Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Saturday, July 18, 2026
The Odyssey Opens to Record $117 Million, Nolan’s Biggest Debut
Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey shattered expectations with $17.6 million in Thursday night preview screenings—the best preview number of 2026—and is tracking toward a massive $117 million three-day domestic opening from 3,919 theaters. The Universal film, starring Matt Damon, is the first feature shot entirely on IMAX cameras and is poised to be the third-biggest domestic opening weekend of the year. The debut sets a record as Damon’s biggest weekend as a lead star and marks the year’s best R-rated debut. The film’s global launch is projected to surpass $200 million, according to Deadline.
Sources: Deadline Deadline (forecast) Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Moana Live-Action Remake Flops with $43 Million Opening, Could Cost Disney $125 Million
Disney’s live-action Moana remake opened to a disappointing $43 million domestically—and just $95 million worldwide—against a reported $250 million production budget and an estimated $120 million in marketing costs. Analysts point to sequel fatigue as a core problem: the original 2016 animated film spawned a billion-dollar sequel less than two years ago, at Thanksgiving 2024, leaving audiences with little appetite for a live-action reboot. The opening ranks among the weakest in Disney’s live-action remake slate, and the studio could lose between $100 million and $125 million on the title. Dwayne Johnson reprises his role as Maui.
2026 Box Office Sets Pace for First $10 Billion Year Since the Pandemic
The domestic box office stands at $4.66 billion through mid-July, running 21% ahead of last year’s pace and tracking toward what could be the first $10 billion domestic year since before the pandemic. Summer 2026 is drawing comparisons to the “Barbenheimer”-powered 2023 season, with Toy Story 5 opening to $159 million and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie crossing $1 billion globally. Exhibitors are reinvesting in IMAX upgrades and luxury seating, and studio executives say the moment reminds them of the business’s confidence of 15 years ago. Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens July 31, keeping the summer’s momentum in play.
How Universal Broke the Marketing Playbook to Launch The Odyssey
Universal’s campaign for The Odyssey broke new ground by putting IMAX tickets on sale a full year before the film’s release—a theatrical first—and saw most screenings sell out within hours, sparking a resale market with tickets fetching $200 to $400. The studio also skipped traditional influencer word-of-mouth screenings, a gamble on Christopher Nolan’s brand to carry social buzz without the usual preview circuit. The overall marketing push cost roughly $125 million, with premiere stops in London, Paris, and Mumbai. Industry observers argue the strategy proved that unconventional theatrical campaigns can generate sustained organic conversation ahead of a wide release.
Netflix Q2 Revenue Rises 13% to $12.6 Billion; Stock Falls 9% on Weak Q3 Outlook
Netflix reported $12.6 billion in second-quarter revenue—a 13% year-over-year increase—but shares fell 9% after hours when the company issued a lower-than-expected Q3 revenue outlook. Net income for the quarter was $3.4 billion. The streaming giant’s advertising business remains on pace for $3 billion in 2026 revenue, and U.S. upfront ad commitments are in “advanced stages,” the company said. Netflix members watched more than 97 billion hours of content in the first half of 2026. The Q3 guidance shortfall—not the Q2 earnings, which were largely in line with analyst expectations—drove the sell-off, analysts noted.
Streaming Ad Commitments Surge 17.9% to $13.2 Billion as TV Upfront Market Closes
Television’s annual upfront advertising market is wrapping—and streaming has decisively claimed the momentum. Dollars committed to streaming rose 17.9% to $13.2 billion for the 2026–27 cycle, while broadcast primetime pledges fell 2.5% to around $9.1 billion and cable slipped 4.3% to $8.68 billion. Netflix said it “more than doubled” its overall upfront commitments, and Amazon exceeded its volume targets, buoyed by Thursday Night Football, NBA and NASCAR programming. Though Fox and NBCU have not publicly declared the market closed, industry sources told Variety the deals are essentially done. Media buyers are now questioning whether the traditional upfront model makes sense for digital inventory with year-round availability.
Sources: Variety Variety (Amazon) Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Hits UK Regulatory Limbo as Parliament Breaks for Summer
The Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, valued at $110 billion, is in regulatory limbo as UK Parliament recessed for the summer without Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy ruling on media plurality concerns. A “ticking fee” of roughly $650 million per quarter activates if the deal does not close by September 30. European regulators extended their provisional decision deadline to July 22 after Paramount submitted concessions. The U.S. Department of Justice has already cleared the transaction. If it closes, the combined company would unite the Warner Bros. and Paramount libraries—spanning Game of Thrones, Superman, SpongeBob SquarePants, Mission: Impossible, and both the Max and Paramount+ streaming platforms.
Sources: Deadline Deadline (EU) Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Odyssey | Jul 17 | $117M | $117M |
| 2 | Moana (2026) | Jul 10 | $19.0M | $62.0M |
| 3 | Minions & Monsters | Jul 1 | $14.5M | $109M |
| 4 | Toy Story 5 | Jun 19 | $10.0M | $415M |
| 5 | Evil Dead Burn | Jul 10 | $7.0M | $20.7M |
| 6 | Disclosure Day | Jun 12 | $5.5M | $100M |
| 7 | Scary Movie | Jun 5 | $4.0M | $90.0M |
| 8 | The Invite | Jun 26 | $3.5M | $10.8M |
| 9 | Jackass: Best and Last | Jun 26 | $1.5M | $15.0M |
| 10 | Supergirl | Jun 19 | $1.2M | $60.0M |
| 11 | Backrooms | May 22 | $0.9M | $192M |
| 12 | Obsession | May 28 | $0.8M | $115M |
| 13 | Masters of the Universe | Jun 5 | $0.6M | $46.0M |
| 14 | Mandalorian & Grogu | May 22 | $0.5M | $280M |
| 15 | Michael | Apr 9 | $0.4M | $372M |
| 16 | Project Hail Mary | Mar 26 | $0.3M | $319M |
| 17 | Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Mar 5 | $0.2M | $428M |
| 18 | Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 15 | $0.2M | $200M |
| 19 | The Drama | Apr 2 | $0.1M | $38.0M |
| 20 | The Mummy | Apr 23 | $0.1M | $25.0M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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