Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Monday, September 21, 2026
Resident Evil Reboot Opens to Franchise-Best $60M Weekend on Director Brand Strategy
Director Zach Cregger’s R-rated reboot delivered the best opening in franchise history, earning $60 million domestically and $108 million worldwide across 3,684 theaters. Sony, which budgeted $75 million for production, structured its campaign around Cregger’s director brand rather than franchise name recognition—a departure from the series’ prior marketing approach. His previous feature, Weapons, grossed $270 million globally on similar elevated-horror positioning. The reboot earned a 96% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the franchise high, plus a 91% audience score. Thursday previews of $8.8 million set a new series record entering the opening weekend.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Breaks All-Time North American Box Office Record
Spider-Man: Brand New Day surpassed Star Wars: The Force Awakens this weekend to become the highest-grossing film in North American box office history, reaching $944 million domestically across eight weekends. Sony’s Tom Holland-led sequel has now earned more than $2.4 billion worldwide, placing it third all-time globally behind Avatar and Avengers: Endgame. The run caps an industry-record $309 million promotional campaign anchored by brand partnerships with BMW, Samsung, and McDonald’s. The campaign’s scale across automotive, technology, and fast-food categories set a new benchmark for how major studios approach tent-pole franchise marketing.
La Bola Negra Wins TIFF People’s Choice Award, Launching Netflix Oscar Campaign
Netflix’s Spanish-language drama La Bola Negra won the People’s Choice Award at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, claiming the Oscar-predictive audience prize on the festival’s closing day. Directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, known collectively as “Los Javis,” earned the TIFF honor following a 16-minute standing ovation and Best Director prize at Cannes. The film edged out runner-up I Play Rocky and Apple Original Films’ second runner-up Being Heumann. The TIFF People’s Choice Award has emerged as a reliable predictor of Best Picture nominations and major awards season momentum.
Toy Story 5 Sets September 23 Disney+ Streaming Date After $1.13B Box Office Run
Toy Story 5 will begin streaming on Disney+ on September 23, 2026, arriving on the platform 96 days after its June 19 theatrical debut. The Pixar sequel earned $1.13 billion globally during its theatrical run, the highest of any film in the franchise. Disney is simultaneously releasing a Taylor Swift music video on Disney+ featuring footage from the film, extending its marketing campaign into streaming and music platforms beyond the theatrical window. The dual streaming launch reflects how studios pair high-profile content drops with platform debuts to sustain subscriber engagement and keep franchise momentum alive post-theatrical.
Sumerian Pictures Launches First Oscar Campaign for Sundance Winner Josephine
Sumerian Pictures has unveiled its first Academy Awards campaign behind Sundance double winner Josephine, director Beth de Araújo’s psychological drama. The push spans best picture, directing, and original screenplay, with newcomer Mason Reeves—age 9—submitted in lead actress, one of the youngest performers ever entered in that category. Co-stars Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan will campaign in supporting actor and supporting actress, respectively. The film swept Sundance with both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, and Sumerian, making its first-ever Academy Awards campaign debut, acquired it in a competitive seven-figure deal.
CAA Adds Agent Steve Roy to Motion Picture Literary Department
Creative Artists Agency has recruited agent Steve Roy to its Motion Picture Literary department, expanding the agency’s literary roster as fall awards season deal-making accelerates. Roy comes to CAA from Buchwald, where he began his career as an assistant before being elevated to agent in 2023. CAA’s Motion Picture Literary division represents screenwriters, directors, and authors across studio and streaming projects. The hire strengthens the agency’s capacity at the start of a competitive fall development cycle, when literary representation plays a central role in moving awards-eligible material from acquisition through production.
Weekend Box Office Top 20 — September 19–21, 2026
| # | Title | Weekend | Theaters | Distributor | Wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resident Evil | $60,000,000 | 3684 | Columbia | 1 |
| 2 | Practical Magic 2 | $12,155,000 | 4163 | Warner Bros. | 2 |
| 3 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | $6,500,000 | 3017 | Sony | 8 |
| 4 | The Odyssey | $4,900,000 | 1546 | Universal | 10 |
| 5 | Coyote vs. Acme | $4,512,135 | 3035 | Ketchup Ent. | 4 |
| 6 | Runner | $3,180,074 | 2472 | – | 2 |
| 7 | Daniel and the Fiery Furnace | $3,140,000 | 1525 | EKKL | 1 |
| 8 | The Transformers: The Movie 40th Ann. | $3,103,922 | 1454 | – | 1 |
| 9 | The Weight | $2,315,162 | 1504 | Vertical | 1 |
| 10 | Buddy | $1,929,101 | 1532 | Roadside Attractions | 4 |
| 11 | Shaun the Sheep: Beast of Mossy Bottom | $1,904,000 | 2183 | GKIDS | 1 |
| 12 | Insidious: Out of the Further | $1,850,000 | 1740 | Sony | 5 |
| 13 | The Uprising | $1,200,000 | 2069 | Focus Features | 2 |
| 14 | Hope | $996,875 | 1400 | Neon | 2 |
| 15 | By Any Means | $700,000 | 1265 | Paramount | 3 |
| 16 | PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie | $665,000 | 827 | Paramount | 6 |
| 17 | If I Go Will They Miss Me | $352,365 | 251 | – | 2 |
| 18 | The End of Oak Street | $325,000 | 461 | Warner Bros. | 6 |
| 19 | Tony | $218,793 | 236 | A24 | 7 |
| 20 | Cars 2026 Re-release | $160,000 | 310 | Walt Disney Studios | 3 |
Source: Box Office Mojo. Figures estimated through Sunday.
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