Box Office round-up: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ returns to the top after re-release

The film "Avengers: Endgame" reclaimed the top spot at the box office after its re-release, earning an estimated $26 million ($3.3 billion in Kenyan shillings) over the weekend. This puts the superhero movie's global total at $86 million ($11.1 billion in Kenyan shillings), according to estimates by Exhibitor Relations, a tracking firm.

The re-release precedes the planned December 18 debut of "Avengers: Doomsday," with audiences anticipating four new post-credit scenes that will set up the upcoming film. Industry veteran David A. Gross noted that this marketing strategy is effective in generating early word-of-mouth. Coming in second place was Sony's "Resident Evil," generating $23.3 million ($3.01 billion in Kenyan shillings) in North America over its first two weeks, for a global total exceeding $196 million ($25.5 billion in Kenyan shillings).

Brad Pitt leads "Heart of the Beast," a tale of a former soldier and his loyal combat dog struggling to survive in the Alaskan wilderness, which attracted an estimated $20 million ($2.59 billion in Kenyan shillings) during its opening weekend in the United States. Paramount Pictures also launched "Primetime," starring Robert Pattinson as the reality TV host Chris Hansen, based on a real-life U.S. show from the mid-2000s.

Pattinson's film earned an estimated $19.2 million ($2.49 billion in Kenyan shillings) during its opening weekend. Meanwhile, the animated family film "Forgotten Island" struggled with a weak opening, bringing in just $12.8 million ($1.65 billion in Kenyan shillings) over the weekend from Universal. Industry watcher Gross pointed out that while reviews for the animated film were overwhelmingly positive, this initial drop might be mitigated by strong overseas performance.