest box office weekend since 2018
- Four major films opening across different demographics this weekend
- Avengers: Endgame: Encore leads previews with $3.8 million
Explained simply
These films are aimed at different audiences: Avengers is a Marvel superhero story, while Primetime is an A24 drama and Heart of the Beast is a Paramount adventure. Forgotten Island, from Universal and DreamWorks Animation, is the family animation option. The studios are competing for cinema audiences over the same weekend.
The range of releases matters because their combined ticket sales could make late September a stronger period for cinemas than it has been in years. Their performance also shows how films for established fans, drama audiences and families can compete at the same time.
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