This is your weekly digest for recent film industry news that caught my attention for the week of 07.20.2026.
This Past Weekend In New Movies
The biggest new release of this past weekend, and arguably the biggest release of the entire year, The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s latest masterpiece, ended the last few weeks of box office struggles for major titles as it premiered to more than $250 million worldwide. It has already made back its production budget and is on track to challenge for the billion dollar mark depending on its legs. The film has been met with raves from critics, earning a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 89 on Metacritic. Audiences are giving it some of the strongest scores I’ve seen from them since Project Hail Mary earlier this year, with a 97% on the Popcornmeter, a 4.3 on Letterboxd, an 8.4 on IMDb, and the rare A CinemaScore. You can read my enthusiastic S-Tier review for the film, which has catapulted it into the position of the movie to beat for my favorite of the year.
I will also give a shout-out to They Fight, a straight-to-Disney+-and-Hulu release that quietly arrived as counterprogramming for those who decided to stay in rather than make the trek to see The Odyssey. The film, based on the real-life story of a former convict who became a kids boxing instructor, has been met with negative reviews from critics, earning a 42% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 46 on Metacritic. Audiences have been similarly underwhelmed, with the film posting a lowly 5.5 on IMDb and failing to gain much traction on other major movie-logging sites. I can understand the cold reception, as the movie often plays like a bland and forgettable cheap made-for-TV “Movie of the Week” entry. Still, Andre Holland gives it everything he has in his lead role, and I found myself invested enough in its redemption story that I barely landed on the positive side of the ledger, even if only barely.
This Next Weekend In New Movies
All of the major studios wanted to steer clear of what are likely to be The Odyssey‘s strong legs, so I would argue the biggest release of next weekend will actually be Netflix’s 72 Hours, a Kevin Hart comedy about a middle-aged man who accidentally finds himself invited to a bachelor party being thrown by a group of much younger guys.
Apple TV+ will be doing some counterprogramming of its own with The Dink, a comedy about a washed-up tennis player who turns to pickleball in an effort to save a country club. It boasts a pretty impressive ensemble of recognizable names, and I’ll be interested to see whether this or the aforementioned 72 Hours ends up earning the stronger reactions from critics and audiences.
The only major theatrical release of note will be Neon’s Her Private Hell, an eerie near-future thriller about a young woman and man who find themselves struggling to survive after a mysterious mist engulfs their city. The film screened at Cannes and was met with some rough reviews, so I’ll be fascinated to see whether it plays better now that it’s making its way into theaters and reaching a wider audience.
Recent Film Industry News That Caught My Attention
The Paramount and Warner Brothers merger hit a potential detour this past week as it ran into a number of legal hurdles. First, a coalition of states has come together to sue in an effort to block the merger. Second, a group of shareholders is also suing, arguing that the deal could damage the theatrical model that helps finance the massive investments Warner Brothers makes in its projects. Third, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has been accused of accepting gifts from Paramount to help push the merger through. That’s not exactly shocking when you consider the politics surrounding the deal and the Ellisons’ ties to Trump. Personally, I think all of this is probably just delaying the inevitable, but I would be more than happy to see events conspire to block this horrid deal altogether.
Danny Boyle’s Ink, which will explore the rise of the Murdoch empire and which I could have sworn was going to be pushed to next year, was announced as the opening film for the Venice Film Festival. Venice openers have frequently gone on to become legitimate awards contenders, so it’s a development that makes me want to put the film back on my Best Picture board after taking it off in my previous projections. To add to that, Netflix picked it up, and with The Black Ball already looking like a major awards contender for them, I do wonder what their strategy for Ink will be if it breaks out in a big way at the festival.
Speaking of festival openers, NYFF announced that Neon’s Paper Tiger, which was met with good but not great reviews out of Cannes, will open this year’s festival. NYFF openers tend to have a pretty strong track record when it comes to awards season, and with Neon already having Fjord and All Of A Sudden looking like major Best Picture plays, it’s a fascinating choice that makes me wonder if we’re underrating this movie’s chances of becoming a significant player in the race.
We had another major loss in the industry as Brenda Fricker passed away at the age of 81. She’ll probably be best known to most people for playing the Pigeon Lady in the Christmas classic Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, which, incidentally, was the first movie I ever watched while on a cruise! Of course, she also won a supporting Oscar for her performance in My Left Foot during the 1989 awards season. Beyond those roles, she appeared in a number of other films I grew up with, often in smaller but memorable parts. It’s sad news, but I’m glad she got to live a long life, and her work will continue to be treasured for generations to come.
I didn’t get a chance to write about the passing of Sam Neill in last week’s digest, as the news literally broke just as the article was being published. If you missed my thoughts on his passing, you can check out last week’s podcast episode where I discussed his career and legacy in more detail.
What Else Is On My Mind
The FIFA World Cup Final was held yesterday, and Spain outlasted the defending champion Argentina to claim the trophy. Meanwhile, England defeated France to secure third place, which honestly would have been the finals matchup that grabbed my attention more given the centuries of geopolitical rivalry between those two nations. Once again, I’m not going to pretend to be a soccer guy, but as an observer looking in from the outside, it’s quite the spectacle, and I can absolutely see why the World Cup is essentially the Super Bowl for much of the rest of the world. Anyhow, now we can turn our attention to the second half of the Major League Baseball season…
