Domestic Box Office Hits Third-Quarter Record Amid 'Avengers Endgame' Re-Release Boost, B. Riley Says

02:26 PM EDT, 09/28/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Third-quarter domestic box office collections have crossed $3 billion, a new record for the three-month period, aided by a strong weekend performance by the re-release of "Avengers Endgame," B. Riley Securities said Monday. Estimated preliminary weekend box office collections of $123 million -- up 64% from a year earlier -- pushed the third-quarter performance past $3 billion, topping the previous record of $2.98 billion for the same period set in 2016, the brokerage said in a note to clients. The re-release of "Avengers Endgame," retitled "Avengers Endgame: Encore," led the weekend with an estimated $26 million. "Resident Evil" took in $23.3 million, down 61% from its franchise-record opening the previous weekend. "Heart of the Beast" earned $20 million, while "Primetime" raked in $19.2 million, with all in line with or ahead of expectations, B. Riley said. The latest box office performance is a near-term positive for AMC Entertainment (AMC), Cinemark (CNK), Imax (IMAX), Marcus (MCS) and National CineMedia (NCMI), according to the note. B. Riley sees the re-release fueling demand for "Avengers: Doomsday," due Dec. 18, with that movie estimated to earn $500 million at the domestic box office in 2026. "Exhibitor stocks seemed to rally ahead of the upward momentum in theaters," B. Riley analyst Drew Crum said, citing last week's 7% advance. "We remain selective, with Imax as our only buy-rated name," the analyst wrote. Imax shares edged up 0.2% in Monday afternoon trade. AMC jumped 14%, Cinemark rose 2%, while National CineMedia fell 4.2%. Earlier this month, Imax said it recorded its highest grossing summer ever at the global box office, with $728 million in receipts from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends. The company projected a record $1.4 billion in global box office for this year. In the broader industry, last week, Paramount Skydance (PSKY) agreed to settle a multistate antitrust lawsuit involving its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The proposed settlement includes a five-year commitment to increase film output. "While skeptical on longer-term implications for the industry, (the) increased supply is a positive for exhibitors," Crum said Monday. Price: 3.33, Change: +0.39, Percent Change: +13.10