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- š¬ That's Summer
š¬ That's Summer
Holiday box office numbers, festival updates, Gen Alpha's theater preference, and MORE!

š Good morning! This past weekend, Lionsgate swapped out seats with treadmills in a Culver City theater for a screening of 'The Long Walk.' The rules were simple: keep pace at 3 mph or get escorted out of the theater. The stunt is a nod to the Stephen King adaptation's plot, where teens must maintain their walking pace or face elimination.
Welcome to The Dailies. A bit of a different schedule for this shortened week: we're easing you back into the workweek with holiday box office numbers, then we'll return to your inbox on Friday as usual. Consider this your post-barbecue briefing on what Hollywood was up to while you were (hopefully) unplugged.
BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN
šļø āWeaponsā reclaims the crownā¦

Austin Butler in āCaught Stealingā
šŖ Weapons: (Wk 4) $10.2M 3-day (-34%) / $12.4M 4-day, $134.6M domestic total, $234.6M global. Zach Cregger's horror hit took back the throne after a one-week hiatus.
š¦ Jaws (50th Anniversary): $8.1M 3-day / $9.8M 4-day opening ($283.4M lifetime domestic, $491M lifetime global).
šāāļø Caught Stealing: š $7.8M 3-day / $9.5M 4-day opening, $15M global debut. Darren Aronofsky's punk-rock crime movie with Austin Butler opened with a B CinemaScore despite solid reviews (84% RT).
š± Freakier Friday: (Wk 4) $6.5M 3-day (-27%) / $8.3M 4-day, $82.2M domestic total, $132.6M global.
š The Roses: š $6.4M 3-day / $8M 4-day opening, $17.2M global debut. Searchlight's Benedict Cumberbatch/Olivia Colman remake of āWar of the Rosesā met expectations and earned a B+ CinemaScore.
𦸠Fantastic Four: First Steps: (Wk 6) $4.8M 3-day (-20%) / $6M 4-day, $265.8M domestic total, $506.6M global.
šŗ The Bad Guys 2: (Wk 5) $4.7M 3-day (-7%) / $6.35M 4-day, $74.7M domestic total, $178M global.
š¦øāāļø Superman: (Wk 8) $2.6M 3-day (-24%) / $3.3M 4-day, $351.7M domestic total, $611.5M global.
š« Nobody 2: (Wk 3) $1.8M 3-day (-51%) / $2.3M 4-day, $20.5M domestic total, $36.2M global.
š« The Naked Gun: (Wk 5) $1.8M 3-day (-40%) / $2.25M 4-day, $51.2M domestic total, $95.7M global.
Total box office: Labor Day weekend closed with just $63.6M for the 3-day and $83M for the 4-day, down 25% from last year's holiday frame.
CLOSEUP
ā±ļø Aaaand, thatās a wrap on summerā¦

Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of Hollywood's summer season, and this year it ended on a particularly lackluster note. Universal's 50-year-old 'Jaws' re-release beat several new releases for second place at the box office.
The summer didn't deliver as hoped. May started strong (up 76% versus May 2024, thanks to 'Lilo & Stitch' and 'Mission: Impossible'), but lost momentum from there. Despite collective industry pressure to hit the $4B milestone, summer 2025 tallied just $3.67B domestically. Some numbers:
Summer 2025 was essentially flat with summer 2024's $3.68B
Down 10% from 2023's āBarbenheimerā-fueled $4.09B season
The $4B milestone (which was the norm from 2012-2019) has only been hit once (2023) in the past 5 years
YTD box office through August sits at $5.88B (up 5% year-over-year)
Good news: Attendance actually increased by 1M to 275M admissions versus last summer, and Warner Bros. saw a five-fold surge from summer 2024 with smart bets on originals like 'Weapons.' Plus, box office earnings were more evenly distributed: 11 films hit $100M (up from 9 last year), instead of a lopsided season where āInside Out 2ā and āDeadpool & Wolverineā alone made up 35% of the season.
š The international box office problem is concerningā¦
International box office revenue dropped significantly this summer. Pre-pandemic, overseas markets routinely delivered 60-70% of blockbuster grosses. Now that ratio has flipped, with the biggest summer releases earning 50-70% domestically. 'Superman,' 'Weapons,' 'Fantastic Four,' and others all skewed heavily domestic, and only 3 of 2025's top 10 films have earned 60%+ overseas, compared to 8 in 2019.
Why the shift? Local content is dominating in international markets where American films once ruled. China announced earlier this year it plans on "moderately reducing" U.S. releases, and superhero fatigue has gone global. If this trend continues, it could fundamentally undermine the economics of $200M+ productions.
Looking ahead⦠Warner Bros. just moved 'Mortal Kombat II' from October to May 2026 after strong test screeningsāgood for the film, tough for fall exhibitors who were counting on its projected $300M global haul. Still, the rest of 2025 has potential bright spots with 'The Conjuring: Last Rites,' 'Wicked: For Good,' 'Zootopia 2,' and 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' all positioned to deliver.
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CLOSEUP
šæ Theaters may have a bright future with Gen Alphaā¦

Surprising finding: Gen Alpha (kids 12 and under who've never known life without iPads) actually prefer movie theaters to streaming. A new NRG study (defining Gen Alpha as those born 2013 and later) shows 59% prefer the big screen experience over their couch, compared to just 45% of Millennials.
This goes against years of industry doom-saying about theaters becoming obsolete. While Hollywood's been scrambling to "meet kids on their devices," Gen Alpha sees theaters as an escape from their screen-saturated livesāa chance to disconnect and hang with friends IRL. Some key findings from the survey:
55% of Gen Alpha prefers going with large friend groups (vs. 31% of Millennials)
Over 60% want to see new movies on opening weekend, and 44% prefer busy theaters
68% say spending time with friends/family is a major reason for going to movies
54% are interested in 3D/VR experiences in theaters
The NRG study notes:
"Unlike Millennials and older Gen Z-ers, who can still remember a time when watching movies at home meant going through the hassle of buying or renting a DVD or VHS tape, Gen Alpha is growing up in a world where on-demand is the default. For them, there's little novelty or excitement to be found in an at-home movie night. By extension, that makes the experience of physically leaving the house and going to watch a movie in theaters feel all the more special."
Netflix gets it: They just put āKPop Demon Huntersā in theaters for a sing-along event that grossed $20M in two days while becoming their most-watched film ever. They're also launching Netflix House physical experiences, recognizing that streaming properties need real-world touchpoints to become cultural phenomena.
The franchise shift: The study found that Gen Alpha's top franchises are Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortniteāsocial gaming platforms that emphasize community and hands-on creation. The study predicts successful Gen Alpha films will be rooted in this digitally native IP, not Hollywood's usual properties.
The bottom line: This generation wants shared experiences worth leaving home for. If Hollywood delivers communal moments rather than just content, theaters could thrive with these young audiences.
ICYMI
š½ļø Festival quick hitsā¦

'Frankenstein' team at Venice (Credit: Primo Barol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
š®š¹ Venice continuesā¦
Guillermo del Toro finally unveiled his long-gestating āFrankenstein,ā and the Lido crowd responded with a 13-minute standing ovation.
Julia Roberts made her Venice debut in Luca Guadagninoās āAfter the Hunt,ā which scored a six-minute ovation but split critics.
Jim Jarmusch arrived with āFather Mother Sister Brotherā and an A-list cast, earning a warm five-minute reception for his intimate triptych.
Amanda Seyfried led Mona Fastvoldās āThe Testament of Ann Lee,ā presented in competition with calls for more films about female icons.
And yes, The Rock got seriousāDwayne Johnsonās āThe Smashing Machineā scored a 15 minute standing ovation, with critics praising his revelatory turn in Benny Safdieās MMA biopic.
š Telluride took place over the weekendā¦
ChloĆ© Zhaoās āHamnetā quickly became a fest highlight, with Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley drawing early awards chatter.
Jeremy Allen White impressed as Springsteen in Scott Cooper's 'Deliver Me From Nowhere,' though the film itself drew mixed reviews.
Colin Farrell reunited with director Edward Berger for 'Ballad of a Small Player,' and Farrell's portrayal of a gambler has sparked early Oscar buzz.
LAST LOOKS
Film Development šļø
Channing Tatum, Oscar Isaac and Zazie Beetz will star in crime drama āKockroach,ā a hot package at the TIFF market. (more)
Disney has scrapped Questloveās planned live-action remake of āThe Aristocats.ā (more)
Werner Herzogās Venice doc āGhost Elephantsā has been acquired by National Geographic and will stream on Disney+ and Hulu. (more)
Amazon MGM has picked up Morgan Nevilleās Paul McCartney doc, āMan on the Run,ā premiering at Telluride before hitting Prime Video. (more)
TV Development šŗ
Amazon MGM has cast Gavin Casalegno, Nico Hiraga, Tommi Rose, and Tayme Thapthimthong in Jeff Wadlowās thriller āThe Devilās Mouth.ā (more)
Warwick Davis will reprise his role as Professor Flitwick in HBOās upcoming āHarry Potterā TV series debuting in 2027. (more)
Jessica Alba is producing Foxās mystery drama āWine & Spirits,ā inspired by psychic medium Jennifer Shaffer. (more)
Prime Video has canceled YA drama āMotorheadsā after S1, though producers are shopping it to new outlets. (more)
Prime Video has ordered Ryan Swansonās animated faith-based series āThe Chosen Adventures,ā debuting Oct. 17. (more)
Business š¤
Disney EVPs Randi Hiller (Casting) and Sam Dickerman (Production) will exit the studio in early 2026. (more)
CALL SHEET
š
The week ahead
THURSDAY: Toronto International Film Festival begins šØš¦
SATURDAY: Venice wraps up š®š¹
SATURDAY & SUNDAY: Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies take place šŗ
INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Film in Conversation Series at TIFFā¦
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VIDEO VILLAGE
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See you bright and early on Wednesday!
-The Dailies Team
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