Dog Stars Bombs With $8M Opening as Spider-Man Claims Fifth Consecutive No. 1
Disney and 20th Century’s sci-fi thriller The Dog Stars opened to a meager $8 million from 3,330 locations, landing in fifth place in its opening weekend—a significant disappointment for a film that cost more than $80 million to produce. Audiences were equally unkind, awarding the post-apocalyptic drama a “C+” CinemaScore and a 40% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Meanwhile, Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day claimed its fifth consecutive No. 1 weekend with $22.5 million, pushing its domestic total to $891 million and positioning it to become only the second film ever to cross $900 million domestically, after 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Viral Social Strategy Propels Buddy to Record-Breaking Indie Opening
Roadside Attractions’ R-rated horror-comedy Buddy, directed by Casper Kelly and set in a satirical ’90s children’s TV universe, earned $5.5 million from just 1,277 screens in its opening weekend—more than double the initial tracking estimate of $2.5 million. The film marks Roadside Attractions’ biggest opening since before the pandemic. A teaser for the film racked up 20 million views on its initial drop, and the production amassed 500,000 social media followers before opening day. The audience skewed 83% under 35, illustrating how targeted digital marketing can substitute for a wide-release rollout.
Netflix Drops Trailer for La Bola Negra Alongside Record 47-Day Theatrical Run
Netflix released the first full trailer for La Bola Negra (“The Black Ball”), a queer Spanish-language epic from directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (Los Javis), ahead of an unprecedented theatrical release. The Cannes breakout will run in U.S. theaters beginning October 16 before streaming December 2, marking Netflix’s longest-ever theatrical window at 47 days—breaking the record previously set by 2019’s Marriage Story. Starring Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close, the Spanish film is set across three eras—1932, 1937, and 2017—exploring interconnected stories of gay men during the Spanish Civil War.
Venice Film Festival’s 83rd Edition Opens With Danny Boyle’s Rupert Murdoch Drama
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival opened Wednesday, September 2, with the world premiere of Danny Boyle’s Ink, a dramatization of Rupert Murdoch’s early rise as a tabloid media baron. The opening film stars Guy Pearce as Murdoch alongside Jack O’Connell as Sun editor Larry Lamb, with Netflix holding U.S. distribution rights. The festival—a critical awards-season launchpad running through September 12—will also honor George Clooney with the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement. Martin McDonagh and an Oasis documentary from Disney+ are also among the key awards contenders premiering during the opening week.
Netflix and Stella Artois Launch Gentlemen Pub Takeover in First AB InBev Activation
Netflix and beer brand Stella Artois launched the first activation of their multi-year marketing partnership with a London pub takeover tied to Season 2 of The Gentlemen. The Marlborough Pub will be dressed in the show’s aesthetic from September 3–5, with guests able to order Stella Artois and take home limited-edition merchandise including an engraved chalice. A 90-second hero film starring Theo James and David Beckham anchors the campaign, which rolled out across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea. The activation marks the debut of the AB InBev–Netflix deal for the Guy Ritchie series.
AMC Theatres Launches Leawood Films to Distribute Indie, Filmmaker-Financed Movies
AMC Theatres, the world’s largest movie theater chain, announced the launch of Leawood Films, a distribution label targeting filmmaker-financed independent movies. The venture is advised by former Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich, marketing executive Ricky Strauss, and former Paramount distribution head Kyle Davies, who departed Bleecker Street to join the new label. Named after AMC’s Leawood, Kansas headquarters, the label will focus on small to mid-budget completed films, with theatrical releases anticipated no earlier than 2027. AMC will oversee marketing while distribution partner Variance Films handles theater bookings.
Practical Magic 2 Premiere Caps Warner Bros. Millennial Nostalgia Marketing Push
Warner Bros. Pictures hosted the Los Angeles premiere of Practical Magic 2 on August 31 at Directors Village, with stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman walking the red carpet alongside co-stars Joey King and Maisie Williams ahead of the film’s September 10 theatrical opening. The sequel to the 1998 cult classic arrives backed by an extensive merchandise campaign with dozens of retail partners including Charlotte Tilbury, Hot Topic, and Wayfair. The studio’s millennial-targeted marketing strategy has generated significant early interest, with the original teaser accumulating nearly 11 million views within days of release.
Theater Owners Hail $4 Billion Summer as Springboard for Fall Slate
The U.S. summer box office surpassed $4 billion for only the second time since the pandemic, generating widespread optimism across the exhibition industry heading into fall. Theater executives say the resurgence—driven by Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s record-breaking $355 million domestic opening and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey crossing $500 million domestically—proves audiences will return for event films. Exhibitors caution that success remains concentrated in tentpoles, with mid-budget titles continuing to struggle for screens. The summer performance puts the full-year domestic total on track to potentially cross $10 billion for the first time since before COVID-19.
| # | Title | Weekend | Theaters | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | $22,513,101 | 3,678 | $891,821,029 |
| 2 | Coyote vs. Acme NEW | $15,914,007 | 3,575 | $15,914,007 |
| 3 | The Odyssey | $14,353,795 | 2,617 | $563,875,400 |
| 4 | Insidious: Out of the Further | $10,204,695 | 3,303 | $43,734,802 |
| 5 | The Dog Stars NEW | $7,709,729 | 3,330 | $7,709,729 |
| 6 | Buddy NEW | $5,531,024 | 1,277 | $5,531,024 |
| 7 | PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie | $5,016,050 | 3,110 | $43,452,099 |
| 8 | The End of Oak Street | $4,902,312 | 2,923 | $45,982,436 |
| 9 | Mutiny | $2,766,362 | 2,703 | $13,245,027 |
| 10 | Tony | $2,220,448 | 1,907 | $11,053,129 |
| 11 | Spa Weekend | $1,194,796 | 1,619 | $5,655,491 |
| 12 | It Ends | $719,690 | 340 | $809,235 |
| 13 | Finding Emily NEW | $708,905 | 681 | $708,905 |
| 14 | Idiots NEW | $707,759 | 1,110 | $707,759 |
| 15 | Colony NEW | $676,801 | 411 | $676,801 |
| 16 | Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | $642,740 | 579 | $5,338,625 |
| 17 | Legend of the White Dragon NEW | $542,891 | 596 | $542,891 |
| 18 | Toy Story 5 | $433,447 | 485 | $478,817,306 |
| 19 | Minions & Monsters | $335,935 | 444 | $182,774,945 |
| 20 | The Magic Faraway Tree | $285,452 | 671 | $2,159,044 |