🎬 That's Summer

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👋 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
🎟️ ‘Weapons’ reclaims the crown…

1. 🔪 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.

2. 🦈 Jaws (50th Anniversary): $8.1M 3-day / $9.8M 4-day opening ($283.4M lifetime domestic, $491M lifetime global).

3. 🏃‍♂️ Caught Stealing: 🆕 $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).

4. 😱 Freakier Friday: (Wk 4) $6.5M 3-day (-27%) / $8.3M 4-day, $82.2M domestic total, $132.6M global.

5. 💔 The Roses: 🆕 $6.4M 3-day / $8M 4-day opening, $17.2M global debut. Searchlight's Benedict Cumberbatch/Olivia Colman remake of ‘War of the Roses’ met expectations and earned a B+ CinemaScore.

6. 🦸 Fantastic Four: First Steps: (Wk 6) $4.8M 3-day (-20%) / $6M 4-day, $265.8M domestic total, $506.6M global.

7. 🐺 The Bad Guys 2: (Wk 5) $4.7M 3-day (-7%) / $6.35M 4-day, $74.7M domestic total, $178M global.

8. 🦸‍♂️ Superman: (Wk 8) $2.6M 3-day (-24%) / $3.3M 4-day, $351.7M domestic total, $611.5M global.

9. 🔫 Nobody 2: (Wk 3) $1.8M 3-day (-51%) / $2.3M 4-day, $20.5M domestic total, $36.2M global.

10. 🔫 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
⛱️ Aaaand, that’s a wrap on summer…

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 ‘Barbenheimer’-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 ‘Inside Out 2’ and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ alone made up 35% of the season.

📉 The international box office problem is concerning…

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 screenings—good 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
🍿 Theaters may have a bright future with Gen Alpha…

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 lives—a 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:

Netflix gets it: They just put ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ 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 Fortnite—social 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
📽️ Festival quick hits…

🇮🇹 Venice continues…

• Guillermo del Toro finally unveiled his long-gestating ‘Frankenstein,’ and the Lido crowd responded with a 13-minute standing ovation.

• Julia Roberts made her Venice debut in Luca Guadagnino’s ‘After the Hunt,’ which scored a six-minute ovation but split critics.

• Jim Jarmusch arrived with ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ and an A-list cast, earning a warm five-minute reception for his intimate triptych.

• Amanda Seyfried led Mona Fastvold’s ‘The Testament of Ann Lee,’ presented in competition with calls for more films about female icons.

• And yes, The Rock got serious—Dwayne Johnson’s ‘The Smashing Machine’ scored a 15 minute standing ovation, with critics praising his revelatory turn in Benny Safdie’s MMA biopic.

🌄 Telluride took place over the weekend…

• Chloé Zhao’s ‘Hamnet’ 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 🗒️

• Channing Tatum, Oscar Isaac and Zazie Beetz will star in crime drama ‘Kockroach,’ a hot package at the TIFF market. (more)

• Disney has scrapped Questlove’s planned live-action remake of ‘The Aristocats.’ (more)

• Werner Herzog’s Venice doc ‘Ghost Elephants’ has been acquired by National Geographic and will stream on Disney+ and Hulu. (more)

• Amazon MGM has picked up Morgan Neville’s Paul McCartney doc, ‘Man on the Run,’ premiering at Telluride before hitting Prime Video. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Amazon MGM has cast Gavin Casalegno, Nico Hiraga, Tommi Rose, and Tayme Thapthimthong in Jeff Wadlow’s thriller ‘The Devil’s Mouth.’ (more)

• Warwick Davis will reprise his role as Professor Flitwick in HBO’s upcoming ‘Harry Potter’ TV series debuting in 2027. (more)

• Jessica Alba is producing Fox’s mystery drama ‘Wine & Spirits,’ inspired by psychic medium Jennifer Shaffer. (more)

• Prime Video has canceled YA drama ‘Motorheads’ after S1, though producers are shopping it to new outlets. (more)

• Prime Video has ordered Ryan Swanson’s animated faith-based series ‘The Chosen Adventures,’ debuting Oct. 17. (more)

Business 🤝

• Disney EVPs Randi Hiller (Casting) and Sam Dickerman (Production) will exit the studio in early 2026. (more)

CALL SHEET
📅 The week ahead

• THURSDAY: Toronto International Film Festival begins 🇨🇦

• SATURDAY: Venice wraps up 🇮🇹

• SATURDAY & SUNDAY: Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies take place 📺

INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Film in Conversation Series at TIFF…

The Dailies is partnering with Party Science Co. to throw down at TIFF this Friday, Sept 5th for an invite-only day of smart panels, great people, and good drinks at Oretta King West.

From 11:30am-5pm, over 500 vetted guests across film, TV, and digital will flow through the space for exclusive programming and premium networking. Highlights include a screening of ‘Holy Days’ (starring Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver), exclusive panels from Winston Baker (behind conversations with Ari Aster and will.i.am), and other curated sessions throughout the day.

Networking is co-hosted by Echobend, the LA-based creative powerhouse and indie studio that's redefining collaboration and community across every format.

Space is limited → RSVP HERE | Want to sponsor?

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