Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Viral Trailer Placement Helped Other Mommy Scare Up a $27.5 Million Opening
Universal attached the first trailer for Other Mommy to screenings of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in July, and the clip of Jessica Chastain as a monstrous maternal entity became a horror meme, IndieWire reports. The campaign paid off with an estimated $27.5 million domestic opening and $45.2 million worldwide, despite an 18 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and a D+ CinemaScore. Universal followed the trailer with an outdoor ad campaign spotlighting the character’s unsettling expression, and press screenings were scheduled unusually close to release. The opening is Blumhouse-Atomic Monster’s biggest domestic opening of 2026 so far. IndieWire says next weekend should offer a clearer picture of its staying power.
The Social Reckoning Stumbles with $5.5 Million as Tech-Themed Films Face Box Office Test
Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning grossed a disappointing $5.5 million domestically in its opening weekend, below even the soft projections Sony set for the $30 million-budgeted film, The Hollywood Reporter reports. The follow-up to The Social Network casts Jeremy Strong as the Facebook CEO and holds a 55 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Rentrak’s Paul Dergarabedian said Facebook “was a much sexier subject in 2010.” Alex Gibney’s Musk opened with $69,321 from four screens, the Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything arrives next weekend, and Neon has set Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial, starring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman, for a December release.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Sony Plans to Release All Four Sam Mendes Beatles Films in April 2028
Sony’s four Beatles films from director Sam Mendes are currently slated to release in the same month in 2028, described as a “four-film cinematic event” across April, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Producer Pippa Harris gave the update Monday at the BFI London Film Festival’s Industry Forum, saying the shoot is on day 180. Harris said audiences need not see all four films on the same day; they might see “one a week” or two on one weekend. Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan play McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Starr. Harris added that cast members have been told not to discuss the films on red carpets.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Universal Releases First Look at Austin Butler and Michael B. Jordan in Miami Vice ’85
Universal has released the first look at Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler as Tubbs and Crockett in Miami Vice ’85, its reboot of the 1980s NBC series, The Hollywood Reporter reports. The images show Jordan, bearded and wearing a leather jacket, as Det. Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs and Butler taking aim in a grey suit as Det. James “Sonny” Crockett. Joseph Kosinski directs from a script by Dan Gilroy, with a supporting cast including Alden Ehrenreich, Camila Morrone, Walton Goggins and John Leguizamo. Michael Mann’s 2006 film was considered a commercial and critical disappointment. The film is in production and will open in theaters May 19, 2028.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
First Trailer Arrives for Being Heumann, Siân Heder’s Follow-Up to CODA
The first trailer for Being Heumann, director Siân Heder’s follow-up to Best Picture winner CODA, has arrived, IndieWire reports. The biopic stars Ruth Madeley as disability rights activist Judy Heumann and opened this year’s TIFF to stellar reviews. Heder adapted the film from Heumann’s autobiography with co-writer Rebekah Taussig and cast performers of all disabilities, which IndieWire calls a moving and smart way to tell the story. Dylan O’Brien, Ray Fisher and Rob Delaney are among the supporting cast. Apple TV will release the film in select theaters on Nov. 6 before it launches globally on the platform on Nov. 13.
ABC Gives High Potential the Post-Super Bowl LXI Slot, with a Disney+ Simulcast
ABC has scheduled an episode of High Potential to air after Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14, 2027, with the episode also streaming on Disney+, The Hollywood Reporter reports. ABC announced the slot via a short promo spot with star Kaitlin Olson during its Monday Night Football telecast. The episode will not be the season-three premiere. Season two averaged 16 million cross-platform viewers over 35 days. The last scripted show to air after the game, CBS’ Tracker in 2024, drew 18.44 million viewers. ABC has Super Bowl rights for the first time since 2006 and, with other Disney outlets, is mounting a year-long promotional campaign for the event.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Other Mommy Narrowly Edges Verity for No. 1 at U.K. and Ireland Box Office
Universal’s Other Mommy, directed by Rob Savage and starring Jessica Chastain, debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. and Ireland with £1.97 million ($2.66 million), Variety reports. Sony’s Verity finished second in its sophomore session, just £33,263 behind with £1.94 million, lifting its running cume to £7.3 million. Paramount’s Heart of the Beast held third with $1.1 million, and Resident Evil took fourth with $1 million. Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning opened fifth with $840,538. Disney’s Whalefall leads Friday’s wide openings, alongside The Influencer Project and Hadestown: The Musical, while Paramount rolls out Street Fighter.
Ben Affleck Pushes Back on Celebrations of Digger’s Box Office Failure
Ben Affleck criticized the “high school bullying” celebrations of Digger’s box office struggles on Monday’s episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, TheWrap reports. “If you punish movies that take risks, guess what you’re going to get?” Affleck said. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise, the black comedy hit theaters Oct. 2 and has made just over $35 million worldwide. TheWrap reports the film is poised to lose $250 million by the end of its run. Affleck called it “a pretty ambitious, interesting movie made by interesting people that have talent,” adding that a big swing means “you’re going to sometimes look bad.”
CoComelon Heads From Netflix to Disney+ as Moonbug Readies Its First Feature
Moonbug Entertainment is taking its biggest swing yet with CoComelon: The Movie, produced with NBCUniversal’s DreamWorks and due next year, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Also next year, the flagship series will exit Netflix and move to Disney+, which is shoring up its preschool programming alongside acquired fare like Bluey. The brand’s first YouTube video was published in September 2006, and it has since passed 200 million subscribers. Directed by Kat Good, the film follows JJ on his first day of kindergarten, with songs inspired by bands like MGMT and LCD Soundsystem. Executives say YouTube feedback data informs how the characters are used.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Netflix Content Chief Bela Bajaria Says She Has No Regrets Over Failed Warner Bros. Bid
Netflix content chief Bela Bajaria told a MIPCOM audience she has moved on from the streamer’s failed bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, Deadline reports. Backing up Ted Sarandos, she said WBD was “always a nice to have at a certain price, not a must have at any price.” Netflix’s $83B bid lost to Paramount-Skydance’s $110B deal. Bajaria said Netflix occupies around 5% of global audiences’ TV time and pointed to Canadian original Below, currently No. 1 in more than 80 countries. She did not address reported layoffs at the streamer but said Netflix will continue to “expand” while others scale back.
| # | Title | Release | Weekend | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other Mommy | Oct 9, 2026 | $27,805,825 | $27,805,825 |
| 2 | Verity | Oct 2, 2026 | $12,005,559 | $54,384,610 |
| 3 | Resident Evil | Sep 18, 2026 | $8,563,158 | $138,738,566 |
| 4 | Heart of the Beast | Sep 25, 2026 | $7,438,829 | $50,000,490 |
| 5 | The Social Reckoning | Oct 9, 2026 | $5,018,263 | $5,018,263 |
| 6 | Forgotten Island | Sep 25, 2026 | $4,703,380 | $30,475,710 |
| 7 | Primetime | Sep 25, 2026 | $4,014,003 | $41,467,633 |
| 8 | Digger | Oct 2, 2026 | $3,201,557 | $14,434,311 |
| 9 | The Odyssey | Jul 17, 2026 | $2,147,960 | $623,120,750 |
| 10 | Angel and the Badman | Oct 9, 2026 | $2,115,116 | $2,115,116 |
| 11 | Pan’s Labyrinth (20th Anniversary) | Oct 9, 2026 | $1,640,107 | $1,640,107 |
| 12 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Jul 31, 2026 | $1,526,212 | $956,891,779 |
| 13 | Avengers Endgame: Encore (2026 Re-release) | Sep 25, 2026 | $1,503,895 | $39,188,250 |
| 14 | Practical Magic 2 | Sep 11, 2026 | $1,381,685 | $67,290,862 |
| 15 | Queen Live in Budapest | Oct 7, 2026 | $681,000 | $681,000 |
| 16 | The History of Concrete | Sep 18, 2026 | $340,000 | $1,893,441 |
| 17 | Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother | Sep 25, 2026 | $314,644 | $924,610 |
| 18 | Naza | Sep 30, 2026 | $297,081 | $414,352 |
| 19 | Daniel and the Fiery Furnace | Sep 18, 2026 | $248,026 | $8,093,058 |
| 20 | Once Upon a Time in the Middle East | Oct 9, 2026 | $214,199 | $214,199 |
Source: Box Office Mojo
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