ScreamWire Daily

Ben Leonberg's supernatural horror Good Boy is a streaming hit on Hulu (ranked No.6) after debuting on Apr.25; the micro-budget film cost roughly $70K and grossed $8.7M theatrically (≈124x ROI), earned 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, and previously played on Shudder.

A new wave of Korean horror that mixes coding/technology themes with shamanism has surged to the top of Netflix's global charts, signaling a fresh creative trend from K-horror that could influence international genre programming and acquisitions.

First images for Fall 2, the sequel to the 2022 survival thriller, debuted; Lionsgate will release the height-based sequel theatrically on August 7 with Michael and Peter Spierig directing and writers from the original returning.

Letterboxd's new Video Store is acting as a quasi-distributor for festival films, helping titles like Alexander Ullom’s It Ends find homes and prompting Neon to preemptively acquire the film for worldwide distribution; Tiny's 60% stake in Letterboxd was bought at a $50M valuation in 2023 and may be up for sale, underscoring platform-level shifts in indie pipeline financing and distribution.

Unchosen logged 10.4 million views in its first six days on Netflix, while Apex opened with 38.2 million views in three days—data points that show major streamer traction for recent thriller releases.

A feature adaptation of the YA zombie-comedy webtoon ShootAround (28M views) is in development with Aiyana K. White writing a new draft; the project positions a zany young-adult zombie take for screen.

Tubi unveiled a large slate of creator-led, digital-first series — mixing reality, creator-driven formats and genre fare including paranormal investigator series The Haunted Estate, vampire youth drama Rock Squad, horror-mystery anthology Who Did It? and cryptid-themed animation, signaling Tubi's push into niche horror and creator-driven IP.

Lionsgate released images and dated Fall 2 for August 7, 2026; the Spierig brothers direct this sequel starring Harriet Slater and Arsema Thomas, with Fall 3 already planned.

An English-language remake of the French thriller Black Box is moving forward with Tim Fehlbaum set to direct from a script by Adam Gyngell and Fred Fernandez-Armesto, marking a cross-border adaptation in development.

Echo On Publications will publish an official novelization of From Dusk Till Dawn this summer, extending Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino's cult vampire-crime IP into prose and creating another licensed tie-in product for the franchise.

Producer Nobuhiro Takenaka of Cygames Pictures says Apocalypse Hotel—an acclaimed original sci‑fi anime—won’t get a Season 2 anytime soon due to the commercial challenges of funding original anime, though he leaves open the possibility of a future continuation.

During a concert event, producers confirmed a brand-new original Sword Art Online theatrical film is in development (not adapted from existing light-novel material); details and release window remain unspecified.

Vietnamese folk-horror Phi Phong: The Blood Demon has become the fastest local horror to cross VND100bn (~$3.8M) and reached $5.09M (VND134bn) to date, ranking as the country's second biggest local film of 2026 and securing theatrical release deals across 20+ territories including North America and Australia/New Zealand.

A second outlet repeats that Zach Cregger's Resident Evil (2026) is slated for a September 18 theatrical release, confirming the franchise's fall release window and giving distributors/marketing teams a fixed timeline.

FilmLA reports Q1 2026 on‑location shoot days rose 10.7% vs. Q4 2025 to 5,121 days — helped by California’s expanded Film & TV Tax Credit (cap raised from $330M to $750M) which accounts for notable share of feature and TV shoots and has 147 approved projects to date; FilmLA also launched a Low Impact Permit Pilot for small productions.

Sen. Ted Cruz criticized the FCC's early review order calling in Disney/ABC's eight local broadcast licenses—an action the FCC says stems from a long-running probe into ABC’s DEI practices—raising First Amendment and regulatory-coercion debates with potential industry-wide implications for broadcasters.

Preview of looming labor conflicts and negotiation dynamics between studios and unions (SAG, WGA), outlining potential escalation points and broader consequences for production schedules and creator leverage.

Research firm Antenna estimates Roku’s paid streamer Howdy surpassed 1 million subscribers since its Aug 2025 launch, with strong early retention (~51% for initial cohorts) and distribution expansion to Amazon Prime; Roku confirms positive momentum but hasn’t released official numbers.

Netflix’s survival thriller Apex (directed by Baltasar Kormákur, starring Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton) launched with global No.1 traction and a hands-on Sydney marketing activation that mirrored its Blue Mountains climbing set pieces, highlighting Theron’s extensive stunt work and the film’s physical production approach.

Producer-writer Jeff Pope says in the streaming era reviews now carry more weight than overnight ratings for factual drama — streamers also raise crew pay, squeezing traditional public-service broadcasters financially; his ITV drama Believe Me (about John Worboys) launches May 10 on ITV.

The Canadian Media Producers Association publicly rebutted misinformation around the Online Streaming Act in Ottawa, pushing back on inaccurate reporting and defending how the legislation affects Canadian producers—an important policy signal for Canadian genre/indie financing and C‑51/telefilm ecosystem discussions.

IF Magazine reports Digital i found Australians spent 96.4% of Netflix viewing time on non-local content in 2025 (only one Australian title in the top ten), and Screen Australia will publish a Screen Currency report in July addressing the sector’s economic and cultural value — a signal about platform economics and local-content challenges.

Flags Disney's large-scale content purge (100+ TV shows and films) and teases lessons about write-downs, tax benefits, and catalog strategy—signal that streamers continue aggressive cost-cutting and library rationalization with downstream licensing implications.

Adobe announced an 'Adobe for creativity' connector with Anthropic's Claude, enabling multi-step orchestration across 50+ Creative Cloud apps (Photoshop, Premiere, Firefly, etc.) via Claude — signalling rapid AI workflow automation for asset creation, video repurposing and post-production tasks used across film and VFX pipelines.

Argues that reliance on existing IP is a practical solution for studios seeking lower risk and explain why IP-based development remains the dominant, sensible strategy for financing and distribution of genre films.

Next Best Picture republishes the Gotham Television Awards nominations — nominees include Alien: Earth, Beef, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Death by Lightning — with the ceremony scheduled for June 1, 2026 at Cipriani Wall Street.

Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner used his Screen Forever speech to celebrate recent streaming regulation wins and push next priorities: investment incentives, fair-deal frameworks for creators, and building global partnerships while urging industry unity to avoid 'unhelpful friction.'

Likely an M&A-focused column taking a sardonic view of recent consolidation activity and deal-making posture across studios, highlighting deal churn and broader strategic implications.

Interview/column on Substack founder Hamish McKenzie and the creator-economy shift that’s empowering writers/creators — implications for IP origination and alternative financing/publishing paths for genre creators.

Headline piece on which streamers are advancing in the U.S. market — ranking/competition analysis relevant to where genre content might find scale or distribution advantages as services jockey for subscribers.

IF Magazine aggregates views from Screen Producers Australia’s Ones to Watch cohort, who call for the industry to take bigger creative risks and sharpen focus on audience engagement — a forward-looking signal for producers, commissioning bodies and indie content strategy.

Notes Annapurna Entertainment returning to active development and Amazon’s continued talent courting (Jake Gyllenhaal referenced), signaling renewed boutique studio financing and premium talent deals that could feed mid/high-budget genre packaging.

A video-essay critique argues modern large-sensor digital cinematography overuses shallow depth of field, urging filmmakers to consider deep-focus (narrow aperture, wider lenses) to preserve production design and worldbuilding — a practical cinematography lesson relevant to genre filmmakers.

Reports that traditional celebrity press-tour models are shifting or collapsing — affecting marketing windows, publicity spend and how films (including genre releases) get audience awareness around premieres.

Poses questions about Disney’s pricing/packaging strategy and accessibility as consumer costs rise, suggesting that streaming and park pricing may be shifting Disney toward a premium-only audience with implications for reach and cultural influence.

European Film Promotion named 20 producers for its Producers on the Move program at Cannes 2026, highlighting a slate that spans drama, comedy, thriller, fantasy and more and including producers tied to Un Certain Regard and competition titles.

The 12th European Genre Forum selected eight new genre projects for its training initiative, including three specialised labs hosted across major festivals — a pipeline signal for emerging European horror/sci‑fi creators.

Charlize Theron’s action film Apex led Netflix’s English‑language film list with 38.2M views for the week of April 20; Netflix’s TV side was topped by psychological thriller Unchosen (10.4M) while Running Point S2 debuted at 5.3M — overall viewership highlights include Thrash and continued strong performance for Beef S2.

AMC and Ares Interactive/Swift Games announced The Walking Dead: Aftermath, a free-to-play roguelite launching on iOS/Android this summer with familiar survivors (Rick, Daryl, Michonne), roguelite combat plus base-building meta-progression and future platform expansion planned.

Torn Banner Studios is running a free weekend for early access co‑op survival horror No More Room In Hell 2 from April 30–May 4 on Steam and Epic Games Store and is offering a 35% discount on the Early Access build.

Well Go USA released the trailer for Australian action-thriller Seven Snipers, starring Radha Mitchell as a retired sniper forced to reunite her team to protect her daughter from a vengeful warlord played by Tim Roth; the film will open in Australia and go direct-to-VOD in the U.S.

Saban Films debuted the trailer for Australian action thriller Badland Rising (formerly Homeward), a survival chase about a former SAS sniper pursued after unknowingly taking stolen cash; it will skip wide theatrical release and head to VOD this summer.

Asian Movie Pulse shared the trailer and release date for Nameless from director Hideo Jojo, scheduled to release May 22, 2026 — a marketing rollout signal for a likely Japanese genre release but with no disclosed distribution deals or financials.

Jeon So‑young headlines Netflix’s horror hit If Wishes Could Kill, which is charting strongly on the streamer in multiple territories and boosting Korean horror visibility for Netflix's catalog.

MPA has rated the Kathryn Newton shark survival thriller Devil's Mouth PG‑13 for "violent content, bloody images, some language, and suggestive material," positioning it as a mainstream-teen shark entry.

Netflix will host an exclusive preview of the new Ghostbusters animated series at Annecy in June; Ben Hibon and Elliott Kalan serve as showrunners, Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman remain attached, and production is a Sony Pictures Animation / Ghost Corps / Netflix collaboration currently in full development with scripts and art underway.

Apple TV+'s Widow’s Bay — debuting April 29 — balances horror, comedy and drama according to creator Katie Dippold, with the first two episodes praised for landing both scares and laughs.

Behind-the-scenes featurette showcases practical and VFX techniques used to realize the cenobites for Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, spotlighting creature makeup, prosthetics, and effects team contributions that aim to honor franchise design while updating it for modern audiences.

Breaking Glass Pictures will release Chloé Cinq‑Mars' postpartum psychological horror Nesting (aka Peau à Peau) on North American VOD on May 29, 2026, starring Rose‑Marie Perreault.

Hokum is an Irish folklore-infused ghost story anchored by a strong lead performance from Adam Scott, delivering atmospheric scares and cultural specificity according to the review.

Lionsgate is preparing a fifth John Wick feature with Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski aligned on a new story direction — studio chair Adam Fogelson says concept progress has been made but no release timeline is set; franchise expansion (spin‑offs, TV, Ballerina) will continue alongside this return.

Lionsgate revealed development details for a Rambo prequel (reporting identifies the title and that the studio is moving the project forward — no disclosed budget or major attachments in excerpt).

Tubi announced a digital-first creator slate including several genre titles: Rock Squad’s Bloodsuckers universe expands with Abigail (13-year-old vampire), Crimson Crest, Creepers (zombie series) and a feature Hot Girl Summer; CelinaSpookyBoo returns with a four-part paranormal docuseries The Haunted Estate; Sofi Manassyan leads Who Did It?, a horror-mystery anthology — all exclusive to Tubi with staggered premieres starting May–July 2026.

Focus Features' Obsession — one of the year's most anticipated horror titles — has new posters and tickets are now on sale, with an Alamo Drafthouse preview screening planned May 6 ahead of its May 15 theatrical release.

Natalie Grace, in her feature debut for Blumhouse and Warner Bros.' The Mummy, discusses performing under heavy prosthetics, confronting claustrophobia for the role of Katie, and how the physical process shaped her performance in Cronin’s horror film.

Renny Harlin and Gene Simmons discuss the making and disaster/sharksploitation thrills of Deep Water in a Bloody Disgusting interview, revisiting the legacy of Deep Blue Sea and shark-genre mechanics.

Actor Adam Scott and filmmaker Damian McCarthy discuss their collaboration on the hauntingly creepy horror feature Hokum in a new JoBlo interview, focusing on the film’s tone and creative partnership.

Review in Horror Beat praises HOKUM for its effective tension and genuine creepiness, marking it as a noteworthy entry in contemporary horror comics.

PBS will air Lynn Novick's four-part, eight-hour docuseries Crime and Punishment in America over four consecutive nights starting November 16, positioning a major public-broadcast true-crime/justice series in the fall schedule.