Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
‘Verity’ Opens to $62.1 Million Worldwide as ‘Digger’ Debuts to $20 Million
Amazon MGM Studios’ Verity, the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, opened to $62.1 million worldwide, the second-best global debut for a Hoover adaptation behind 2024’s It Ends With Us at $95.6 million, according to Deadline’s Monday update. The film carries a $40 million net production cost and opened No. 1 in markets including the UK, Brazil, Australia and Germany. Its U.S. audience was 78% female. Warner Bros.’ Digger, the Alejandro G. Iñárritu satire starring Tom Cruise, opened to $20 million globally, with $12 million abroad and $8 million domestic, against a $160 million net cost.
Neon Sets ‘Artificial’ Oscar Campaign with Andrew Garfield in Supporting Actor
Neon will campaign Andrew Garfield in the supporting actor category for Luca Guadagnino’s OpenAI drama Artificial, in which he plays Sam Altman, while Yura Borisov, who plays OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, will campaign in lead actor, Variety reported exclusively. Mark Rylance, as AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, joins Garfield in the supporting race, and Monica Barbaro, as former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati, will vie for supporting actress. The campaign extends across all major categories, including best picture and director, with Simon Rich’s screenplay in original screenplay and a full campaign for every craft department. Garfield has been the face of the film’s marketing.
Pam Levine Exits Netflix as U.S. and Canada Marketing and Publicity VP
Pam Levine, Netflix’s marketing and publicity vice president for the U.S. and Canada, is out at the streamer after a year and a half in the post, Variety confirmed. Levine joined Netflix in April 2025, managing all publicity and marketing for film and TV series and reporting to CMO Marian Lee. She was previously a marketing chief at Disney General Entertainment, where campaigns for Goosebumps and Percy Jackson and the Olympians were under her watch. Before that, she was president of worldwide theatrical marketing for 20th Century Fox Film, spearheading campaigns for Bohemian Rhapsody, Deadpool 2 and The Greatest Showman.
‘The Social Reckoning’ First Reactions Range From Positive to Mixed Ahead of Release
Early reactions to Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, unveiled to members of the film press ahead of its theatrical release, range from positive to mixed, Variety reported. Critics called the follow-up to The Social Network a “solid sequel” and “a harsh assessment of [Mark] Zuckerberg,” while one described it as “a good, just not great film.” The film dramatizes the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White, with Jeremy Strong as Zuckerberg after Jesse Eisenberg declined to return. Sony Pictures opens it in theaters October 9.
Casey Bloys Signs Multiyear Extension as He Takes Over HBO Max and Paramount+ Content
Casey Bloys, named Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer of Skydance DTC, has signed a multiyear extension to his current Warner Bros. Discovery contract, which runs through the end of 2027, Deadline confirmed. Bloys will oversee content for both HBO Max and Paramount+, and is expected to evaluate Cindy Holland’s programming team at Paramount+ before making personnel decisions. He is bringing his core HBO group, including head of drama Francesca Orsi, head of comedy Amy Gravitt, HBO Max head of originals Sarah Aubrey and communications head Jeff Cusson. CEO David Ellison chose Bloys over Holland, Paramount’s DTC Chair, while assembling the combined company’s executive suite.
‘The Voice’ Season 30 Premiere Reaches 7.8 Million Viewers in Seven Days
The Season 30 premiere of NBC’s The Voice drew 7.8 million viewers in its first seven days, combining Nielsen linear measurement with NBCUniversal’s own Peacock streaming data, Variety reported exclusively. That is the singing competition’s biggest opening audience since Season 27 in spring 2025 and a 5% increase over the Season 28 premiere’s seven-day total. Across three days, the premiere grew 57% year over year and became the most-streamed episode of the series ever. Its cross-platform reach topped 19 million viewers. For the first time, live shows are simulcasting on NBC and Peacock in all time zones.
‘The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony’ Trailer Debuts Ahead of October 23 Opening
Cargo Film & Releasing has set an October 23 theatrical opening for The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony, Habiba Nosheen’s documentary about girls in Pakistan who defy their conservative community by pursuing competitive gymnastics, and debuted its trailer exclusively with Deadline. The film, executive produced by Mariska Hargitay, Trish Adlesic and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, will open at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema in New York City before expanding to more than 20 cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Houston. The documentary world premiered in competition at the 2026 Tribeca Festival, finishing among the top three documentaries for the Audience Award.
Hollywood Unions Report U.S. Share of Film Production Spending Fell From 74% to 42%
A coalition of Hollywood unions including IATSE, the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA issued a report finding that studios now spend 42% of their film production budgets in the U.S., down from 74% 25 years ago. On the TV side, the figure fell from 94% to 64%. The report, prepared by EY, found major-studio film production spending rose from $3 billion to $7 billion annually over that span, while U.S. share for the 25 most expensive films dropped from 74% to 34%. It argues an additional $4 billion a year would be spent domestically had U.S. share held constant. Congress is considering a 20%-30% production incentive.
Prime Video Debuts First Look at ‘Bloodaxe’ From ‘Vikings’ Creator Michael Hirst
Prime Video released first-look images for Bloodaxe, a new original series from Vikings creator Michael Hirst and Horatio Hirst, Variety reported. The series follows the rise of Erik Bloodaxe, one of the most famous Norse raiders, played by Xavier Molyneux, and his formidable wife Gunnhild, Mother of Kings, played by Bridgerton star Jessica Madsen, as the pair fight for the Norse throne. Bloodaxe has no official release date but is expected to premiere in 2027, with all eight episodes debuting on Prime Video. The series has already been picked up for a second season, currently in production in Ireland.
Domestic Box Office Top 20 — Weekend of October 2–4, 2026
Weekend actuals. Source: Box Office Mojo
| # | Title | Released | Weekend | Total Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verity | Oct 2, 2026 | $32,031,011 | $32,031,011 |
| 2 | Resident Evil | Sep 18, 2026 | $12,618,839 | $125,013,734 |
| 3 | Heart of the Beast | Sep 25, 2026 | $10,876,713 | $38,275,824 |
| 4 | Digger | Oct 2, 2026 | $8,001,856 | $8,001,856 |
| 5 | Primetime | Sep 25, 2026 | $8,000,085 | $34,085,832 |
| 6 | Forgotten Island | Sep 25, 2026 | $7,201,655 | $23,632,855 |
| 7 | Avengers Endgame: Encore (2026 Re-release) | Sep 25, 2026 | $4,471,524 | $36,298,509 |
| 8 | Practical Magic 2 | Sep 11, 2026 | $2,785,993 | $64,827,319 |
| 9 | Drishyam: The Conclusion | Oct 2, 2026 | $2,715,000 | $2,715,000 |
| 10 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Jul 31, 2026 | $2,501,553 | $954,528,523 |
| 11 | The Odyssey | Jul 17, 2026 | $1,298,085 | $620,461,595 |
| 12 | Coyote vs. Acme | Aug 28, 2026 | $727,165 | $59,849,331 |
| 13 | Daniel and the Fiery Furnace | Sep 18, 2026 | $664,394 | $7,584,825 |
| 14 | Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte | Oct 4, 2026 | $563,400 | $563,400 |
| 15 | Beware Boiúna | Oct 2, 2026 | $550,546 | $550,546 |
| 16 | The History of Concrete | Sep 18, 2026 | $481,144 | $1,252,867 |
| 17 | Rolling Loud | Oct 2, 2026 | $475,019 | $475,019 |
| 18 | The Influencer Project | Oct 2, 2026 | $359,805 | $359,805 |
| 19 | Linkin Park: Unshatter | Sep 30, 2026 | $336,100 | $680,400 |
| 20 | Insidious: Out of the Further | Aug 21, 2026 | $313,766 | $65,762,761 |
Every newsletter preserved and searchable
Curated by JD · samwise.agency