Much has been written about the economic power of movie stars in this day and age, but how is the iconic Brad Pitt performing at the box office? Pitt’s survival thriller “Heart of the Beast” opened to a solid-not-spectacular $20 million this weekend, but history says it’s more likely than not the film will leg out — especially overseas.
In the last 10 years, only one Pitt-starring film failed to clear $100 million at the box office, 2022’s coarse (and divisive) Old Hollywood ode “Babylon.” Even “Allied,” the 2016 Robert Zemeckis romantic drama starring Pitt and Marion Cotillard, grossed $120 million worldwide.
And Pitt’s hits are big. Take a look at these global totals:
- “F1” (2025) – $634 million
- “World War Z” (2013) – $540 million
- “Troy” (2004) – $497 million
- “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” (2005) – $497 million
- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019) – $394 million
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008) – $334 million
- “Inglourious Basterds” (2009) – $322 million
- “Bullet Train” (2022) – $239 million
That’s to say nothing of the supremely popular ensemble “Ocean’s” movies.
Pitt is not just a draw across different genres — from actioners to sports movies to romantic dramas — but he’s a proven bankable star across decades, hitting a high just last year with Apple’s “F1.” The 62-year-old performs exceptionally well internationally, and he uses his status to flit between blockbusters and more personal projects like Ridley Scott’s “The Counselor” or Andrew Dominik’s “Killing Them Softly.”
He arguably has a better track record of hits than Matt Damon or George Clooney, putting his box office performance closer to Leonardo DiCaprio’s or Tom Cruise’s when taken beat-for-beat. He’s top tier of the top tier.
All of this to say, “Heart of the Beast” getting off to a slower start is likely not cause for concern for Paramount. The film, which finds a stranded Pitt and his dog trying to make it out of the Alaskan wilderness alive, earned strong reviews from both critics and audiences, and it’s the kind of movie that feels poised to perform exceptionally well on PVOD. So even with an $82 million budget, its chances of recouping are solid.
It’s one of two big Pitt movies out this fall, with the next coming in November with “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,” the David Fincher-directed, Quentin Tarantino-written continuation of Pitt’s Oscar-winning role from “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Netflix is making “Cliff Booth” its first-ever IMAX release with a special two-week engagement.
Now, on to the rest of this week’s Reel to Real column as we tackle “Avengers: Endgame Encore” leading the box office, what happens to the creative community under Paramount-Warner Bros., Jeffrey Katzenberg’s AI animation ambitions and more.
And if you want this column as a newsletter in your inbox every Monday morning, go to “Newsletters” in your WrapPRO account settings.
Box Office: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Adds $86 Million Worldwide From ‘Encore’ Reissue
On a weekend when all the films in the box office top 5 cleared $10 million, Marvel Studios was king with a 2019 title in re-release – “Avengers: Endgame Encore.” Remarkably, the film took in $26 million domestically and $86 million worldwide.
The domestic total is just a touch above the $25.5 million grossed last year by the 20th anniversary re-release of “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” and brings the lifetime total of “Endgame” to $884 million domestic and $2.88 billion worldwide.
Taking second is Sony’s “Resident Evil” with $23.3 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to $103.4 million. While the arrival of “Endgame Encore” may have led to a sharper 61% drop despite the strong reception for Zach Cregger’s horror film, it should still be a solid theatrical success as it moves past the $100 million mark.
Filling out the rest of the top 5 is a trio of new releases: A24’s “Primetime,” Paramount’s “Heart of the Beast” and Universal/DreamWorks’ “Forgotten Island.” Of the three, “Primetime” is in the best place to turn a theatrical profit with a reported $15 million budget before marketing, while the other two face a more uphill battle with production spends of $80 million.
But it is “Heart of the Beast” that narrowly leads the bunch with a $20 million domestic and $50 million global opening from 3,435 locations. Domestically, the film will have to leg out with its core audience of white moviegoers over 35, predominantly in rural states. Reception for the film is strong with an A- on CinemaScore and PostTrak scores of 74% “definite recommend” and 90% overall positive.
“Primetime” is just behind “Heart of the Beast” with a $19.1 million opening from 2,874 screens. It remains to be seen how word-of-mouth will affect the legs of “Primetime,” as the film’s critical eye towards “Predator,” host Chris Hansen and true crime TV in general may have put off some moviegoers who thought they were getting a more straightforward biopic about the show. The film had a B+ CinemaScore.
But what is clear is that despite the film’s subject matter and 2000s setting, “Primetime” is being driven by Gen Z, with an audience that is 69% under the age of 30, showing both the drawing power of lead star Robert Pattinson and A24’s success in building a core fanbase of young cinephiles.
Then there is “Forgotten Island,” which, despite excellent critical and audience reception, is sputtering out of the gate with an opening weekend of just $12.8 million from 3,548 locations.
Those who have seen “Forgotten Island” have raved about it, giving the film an A on CinemaScore and excellent PostTrak scores of 81% definite recommend and 96% overall positive. But with this start, any legs that come from such strong word-of-mouth would likely only get it close to the break-even point, making this title the latest example of Hollywood struggling to get audiences to buy into original theatrical animation even with rave reviews. – Jeremy Fuster
The Spotlight
As David Ellison aims to wrap up Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery in the coming weeks, what does the merger mean for creatives in the industry? Lucas Manfredi and Jeremy Fuster spoke with insiders about the layoffs to come. Read the full story here.
New Releases
Katzenberg Is All-in on AI: Jeffrey Katzenberg tells Sharon Waxman that he plans to launch an animation studio that will use generative AI to make films.
The Best Picture Race So Far: Steve Pond offers his initial predictions for what gets into the Best Picture Oscar lineup at this stage.
M. Night Shyamalan Looks Back: The filmmaker got candid with TheWrap’s Drew Taylor about his most underrated film, working with Bruce Willis on his last “real” movie and more.
Quiet on Set: “The Love Hypothesis” star Lili Reinhart says her decision to make TikToks on set initially got her in trouble — then it became a cornerstone of the Amazon film’s marketing.
Skywalker Lives: Jon Watts, the filmmaker who directed the first three Tom Holland Spider-Man movies, will direct “Star Wars: Episode X.”
Concession Stand
Chris Hansen’s review of “Primetime” isn’t as vitriolic as you might think.
Exclusive: Ebon Moss-Bacharach is Kelso in “Heat 2.”
Sabrina Carpenter is Ginger Rogers and Margaret Qualley is Adele Astaire in Tom Holland’s Fred Astaire biopic.
The next “Saw” movie has a director.
The documentary “NAZA” will stream for free on The Guardian’s website after its international rollout.
Robert Eggers will next direct a “Romeo & Juliet” adaptation. Can Shakespeare’s classic get even darker? We’re going to find out.
Streaming Corner
- Filmmaker Brad Bird opened up to TheWrap about his unique world-building in his retro-futuristic noir animated film “Ray Gunn,” which Netflix will release in December. The director reveals his inspirations for the project, and how he feels about it not getting a wide theatrical release.
What I’m Watching
There’s a new documentary produced by Rachel Maddow on Peacock that offers a fascinating — and at times disheartening — look at a shocking war between a small family-run newspaper and local law enforcement in a rural Oklahoma county. Called “Kill. Bury. Print.,” you may recall the events at the center of the film, in which a commissioner and sheriff were caught on tape allegedly plotting to murder the reporter who’d been writing negative stories about the sheriff. Much has rightly been written about Trump’s actions against coverage he deems negative, but this shines a light on the trickle-down effect those actions have had on establishments elsewhere in the country.
The post What Is Brad Pitt’s Box Office Power? appeared first on TheWrap.
