Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Monday, June 15, 2026
Spielberg’s ‘Disclosure Day’ Opens to $44 Million at Domestic Box Office
Universal and Amblin’s Disclosure Day, directed by Steven Spielberg, opened to No. 1 with $44 million from 3,824 domestic theaters and added $48.9 million from 73 international markets for a $92.9 million global debut. It is Spielberg’s and Amblin’s biggest opening for an original title not based on prior intellectual property. The sci-fi adventure carries a $115 million production budget plus $80 million in marketing, meaning it needs to gross roughly $300 million worldwide to turn a profit. Holdovers filled out the chart, with Focus Features’ Obsession taking second place on $19 million in its fifth weekend.
Sources: Deadline
Universal Built ‘Disclosure Day’ Marketing Around Spielberg’s Name and Gen Z Reach
Because Disclosure Day is an original story rather than a franchise entry, Universal’s campaign leaned heavily on Steven Spielberg’s name to set the film apart from the sequels and low-budget horror titles crowding multiplexes. Spielberg promoted the film at CinemaCon and SXSW, appeared on podcasts including Michelle Obama’s “IMO” and “The Rewatchables,” and held an event at TikTok’s headquarters with creator Reece Feldman to court younger moviegoers. The studio also kept footage from the film’s third act out of trailers, with Spielberg noting at CinemaCon that audiences have grown adept at spotting marketing material. The push delivered a $44 million domestic opening.
Sources: Variety
‘Obsession’ Becomes Highest-Grossing Film Ever Acquired at a Festival
Focus Features and Blumhouse’s Obsession has become the highest-grossing movie ever picked up at a film festival after a post-premiere auction, surpassing The Blair Witch Project’s reported $248.6 million global total, according to Deadline. Focus acquired the horror title out of the Toronto International Film Festival for north of $15 million covering North America and most foreign territories. Directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker, the film was made for about $1 million, ranking it among the most profitable releases in recent memory. It added $19 million in its fifth domestic weekend, holding second place behind Disclosure Day and continuing an unusually durable theatrical run.
Sources: Deadline
Summer 2026 Box Office Reaches $1.55 Billion, Best Showing Since 2019
The domestic summer box office stands at $1.55 billion, the strongest post-pandemic total and the best since 2019, up 11.6% from the same point last year. The weekend ending June 14 took in roughly $183.2 million, the second-best post-Covid result for the calendar’s 23rd weekend and a 61% jump over the comparable frame a year earlier. The surge has been powered by an unusual mix of titles, including the breakout horror successes Obsession and Backrooms alongside Spielberg’s Disclosure Day. The results reinforce a season in which original and mid-budget films have outperformed expectations against a thinner studio tentpole slate.
Sources: Deadline
Disney Opens Emmy FYC Season With Star-Studded ‘Toast to TV’ Event
Disney launched its Emmy For Your Consideration push with an inaugural Toast to TV event hosted by Dana Walden, the company’s president and chief creative officer, at Soho House in West Hollywood. The gathering celebrated programming across Hulu, Disney+, FX and ABC and drew stars, creators and executives from titles ranging from “Dancing with the Stars” to the FX series “Love Story.” In her opening remarks, Walden said attendees had “told stories that break through an incredible amount of clutter,” and noted that Seth MacFarlane had teased the event’s title. The kickoff comes as roughly 20,000 Television Academy members face a flood of FYC events and screening invitations.
Sources: Variety
Streamers Roll Out Premium Ad Positions to Court Marketers
Streaming platforms are packaging premium ad placements to attract marketers heading into the upfront. AMC Networks introduced a “first streamer” product that lets advertisers buy the opening slot in the first ad pod of a viewer’s first stream, while Paramount is pitching a “streaming fixed unit” that hands sponsors a consistent position, such as the first ad in a break, for the first seven days after a new episode debuts. Netflix, whose ad business now works with more than 4,000 advertisers, up 70% year over year, is adding products that help buyers measure the incremental impact of their spending. The moves reflect intensifying competition for streaming ad dollars.
Sources: Variety
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disclosure Day | Jun 12 | $44.0M | $44.0M |
| 2 | Obsession | May 15 | $19.0M | $188.3M |
| 3 | Scary Movie | Jun 5 | $14.5M | $84.5M |
| 4 | Backrooms | May 29 | $11.3M | $160.0M |
| 5 | Masters of the Universe | Jun 5 | $8.7M | $46.7M |
| 6 | Mandalorian and Grogu | May 22 | $4.7M | $165.0M |
| 7 | Michael | Apr 24 | $4.1M | $362.7M |
| 8 | The Furious | Jun 12 | $2.8M | $2.8M |
| 9 | Stop! That! Train! | Jun 12 | $2.2M | $2.2M |
| 10 | The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act | Jun 5 | $1.9M | $27.0M |
| 11 | Pressure | May 29 | $1.1M | $14.0M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Deadline · Weekend estimates, June 12–14, 2026 · Verified wide-release entries
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.