This is your weekly digest for recent film industry news that caught my attention for the week of 08.04.2026.
This Past Weekend In New Movies
The biggest film of the past weekend was undoubtedly Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which dropped an absolute nuke at the box office by delivering the biggest opening weekend in history, grossing nearly a billion dollars worldwide in just a few days. It surpassed the previous record set by Avengers: Endgame. Alongside The Odyssey (which posted an impressive sub-50% hold), the two films teamed up to deliver the biggest box office weekend of all time. Take that, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, whose comments about movie theaters being outdated literally came this very week last year; talk about a cold take.
Brand New Day was a hit with both critics and, especially, audiences. Among critics, it earned a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 66 on Metacritic. Among audiences, it posted a whopping 98% on the Popcornmeter, a 4.1 on Letterboxd, an 8.2 on IMDb, and an A CinemaScore. With word of mouth like that, the film should have plenty of legs as it chases the two billion dollarl mark. You can read my own B+ review of the film.
The biggest piece of counterprogramming this past weekend was Black Bear’s I Want Your Sex, the sex-comedy thriller directed by indie queer icon Gregg Araki and starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman. The film was met with strong critical reviews but lukewarm audience reactions. With critics, It earned an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 68 on Metacritic. Among audiences though, it posted a mediocre 61% on the Popcornmeter, a decent 3.4 on Letterboxd, and a middling 6.3 on IMDb. I found this to be an okay-enough little comedy, though I’m nowhere near as high on it as critics are, so I lean closer to where audiences landed.
Prolific Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who is typically associated with horror films, had a new movie begin a slow rollout this past weekend through Janus Films titled The Samurai And The Prisoner. It’s a departure for him, exploring a samurai story that blends thriller and mystery elements. Janus was kind enough to provide me with a screener link, and with the film expanding wider next weekend, I wrote up a review that will be available on my Substack first thing Wednesday morning. Spoiler alert, I really liked it. Critics have been significantly higher on this one than audiences so far. Among critics, it holds a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 81 on Metacritic. Among audiences, however, it has just a 3.4 on Letterboxd and a 6.8 on IMDb.
The M3GAN spinoff that Blumhouse almost wiped from memory after M3GAN 2.0 flopped at the box office and killed their plans to transform the series from a horror franchise into something more darkly comedic, Soulm8te finally arrived on digital after Blumhouse opted to dump it when they apparently couldn’t find a buyer. The movie was met with negative audience reviews, while critics were so unprepared for the sudden release that there still isn’t a meaningful sample size from major review aggregators. It currently sits at a 2.7 on Letterboxd and a 5.8 on IMDb. I watched this right before starting work on this digest, and while I didn’t find it nearly as atrocious as some others seem to have, I certainly didn’t like it either.
And finally, Amazon’s straight-to-streaming release The Devil’s Mouth was met with terrible reactions from both critics and audiences. Among critics, it earned a 35% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 46 on Metacritic. Among audiences, it has a pathetic 17% on the Popcornmeter, a horrendous 1.9 on Letterboxd, and a pathetic 4.7 on IMDb. I wouldn’t call it atrocious in the way some of those scores suggest, but I did find it equal parts boring and frustrating, largely because of how stupidly the characters are written.
This Next Weekend In New Movies
Next weekend will see a slew of new films released as studios try to play catch-up after weeks of trying to avoid the juggernauts that have been The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The biggest release of the weekend will be One Night Only, a bizarre rom-com starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro set in a world where single people are only allowed to have sex once per year. I was actually invited to a press screening for this (once again, shout-out to Universal for never forgetting we Tampa critics exist), but I had to skip it for home-life reasons. As a result, I’ll be catching this one on Thursday afternoon, with a written review coming first thing Friday morning.
Searchlight Pictures, meanwhile, will be releasing Super Troopers 3, the follow-up to the 2001 cult comedy classic and its less popular 2018 sequel. This feels a bit like when we got that third My Big Fat Greek Wedding movie after the sequel for that one saw a noticeable drop-off in reception, but we’ll see. I’m expecting something roughly on par with the previous film. I’m not aware of any screenings for this one outside of major cities, so I’ll be catching it as soon as I get the chance at my local theatre or at home.
A24 will begin a slow rollout of Tony, starring Dominic Sessa, Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, and Stavros Halkias. The film examines a period in the younger life of famed cook and writer Anthony Bourdain and happens to be directed by Matt Johnson, who among other things helmed 2023’s great biopic BlackBerry. The film has already been seen by plenty of critics and has been met with strong reviews, but as always A24 didn’t bother with us Tampa critics, so I’ll be catching this whenever it finally reaches my market. This remains a long-shot awards contender, so it’ll be worth keeping an eye on how it performs at the box office.
The third film from director Jane Schoenbrun, Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma, which premiered at Cannes to good reviews and has posted solid early audience scores, will begin its rollout from Neon next weekend. I know a lot of people who are excited for this one, as Schoenbrun’s films have found a huge following among higher-brow critics and the queer community. I’ve said this before, but I’m personally 0-for-2 with their work. I really hope this is the one that finally clicks with me, though based on what I’ve seen I can’t say I’m particularly optimistic. Still, I’ll give it a fair shot. Neon isn’t screening this anywhere near my area, so I’ll catch it whenever I get the chance in my market.
As for another smaller indie release, Late Fame starring Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee will begin its own slow rollout. The drama follows an aging poet, played by Dafoe, who finds a new audience among a group of actors, including Lee’s character, for whom he appears to be developing feelings. The film premiered at Venice last year to decent reviews, and I’ll make sure to check it out once it reaches my market.
Eli Roth also has a new horror film arriving in Ice Cream Man, which, as you might have guessed, is about a killer ice cream vendor. It’s being distributed through a very small distributor that typically handles limited releases, and I have to admit the concept looks a little too over-the-top and silly for my tastes. Still, when I get the chance, I’ll give it a shot.
And finally, Netflix will debut the straight-to-streaming release The Last House, starring Wagner Moura and, coincidentally, Late Fame’s Greta Lee. The film follows a family trapped in their home by mysterious circumstances. I don’t know much else about this one at the moment, but I’ll give it a watch.
Recent Film Industry News That Caught My Attention
Children of Blood And Bone didn’t just see a trailer drop that had some people making comments about its historically bad release date, it also brought even more drama involving the source material’s author, Tomi Adeyemi. Adeyemi, who had already begun posting that she was no longer supporting the movie, released a very vague video in which she claims she was harassed so badly behind the scenes that she nearly suffered a nervous breakdown and described it as the worst experience of her life. I already said this on X, but the vagueness of these comments isn’t helping her as much as she may think because it leaves room for rumor and innuendo to take hold while also allowing the other side to craft its own narrative. My read on the situation is that she got a harsh lesson in how film adaptations often make significant changes to source material and had a major blow-up with producers over it. However, she was still publicly praising the production just a few months ago. There’s a bit more I’d like to say on this topic, but I’ll save the rest for the upcoming podcast episode.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which owned and operated the Golden Globes until a series of scandals brought it to the point that it sold control to Penske Media, a company that also owns a significant portion of entertainment journalism, including several outlets that cover awards, has now filed allegations against Penske. The HFPA claims Penske used its media holdings to slander the organization and help create the conditions that led to the sale. Pensky denied such and it looks like this one is going to the courts to settle, which makes me wonder if the HFPA has evidence of such an elaborate scheme. I have a lot more to say about this latest Golden Globes scandal, and I suggest tuning into the newest podcast episode if you want my fuller and more unfiltered thoughts.
Some disturbing, though unfortunately not entirely surprising, allegations of sexual abuse are emerging about Jared Leto through an upcoming BBC documentary. The Oscar-winning actor has long been surrounded by rumors and speculation alleging predatory behavior, including stories about him contacting young models and old social media posts from figures such as James Gunn suggesting people in the industry were aware of concerns involving underage girls. As always, I’ll have more detailed thoughts on the matter in the latest podcast episode.
Director Mike Leigh announced that he considers his upcoming film likely to be his last, as he does not appear optimistic about his recent health issues. If that proves true, it would mark the end of a remarkable career that has given us numerous films that found devoted audiences over the years. I’m now especially fascinated to see how what may be his final film is received. More thoughts from me on the latest podcast episode.
Another week, another upsetting loss for the industry. This past week, Glen Hansard, best known to film fans for his work in Once, the 2007 John Carney film that became a major critical and cinephile favorite while winning the Oscar for Best Original Song, passed away at the age of 56 following a tragic motorcycle accident. That’s now two straight weeks that I’ve had to report on someone in the industry dying young because of a vehicle collision. Hansard’s primary focus throughout his life was music, and one video that’s already making the rounds again is his performance of “Fairytale Of New York” at Shane MacGowan’s funeral. The eerie part is that MacGowan’s duet partner on that song, Kirsty MacColl, also died young in a tragic boating accident that remains surrounded by controversy and allegations of a cover-up (a story that’s a whole rabbit hole unto itself). I’ll share some fuller thoughts on Hansard and his legacy in the latest podcast episode.
What Else Is On My Mind
I thought I should comment on this because it may help a new dad out there, but I learned over the past few weeks that, yes, men can get postpartum depression, and it seems that I have it.
It affects roughly 15–20% of women but only around 8–10% of men, so I guess I can consider myself “lucky” given those odds. Dark comedy aside, it certainly explains a lot. I’ve been dealing with massive levels of stress while trying to hold everything together at home on top of adjusting to life with a new baby.
Thankfully, anger toward the baby isn’t one of my symptoms, but I have definitely been feeling much more irritable than usual and, if I’m being honest, have mostly been taking that frustration out on our pets. It’s tough dealing with something that feels relatively uncommon among men while also juggling work, family life, and this film criticism space, where you’re constantly chasing the next movie and the next discussion.
I can’t really afford to take a break right now, so my only option is to power through it and make use of whatever help I’ve been offered. But I wanted to share my experience because there may be other men out there going through the same thing. If you’re part of that 8–10% like me, don’t feel any stigma about admitting it. You’re not the only one dealing with it, and there’s no shame in asking for or getting help when you need it.
