Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Taylor Swift Confirms “I Knew It, I Knew You” for Toy Story 5 — Song Arrives June 5
Disney/Pixar’s campaign for Toy Story 5 culminated Monday when Taylor Swift confirmed an original song titled “I Knew It, I Knew You,” arriving on streaming June 5. Co-written with Jack Antonoff, the track is billed as “a return to country” and was inspired by cowgirl Jessie’s journey. Billboards bearing the “TS” initials and 13 clouds appeared in seven global cities over the past week, triggering wide fan speculation before the official announcement. Swift posted on Instagram she finished the song “as soon as I got home from the screening.” Director Andrew Stanton called the result “kismet.” The film opens June 19.
Sources: Deadline
Backrooms Opens to $81 Million, Shattering A24 Record as Gen Z Horror Boom Continues
A24’s horror film Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, debuted to a record-breaking $81 million domestically and $118 million globally — the studio’s largest opening ever. Nearly 85% of audiences were under 35. Focus Features’ Obsession rose 10% in its third weekend to $26.4 million — the first film since E.T. in 1982 to gain in both its second and third weekends outside the holidays. By contrast, Disney’s The Mandalorian and Grogu collapsed 70% to $25 million in its second outing, raising questions about whether the Star Wars property can connect beyond its aging core audience.
Sources: Variety
How Blumhouse-Atomic Monster Mentored a High Schooler’s YouTube Vision Into an $81 Million Hit
When James Wan first Zoomed with Kane Parsons, the future director of Backrooms was still in high school and joined the call with his dad. Four years later, Parsons — now 20 — has opened a film to $81 million domestically. Producers at Blumhouse-Atomic Monster and North Road Films built a mentorship structure: Parsons shadowed other directors, worked with a seasoned screenwriter, and pre-visualized 90% of the film in open-source software Blender before shooting began. Stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve joined after seeing his vision. When online rumors claimed Parsons hadn’t truly directed the film, producer Mark Duplass pushed back publicly: “Kane was 100% in control.”
Sources: Variety
Emmy FYC Season Peaks: Deli Boys Makes Broadway History, The ‘Burbs Covers LA in Bus Benches
Hulu’s Deli Boys broke new ground in Emmy FYC campaigning: stars Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh appeared onstage at New York’s New Amsterdam Theatre during a performance of Aladdin on May 27, becoming the first two South Asian actors to share the show’s celebrity cameo slot together. Separately, Peacock’s The ‘Burbs deployed more than 100 bus bench ads across Los Angeles starting June 1, each with a QR code linking to the full pilot episode. Emmy nomination voting opens June 11, with nominations announced July 8 and the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards set for September 14 on NBC.
Sources: Variety
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Backrooms | May 29 | $81.4M | $81.4M |
| 2 | Obsession | May 15 | $27.4M | $105.8M |
| 3 | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu | May 22 | $24.5M | $136.8M |
| 4 | Michael | Apr 24 | $11.9M | $340.1M |
| 5 | The Breadwinner | May 29 | $7.4M | $7.4M |
| 6 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 1 | $5.9M | $209.3M |
| 7 | Pressure | May 29 | $5.8M | $5.8M |
| 8 | The Sheep Detectives | May 8 | $4.7M | $54.6M |
| 9 | Passenger | May 22 | $2.7M | $15.4M |
| 10 | Mortal Kombat II | May 8 | $2.0M | $77.8M |
| 11 | Tuner | May 22 | $1.7M | $1.9M |
| 12 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Apr 3 | $1.4M | $427.1M |
| 13 | I Love Boosters | May 22 | $1.4M | $7.3M |
| 14 | Project Hail Mary | Mar 20 | $1.0M | $342.3M |
| 15 | Is God Is | May 15 | $179K | $4.8M |
| 16 | Power Ballad | May 29 | $178K | $178K |
| 17 | Hokum | May 1 | $90K | $16.8M |
| 18 | In the Grey | May 15 | $75K | $5.7M |
| 19 | Hoppers | Mar 6 | $46K | $166.0M |
| 20 | Silent Friend | May 8 | $31K | $307K |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend May 29–31, 2026 estimates
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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