Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Coyote vs. Acme Opens After Three-Year Studio Limbo — A Rare Win for Shelved Films
Warner Bros. Discovery's Coyote vs. Acme opened in theaters Friday after a turbulent three-year journey. WBD CEO David Zaslav shelved the live-action/animated Looney Tunes comedy in November 2023 to claim a $30 million tax write-off, sparking immediate industry and public outrage. After WBD permitted the filmmakers to seek alternate distributors, Ketchup Entertainment acquired the rights in March 2025 and now brings it to audiences. Directed by Dave Green and starring John Cena and Will Forte, alongside Lana Condor, the film's survival represents a rare victory for completed films facing studio shelf decisions.
The Dog Stars Opens to Soft Tracking Despite $110M Budget and A-List Cast
Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars opened Friday across 3,300 theaters including 120 IMAX screens, but faces a challenging debut after a 36% Rotten Tomatoes score and tracking projections as low as $8–11 million for the opening weekend — underwhelming for a film with a reported $110 million budget. Critics have noted the near-absence of a marketing campaign despite a cast featuring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Guy Pearce. The post-apocalyptic survival thriller from 20th Century Studios arrives at summer's end competing against Spider-Man's fifth frame and Coyote vs. Acme.
Netflix's The Whisper Man Premieres With Robert De Niro and Russo Brothers
Netflix premiered The Whisper Man Friday, adapting Alex North's bestselling psychological thriller for the screen. Starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, and Michael Keaton, the film is helmed by New Zealand director James Ashcroft with a screenplay by Ben Jacoby and Chase Palmer. Produced by AGBO, the Russo Brothers' studio, the story follows a widowed crime writer whose investigation into a child abduction draws him toward his estranged detective father and an unsolved case linked to a convicted serial killer. Netflix positions the film as a flagship late-summer original.
Netflix Drops Unabomber Trailer Starring Jacob Tremblay and Russell Crowe
Netflix has released the official trailer for Unabomber, its feature film chronicling Ted Kaczynski's transformation from a 16-year-old Harvard prodigy to America's most infamous domestic terrorist. Jacob Tremblay plays the young Kaczynski, subjected to a series of controversial psychological experiments by Harvard Professor Henry Murray (Russell Crowe), portrayed as formative to his later radicalization. Shailene Woodley co-stars as the FBI agent who leads the eventual manhunt and brings Kaczynski to justice. Directed by Janus Metz, the film arrives on Netflix on September 25, 2026, positioning the title for awards-season consideration.
Danny Ramirez Joins Miami Vice '85 Alongside Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler
Joseph Kosinski's Miami Vice '85 continues its rapid-fire casting with Danny Ramirez joining Michael B. Jordan (Crockett) and Austin Butler (Tubbs) in an undisclosed role. Written by Dan Gilroy, the period crime drama revisits the iconic franchise in its original 1985 Miami setting. Recent weeks have seen Camila Morrone, Whitney Peak, and Alden Ehrenreich added to the ensemble, signaling production is approaching its start date. The accelerating cast assembly suggests Universal is treating the project as a major franchise reinvention, building on the legacy of Michael Mann's 2006 film.
A Talent for Murder Trailer: Helen Mirren as Patricia Highsmith in Anton Corbijn's Return
Director Anton Corbijn, returning to features for the first time in 11 years, has unveiled the trailer for A Talent for Murder, adapted from Joanna Murray-Smith's 2014 stage play Switzerland. Helen Mirren stars as reclusive crime novelist Patricia Highsmith at her Swiss chalet, where a young emissary (Alden Ehrenreich) arrives claiming Highsmith owes him a final Tom Ripley novel — with the encounter turning increasingly sinister. Olivia Cooke also stars. Bleecker Street and LD Entertainment distribute the psychological thriller in the United States, with a theatrical release set for October 23, 2026.
Dark Matter Season 2 Launches on Apple TV+ With Weekly Friday Release Strategy
Apple TV+ launched the first episode of Dark Matter season two Friday, debuting on August 28, 2026. Joel Edgerton and Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly reprise their roles as Jason and Daniela Dessen across a 10-episode season releasing one new episode every Friday through October 30. The season ventures beyond Blake Crouch's source novel into original narrative territory, with the Dessens forced to run again as Jason's obsession with the Box deepens and Daniela's growing paranoia threatens their fragile stability. Chris Diamantopoulos joins the ensemble as Agent Mitchel MacMara.
Sources: Apple TV Press / MacDailyNews
Box Office — Weekend Projections Aug 28–30
| # | Title | Release | Wkd Est. | Cum. Dom. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Aug 1 | $22.0M* | ~$888M |
| 2 | Coyote vs. Acme | Aug 28 | $17.0M* | NEW |
| 3 | The Odyssey | Jul 14 | $12.5M* | ~$552M |
| 4 | The Dog Stars | Aug 28 | $10.0M* | NEW |
| 5 | Insidious: Out of the Further | Aug 21 | $9.5M* | ~$34.6M |
| 6 | The End of Oak Street | Aug 11 | $5.2M* | ~$42.9M |
| 7 | PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie | Aug 11 | $4.4M* | ~$39.9M |
| 8 | Mutiny | Aug 21 | $3.7M* | ~$11.4M |
| 9 | Tony | Aug 4 | $2.5M* | ~$9.2M |
| 10 | The Fast and the Furious (re-release) | Aug 21 | $1.5M* | ~$149.8M |
| 11 | Spa Weekend | Aug 21 | $1.5M* | ~$4.6M |
| 12 | Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | Aug 4 | $1.0M* | ~$4.6M |
| 13 | Toy Story 5 | Jun 15 | $0.9M* | ~$478.8M |
| 14 | The Magic Faraway Tree | Aug 21 | $0.6M* | ~$1.9M |
| 15 | Minions & Monsters | Jun 27 | $0.5M* | ~$182.5M |
| 16 | The Brink of War | Aug 11 | $0.4M* | ~$4.9M |
| 17 | Moana (2026) | Jul 7 | $0.3M* | ~$126.0M |
| 18 | Six: The Musical Live! | Aug 11 | $0.2M* | ~$4.7M |
| 19 | One Night Only | Aug 4 | $0.2M* | ~$11.5M |
| 20 | The Rivals of Amziah King | Aug 11 | $0.15M* | ~$1.95M |
* Weekend estimates — projections from BoxofficePro & Deadline (Aug 26–28). Final actuals publish Sunday night. Prior-weekend actuals via Box Office Mojo.
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency