Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Monday, June 8, 2026
Scary Movie Opens to Franchise-Best $55 Million Behind a Viral Marketing Blitz
Paramount’s Scary Movie opened to a franchise-best $55 million domestically and $105.5 million globally in its debut weekend, surpassing the prior franchise record set by Scream 7. The marketing campaign included a Subservient Ghostface website generating 200 million views, a Nike parody tied to NBA playoff conversation, and a first trailer debuted exclusively in theaters ahead of Scream 7 that generated more than 300 million views. The official campaign trailer delivered 410 million views in its first seven days, becoming the second-biggest trailer debut in Paramount history, with total social content topping 1 billion views. The campaign was led by Josh Goldstine, Paramount’s Global Marketing and Distribution chief.
Masters of the Universe Opens to a Disappointing $29.3 Million Despite $200 Million Budget
Masters of the Universe debuted at No. 2 with a soft $29.3 million in North America in its opening weekend, an underwhelming result for a film that cost nearly $200 million to produce. Opening audiences skewed 66 percent male and nearly 40 percent above the age of 45, indicating that mostly fans of the original 1980s property turned out. The film earned $25 million from 86 overseas markets for a global start of $54 million. The pic debuted on 3,677 screens. By contrast, Scary Movie opened to $105.5 million globally the same weekend with a far broader audience composition.
Sources: Variety
Supergirl Tracking at $55M-Plus Domestic Opening as Ticket Sales Launch
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the DC Studios and Warner Bros. feature directed by Craig Gillespie, arrived on three-week tracking with an opening projection of $55 million or more when it opens on June 26. Unaided awareness for the Milly Alcock-led film is tracking higher than recent comparables including The Mandalorian and Grogu ($81.6 million domestic opening), Thunderbolts*, and Shazam!. The official trailer has clocked 27 million views on YouTube alone, while the earlier teaser pulled 24 million. Based on the Tom King and Bilquis Evely graphic novel, the film stars Jason Momoa as new antihero Lobo. Advance tickets went on sale Wednesday.
Sources: Deadline
Backrooms Becomes A24’s Highest-Grossing Film Ever at $212 Million Worldwide
A24’s Backrooms broke the studio’s all-time worldwide box office record this weekend, surpassing $212 million globally to eclipse Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme as A24’s highest-grossing release ever. Domestically, the horror film earned $25.9 million in its second weekend, a 68 percent drop from its debut, for a North American cumulative total of $135 million. The film had opened to $81 million in its first frame. Backrooms played on 3,565 screens in North America during its second session, arriving at the global milestone on the same weekend that Scary Movie opened to a $55 million domestic debut.
Sources: Deadline
Michael Becomes Lionsgate’s Highest-Grossing Film Ever and Threatens Bohemian Rhapsody’s Record
Michael, the Lionsgate biopic of Michael Jackson, earned $7.7 million in its seventh domestic weekend, pushing its North American cumulative total to $354.2 million and crossing a historic threshold to become the studio’s highest-grossing release of all time. The film, which opened in April to a record-setting $97 million domestic debut, is now approaching $800 million worldwide and challenging Bohemian Rhapsody’s standing as the all-time highest-grossing musical biopic. Globally, Michael had surpassed $788 million as of this weekend, with the Queen biopic’s $911 million final gross now within striking distance.
Sources: Deadline
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Becomes the First Film of 2026 to Cross $1 Billion Globally
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, from Illumination, Nintendo and Universal, became the first 2026 release to cross $1 billion at the global box office this weekend, reaching the milestone in its tenth weekend of release. The animated feature opened to $190 million domestically in April, with its domestic total at $428.5 million and international grosses pushing the global figure past the billion-dollar mark. Now playing on 642 screens, the film added $600,000 domestically this weekend while crossing the milestone. No other 2026 release has yet reached the $1 billion threshold globally.
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scary Movie | Jun 6, 2026 | $55.0M | $55.0M |
| 2 | Masters of the Universe | Jun 6, 2026 | $29.3M | $29.3M |
| 3 | Backrooms | May 29, 2026 | $25.9M | $135.1M |
| 4 | Obsession | May 15, 2026 | $25.6M | $152.1M |
| 5 | The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act | Jun 5, 2026 | $12.4M | $20.8M |
| 6 | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu | May 22, 2026 | $10.0M | $155.8M |
| 7 | Michael | Apr 24, 2026 | $7.7M | $354.3M |
| 8 | The Breadwinner | May 29, 2026 | $3.4M | $13.8M |
| 9 | Pressure | May 29, 2026 | $3.0M | $11.2M |
| 10 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 1, 2026 | $2.8M | $215.0M |
| 11 | The Sheep Detectives | May 8, 2026 | $2.2M | $59.4M |
| 12 | Power Ballad | May 29, 2026 | $1.3M | $1.5M |
| 13 | Passenger | May 22, 2026 | $630K | $17.4M |
| 14 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Apr 1, 2026 | $600K | $428.5M |
| 15 | I Love Boosters | May 22, 2026 | $503K | $8.7M |
| 16 | Mortal Kombat II | May 8, 2026 | $455K | $79.1M |
| 17 | Trainspotting (re-release) | Jun 2026 | $200K | $16.7M |
| 18 | Hokum | May 1, 2026 | $59K | $17.0M |
| 19 | Time And Water | May 29, 2026 | $11K | $20K |
| 20 | Jinsei | Jun 6, 2026 | $9K | $9K |
Source: The Numbers · Weekend estimates, June 5–8, 2026
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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