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🎬 Agencies Are Circling
Agencies circle AI actress, Leo does TikTok, WB hits $4B milestone, and MORE!
👋 Good morning! Cinematic pilgrimages were in full force this weekend. Some cinephiles went to absurd lengths to catch Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another' in 70mm IMAX, with one devoted soul logging 500 miles and a flight just to experience PTA's latest the way it was meant to be seen. Looks like format tourism is back, where the projection specs matter more than your travel expenses.
Hope you had a fantastic weekend. Monday means fresh box office numbers and weekend industry news to unpack. Grab something caffeinated and we’ll get you caught up. 👇
BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN
🎟️ Another weekend, another WB #1…
Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘One Battle After Another’
🧨 One Battle After Another: 🆕 $22.4M domestic opening, $48.5M global debut on $130M budget. Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio's action epic takes #1, with premium formats (IMAX, 70mm) driving a massive 51% of domestic ticket sales.
🐱 Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie: 🆕 $13.7M domestic opening, $19.4M global debut on $32M budget. Universal/DreamWorks' animated kids’ movie opened softer than expected despite an A+ CinemaScore, landing about half of what tracking suggested.
👹 Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle: (Wk 3) $7.1M domestic weekend (-59%), $118.2M domestic total, $602.8M global on $20M budget. Sony's anime juggernaut continues breaking records as the highest-grossing anime ever in North America.
👻 The Conjuring: Last Rites: (Wk 4) $6.9M domestic weekend (-44%), $161.5M domestic total, $435M global on $55M budget.
🔪 The Strangers: Chapter 2: 🆕 $5.9M domestic opening on $8.5M budget. Lionsgate's middle chapter opened to half of what Chapter 1 managed last year, with a dismal C- CinemaScore. Doesn’t look like audiences are connecting with this trilogy.
🏈 Him: (Wk 2) $3.7M domestic weekend (-72%), $21M domestic total, $22M global on $27M budget. Universal's thriller takes a big plunge after its C- CinemaScore caught up with it.
🚶 The Long Walk: (Wk 3) $3.4M domestic weekend (-45%), $28.8M domestic total, $34.7M global on $20M budget.
🎩 Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale: (Wk 3) $3.3M domestic weekend (-48%), $39M domestic total, $77M global on $50M budget.
💔 A Big Bold Beautiful Journey: (Wk 2) $1.3M domestic weekend (-62%), $5.9M domestic total, $14M global on $45M budget. Sony's big-budget misfire continues its not-so-beautiful journey toward massive red ink.
🕷️ Spider-Man 2: (Fathom Re-release) $1.1M domestic weekend. Fathom's three-day event brought Tobey's web-slinger back to theaters, one Spidey film per day.
The bigger picture: Hollywood pulled in $76M this weekend, down 18% from the same weekend last year when 'The Wild Robot' opened to nearly $36M. Warner Bros keeps their hot streak alive with their 8th straight $20M+ opener, though 'One Battle After Another' needs serious legs to justify that $130M budget. WB is the first studio to cross $4B globally for 2025. Next weekend brings Taylor Swift back to theaters with 'The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,' a special event for her new album that should give exhibitors a nice boost before 'Tron: Ares' arrives October 10.
Worth noting: For the first time in over a decade, not a single superhero movie sits in the year's top 5 highest-grossing domestic films. In fact, 'Demon Slayer' alone has out-earned every Marvel release this year, and it's closing in on 'Superman.' Audiences are clearly ready for something different after years of Marvel and DC dominance.
CLOSEUP
🤖 Agencies are circling the first AI actress…
AI actress Tilly Norwood (Source: Xicoia)
Hollywood agencies are reportedly circling an AI-generated actress named Tilly Norwood, according to a weekend panel at the Zurich Summit. Eline Van der Velden, an actor-turned-tech entrepreneur whose company Xicoia created the digital performer, says multiple agencies want to represent Norwood with a signing announcement coming in the next few months.
The pitch gets bigger: Xicoia plans to scale to 40+ AI personas, work with stars wanting to appear as younger versions of themselves, and collaborate with estates to resurrect deceased performers. Van der Velden stated they want Norwood to be "the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman."
Backlash from actors was swift:
Melissa Barrera, Lukas Gage, Kiersey Clemons, and Nicholas Alexander Chavez were among those speaking out, with some suggesting boycotts of agencies that sign AI talent
Mara Wilson pointed out that Norwood was created from "hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together"
Van der Velden responded on Instagram, insisting Norwood is "a creative work—a piece of art" comparable to animation or CGI, not a replacement for human actors
The quiet shift: During the same panel, Van der Velden revealed that studios' attitudes toward AI have dramatically changed this year, from dismissing it as "nothing" in February to desperately wanting partnerships by May. Verena Puhm, who heads Luma AI's Studio Dream Lab LA, confirmed this shift, noting studios are "secretly working on projects" while publicly staying quiet.
Looking ahead… Whether any agency actually signs Norwood remains to be seen. Plenty of buzzy AI announcements have fizzled before. But with major contract negotiations between actors and studios coming up next year, expect AI protections to be front and center once again, especially if digital performers start landing real representation.
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WIDESHOT
🤳 Even A-listers are joining the TikTok brigade…
Leonardo DiCaprio is making TikToks. Let that sink in. If even Leo—Oscar winner, Scorsese muse, yacht enthusiast—has to create content for 'One Battle After Another,' the old junket playbook is officially dead.
The full promotional surrender: DiCaprio's been making Instagram Reels/TikToks with his Gen Z co-star Chase Infiniti, who's essentially become the cast's social media coordinator, leading Leo, PTA, and Benicio del Toro through trending audios and viral formats. There's footage of Anderson himself directing one of these bits. Imagine that: the auteur behind 'There Will Be Blood' literally coaching his stars through TikTok content. Leo's also been doing the podcast circuit, earnestly discussing his craft with the Kelce brothers, and his likeness has even landed in Fortnite, where players can buy a DiCaprio skin right alongside Sabrina Carpenter's.
The bigger picture: PTA films aren't exactly Gen Z magnets; his audiences typically skew older and arthouse. Yet here's Leo doing Fortnite activations and TikTok trends aimed at viewers who might not even know 'Magnolia' exists. This isn't targeted marketing; it's simply the new baseline. Every major release, regardless of its audience, now requires a TikTok strategy. The traditional press tour (late-night couches, magazine covers) is losing relevance as those platforms hemorrhage viewers.
Looking ahead… Expect this to be the new normal. The algorithm doesn't care about your Oscar count (even if you waited 20 years for it like Leo). Everyone's playing the same game now.
LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️
TV Development 📺
Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford have been promoted to series regulars for S4 of Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat.’ (more)
Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (more)
Luke Wilson will reunite with Will Ferrell in Netflix’s upcoming golf comedy series, playing a pro rival to Ferrell’s fictional golf legend. (more)
Amazon is adapting Lucy Score’s bestseller ‘Things We Never Got Over’ for TV, with Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder set as showrunners. (more)
‘Haunted Hotel’ is renewed for S2 at Netflix. (more)
Netflix is holding a three-way competition between Studio Lambert, Wheelhouse, and Endemol Shine to produce its upcoming game show adaptation of ‘Monopoly.’ (more)
Business 🤝
Pam Kaufman, Paramount’s international chief, will exit the company following the Skydance takeover. (more)
NBCU’s ‘Access Hollywood’ has been hit with layoffs following the cancellation of ‘E! News’’ linear show, impacting longtime staffers. (more)
Chris Rice will exit as Fifth Season co-CEO, with Graham Taylor becoming sole CEO as Rice shifts to a producing deal. (more)
Other News 🚨
Jimmy Kimmel Live! will now air nationwide again as Nexstar and Sinclair dropped their boycott of the late-night show. (more)
INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
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VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers
MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest viral moments
That’s all we’ve got for you today. If you're reading this email because a friend forwarded it, make it official and sign up below! 📧👇
See you back here on Wednesday!
-The Dailies Team
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2 Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See Terms and Conditions. Round Ups provided by Cash App. *To earn the highest interest rate on your Cash App savings balance, you need to be 18 or older, have a Cash App Card, and direct deposit at least $300 monthly into Cash App. Cash App will pass through a portion of the interest paid on your savings balance held in an account for the benefit of Cash App customers at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. Savings yield rate is subject to change.
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