‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’, ‘Forgotten Island’, and ‘Primetime’ Set for Unpredictable Weekend

Avatar photoRobert Milaković
Avengers endgame primetime forgotten island
Share:

The fall box office season has been building toward this moment for months, with a packed lineup of newcomers ready to hit theaters as awards buzz and blockbuster nostalgia collide. September has already delivered several surprises, from horror reboots to animated originals, and the industry is closely monitoring which trend will prevail as autumn moviegoing begins.

This weekend adds an extra layer of excitement, combining a beloved franchise re-release with two brand-new original films targeting very different audiences. It’s shaping up to be one of those rare instances where box office analysts genuinely can’t agree on which film will come out on top.

Current tracking indicates that ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore,’ ‘Forgotten Island,’ and ‘Primetime‘ are all projected to earn between $18,000,000 and $24,000,000 domestically this coming weekend. This tight, overlapping range across three diverse releases is fueling much of the uncertainty as the weekend approaches.

‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ brings Disney’s record-breaking blockbuster back to theaters in anticipation of ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ giving fans a chance to relive the franchise’s biggest moment on the big screen before the next chapter arrives in December. DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Forgotten Island’ is an original party comedy adventure rooted in Philippine mythology, marking directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado’s attempt to create space for family audiences in a market that has leaned heavily on sequels lately.

Then there’s ‘Primetime,’ A24’s thriller starring Robert Pattinson, inspired by the real-life story of television host Chris Hansen and his groundbreaking true crime docuseries. Directed by documentary filmmaker Lance Oppenheim in his narrative feature debut, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival to strong critical acclaim, with reviews trending toward a near-perfect consensus.

The performance of ‘Primetime’ this weekend carries added significance given A24’s recent success. The specialty studio just wrapped a historic summer, thanks to ‘Backrooms,’ the YouTuber-directed horror hit that became A24’s highest-grossing release of all time after debuting to $81,000,000 domestically.

Screenshot 2026 09 05 at 21 03 22 Primetime Rotten Tomatoes

That single film helped A24 finish the summer season with approximately 5.5% of the domestic market and $237,000,000 in total revenue, enough to surpass both Warner Bros. and Paramount despite operating with a significantly smaller theatrical footprint than either legacy studio. It’s a remarkable shift for a company that built its reputation on prestige arthouse fare rather than populist blockbusters.

With ‘Primetime’ now entering the marketplace on the strength of glowing reviews and Pattinson’s growing box office appeal following a stacked 2026 that included ‘The Drama’ and ‘The Odyssey,’ A24 has another chance to prove its summer breakout wasn’t a fluke. If the film lands anywhere near the higher end of its projected range, it would mark one of the biggest openings in the studio’s history.

The weekend isn’t just a three-way race. Paramount’s Brad Pitt survival thriller ‘Heart of the Beast,’ directed by David Ayer, is also opening wide alongside the trio, adding yet another variable into an already unpredictable few days at the multiplex.

Screenshot 2026 09 21 at 09 01 17 Forgotten Island Rotten Tomatoes

This scheduling crunch makes this weekend a genuine test of audience appetite across multiple genres simultaneously. Nostalgic franchise moviegoers, families seeking original animated content, awards-season thriller fans, and survival-story audiences are all being asked to make a choice within the same 72-hour window.

This dynamic has become increasingly common as studios continue to vie for prime late-September release dates ahead of the holiday rush. With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ still months away and the box office riding high off a strong Q3, the industry has much at stake regarding how this particular slate of films performs.

Regardless of which film ultimately claims the top spot, the real story of the weekend may be just how close the numbers land across the board. A tight three-way race like this is rare, providing box office watchers plenty to analyze as we head into the final weekend of September.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments.

Share: