Avengers: Endgame Encore turns a seven-year-old blockbuster into the number-one movie at the box office again. Guy T. Wehman, Allison Rose, and Stephen Leibowitz open this week's FlickRadio by debating Marvel's theatrical rerelease, the handful of new minutes added to the film, and whether the successful return of Endgame is another sign that superhero fatigue may finally be fading. Allison calls the rerelease exactly what she thinks it is: a cash grab. Audiences still showed up, however, sending Avengers: Endgame Encore to number one as Marvel begins building anticipation for Avengers: Doomsday. Stephen points to the enormous success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and now Endgame: Encore as evidence that audiences will still turn out for superhero movies when there is enough interest behind them. The team then checks in on the rest of the box office. Resident Evil continues its theatrical run in its second weekend, while Brad Pitt's Heart of the Beast struggles to justify its large budget despite Pitt's performance, its combat dog, and impressive scenery. Forgotten Island remains the newest major family option, although the group questions whether its marketing clearly told parents and kids what kind of movie they were getting. That leads to a broader discussion about what movie audiences want heading into the final quarter of 2026. Horror remains one of the industry's most dependable genres because modest budgets can produce strong returns. Family movies continue to have an audience, while Allison wonders whether traditional dramas are becoming a tougher theatrical sell. Stephen also points to the lingering effects of the writers' and actors' strikes before predicting a strong final three months for Hollywood. Then it's time for this week's new releases, beginning with Digger. Tom Cruise stars in Alejandro G. Iñárritu's dark comedy, and Allison says critics are going to be sharply divided over it. She lands firmly on the positive side. After seeing early footage introduced by Cruise at CinemaCon, Allison initially wondered what kind of movie Iñárritu and Cruise were making. The finished film won her over completely. She praises Cruise along with John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, the writing, direction, and especially the sound work. Its quirky tone reminds her somewhat of a Wes Anderson film, but she believes there is much more happening beneath the surface than the trailers suggest. Stephen heads in a very different direction with Beware Boiúna, a giant-snake horror movie set in the Amazon. Unfortunately for a critic who loves horror, he finds the film dull rather than frightening. He criticizes its inability to build suspense, dark and frantic attack sequences that make the creature difficult to see, and a general lack of tension. A giant snake may still lure genre fans into theaters, but Stephen doesn't expect them to leave satisfied. The biggest disagreement of the episode comes with Verity, the psychological thriller adapted from Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel and starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett. Allison praises Hathaway but finds the movie disjointed and doesn't believe the adaptation successfully captures Hoover's voice. To her, Hathaway, Hartnett, and Johnson sometimes feel as though they're performing in three different movies: thriller, crime-horror, and romance. Stephen has almost the opposite reaction. Having not read the novel, he judges the film strictly on what is on screen and loves how repeatedly it catches him off guard. He praises the constant twists and the increasingly rare experience of watching a movie without being able to predict where the story is going. While Allison comes away disappointed, Stephen believes Verity could generate strong word of mouth and plenty of post-movie conversation. The episode closes with Classic Picks of the Week. Allison celebrates Groucho Marx with the Marx Brothers' 1932 comedy Horse Feathers. After being disappointed by Beware Boiúna, Stephen chooses a giant-snake movie he would rather watch, 1997's Anaconda. Guy connects his selection to Josh Hartnett with the 2003 crime comedy Hollywood Homicide, co-starring Harrison Ford. Episode Chapters 00:00 - Welcome to FlickRadio 01:46 - Avengers: Endgame Encore Takes #1 03:20 - Resident Evil, Heart of the Beast & Forgotten Island 05:04 - What Movie Audiences Want in 2026 07:38 - Tom Cruise's Digger Review 09:51 - Beware Boiúna & Verity Reviews 13:59 - Classic Picks: Horse Feathers, Anaconda & Hollywood Homicide Save on Movies with FlickDirect Movie Deals Looking for a better price on movies and home entertainment? FlickDirect Movie Deals tracks discounts on movies, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, box sets, collector's editions, and more so you can find worthwhile deals without hunting across the web. Browse the latest Movie Deals: FlickDirect Movie Deals Get the Movie Deals app for iPhone: Download Movie Deals on the App Store Hosted by Guy T. Wehman with FlickDirect critics Allison Rose and Stephen Leibowitz. Subscribe to FlickRadio for weekly movie news, reviews, box office analysis, and classic film recommendations.
