👋 Good morning! The popcorn wars continue. Over the weekend, Cinemark let moviegoers bring in any clean container from home and fill it with popcorn for a flat $5, no movie ticket required. Customers treated "any clean container" as a challenge rather than a rule: entries have included a wheelbarrow, a nightstand, a guitar case, a traffic cone, a pair of pants, and an urn. Somewhere a 17-year-old in a Cinemark polo will be bringing up the urn in therapy for years.
Welcome back from the long weekend. Three days off is about the right amount of time for the industry to build a backlog, so let's get into it. 👇
BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN
🎟️ Spider-Man clocked in on Labor Day…
Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in this week’s newcomer 'By Any Means' (Paramount)
| 4-DAY WKND TOTAL $117.1M| 3-DAY TOTAL: $90.4M | |
Spider-Man: Brand New Day WK 6 Sony/Marvel · $23.5M 4-day / $18M 3-day (-20%) domestic weekend · Domestic total: $923M · Global total: $2.4B · Budget: $225M Sixth weekend at No. 1, the longest run since 'Avatar: The Way of Water,' and the all-time domestic record is about $14M away. 'The Force Awakens,' the current record holder, has maybe a week left. | |
The Odyssey WK 8 Universal · $17.3M 4-day / $13M 3-day (-9%) domestic weekend · Domestic total: $584.8M · Global total: $1.62B · Budget: $250M Crossed $1B overseas last week, the first Hollywood non-sequel to do that since the original 'Avatar.' | |
Coyote vs. Acme WK 2 Ketchup Entertainment · $15.9M 4-day / $11.3M 3-day (-27%) domestic weekend · Domestic total: $33.8M · Global total: $45M · Budget: $70M The movie Warner Bros. shelved for a tax break had a better hold than most tentpoles manage. $50M domestic now looks doable. | |
By Any Means NEW Paramount · $9.3M 4-day / $7.4M 3-day domestic weekend · Budget: $30M · 🍅: 52% Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Wahlberg's civil rights-era crime thriller came in on the low end of expectations, drawing an older, mostly male crowd that gave it a B+ CinemaScore. | |
Insidious: Out of the Further WK 3 Sony/Blumhouse · $8.3M 4-day / $6.5M 3-day (-36%) domestic weekend · Domestic total: $54.1M · Global total: $137.6M · Budget: $18M | |
Cars: 20th Anniversary RE-RELEASE Disney/Pixar · $7.8M 4-day / $6.1M 3-day domestic weekend | |
Buddy WK 2 Roadside Attractions/Saban Films · $7.3M 4-day / $5.7M 3-day (+5%) domestic weekend · Domestic total: $15.8M Casper Kelly's evil-unicorn horror gained ground in weekend two (500 more screens, more money), and it's now out-earning 'The Dog Stars' day to day. Roadside hasn't had a hit like this in years. | |
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie WK 4 Paramount · $4.5M 4-day / $3.3M 3-day (-32%) domestic weekend · Domestic total: $48.5M · Global total: $130M · Budget: $40M | |
The End of Oak Street WK 4 Warner Bros. · $4M 4-day / $2.9M 3-day (-41%) domestic weekend · Domestic total: $50.6M · Global total: $114.4M · Budget: $80M | |
The Dog Stars WK 2 20th Century Studios · $3.5M 4-day / $2.7M 3-day (-66%) domestic weekend · Domestic total: $13.8M · Global total: $33.1M · Budget: $75M Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic drama fell off a cliff in weekend two. This one's a write-off for Disney. | |
| YTD Domestic Box Office▲ +20% | ||||
| ||||
| Source: RENTRAK |
CLOSEUP
🏆 That’s a wrap on the biggest summer ever…
Labor Day marks the unofficial end of Hollywood's summer, and this one closed the books at $4.76B domestic, an all-time record (not adjusted for inflation). That tops 2013's $4.75B, which stood for 13 years, and blows past the $4B milestone everyone was praying for this time last year (summer 2025 came in at $3.67B). It's also the first summer where all four months cleared $1B apiece. Some takeaways from the season:
Two movies carried it. 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' sits at $923M domestic, about $14M shy of 'The Force Awakens'' all-time record (likely falling this week). It and 'The Odyssey' alone made up roughly a third of the summer.
Universal and Sony won the studio race. Summer domestic grosses (vs. summer 2025): Universal $1.23B (+63%), Disney $1.03B (flat), Sony $1B (+459%, thanks Spidey), Lionsgate $270M (+296%). Then there's Warner Bros., which went from last year's 'Weapons' high to $239M, down 76%.
IP wasn't a free pass. 'Mandalorian & Grogu' (lowest Star Wars ever), 'Supergirl' ($72M on a $186M budget), and the live-action 'Moana' ($126M on $250M) all fizzled, while originals like 'Obsession' and 'Backrooms' cleaned up.
But the best news is attendance. Higher ticket prices have propped up a lot of the post-COVID numbers (an adult ticket now runs $13.46 on average), so a dollar record on its own doesn't say much. This one came with 322M admissions versus 275M last summer, and a lot of that was Gen Z and people who don't normally go to the movies ('Backrooms' skewed 55% under 25).
Looking ahead… A $10B year is within reach for the first time since 2019. The next tentpole-sized releases are 'Sunrise on the Reaping' in November, followed by 'Avengers: Doomsday' and 'Dune: Part Three' going head to head on December 18.
INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
The Impact Lounge Returns to NYC for Climate Week and UNGA
The Impact Lounge is returning to NYC September 22–23, 2026, during Climate Week NYC and the UN General Assembly. Find them at the iconic 230 Fifth Empire Penthouse in midtown.
Two days of storytelling, connection, and change, from climate and sustainability conversations to The New MANuscript, a day dedicated to healthy masculinity and the engagement of men and boys. Enjoy plenty of snacks and beverages throughout the day, and stick around for a closing networking hour each evening to keep the conversation going.
VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
🇮🇹 Venice hit its stride over the weekend…
Robert Pattinson at the 'Primetime' premiere in Venice. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
While most of America was figuring out how to grill a hot dog without burning it, Venice had itself a weekend. The biggest screenings, in short:
Robert Pattinson's 'Primetime' got the loudest reaction of the weekend. The A24 drama casts him as Chris Hansen in the 2006 heyday of 'To Catch a Predator,' and the premiere drew a nearly eight-minute ovation (crowds outside chanted his name). Critics called the performance "extraordinary" and "completely unhinged," and he's now squarely in the Best Actor conversation with Malkovich.
Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love' is the new Golden Lion favorite. Netflix fully financed it (his first film since 'Burning'), it follows two married couples from opposite ends of the class ladder, and pretty much every critic on the Lido loved it. Netflix puts it in theaters Oct. 23.
The Oasis doc ('Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger') got its own eight-minute ovation. Noel teared up, Liam reportedly mouthed "should we f*** off?" and then, in a first for the Gallaghers, stayed. It hits Disney+ later this year.
'Father Joe' turned out to be a gleefully violent Luc Besson production with Kiefer Sutherland as a gun-toting priest. Nobody's calling it good, exactly, but the ones who like it really like it.
Elsewhere: Paul Schrader's 'The Basics of Philosophy' came and went without much love, and Ellen Burstyn got her lifetime achievement Golden Lion.
Looking ahead… today brings Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem in Florian Zeller's 'Bunker,' Casey Affleck's 'Company,' and a four-hour Alex Gibney doc on Elon Musk. Pack a snack for that last one.
TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL
🏔️ Telluride has spoken…
Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, and Emma Stone at the World Premiere of ‘You Can See Everything’ on Sunday (Vivien Killilea/Getty Images)
Now trade your Venetian gondola for the ski-lift kind: Telluride wrapped last night, and after four days, 34 features, and one mystery screening nobody could guess, the Oscar race has some names on the board. Some standouts:
'The Debut' (A24): Jesse Eisenberg's community-theater musical comedy got mid-movie applause and instant Best Picture chatter. Julianne Moore looks like an early Best Actress contender, and Paul Giamatti could be a supporting play.
'Elsinore' (Focus): Reviews for the film are split (IndieWire gave it a C), but everyone agrees Andrew Scott is great in it.
'Wild Horse Nine' (Searchlight): The Venice goodwill followed this one across the Atlantic. John Malkovich got a career tribute on top of the reviews, and some early pundits already have him a hair ahead of Scott for Best Actor.
'Ink' (Netflix): Same story. Danny Boyle's Murdoch drama held its momentum, with Guy Pearce and Jack O'Connell both in the awards conversation.
'Fjord' (Neon) and Mike Leigh's 'Tender Loving Care' (Bleecker Street) played warmly, just quieter.
About that mystery screening: Telluride listed one Sunday film as "TBA," and people spent the weekend guessing, mostly wrong. It turned out to be 'You Can See Everything,' Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's 174-minute Elizabeth Holmes documentary. Phones were confiscated at the door, press got notebooks, Emma Stone ran the Q&A, and the room walked out dazed. A24 has it for October, and Variety is already floating it as the first doc ever nominated for Best Picture.
Looking ahead… most of the above heads to TIFF, which opens Thursday.
ICYMI
⚡️ Quick hits…
(Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
🏆 The Creative Arts Emmys wrapped this weekend ahead of this Monday's main ceremony. Some highlights: Bad Bunny's halftime show won seven and 'Widow's Bay' took eight. Colbert's final 'Late Show' week scored five, 'DTF St. Louis' won six, and Rob Reiner won posthumously for 'The Bear.' Full list of winners here. 👈👀
🕸️ Prime Video's canceling 'Spider-Noir' after one season, despite Nicolas Cage's 1930s Spidey drama pulling 11 Emmy noms (Prime's most this year) and a 92% RT score. Solid but not huge viewership plus a pricey production (every episode was released in both color and black-and-white) likely did it in.
🇫🇷 France and Korea just went halfsies on a $1.16B screen fund. Unveiled Monday at the Lumière Summit, it'll invest in companies that can compete internationally, starting in 2027. Other countries can join, the idea being to build studios abroad that don't depend on Hollywood money.
🤖 Danny Boyle used AI for about 30 seconds of 'Ink,' animating old photos and generating mice that scurry around 'The Sun' newsroom (he's been animal-free since PETA scolded him for the real chimps in '28 Days Later') . His take: AI's a useful tool, like any VFX, provided you use it respectfully and pay any actors you replace.
LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️
Halle Berry and Zoë Kravitz are teaming up for the rom-com 'Otherwise Engaged,' with Colin Firth and Jack Whitehall rounding out the cast. (more)
'The Inbetweeners' is back: Netflix has greenlit a third movie with the original cast and creators, and cameras are already rolling in the U.K. (more)
Angel has acquired worldwide rights to Michael Keaton and Morgan Freeman’s Western 'Rode to Ruin,' launching its new international sales arm. (more)
TV Development 📺
INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
100 Genius Side Hustle Ideas
Don't wait. Sign up for The Hustle to unlock our side hustle database. Unlike generic "start a blog" advice, we've curated 100 actual business ideas with real earning potential, startup costs, and time requirements. Join 1.5M professionals getting smarter about business daily and launch your next money-making venture.
VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers
MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest viral moments
And just like that, you’re caught up. Enjoy the short week. We’ll be back in your inbox Friday morning.
-The Dailies Team
P.S. If someone forwarded you this, they clearly like you. Subscribe below and cut out the middleman. (Sorry, middleman.)