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Briefed by Night Shift

Thursday, October 1, 2026 Evening Edition Entertainment · News · Sports

Above the fold

Executive summary

  • Theater midweek: Endgame Encore (~$26.1M weekend), Resident Evil (~$103M cume), Heart of the Beast (~$20M open; ~$24M+ midweek), and Primetime (~$19.2M) still hold screens.
  • Couch: Florence Pugh’s East of Eden is live on Netflix: all seven Zoe Kazan episodes dropped overnight; Variety flags Pugh and Hoon Lee as standouts.
  • Worth knowing: Flydubai cockpit attack: co-pilot in UAE custody, motive still unsettled; Putin threatens ‘all arms’ including nuclear if Kaliningrad is attacked; Denver ~71°F and sunny, warming into the mid-80s this weekend.
  • Sports: Avalanche FINAL: Avs 8, Kings 4 (MacKinnon 2G + fight; franchise-record opener goals); Broncos at 49ers Sun 2:25 p.m. MT on CBS; Buffs host No. 12 Texas Tech Sat 5:30 p.m. MT on FOX.

Entertainment

Culture · Box Office

Midweek theater hold: Endgame encore, Primetime, Heart of the Beast, Resident Evil

Last weekend’s domestic frame still sets the midweek menu. Per Box Office Mojo (Weekend 39, Sep 25–27), Avengers: Endgame Encore led with about $26.1 million from 3,060 theaters. Resident Evil held No. 2 at roughly $23.0 million (−62%), pushing its domestic cume near $103 million. Paramount’s Heart of the Beast opened near $20.0 million; A24’s Primetime near $19.2 million; DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island near $13.0 million.

Through midweek, Heart of the Beast has been the holdover story: industry trackers put the Brad Pitt survival thriller past about $24 million domestic after a strong discounted Tuesday (~$2.7M), with worldwide past $50 million. Primetime remains the adult-drama pick: Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen in Lance Oppenheim’s To Catch a Predator–inspired film, A24’s third-best opening after Backrooms and Civil War. If you want a theater night before the weekend slate turns, those four titles are still the easy Denver multiplex stack.

Sources: Box Office Mojo (W39), Variety (weekend)

Streaming

East of Eden is live on Netflix: all seven episodes now streaming

Netflix Tudum confirms it: Zoe Kazan’s seven-episode adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is streaming globally as of October 1. Florence Pugh stars as Cathy Ames, opposite Christopher Abbott (Adam Trask) and Mike Faist (Charles Trask), with Hoon Lee, Ciarán Hinds, Martha Plimpton, and Tracy Letts in the ensemble. Drop window was overnight (12:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 a.m. MT), so the full limited series is available tonight.

Variety’s review (Oct 1) calls Pugh and Hoon Lee the beating heart of a rich, faithful adaptation that elevates Cathy and Lee beyond the 1955 film’s narrower focus. Directors Garth Davis (Eps 1–4) and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (Eps 5–7) handle the Civil War–to–WWI span. Couch pick of the night if you skipped the theaters: prestige limited series, known drop, stacked cast; full season available at once.

Sources: Netflix Tudum, Variety (review)

News

World

Flydubai cockpit attack: co-pilot in UAE custody; motive still unsettled

One day after Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, questions about motive and identity still swirl. CBS News (Oct 1): the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane; passengers and crew overpowered him; off-duty pilots helped land safely. About 174 people were aboard; no passengers were seriously injured. The wounded captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, was reported recovering. Saudi authorities transferred the co-pilot to the UAE for questioning Thursday afternoon, per AP via CBS.

Netanyahu told Fox the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination,” and Defense Minister Israel Katz called it attempted jihadist terror, characterizations that remain claims under investigation, not settled findings. President Trump suggested a possible Iran link “based on what I’m hearing”; Netanyahu said it was “too early to say.” Careful takeaway: cockpit violence stopped by people on the plane, a safe divert, and an active UAE/Saudi/Israeli inquiry; motive not locked.

Sources: CBS News, BBC (initial)

World · Local

Putin threatens ‘all arms,’ including nuclear, if Kaliningrad is attacked

BBC reporting October 1: at the Valdai forum, Vladimir Putin said Russia would use all weapons at its disposal if it considers its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad under direct attack, including nuclear if the West tried to cut the territory off from Russia. He insisted Moscow was “not threatening anyone” and framed the remarks as a response to Western talk of preparing for war later this decade. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said alliance exercises pose no threat and called the Kremlin messaging “absolutely not called for and not helpful.”

Context: Poland reported a Russian helicopter straying near Kaliningrad last week; Lithuania has complained of drone airspace violations; Germany’s Merz warned of further hybrid attacks after an armed drone was found near Leipzig airport cargo planes. Putin also said international conflicts are “highly likely” to continue. Denver weather: mostly sunny near 71°F today, lows around 48°F, warming into the mid-80s this weekend (Denver Gazette / NWS Boulder). This is the geopolitical headline worth knowing before Friday.

Sources: BBC, Denver Gazette (weather)

Sports

NHL

Avalanche FINAL: MacKinnon’s 2 goals and a fight spark 8–4 opener over Kings

Resolved from last night’s live desk: Colorado beat Los Angeles 8–4 at Ball Arena on Wednesday night. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice in a four-goal second period and capped the night with a rare fight against Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke; Artturi Lehkonen added two power-play goals; Brock Nelson had a goal and two assists; Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 26 shots. The eight goals set a franchise record for a season opener. Hours before puck drop, GM Joe Sakic announced a four-year contract extension for coach Jared Bednar.

Period lines: Kings 1–2–1, Avalanche 2–4–2. Colorado went 4-for-5 on the power play and killed all four penalties; Los Angeles got two shorthanded goals (Joel Armia, Trevor Moore). Gabriel Landeskog and Parker Kelly also scored; Nicolas Roy lit the lamp. Attendance: 18,092. National feed was TNT/truTV. Up next: Avalanche host St. Louis Saturday night; Kings visit San Jose Saturday.

Sources: ESPN (recap), Avalanche.com (recap), NHL.com (boxscore)

NFL · College

Broncos head to Levi’s; Buffs host No. 12 Texas Tech on FOX Saturday

After Sunday’s 30–26 comeback over the Rams, the Broncos (2–1) visit the undefeated San Francisco 49ers (3–0) in Week 4 on Sunday, October 4, at 2:25 p.m. MT on CBS (Kevin Harlan / Trent Green). Denver Broncos.com: Talanoa Hufanga earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week after his 66-yard pick-six and game-sealing interception; Bo Nix’s offense posted 30 second-half points last week. Marvin Mims Jr., J.K. Dobbins, and Jaylen Waddle were full participants on Thursday’s injury report. San Francisco brings Brock Purdy (league-leading ~133.1 passer rating) and a top offense; Nick Bosa is expected out with a calf injury per injury reporting.

College: Colorado (2–2, 0–1 Big 12) hosts No. 12 Texas Tech (4–0, 1–0) on Saturday, October 3, at Folsom Field, 5:30 p.m. MT on FOX. Tech’s official preview confirms the window; Colorado leads the series 6–5 after a 41–27 win in Lubbock in 2024. Local add: Nuggets open preseason vs. the Jazz in Boulder on Sunday at 5 p.m. at CU Events Center.

Sources: Denver Broncos (how to watch), CBS Sports (preview), Texas Tech (preview), Buffs Wire (TV / time)