Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Saturday, June 21, 2026
Toy Story 5 Tracks for Franchise-Record $165M–$170M Opening Weekend
Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 5 is tracking for the biggest domestic opening of 2026, targeting $160–$170 million from 4,425 North American theaters in its first three days. The animated sequel posted $17.5 million in Thursday preview grosses—the best preview performance of 2026 and second-highest on record behind Incredibles 2’s $18.5 million in 2018. By Friday the film had already crossed $71 million domestically, setting a franchise single-day record. Should estimates hold, the sequel will surpass Toy Story 4’s $120 million domestic debut from 2019, with global projections now pointing to $275 million worldwide.
Obsession Crosses $300M Worldwide, Becomes Top-Grossing Film Festival Acquisition Ever
Focus Features’ horror romance Obsession—directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker on a $1 million budget—crossed $300 million worldwide this weekend, becoming the highest-grossing film festival acquisition in box office history. In the same weekend, A24’s Backrooms surpassed Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu in domestic cumulative grosses. Obsession’s extraordinary run traces directly to a calculated guerrilla campaign: before release, the studio produced a commercial selling the fictional in-world One Wish Willows device, which sold out within hours, then sustained buzz through cryptic Los Angeles and New York billboards and a working phone number connecting callers to the character Nikki’s increasingly unsettling texts and voice notes.
Emmy Nomination Voting Hits Fever Pitch as Campaigns Blanket the Academy
The 2026 Emmy awards campaign season has reached a fever pitch—with nomination-round voting closing June 22 at 10 p.m. PT, networks and streamers have deployed an unprecedented FYC blitz. One voting member of the Television Academy’s 24,000-person membership reported receiving at least 450 official event invitations since May 1, in addition to 210 Academy-forwarded emails advertising viewing programs and screenings. Nominations are announced July 8. Contenders this cycle include shows from HBO, Netflix, Amazon, FX, and Hulu, with FYC events typically combining an episode screening, a talent panel, and a catered reception at the Academy’s Saban Media Center in North Hollywood.
Sources: Deadline
Actress Self-Funds Emmy Push After HBO Declines to Submit Her for Guest Category
In an unusual act of self-promotion highlighting pressure points in the FYC system, actress Brittany Allen—who played a dying cancer patient on HBO’s The Pitt—launched her own Emmy campaign on Instagram after the network chose not to submit her in the Guest Actress category. Allen shared an FYC graphic on June 15 with the caption “since HBO didn’t submit me, I’m running my own FYC campaign.” The move drew widespread attention from Emmy voters and industry observers, reigniting debate about which performers networks choose to champion and whether self-submission campaigns can generate enough visibility to reach the 24,000-member Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Sources: Variety
Disclosure Day Eyes Strong Hold as Spielberg Thriller Faces Toy Story 5 Pressure
Steven Spielberg’s UFO thriller Disclosure Day—starring Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, and Josh O’Connor—is targeting a 55% drop in its second domestic weekend, with analysts projecting approximately $20 million as the film faces competition from Toy Story 5’s massive opening. The Universal/Amblin release opened last weekend to $44 million domestically, with a $93 million worldwide debut across 25,685 screens in 73 territories. The $115 million production, which cost an additional $80 million to market, needs approximately $300 million globally to reach profitability. Premium large-format screens accounted for 48% of its opening-weekend grosses.
Sources: Variety
Women in Film and ReFrame Release 2026 Emmy “Who to Watch” FYC Diversity Guide
Women in Film and ReFrame, two advocacy organizations focused on gender equity in entertainment, jointly released their 2026 Emmy “Who to Watch” FYC guide Saturday—a resource spotlighting performers and creators whose campaigns may be overshadowed by major-network and studio resources. The guide arrives as Emmy nomination-round voting closes Monday, June 22. The Television Academy’s 24,000-member voting body has been flooded with FYC outreach this season, with individual members reporting receipt of more than 450 official event invitations since May 1. Nominations for the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced July 8.
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toy Story 5 | Jun 19 | $165.0M | $182.5M |
| 2 | Disclosure Day | Jun 12 | $20.0M | $69.0M |
| 3 | Obsession | May 15 | $13.0M | $239.0M |
| 4 | Scary Movie 6 | Jun 5 | $12.5M | $87.0M |
| 5 | Backrooms | May 22 | $8.0M | $177.0M |
| 6 | Masters of the Universe | Jun 5 | $6.0M | $42.0M |
| 7 | The Amazing Digital Circus | Jun 5 | $5.0M | $31.0M |
| 8 | Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu | May 22 | $4.0M | $175.0M |
| 9 | The Death of Robin Hood | Jun 19 | $4.0M | $4.0M |
| 10 | Michael | Mar 27 | $2.5M | $340.0M |
| 11 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Apr 25 | $1.5M | $216.0M |
| 12 | Mortal Kombat II | Apr 24 | $0.8M | $89.0M |
| 13 | Wuthering Heights | Feb 13 | $0.4M | $198.0M |
| 14 | GOAT | Feb 6 | $0.3M | $75.0M |
| 15 | Crime 101 | Feb 13 | $0.1M | $30.0M |
| 16 | Limited / platform release | — | — | — |
| 17 | Limited / platform release | — | — | — |
| 18 | Limited / platform release | — | — | — |
| 19 | Limited / platform release | — | — | — |
| 20 | Limited / platform release | — | — | — |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates · Positions 16–20: platform/limited release data unavailable at press time
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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