The Wakeup

'Digger' was unfortunately as bad as feared at the box office. The Ankler's Managing Editor Christopher Rosen joins host Sean McNulty to break down where the decisions went awry and the big losses involved for WB.

Plus, what older Gen X / younger Boomer movie stars still have pull at the box office? And a look at Colleen Hoover's latest successful outing at the box office via AMAZON MGM.

Read The Wakeup at The Ankler at:

https://theankler.com/the-wakeup/

September had 2 movies going into the month that were made for $75M and both looking to dominate the box office conversation. One of them opened to twice as much as the other one.

The Ankler's Christopher Rosen joins host Sean McNulty for a Monday Morning Quarterbacks box office conversation to dive inside the numbers driving the huge 'Resident Evil' opening weekend at SONY, and what the week 2 numbers for WB's 'Practical Magic 2' indicate about the strategy behind that effort.

Read The Wakeup over at The Ankler at https://theankler.com/the-wakeup/

DISNEYFOX took a pretty big swing with an on the rise star this weekend in 'The Dog Stars' to underwhelming results. The Ankler's Christopher Rosen joins The Wakeup's Sean McNulty to dive into where the project went wrong, and if there were ways the results could have been better.

Plus, 'Coyote vs. Acme' finally got its due in movie theaters from KETCHUP after being previously unceremoniously dumped by WB. We breakdown why the results kinda worked for both parties even though this was absolutely not the way to handle a movie.

Then, we have one week left to chase the Summer Box Office record -- we dive into why this summer is a big win even if it doesn't catch it.

Read The Wakeup's full Box Office analysis here:

https://theankler.com/dis-dog-stars-in-dog-house-as-coyote-delivers/

PARAMOUNT got dealt another setback to start off the week, with initial trial settlement talks with the state AGs called off on the morning they were supposed to start. Dive into the dueling tactics afoot, and PAR's tall order in finding solutions to avoid a trial.

Then, dive into how SONY is ruling the Q3 box office, as 'Insidious' tops August openers and it's looking like SONY has the big movie for September as well.

PLUS: 'The Odyssey' keeps shifting IMAX distribution decisions as another pic seemingly suffers in the wake of Nolan's epic actually increasing its revenue in its 6th weekend.

AND: The latest box office demo datapoint showing that moviegoing activity is dominated by people under 40 ... although you wouldn't know that from the September release schedule -- why is Hollywood not making more movies with specific appeal for the audiences that engage most with its product?

Christoper Rosen from The Ankler joins WAKEUP host Sean McNulty to dive into all of above and more.

Read THE WAKEUP here at The Ankler:

https://theankler.com/the-wakeup/

The Ankler's Christopher Rosen joins to look at the achievements and records that the consistently written-off theatrical movie business is hitting in summer 2026 ... before a questionable fall box office season begins.

Plus, a debate over whether Hollywood's Gen X executives are dipping back into their 1980s nostalgia well too often for moviegoers in the mid 2020s -- a time period where the average moviegoer wasn't even alive -- as the latest entry from WB, "The End of Oak Street" seemingly does not enthrall moviegoers to a notable degree.

Also, fall film festival season is now on the horizon -- take a look at what's ahead in the current calm before the storm.

Read PRESTIGE JUNKIE here:

https://theankler.com/prestige-junkie/

Read THE WAKEUP here:

https://theankler.com/the-wakeup/

The Bulwark's Culture Editor Sonny Bunch joins to dive into the massive 'Spider-Man' revenue at the box office and just how big it could get, as well as a look at what Hollywood has ahead for moviegoing this fall after this huge 1-2 summer Spidey / Odyssey punch -- will momentum continue?

Plus, an intriguing idea for Nolan's next movie, sex purges and the prospects for the theatrical rom-com, David Ellison's latest 30-movie deal with theater owners and much more. 

Check out Sonny's column and podcast here:

https://www.thebulwark.com/s/screentime

Read The Wakeup column here:

https://theankler.com/the-wakeup/

The Ankler's Christopher Rosen rejoins host Sean McNulty to dive into the record Spider-Man: Brand New Day opening weekend, how it did it without IMAX and how the rules of the superhero movie market have shaken out now that the post-2010s MARVEL boom mostly busted in the past 2-3 years.

Then, a look at IMAX's new record Odyssey numbers and why the pic isn't going to continue to play in those theaters for most of August, plusa look at which films are going to try and continue the momentum.

You can read Sean's Wakeup breakdown of the entire Top 10 at the box office this weekend here at The Ankler.

https://theankler.com/spider-man-brand-new-day-box-office-records-comps/

As Wall Street contemplates PARAMOUNT's big move to essentially go to trial in the WARNAMOUNT deal in the U.S. -- what questions arise for the debt given the accompanying payments to WBD shareholders? Also, given that NETFLIX stock has taken a tumble this summer, is it underpriced?

MOFFETT NATAHANSON Sr. Research Analyst Robert Fishman joins host Sean McNulty to give his insight into the biggest questions in Hollywood M&A as summer enters its final stretch ... and takes a look at what the soon to be publicly traded NBCU's numbers showed us in its Q2 2026 earnings report last week.

Plus, THE RINGER's Sean Fennessey joins the pod to try and comp the moment Christopher Nolan is having right now with The Odyssey, and shares some thoughts as to why Hollywood studios haven't really come calling for Reacher's Alan Ritchson for a theatrical film, as his new indie Motor City hit theaters this weekend.

Check out Sean Fennessey's newsletter Projections here:

https://seanfennessey.substack.com/

Read Sean McNulty's Wakeup column here:

https://theankler.com/the-wakeup/

And check out Fennessey's podcast with Amanda Dobbins, The Big Picture, wherever you listen to pods.

AMC Theaters chose 'Odyssey' Monday to report its financials from Q2, and announced a record revenue quarter . . . while still not clearing a net profit. I dive into the transformation behind the theatrical business model that has taken place at America's biggest movie theater chain since Covid, alongside The Ankler's Christopher Rosen, and what it signals for the industry in the late 2020s.

Plus, FANDANGO's director of movie analytics Shawn Robbins joins to break down just how 'The Odyssey' succeeded at exceeded everyone's expectations, some curious revenue comps to 'Oppenheimer,'  if Hollywood is missing an opportunity in not counterprogramming this time out and more.

You can read my full box office analysis from the weekend here

https://theankler.com/uni-odyssey-smash-by-the-numbers/

You can find Shawn's newsletter here:

https://boxofficetheory.substack.com/

As Netflix seems to be hitting its next big strategy pivot moment since 2022's introduction of the Ad Tier -- the WSJ's Jessica Toonkel joins The Wakeup's Sean McNulty to dive into both the strategies it has implemented this year and is discussing behind closed doors.

Plus, what deals are out there on the horizon to potentially help the stock come out of its doldrums and shake up the marketplace.

Then, Fandango's Shawn Robbins joins to dive into where 'Moana' went awry, how the 'Minions' magic hit a rough spot in 2026 and the state of the "Summer Movie for Adults" genre with The Invite at A24.

You can find and subscribe to Shawn's newsletter at https://boxofficetheory.com/

And read The Wakeup at The Ankler at:

https://theankler.com/the-wakeup/