Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Danny Boyle’s ‘Ink’ Opens Venice Film Festival to Five-Minute Standing Ovation; Netflix Acquires for December Release
Danny Boyle’s Ink opened the 83rd Venice Film Festival on September 2 to a five-minute standing ovation, signaling the start of the 2026 awards season. The Netflix drama charts media tycoon Rupert Murdoch’s 1969 acquisition of The Sun and its rise into Britain’s most-read tabloid, starring Jack O’Connell as crusading editor Larry Lamb and Guy Pearce as Murdoch. Adapted from James Graham’s Tony-nominated stage play, the film also features Claire Foy. Netflix acquired U.S. and Latin America rights and has set a theatrical release for December 11, positioning Ink squarely in the Oscar race.
Netflix and Stella Artois Launch ‘The Gentlemen’s Serve’ Campaign for Season 2 Debut Across Eight Markets
Netflix and Anheuser-Busch InBev launched “The Gentlemen’s Serve,” the first activation of their global marketing partnership, timed to The Gentlemen Season 2’s debut on September 3. The campaign centers on a 90-second film starring Theo James as Eddie Horniman alongside David Beckham at a pub auction, culminating in a perfectly poured Stella Artois. Netflix will take over the historic Marlborough Pub in London September 3–5, while its ad-supported tier airs in-show vignettes teaching Stella’s five-step pouring ritual. The campaign rolls across eight global markets including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Brazil, and South Korea.
China’s $300M Sleeper Hit ‘Dear You’ Gets North American Trailer Ahead of September 4 Release Via Well Go USA
Well Go USA released the first North American trailer Thursday for Dear You, the Teochew-language Chinese drama that grossed nearly $300 million on a $2 million production budget, earning a 9.3 score on review site Douban — the highest for a Chinese release in more than a decade. Directed by Lan Hongchun and starring 22-year-old finance graduate Li Sitong in her screen debut, the multi-generational story of love and loyalty opens in select North American theaters on September 4. The film made its North American premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival in July.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Apple Original Films Drops First ‘Being Heumann’ Trailer as TIFF Opening-Night Film Ahead of September 10 World Premiere
Apple Original Films released the first trailer for Being Heumann, the new feature from CODA director Siân Heder and this year’s opening-night selection at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Ruth Madeley stars as disability rights advocate Judy Heumann in a true story set in 1977, when Heumann led more than 100 disabled people in a 28-day occupation of the San Francisco Federal Building. Based on Heumann’s memoir, the film has its world premiere on September 10 at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, alongside the world premiere of Cynthia Erivo’s Prima Facie.
AMC Theatres Launches Leawood Films Indie Distribution Label With Hollywood Veterans
AMC Theatres, the world’s largest movie theater chain, announced the launch of Leawood Films, a new indie distribution venture focused on filmmaker-financed and already-completed independent features. The label has assembled an advisory team that includes former Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich, former Apple and Disney marketing executive Ricky Strauss, and former Bleecker Street distribution head Kyle Davies. Leawood will use AMC’s exhibition, marketing, and distribution infrastructure to bring a broader slate of independent titles to theater audiences nationwide. First releases are not expected until 2027 or 2028.
🎬 Box Office Top 20 — Weekend of August 29–31, 2026
| # | Title | Distributor | Weekend | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Sony Pictures | $22,513,101 | $891,821,029 |
| 2 | Coyote vs. Acme | Ketchup Entertainment | $15,914,007 | $15,914,007 |
| 3 | The Odyssey | Universal Pictures | $14,353,795 | $563,875,400 |
| 4 | Insidious: Out of the Further | Sony Pictures | $10,204,695 | $43,734,802 |
| 5 | The Dog Stars | Walt Disney Studios | $7,709,729 | $7,709,729 |
| 6 | Buddy | Roadside Attractions | $5,531,024 | $5,531,024 |
| 7 | PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie | Paramount Pictures | $5,016,050 | $43,452,099 |
| 8 | The End of Oak Street | Warner Bros. | $4,902,312 | $45,982,436 |
| 9 | Mutiny | Lionsgate | $2,766,362 | $13,245,027 |
| 10 | Tony | A24 | $2,220,448 | $11,053,129 |
| 11 | Ghost: 2 Big to Rig | Trafalgar Releasing | $1,611,776 | $1,611,776 |
| 12 | Spa Weekend | Black Bear | $1,194,796 | $5,655,491 |
| 13 | It Ends | Neon | $719,690 | $809,235 |
| 14 | Finding Emily | Focus Features | $708,905 | $708,905 |
| 15 | Idiots | IFC Films | $707,759 | $707,759 |
| 16 | Colony | Well Go USA | $676,801 | $676,801 |
| 17 | Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | MUBI | $642,740 | $5,338,625 |
| 18 | Legend of the White Dragon | Well Go USA | $542,891 | $542,891 |
| 19 | Toxic | Prime Media Pictures | $480,000 | $1,530,000 |
| 20 | Toy Story 5 | Walt Disney Studios | $433,447 | $478,817,306 |
Source: Box Office Mojo, Weekend of Aug 29–31, 2026
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency