Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Monday, June 29, 2026
Supergirl Opens to $38 Million, Falls Short of Projections as Toy Story 5 Stays Atop Chart
Supergirl debuted to a disappointing $38 million in its opening weekend from 3,602 North American theaters, falling well short of pre-release tracking that had projected a $55 million-plus domestic opening. The Craig Gillespie-directed DC film, starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, earned a lukewarm “B-” CinemaScore from exit polls. Meanwhile, Disney’s Toy Story 5 held firm at No. 1 with $70 million in its second weekend — pacing ahead of Incredibles 2 — while Jackass: Best and Last also stumbled with just $8.4 million from 2,855 venues. The overall domestic weekend grossed approximately $158 million, up 15% from the same frame in 2025.
House of the Dragon Season 3 Premiere Draws 21.5 Million Viewers, Down 8% from Season 2
House of the Dragon’s third season opened to 21.5 million global viewers in its first three days across HBO and HBO Max, Warner Bros. Discovery announced Thursday. That figure represents an 8% decline from Season 2’s 23.4 million three-day debut — a drop the network attributes partly to competition from the FIFA World Cup. The eight-episode season, co-created by Ryan Condal, premiered June 21 and will run weekly through an August 9 finale on HBO and HBO Max. As a positive signal, Season 2 viewership tripled in the week leading up to the premiere, suggesting re-watch momentum drew both returning and new subscribers ahead of the debut.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Tracks for $80–$100 Million Domestic Opening on July 17
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is eyeing a domestic opening of $80 million to $100 million when it arrives on July 17, according to early tracking. The figure would surpass Nolan’s own Oppenheimer and nearly match this spring’s Project Hail Mary ($80.5 million). Produced on a reported $250 million budget — among the most expensive R-rated productions in history — The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Anne Hathaway. Universal Pictures is distributing the film, which arrives two weeks ahead of Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, setting up a pivotal mid-summer box office contest.
A24 Defends Google DeepMind Partnership, Calls Deal a Seat at the Table on AI
A24 faced a surge of fan backlash after confirming a research partnership with Google DeepMind that includes a $75 million investment from the tech company. Critics on social media accused the studio of betraying its artistic identity by opening filmmaking workflows to AI development. A24 communications rep Sophia Shin pushed back, stating the deal is designed to let the studio shape AI tools from within: “We’d rather have a seat at the table than on the sidelines.” The partnership does not give Google access to A24’s content library, and filmmaker participation in any resulting tools carries no mandate.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 Arrives on Digital June 28, Streams on Disney+ and Hulu July 29
The Devil Wears Prada 2 hit digital platforms — including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home — on June 28, ahead of its streaming bow on Disney+ and Hulu on July 29. The Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt sequel has grossed $677.6 million worldwide, taking the franchise past $1 billion cumulatively. Disney produced the sequel for roughly $100 million and spent approximately $80 million on marketing, including a global promotional tour spanning Mexico City to Asia before a New York world premiere. The home release marks the final chapter of one of spring 2026’s most expansive studio marketing campaigns.
Disney Becomes First Studio in 2026 to Cross $3 Billion at the Global Box Office
Walt Disney Studios has become the first major studio to cross $3 billion in worldwide box office gross for 2026, fueled by a run of consecutive No. 1 openings across divisions. Key contributors include Toy Story 5 (over $367 million globally and climbing), The Devil Wears Prada 2 ($677.6 million), Pixar’s Hoppers ($372 million), and Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu ($323 million). All of Disney’s 2026 theatrical releases opened at No. 1 domestically. Walt Disney has held the No. 1 global studio position in nine of the last ten years, with upcoming titles including Moana live-action (July 10) and Avengers: Doomsday (December 18).
The Weight Drops Trailer for Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe Adventure, Eyes September 18 Release
A new trailer has arrived for The Weight, the directorial debut of Padraic McKinley, ahead of the film’s scheduled September 18 wide theatrical release from Vertical Entertainment. Ethan Hawke stars as a war veteran imprisoned at a remote labor camp who strikes a high-stakes deal with a warden played by Russell Crowe: smuggle gold out of a wilderness mine in exchange for early release. The film debuted at Sundance in January and currently holds a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The trailer positions The Weight as a classic outdoor adventure in the tradition of character-driven studio films, arriving in a competitive fall season.
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toy Story 5 | June 19 | $70.0M | $297.2M |
| 2 | Supergirl | June 26 | $38.0M | $38.0M |
| 3 | Obsession | May 8 | $9.8M | $233.9M |
| 4 | Jackass: Best and Last | June 26 | $8.4M | $8.4M |
| 5 | Disclosure Day | June 12 | $8.1M | $94.4M |
| 6 | Backrooms | May 22 | $4.3M | $184.2M |
| 7 | Scary Movie | June 5 | $3.0M | $103.5M |
| 8 | BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War | June 26 | $3.0M | $3.0M |
| 9 | Masters of the Universe | June 5 | $2.2M | $61.9M |
| 10 | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu | May 22 | $1.6M | $175.3M |
| 11 | Leviticus | June 19 | $929K | $5.4M |
| 12 | Michael | Apr. 17 | $905K | $370.2M |
| 13 | Lucky Strike | June 26 | $777K | $777K |
| 14 | The Death of Robin Hood | June 19 | $589K | $4.8M |
| 15 | The Breadwinner | May 29 | $450K | $20.1M |
| 16 | The Invite | June 26 | $379K | $379K |
| 17 | Girls Like Girls | June 19 | $300K | $2.5M |
| 18 | The Furious | June 12 | $300K | $6.1M |
| 19 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Apr. 30 | $275K | $219.9M |
| 20 | Pressure | May 29 | $151K | $15.5M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates · June 26–28, 2026
Curated by JD · samwise.agency