'Avengers: Endgame' retakes box office crown; Robert Pattinson drives sales for 'Primetime'
Avengers: Endgame returned to the top of the box office following a rerelease, outperforming several new films including Primetime and Heart of the Beast. The success of the rerelease highlights Hollywood's strategy of using established franchises to fill gaps in the release schedule.
Why it matters
It illustrates current trends in the film industry regarding theatrical distribution and the enduring commercial power of major superhero franchises.
NEW YORK -- Seven years after becoming the second-highest grossing film ever, “Avengers: Endgame” returned to the No. 1 spot at the box office in a victory lap for Marvel and an appetizer for the upcoming blockbuster “Avengers: Doomsday.”
The rerelease grossed $26 million over the weekend and another $60 million overseas, according to studio estimates Sunday. The film, which grossed $2.8 billion in 2019, was put back into theaters with several new end-credits scenes and an introductory thank you to fans from Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.
Among rereleases, only the 1997 release of “Star Wars: A New Hope” ($35.9 million) and the 2011 repeat of “The Lion King” ($30.2 million) have opened higher than “Endgame” in domestic cinemas.
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