Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Tom Cruise Says He Doesn’t Make Movies for Opening Weekend as ‘Digger’ Bombs
Tom Cruise suffered one of his worst openings with Digger, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s black comedy that bombed with $8 million in North America, Variety reports. In a podcast published the day the film opened, Cruise said he aims to make “a lasting piece of cinema” rather than chase opening weekends; he and Iñárritu cited Blade Runner as a masterpiece “everybody killed” on release. With a production budget of $160 million to $180 million plus a $100 million marketing budget, Digger would need $350 million worldwide to break even. After a $20 million global start, the film is primed to lose at least $150 million to $200 million theatrically.
‘Verity’ Tops U.K. and Ireland Box Office as ‘Digger’ Opens in Fourth
Sony Pictures’ Colleen Hoover adaptation Verity debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. and Ireland with an opening weekend of £3.3 million ($4.5 million), Variety reports. Resident Evil held second in its third frame with $1.8 million, lifting its total to $15.2 million, while Paramount’s Heart of the Beast, starring Brad Pitt, added $1.5 million in third. Warner Bros.’ Digger, starring Tom Cruise, opened fourth with $1.4 million. Universal’s Sense and Sensibility rounded out the top five with $1.3 million. Friday’s openings are led by Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning and Paul Greengrass’ The Uprising, starring Andrew Garfield, each across 300+ locations.
Emmys Move to Amazon’s Prime Video in Six-Year Global Deal
Amazon on Tuesday closed its deal with the Television Academy, giving Prime Video global rights to stream the Emmys for the next six years, Deadline reports. The pact is thought to be worth north of $120 million, with Deadline putting it at $20 million to $25 million per year. The ceremony will be free to view each September, succeeding the broadcast wheel that rotated the show among ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC since 1995. Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said Amazon wanted a “global event” that could bring in a younger audience. Academy chair Cris Abrego called free viewing “non-negotiable.”
Skydance Film Chiefs Pledge Separate Paramount and Warner Bros. Slates in Day One Memo
Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein told staff the Paramount and Warner Bros. film divisions will operate independently, in a Day 1 memo sent as the Paramount-WBD merger became official Tuesday, Deadline reports. Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures will keep building and releasing separate slates under their own logos, while DC Studios, New Line Cinema and Paramount Primal continue as distinct labels. The memo pledges to back filmmakers’ vision “with the best marketing and distribution in the business.” The pair also wrote that they “won’t pretend a combination of this size comes without change.”
‘East of Eden’ Tops Netflix Chart with a Soft 6.5 Million Views
Zoe Kazan’s Netflix miniseries East of Eden, starring Florence Pugh, took the top spot on Netflix’s weekly chart with just 6.5 million views, Deadline reports. Deadline says that opening was the lowest since the end of March, when One Piece season two topped the chart with 5.9 million views in its third week. Comparable period series American Primeval opened with 10.4 million and All the Light We Cannot See with 9.8 million. Netflix noted the series hit the top 10 in 80 countries, ranked No. 1 in 22, and helped Penguin Classics sell 200% more books since it was announced.
AI-Made ‘Gods Don’t Give Gifts’ Drops Trailer, Plans Traditional Oscar Campaign
YouTuber Gossip Goblin, aka Zack London, has released the trailer for Gods Don’t Give Gifts, a sci-fi feature made entirely with artificial intelligence, Deadline reports. The film opens in limited theatrical release in the U.S. and UK on December 4. The filmmakers say it is the first AI film to receive an MPA rating (R) and to be campaigned in the Best Animated Feature category. The trailer goes to theaters Friday along with lobby posters, and billboard ads begin in November. Producer Edward Saatchi, whose AI company Fable counts Amazon among its backers, said the team will screen for voters and run “a traditional campaign.”
Briarcliff Sets Nov. 20 Release and Oscar Push for Ukraine Documentary ‘Ash and Crayons’
Briarcliff Entertainment will release Ash and Crayons, Evgeny Afineevsky’s Oscar-contending documentary about Ukrainian children injured in Russia’s war, in theaters on November 20, World Children’s Day, Deadline reports alongside an exclusive trailer. The film follows seven kids who lost limbs or suffered other major injuries, combining vérité footage with animation by Ukrainian artists. Afineevsky earned an Oscar nomination for 2015’s Winter on Fire. The film is expected to get a robust Oscar campaign and has screened for members of the U.S. Congress, at the Vatican and at UK Parliament. An impact campaign with partners including the Ukrainian World Congress will accompany the release.
Andrew Garfield Anchors Neon’s Awards Bet on ‘Artificial,’ IndieWire Argues
IndieWire’s Marcus Jones argues that Andrew Garfield’s turn as Sam Altman in Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial gives the film a strong awards campaign narrative, shifting from corporate martyr in The Social Network to corporate menace. The film premiered at the 64th New York Film Festival on October 5. Neon picked up the $40 million film after Amazon MGM dropped it, amid debate over why. Jones also sees potential for screenwriter Simon Rich and a possible Best Original Song shortlist spot for Damon Albarn’s credits song. He concludes that if Neon can find an audience at the box office, it has another undeniable Oscar contender.
‘The Empress’ Final Season Trailer Arrives Ahead of November 12 Netflix Debut
Netflix has dropped the trailer for the third and final season of The Empress, its Austrian period drama starring Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu as Elisabeth, Deadline reports. The six-part season premieres November 12, just under two years after season two debuted. Deadline calls the show one of Netflix’s biggest non-English-language dramas: its first two seasons have amassed well over 65 million streams since July 2023, the International Emmy-winning first season spent five straight weeks in the global non-English Top 10, and season two reached the Top 10 in 84 countries. Katharina Eyssen returns as showrunner, with Sommerhaus Serien producing.
| # | Title | Released | Weekend | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency