Two very different releases are converging around the $3 million mark in previews as a crowded late-September box office weekend takes shape. Disney and Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame: Encore is tracking above $3 million, while A24’s Robert Pattinson-led Primetime is estimated between $2 million and $3 million.

Neither movie is currently expected to open above $30 million, but the combined strength of four wide arrivals and Sony/Constantin’s holdover Resident Evil could produce the strongest late-September weekend since 2018, when all films generated $106.4 million.

A Three-Way Battle for No. 1

Avengers: Endgame: Encore is projected to earn $25 million to $30 million, putting it in a potentially tight contest with the second weekend of Resident Evil, forecast at $21 million to $24 million. The latter had reached $76.8 million through Wednesday.

Primetime could make the race even more unpredictable. A24 is targeting a $12 million to $16 million launch, but the movie has a chance to reach $20 million from 2,814 North American theaters. “It could be a three way fight for No. 1,” one distribution source said.

The R-rated film marks documentary filmmaker Lance Oppenheim’s first narrative feature. Centered on To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen and a case that goes wrong, the $15 million net production began previews at 4 p.m. Its Rotten Tomatoes marks stand at 86% certified fresh and 85%.

The estimated preview performance is ahead of Pattinson’s The Drama, which took in $1.7 million before a $14.3 million opening. It could also exceed the $2.5 million preview total for Mickey 17, which opened to $19 million, and the $2.6 million earned by Obsession before its $17.1 million debut.

Primetime, financed through foreign sales, is also opening this weekend in France, Germany, Austria, Taiwan, Iceland, India, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

‘Endgame’ Returns With a ‘Doomsday’ Boost

Avengers: Endgame: Encore began screenings at 2 p.m. and is playing in approximately 3,000 theaters. Its return includes four additional minutes from the Russo Brothers’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. The release also has 1,300 premium large-format screens featuring Disney and Marvel’s Infinity Vision certification, along with 390 Imax locations. It will share Imax and premium screens with Resident Evil.

Advance sales for Encore were running ahead of the re-release of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, which earned $3.4 million in previews and opened to $25.4 million. Re-releases can be front-loaded, however, leaving the film’s full weekend trajectory uncertain.

Internationally, Encore is expected to collect approximately $25 million, setting up a worldwide weekend of roughly $50 million. Avengers: Endgame currently ranks second globally with $2.799 billion, behind James Cameron’s Avatar at $2.92 billion. Spider-Man Brand New Day is third with $2.5 billion, while the stated worldwide gap between Avatar and Endgame is $124 million.

Disney is waiting to see whether Endgame can reclaim the all-time top position before Avengers: Doomsday opens Dec. 18. Unlike the one-week engagement for Revenge of the Sith, no end date has been set for Encore during its fall run.

Brad Pitt and Family Animation Expand the Field

Paramount’s Heart of the Beast is tracking toward a $17 million to $20 million opening from 3,400 theaters. Preview estimates are around $1.8 million, including Monday Mystery screenings. That is slightly above the $1.5 million preview result for Pitt’s Ad Astra, which opened to $19 million.

The PG-13 survival story, directed by David Ayer, follows a Special Forces officer and his combat dog after they become stranded in the Alaskan wilderness. It carries an 89% certified-fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie cost a net $82 million before worldwide marketing, and competing edits were prepared by Ayer and Pitt, with Ayer’s version selected.

Heart of the Beast will open in 63 international markets this week, representing 95% of its overseas footprint. Those territories include Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom. A $15 million international start could take its worldwide opening to $35 million.

Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island is targeting $13 million to $15 million from 3,500 locations, with previews estimated at $800,000 to $1 million. From filmmakers Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado, the movie follows two best friends stranded in the mystical world of Nakali, where escaping could cost them their shared lifetime of memories.

The animated film earned $1.5 million last weekend in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. Its staggered rollout expands by another 31 markets this weekend, bringing the total to 34 and carrying an additional overseas projection of $10 million.

What Happens Next?

With Encore, Primetime and Resident Evil all positioned as possible weekend leaders—and Heart of the Beast and Forgotten Island targeting separate adult and family audiences—the final order will depend on whether preview momentum holds through the full weekend.