Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Saturday, October 10, 2026
‘Other Mommy’ Heads for $27.5M Opening; ‘Social Reckoning’ Stalls
Universal’s Other Mommy is on track for a $27.5 million opening weekend on 3,365 screens, enough to top the domestic box office despite scathing reviews, Deadline reports. The Rob Savage horror film, starring Jessica Chastain in dual roles, posted $3.6 million in Thursday previews and a $12.3 million Friday against a $19 million budget. Sony’s The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin’s Facebook drama, is struggling at No. 5 with a $2.3 million Friday and a projected $6 million three-day weekend at 2,606 locations, the lower end of initial projections of about $7 million. Amazon MGM’s Verity sits second in its second week with a projected $13.3 million weekend.
‘The Exorcist: Martyrs’ First Trailer Reveals Scarlett Johansson’s Detective
Blumhouse on Friday released the first trailer for The Exorcist: Martyrs, writer-director Mike Flanagan’s new take on the horror classic, which premieres March 12, 2027, Deadline reports. The footage introduces Scarlett Johansson as Detective Julie Miller, who ended the killing spree of satanic Father Sunday, played by John Leguizamo, only to be dragged back into the darkness 13 years later when her name is written in the blood of a murdered altar boy on the walls of a church crypt. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sasha Calle co-star, with Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburne also in the cast. Producers include David Robinson and Jason Blum.
Blumhouse Teases Slate at NYCC as Jason Blum Explains ‘Other Mommy’ Title
Jason Blum and James Wan spent Friday night at New York Comic Con unveiling Blumhouse Atomic Monster’s upcoming slate during a 90-minute presentation, Variety reports. Addressing online criticism of the Other Mommy title, Blum said Wan “wanted to call it ‘Other Mother,’ and he got outvoted.” The company announced that Kristen Bell is joining David Harbour in Violent Night 2 as Mrs. Claus, and teased a revamped Blair Witch Project and Oscar nominee LaKeith Stanfield’s Molepeople. A new Paranormal Activity is set for theaters May 21, revealed with a teaser of director Ian Tuason reenacting the infamous at-home footage of becoming possessed while sleeping.
Magic: The Gathering Ties New Marvel Set to ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Opening Weekend
Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast unveiled Darkhold Destiny, its next Marvel-themed Magic: The Gathering set, at a New York Comic Con panel Friday and announced a promotion tied to Avengers: Doomsday, Variety reports. Fans who see the film opening weekend in Infinity Vision at Regal Cinemas will receive an exclusive card featuring Doctor Doom. The set, the third Universes Beyond collaboration under Magic and Marvel’s multiyear deal, centers on Doctor Strange, Thor, Hela and Dormammu and releases April 7, 2027, debuting alongside a new Marvel comic book. Wizards also promoted a Doctor Doom-focused release called “Doomsdrop” and a Secret Lair kit titled “Marvel’s History of Heroes.”
Netflix Braces for Possible Job Cuts Ahead of Q3 Earnings
Netflix may be preparing job cuts and a restructure ahead of its third-quarter earnings disclosure on October 20, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Multiple journalists have heard cuts could be in the 5 percent range or more, and THR says its sources point to the same belt-tightening. The company has 16,000 employees, 10,900 of them in the U.S., per its last 10-K. With the stock down 20 percent year to date, co-chiefs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters may unveil a shake-up to show Wall Street it is ready to accelerate growth. Netflix declined to comment Friday. Sarandos said Sept. 30, “we’re not growing as fast as I want us to.”
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Sony Launches Storyworks Anime Division, Shows ‘Beyond the Spider-Verse’ Footage
Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Ravi Ahuja announced Storyworks at Crunchyroll’s inaugural Anime Future Forum at New York’s Javits Center, The Hollywood Reporter reports. The division will combine Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Japan’s creative community and Sony Pictures to develop global stories into anime and Japanese anime into live-action, led by 25-year Sony veteran Tohru Iokibe. The event, featuring James Gunn and Samuel L. Jackson, also offered new footage from Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Hideaki Nishino said a dedicated anime space will arrive in the PlayStation 5 home experience next spring, providing access to Crunchyroll.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Disney’s ‘Coven Academy’ Logs 11.4 Million Hours with Short-Chapter Strategy
Disney’s Coven Academy logged 11.4 million global hours viewed for its first chapter in its first week on Disney+ and Hulu, according to internal Disney figures reported exclusively by TheWrap. Nielsen data ranked it the No. 1 streaming series among teens 12–17 across premiere weekend. Disney also dropped the full first chapter on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube on Oct. 2, drawing over 30 million additional social views, including 18 million on TikTok. The season’s 21 “chapters” run 10 to 15 minutes each; creator Tim Federle said the team shot 10 episodes and cut them into the 21 chapters.
Oscar International Feature Race Tops 100 Entries for the First Time
The Oscar race for Best International Feature Film officially opened Friday with 29 contending films on an Academy members-only screening platform, TheWrap reports. For the first time, more than 100 films have either been submitted by their home countries or qualified by winning awards at Oscar-approved festivals. As of Oct. 9, an even 100 films had been announced as country submissions, while three more won top awards at Sundance, Berlin and Toronto, which were granted Oscar-qualifying status for the first time. Even if many submissions are found ineligible, TheWrap says the final total is likely to easily top the record of 93 eligible films, set in 2020.
Domestic Box Office Top 20
Weekend of October 2–4, 2026 (latest completed weekend). Weekend estimates for October 9–11 appear in the lead story above.
| # | Title | Release | Weekend | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verity | Oct 2 | $32,031,011 | $32,031,011 |
| 2 | Resident Evil | Sep 18 | $12,618,839 | $125,013,734 |
| 3 | Heart of the Beast | Sep 25 | $10,876,713 | $38,289,811 |
| 4 | Digger | Oct 2 | $8,001,856 | $8,001,856 |
| 5 | Primetime | Sep 25 | $7,748,406 | $33,834,153 |
| 6 | Forgotten Island | Sep 25 | $7,201,655 | $23,632,855 |
| 7 | Avengers Endgame: Encore (2026 re-release) | Sep 25 | $4,471,524 | $36,298,509 |
| 8 | Practical Magic 2 | Sep 11 | $2,785,993 | $64,827,319 |
| 9 | Drishyam: The Conclusion | Oct 2 | $2,715,000 | $2,715,000 |
| 10 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Jul 31 | $2,501,553 | $954,528,523 |
| 11 | The Odyssey | Jul 17 | $1,298,085 | $620,461,595 |
| 12 | Coyote vs. Acme | Aug 28 | $727,165 | $59,849,331 |
| 13 | Daniel and the Fiery Furnace | Sep 18 | $664,394 | $7,584,825 |
| 14 | Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte | New this weekend | $563,400 | $563,400 |
| 15 | Beware Boiúna | New this weekend | $550,546 | $550,546 |
| 16 | The History of Concrete | Sep 18 | $481,144 | $1,252,867 |
| 17 | Rolling Loud | New this weekend | $474,003 | $474,003 |
| 18 | The Influencer Project | New this weekend | $359,805 | $359,805 |
| 19 | Linkin Park: Unshatter | New this weekend | $336,100 | $680,400 |
| 20 | Insidious: Out of the Further | Aug 21 | $313,766 | $65,762,761 |
Sources: Box Office Mojo
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