In a blast from the past, “Avengers: Endgame” might actually wind up as No. 1 at the domestic box office in… 2026. Disney is bringing the Marvel juggernaut back to the big screen ahead of “Avengers: Doomsday,” which opens in December. The 2019 superhero adventure is tracking to collect $25 million to $28 million over the weekend, a sizable haul for a re-release.
Meanwhile, three new releases — Paramount’s Brad Pitt-led survival adventure “The Heart of the Beast,” Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s family friendly “Forgotten Island” and A24’s “To Catch a Predator”-inspired “Primetime,” starring Robert Pattinson — will vie for third place. All three newcomers have great reviews and could exceed expectations with positive word-of-mouth. Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo and Phoebe Bridgers round out the cast of “Primetime,” which bowed at Venice Film Festival to raves.
Hollywood will be closely watching “Heart of the Beast” because it’s being released just days after Paramount settled an antitrust case with state attorneys general that removed a major obstacle to closing its acquisition of Warner Bros. Paramount’s CEO David Ellison has pledged to release at least 30 new films a year through the joint company — but exhibitors want to make sure those movies will bring out audiences. Plus, recent animated movies like “The Wild Robot,” “GOAT” and “Minions & Monsters” managed to remain big screen draws in the weeks after their debuts.
Excitement for the re-release certainly bodes well for “Avengers: Doomsday,” which unites nearly all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and is predicted to be one of the biggest movies of 2026. Right now, Sony’s Marvel sequel “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” ranks as this year’s largest domestic debut with $360 million and highest-grossing worldwide release with $2.47 billion. Will the Avengers mash-up give Spidey a run for those box office records?
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