Entertainment
Uma Thurman Is Back in Action — So Why Does Amazon’s New Thriller ‘Pretty Lethal’ Waste Her Like This…
With a John Wick-style premise, a cast full of rising stars, and ballet as its backdrop, Pretty Lethal had everything it needed to be the sleeper hit of the year. It isn’t — and the reason why is frustrating.
On paper, Pretty Lethal should not be this easy to argue with. You have Uma Thurman — the woman who made Kill Bill a cultural religion — in an action-thriller about dancers who become killers. You have a John Wick energy hanging over the premise like a promise. You have Amazon Prime Video, a platform with the budget and distribution muscle to make something genuinely cinematic. And then you watch it, and somewhere around the midpoint, you start doing the quiet mental accounting of everything that was left on the table.
Pretty Lethal is not a bad film. It is something more frustrating than that: a film that can see exactly how good it could have been and simply declines to go there.
The Premise Has Real Bones
The setup is genuinely compelling. Five American ballet dancers, far from home and deep inside a world of discipline, sacrifice, and physical extremity, find themselves in the crosshairs of violent Hungarian gangsters. What begins as a story about the brutality of elite dance — the torn ligaments, the shattered self-worth, the consuming obsession — pivots into something harder and bloodier. The dancers have to fight back. And it turns out that bodies trained to move with precision and power translate, under the right circumstances, into something genuinely dangerous.
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It is a smart conceit. The overlap between the physical demands of professional ballet and the choreography of screen combat is not as much of a stretch as it might initially sound — Black Swan explored the psychological violence of dance, and the John Wick franchise built an entire aesthetic philosophy around the idea that discipline is violence in waiting. Pretty Lethal had legitimate creative ancestry to draw from. The DNA was there.
The Cast Delivers More Than the Script Deserves
Maddie Ziegler — who first found global recognition on Dance Moms and has spent years working to be taken seriously as a performer — brings exactly the physical credibility this kind of film demands. Her movement vocabulary is extraordinary, and the action sequences that lean into her background are the film’s most purely satisfying moments. She is doing real work here, and it shows.
Iris Apatow, daughter of director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, continues to quietly build a filmography that suggests she is a far more interesting screen presence than her famous parentage tends to make the headline. Her comic timing and emotional grounding give Pretty Lethal some of its most human moments — which matters in a film that occasionally forgets its characters are people and not just bodies to be choreographed.
Lana Condor — who earned a devoted global fanbase with the To All the Boys franchise and has been methodically expanding her range ever since — brings watchable energy to a role that the screenplay does not entirely earn. She is, like her co-stars, operating above the material.
And then there is Uma Thurman.
The Uma Thurman Problem
Here is where Pretty Lethal commits its most baffling creative sin. Uma Thurman — Oscar-nominated actress, Pulp Fiction icon, the woman who spent two Kill Bill films redefining what a female action lead could look like — is underutilised to a degree that borders on inexplicable.
She is present. She is watchable. She is, as she tends to be, magnetically compelling in even the quietest scenes. But Pretty Lethal seems almost afraid to deploy her fully — to let her occupy the space the film so desperately needs a commanding adult presence to fill. In a story about five young women learning to survive in a violent world, Thurman’s role as a figure of experience and authority should be the film’s dramatic spine. Instead, it functions more like a guest appearance.
It is the kind of casting decision that makes more sense as a marketing strategy than as a storytelling one. Thurman’s name on the poster signals a certain kind of film — fierce, female-driven, unapologetically action-oriented. The film itself does not quite live up to that signal.
What Works — and What Doesn’t
When Pretty Lethal leans into its action sequences, it finds genuine momentum. The choreography — blending ballet vocabulary with combat violence in the way the premise demands — is the film’s most distinctive creative contribution, and the sequences that commit fully to that fusion are worth the admission price alone.
Where it stumbles is in its pacing and its screenplay, which cannot quite decide whether it wants to be a slick genre exercise or a character study with something serious to say about the exploitation baked into elite performance culture. Films can be both. Pretty Lethal is neither, fully.
The Hungarian gangster antagonists are underwritten to the point of abstraction — threatening in the kinetic sequences, but lacking the menace or texture that would make the danger feel genuinely urgent. And without that urgency, the stakes remain frustratingly theoretical.
The Verdict
Amazon Prime Video has released Pretty Lethal into a crowded streaming landscape, and there is enough here — the action choreography, the committed performances, the Ziegler showcase — to make it a watchable evening’s entertainment. For audiences who simply want kinetic energy and a female ensemble doing impressive physical work, it delivers at a serviceable level.
But for anyone who sees what Pretty Lethal could have been — a John Wick-meets-Black Swan hybrid with Uma Thurman at its commanding centre — the gap between potential and execution will linger long after the credits roll.
Maddie Ziegler deserves a better vehicle. So does Lana Condor. So does Iris Apatow.
And so, most of all, does Uma Thurman.
Entertainment
How ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Returned to Cinemas and Reclaimed Box Office Glory
Renewed ticket sales send Marvel’s 2019 finale past ‘Avatar’ to lead the all-time global chart again.
Seven years after its original release, Avengers: Endgame has unfinished business at the box office.
The Marvel Studios blockbuster has overtaken James Cameron’s Avatar to become the highest-grossing film worldwide once again. According to The Walt Disney Company’s October 4 announcement, Endgame now holds an estimated $2.9255 billion, narrowly ahead of Avatar’s $2.9237 billion. That puts just $1.8 million between two of cinema’s biggest hits.
The lead is small. The comeback, however, is substantial: a film released in 2019 has drawn enough fresh ticket sales to rewrite the all-time chart.
The ‘Encore’ release that tipped the balance
The latest theatrical run, titled Avengers Endgame: Encore, has earned $126 million worldwide, according to TheWrap. That includes $36.2 million in North America and $89.8 million from international markets—the extra business that pushed the film back into first place.
Audiences also had a reason to return beyond revisiting a familiar blockbuster. TheWrap reports that the reissue features a modified ending and three new scenes during and after the credits, connected to Avengers: Doomsday. The release therefore serves two purposes: bringing an established favourite back to cinemas and giving viewers a bridge to the next Avengers story.
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A rivalry with a history of reversals
This is another change of leadership in a box office contest that has lasted for years.
Endgame first displaced Avatar in 2019. Cameron’s science-fiction epic regained the crown following its Chinese re-release in 2021. Now, another theatrical return has swung the result in Marvel’s favour. Re-releases have become a decisive part of the competition, extending both films’ earning lives well beyond their original runs.
The distinction matters: this is the record for worldwide theatrical revenue without adjustment for inflation, including re-release earnings. It measures money collected rather than the number of tickets sold.
Why ‘Endgame’ matters to ‘Doomsday’
The timing gives Marvel’s comeback an added significance. Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to reach cinemas on December 18, 2026, and Disney has positioned Endgame as an important foundation for that next chapter.
Explaining the connection, Anthony Russo said: “You really need to pick the story up from where you left it in Endgame.”
That makes this return more than a victory lap. A film remembered for closing a major chapter of Marvel’s story is now helping introduce the next one—and, along the way, has taken back Hollywood’s most closely watched box office title.
Entertainment
Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ Faces a Tough Opening: Could ‘Verity’ Take the Lead?
Cruise’s star power meets a fresh box office challenge as the Colleen Hoover adaptation emerges as a formidable rival.
Tom Cruise has spent years persuading audiences to watch him attempt the impossible. With Digger, the challenge is different: convincing moviegoers to embrace an eccentric, darkly comic character who bears little resemblance to his familiar action heroes.
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film arrives in US cinemas on October 2, 2026, carrying considerable expectations. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon confronting a catastrophe connected to his company’s actions. It is a conspicuous departure for an actor whose recent screen identity has been shaped by spectacular stunts and blockbuster franchises.
Yet the conversation before release has increasingly turned from Cruise’s transformation to a more uncomfortable question: how many people will buy a ticket?
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A costly film facing a modest opening
According to Koimoi’s September 30 report, Digger was tracking for a North American opening below $15 million, against a reported production cost of approximately $125 million. These are reported estimates, rather than confirmed earnings or a final accounting of the film’s costs.
That gap explains the concern surrounding Warner Bros.. An expensive production needs sustained attendance, and a subdued debut would place greater pressure on subsequent weekends and overseas markets.
An opening forecast cannot establish a film’s eventual profit or loss. It can, however, reveal how much work remains for the campaign.
Reviews have complicated the pitch
The critical response has been sharply divided. People reported reactions ranging from admiration for the film’s audacity and Cruise’s commitment to criticism of its scale, coherence and tone.
For potential ticket buyers, that creates an uncertain proposition. Cruise’s presence attracts attention, but attention does not automatically translate into enthusiasm for an unfamiliar kind of film.
The promotional campaign has leaned into that disagreement. The Guardian described advertising that places harsh reactions alongside praise, using the controversy itself to generate interest. Whether that approach encourages curiosity or deepens hesitation remains an open question.
Why ‘Verity’ makes the weekend more intriguing
The Hollywood Reporter expects Digger to open substantially behind Verity, the Amazon MGM Studios adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel. hollywoodreporter.com
Starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, Verity is also scheduled to open on October 2. Its psychological-thriller premise centres on a writer who discovers a disturbing manuscript while completing another author’s book series.
From a marketing perspective, an established novel and a recognisable thriller setup could offer a more immediate hook. Digger, by comparison, asks audiences to take a greater leap into unfamiliar territory.
The audience verdict is still ahead
Cruise has clearly committed to that leap. At the London premiere, Reuters reported that his transformation involved prosthetics and a padded bodysuit, alongside a demanding performance.
The commercial outcome remains unresolved. Strong audience recommendations could give Digger momentum beyond its initial forecasts. A weak response would make its financial challenge harder.
For now, the film’s biggest suspense lies beyond the screen: whether curiosity about Cruise’s unusual gamble becomes an opening-weekend ticket purchase.
Entertainment
‘Verity’ Could Outopen ‘Digger’: Why Tom Cruise Faces a Tough Contest
The competing releases raise a compelling question: which film will persuade more audiences to buy a ticket?
Tom Cruise has spent years persuading audiences to watch him attempt the impossible. With Digger, the challenge is different: convincing moviegoers to embrace an eccentric, darkly comic character who bears little resemblance to his familiar action heroes.
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film arrives in US cinemas on October 2, 2026, carrying considerable expectations. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon confronting a catastrophe connected to his company’s actions. It is a conspicuous departure for an actor whose recent screen identity has been shaped by spectacular stunts and blockbuster franchises.
Yet the conversation before release has increasingly turned from Cruise’s transformation to a more uncomfortable question: how many people will buy a ticket?
ALSO READ : Emmy Nominations Announcement Gets a Star Twist… Liza Colón-Zayas & Jeff Hiller Set to Reveal 2026 TV Nominees
A costly film facing a modest opening
According to Koimoi’s September 30 report, Digger was tracking for a North American opening below $15 million, against a reported production cost of approximately $125 million. These are reported estimates, rather than confirmed earnings or a final accounting of the film’s costs.
That gap explains the concern surrounding Warner Bros.. An expensive production needs sustained attendance, and a subdued debut would place greater pressure on subsequent weekends and overseas markets.
An opening forecast cannot establish a film’s eventual profit or loss. It can, however, reveal how much work remains for the campaign.
Reviews have complicated the pitch
The critical response has been sharply divided. People reported reactions ranging from admiration for the film’s audacity and Cruise’s commitment to criticism of its scale, coherence and tone.
For potential ticket buyers, that creates an uncertain proposition. Cruise’s presence attracts attention, but attention does not automatically translate into enthusiasm for an unfamiliar kind of film.
The promotional campaign has leaned into that disagreement. The Guardian described advertising that places harsh reactions alongside praise, using the controversy itself to generate interest. Whether that approach encourages curiosity or deepens hesitation remains an open question.
Why ‘Verity’ makes the weekend more intriguing
The Hollywood Reporter expects Digger to open substantially behind Verity, the Amazon MGM Studios adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel. hollywoodreporter.com
Starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, Verity is also scheduled to open on October 2. Its psychological-thriller premise centres on a writer who discovers a disturbing manuscript while completing another author’s book series.
From a marketing perspective, an established novel and a recognisable thriller setup could offer a more immediate hook. Digger, by comparison, asks audiences to take a greater leap into unfamiliar territory.
The audience verdict is still ahead
Cruise has clearly committed to that leap. At the London premiere, Reuters reported that his transformation involved prosthetics and a padded bodysuit, alongside a demanding performance.
The commercial outcome remains unresolved. Strong audience recommendations could give Digger momentum beyond its initial forecasts. A weak response would make its financial challenge harder.
For now, the film’s biggest suspense lies beyond the screen: whether curiosity about Cruise’s unusual gamble becomes an opening-weekend ticket purchase.
How ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Returned to Cinemas and Reclaimed Box Office Glory
Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ Faces a Tough Opening: Could ‘Verity’ Take the Lead?
‘Verity’ Could Outopen ‘Digger’: Why Tom Cruise Faces a Tough Contest
‘Endgame’ Returns to No. 1 ‘Avatar’ Loses Its Box Office Throne
Mark Zuckerberg Faces a New Hollywood Reckoning Why Aaron Sorkin’s Film Hits Closer to Home
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