Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Avengers: Endgame Encore Leads 4-Way Fall Weekend With $3.8M in Previews
Avengers: Endgame Encore leads a crowded fall weekend with $3.8 million in Thursday night previews, setting up a rare four-way box office competition. Marvel’s limited re-release arrives carrying new footage bridging to Avengers: Doomsday, giving it a marketing hook rivals cannot match. A24’s Primetime earned $2.7 million in previews, while Paramount’s survival thriller Heart of the Beast tracks $16–20 million. Analysts project Encore will top the weekend at an estimated $25–28 million, confirming Disney’s playbook: theatrical re-releases no longer function as nostalgia events but as pre-campaign activations for tentpoles still months from opening.
Disney Turns Endgame Re-Release Into a Formal Doomsday Pre-Campaign
Disney is using the theatrical re-release of Avengers: Endgame Encore as the formal campaign launch for Avengers: Doomsday, opening December 18, 2026. The re-release carries new footage shot during Doomsday production — giving moviegoers their first theatrical look at Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as Victor Von Doom. The strategy embeds franchise marketing directly into the ticket purchase: audiences pay for a film they know and leave carrying anticipation for a sequel months away. Daily Doomsday promotional content began rolling out alongside the September 25 theatrical release.
Letterboxd Valued Above $300M as A24, the New York Times and Sony Enter Bidding War
Letterboxd, the film logging and discovery platform with 30 million members, has attracted second-round bids from A24, the New York Times, and Sony in an acquisition process valuing the platform above $300 million. Canadian private equity firm Tiny, which holds a 60 percent stake in the New Zealand-founded company, is the seller. The bids reflect how seriously major studios and media companies now view social film discovery as a strategic asset: Letterboxd sits at the center of how audiences discover and recommend films, making it a coveted acquisition target for distributors and publishers alike.
A24’s Primetime Opens With $2.7M Previews on a To Catch a Predator Premise
A24’s Primetime earned $2.7 million in Thursday night previews ahead of its September 26 opening. The crime thriller stars Robert Pattinson as a predator-hunter whose obsession spirals into something darker, with Merritt Wever and Phoebe Bridgers co-starring. The film draws on the premise of Chris Hansen’s To Catch a Predator franchise. A24’s campaign has leaned into the film’s true-crime internet-era subject matter, and the $2.7 million in previews suggests the marketing connected with its target audience. Primetime opens as the A24 label continues to expand its commercial reach beyond arthouse into genre territory.
Heart of the Beast: Can Brad Pitt and a Military Dog Save Paramount’s 2026?
Paramount is leaning on Brad Pitt and a retired military dog to salvage a difficult 2026 at the box office. Heart of the Beast, David Ayer’s survival thriller about Special Forces officer James Belmont and his K-9 partner Odin stranded in Alaska after a plane crash, opened September 25 with a projected $16–20 million weekend. The $82 million production needs strong word-of-mouth to turn a profit, with tracking suggesting the mid-budget adult drama formula — increasingly rare in major studio slates — still carries commercial legs when the right star is attached.
American Film Market Partners With AMC to Bring Subscribers to Market Screenings
The American Film Market is partnering with AMC Theatres’ A-List and B-List Movie Club subscription programs ahead of its November 10–15 event in Santa Monica. The initiative will allow AMC subscribers to attend select AFM screenings, blending the traditionally industry-only market with real audience access. For distributors and sales agents, it represents a live test-marketing opportunity — real audience reactions to unacquired titles before deals are signed. The model reflects how independent film markets are rethinking audience data as a sales tool rather than an afterthought in the acquisition and distribution process.
Rio Film Festival’s RioMarket Announces First-Ever TikTok Partnership
RioMarket, the industry section of the Rio International Film Festival, has announced its first-ever partnership with TikTok ahead of its October 1–11 run. The collaboration will give TikTok a presence at the Southern Hemisphere’s most prominent film market, opening new promotional channels for titles seeking Latin American and global distribution. As social platforms increasingly shape how films are discovered and marketed, the deal signals growing recognition that short-form video is no longer peripheral to independent film sales — it is becoming a primary audience-discovery and acquisition signal that smart distributors track before committing to buys.
Weekend Box Office Top 20 — September 19–21, 2026
| # | Title | Weekend | Cumulative | Theaters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resident Evil | $60,152,878 | $60,152,878 | 3,684 |
| 2 | Practical Magic 2 | $12,158,856 | $50,035,443 | 4,163 |
| 3 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | $6,415,159 | $944,417,445 | 3,017 |
| 4 | The Odyssey | $4,953,955 | $609,811,695 | 1,546 |
| 5 | Coyote vs. Acme | $4,410,418 | $54,714,484 | 3,035 |
| 6 | Daniel and the Fiery Furnace | $3,303,548 | $3,303,548 | 1,525 |
| 7 | The Transformers: The Movie | $3,103,922 | $4,156,531 | 1,454 |
| 8 | Runner | $3,007,648 | $11,814,476 | 2,472 |
| 9 | The Weight | $2,301,059 | $2,301,059 | 1,504 |
| 10 | Buddy | $1,951,447 | $24,855,411 | 1,543 |
| 11 | Insidious: Out of the Further | $1,852,614 | $63,757,218 | 1,740 |
| 12 | Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom | $1,841,234 | $1,841,234 | 2,183 |
| 13 | The Uprising | $1,203,765 | $5,789,545 | 2,068 |
| 14 | Hope | $1,000,224 | $7,290,322 | 1,400 |
| 15 | By Any Means | $701,249 | $15,288,995 | 1,265 |
| 16 | PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie | $685,016 | $52,467,338 | 827 |
| 17 | Ghost in the Shell | $486,025 | $1,302,773 | 850 |
| 18 | If I Go Will They Miss Me | $336,477 | $383,856 | 251 |
| 19 | The End of Oak Street | $323,652 | $54,012,346 | 461 |
| 20 | Tony | $223,108 | $15,199,103 | 236 |
Sources: The Numbers
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency