Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Friday, September 11, 2026
Practical Magic 2 Launches to $3.5M in Thursday Previews, Tracking for $40M Debut
Warner Bros. and Alcon’s Practical Magic 2 opened to an estimated $3.5 million to $4 million in Thursday night previews at 4,000 North American theaters, with showtimes beginning at 2 p.m. The Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman sequel arrives 28 years after the beloved 1998 original and tracks for a $30 million to $40 million domestic opening weekend, enough to topple Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s six-week No. 1 reign. Thursday figures surpass Lost City’s $2.5 million previews and match WB’s Wuthering Heights ($3 million Thursday to $32.8 million three-day opening). Globally, the film projects to a $58 million to $63 million debut.
Netflix to Publicly Report Box Office Numbers for Six Upcoming Theatrical Releases
Netflix will begin publicly reporting box office grosses for six upcoming theatrical releases: Cannes prize winner La Bola Negra, David Fincher’s The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, Peter Berg’s Mosquito Bowl, Danny Boyle’s Ink, Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew and animated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Cliff Booth gets a 27-day theatrical window with a two-week IMAX run before streaming December 23; Narnia lands in theaters February 12, 2027, with a 50-day window. The transparency move is designed to ingratiate Netflix with exhibitors and the talent community ahead of its first wide theatrical releases. The streamer emphasizes it remains streaming-first.
Avengers: Doomsday Pre-Sales Top $50M Domestically as December Release Approaches
Domestic ticket pre-sales for Avengers: Doomsday have crossed $50 million with more than three months remaining before the film’s December 18, 2026 release. Disney put select tickets on sale tied to the July trailer launch, generating $16.5 million in the first day of availability alone. The trailer — which features Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom — has accumulated 503 million views, making it Disney’s most-viewed trailer in history and the second-biggest movie trailer launch of all time. Marvel also launched a Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday official podcast and five-hour-plus cast reveal livestream, which netted 275 million digital views, ahead of the Russo Brothers’ return to the MCU.
Apple TV+ and HBO Max Enter Emmy Night 3 Battle with Apple Leading 19 Awards to HBO’s 16
Apple TV+ leads HBO Max into the 78th Emmy Awards’ climactic Night 3 ceremony with 19 overall awards to HBO’s 16 and Netflix’s 13, setting up the biggest platform rivalry of the awards season. Widow’s Bay — Apple’s breakout drama — anchored the platform’s total with eight wins over the first two nights; DTF St. Louis led HBO Max’s count with six. The main Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony airs live on NBC and Peacock on Monday, September 14 — shifted from Sunday due to an NFL conflict — hosted by Mariska Hargitay at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with the overall platform title still to be claimed.
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil Reboot Tracking for Record Franchise Opening of $35M–$50M
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is tracking for a domestic opening of $35 million when it debuts September 18 in wide release, with first-day pre-sales strong enough that projections could climb as high as $50 million. At $35 million, the film would post the biggest domestic opening ever in the Constantin and Columbia Pictures franchise, besting the $26.6 million debut of 2010’s Resident Evil: Afterlife. The Sony Pictures release stars Austin Abrams in Cregger’s adaptation of the Capcom video game property. Cregger brought a Resident Evil trailer to CinemaCon, generating early genre audience buzz ahead of the September debut.
Netflix Cancels Ransom Canyon After Two Seasons Following Sophomore Viewership Drop
Netflix has canceled Ransom Canyon, the Texas romantic drama starring Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly, after two seasons. The decision came roughly six weeks after the eight-episode Season 2 premiered on July 23, 2026. Season 2 logged 4.1 million views in its first week — down 43 percent from Season 1’s 7.2 million opening week — and fell off the weekly Top 10 after just three weeks versus four for Season 1. The cancellation reflects Netflix’s broader cost-versus-performance renewal calculus for higher-budget productions, particularly series experiencing sophomore viewership declines with marquee-name casts.
Weekend Box Office — Labor Day Sep. 4–7, 2026 (4-Day)
| # | Title | 4-Day | Theaters | Dom. Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | $23,500,000 | 3,520 | $923,000,000 |
| 2 | The Odyssey | $17,300,000 | 2,617 | $589,000,000 |
| 3 | Coyote vs. Acme | $15,800,000 | 3,575 | $38,400,000 |
| 4 | By Any Means NEW | $9,300,000 | 2,903 | $9,300,000 |
| 5 | Insidious: Out of the Further | $8,100,000 | 3,110 | $55,700,000 |
| 6 | Cars: 20th Anniversary NEW | $7,800,000 | 2,496 | $7,800,000 |
| 7 | Buddy | $7,300,000 | 1,771 | $15,800,000 |
| 8 | PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie | $4,450,000 | 3,012 | $49,600,000 |
| 9 | The End of Oak Street | $4,000,000 | 2,923 | $51,700,000 |
| 10 | The Dog Stars | $3,500,000 | 3,330 | $13,800,000 |
| 11 | Akira (reissue) | $3,200,000 | 787 | — |
| 12 | Fall 2: Deadpoint NEW | $2,800,000 | 1,704 | $2,800,000 |
| 13 | Onslaught NEW | $2,300,000 | 1,918 | $2,300,000 |
| 14 | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | — | — | — | — |
Sources: JoBlo.com, fxoxo.com, AV Club (via Box Office Mojo). Positions 14–20: gross figures not available from accessible sources for this edition.
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency