Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Sunday, July 5, 2026
Minions & Monsters Posts Franchise-Low $64.5M Five-Day Opening Over July 4 Weekend
Universal Pictures’ Minions & Monsters debuted to a $64.5M five-day domestic opening over the July 4 holiday weekend—well below the studio’s $80M+ projection and a franchise low. For comparison, Despicable Me 4 earned $122M over five days in 2024. The seventh Illumination installment opened to $39.5M for its three-day Friday–Sunday frame, sitting atop an otherwise subdued marketplace. TheWrap notes the film carries a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score—the franchise’s best—with Illumination publicly framing the installment as a studio reset. Long-term performance will hinge on weekday holds through the summer school-break window.
Angel Studios’ Pay-It-Forward Model Drives Young Washington to $18M Independence Day Opening
Angel Studios’ historical biopic Young Washington opened to an estimated $18M over its Independence Day weekend, surpassing pre-release forecasts of $15M and claiming third place at the holiday box office. The studio’s signature “Pay It Forward” campaign—asking audiences to buy tickets for others and amplify patriotic messaging across social media—drove strong advance pre-sales ahead of the July 3 premiere. With an audience score of 81% definite-recommend, the film validates Angel Studios’ model of tapping community advocacy rather than conventional marketing spend to build meaningful theatrical footprints for faith-adjacent content.
Toy Story 5 Crosses $600M Worldwide With Strong Third-Weekend Hold in Holiday Frame
Toy Story 5 crossed an estimated $600M worldwide over the July 4 holiday frame, with a $349M domestic cumulative through Friday, July 3. Now in its third weekend, the Disney-Pixar sequel is tracking $32M–$36M domestically, reflecting a remarkably steady hold against Minions & Monsters’ opening competition. The film debuted in June to $160M domestic and $312M globally—the second-largest animated opening weekend in box office history behind Incredibles 2’s $182.7M. With Minions underperforming its $80M+ target, Toy Story 5 is poised to reclaim the weekly chart lead heading into next weekend.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Drops “Meet Haymitch” Featurette on Independence Day
Lionsgate dropped a “Meet Haymitch” featurette for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping on July 4, timing the release to the character’s in-universe birthday and Reaping Day. The preview showcases Joseph Zada as the young Haymitch Abernathy—the Second Quarter Quell victor originated onscreen by Woody Harrelson—alongside director Francis Lawrence and co-stars Elle Fanning, McKenna Grace, Ben Wang, and Jesse Plemons. The prequel arrives in cinemas November 20, and the strategic holiday-timed release is designed to build early awareness and generate social conversation during the season’s highest-traffic weekend.
Supergirl Faces 60% Second-Weekend Drop in Crowded Holiday Frame
Supergirl, DC Studios’ latest theatrical entry, is tracking a 60% second-weekend decline after opening to $38M on June 27. A drop of that magnitude—to roughly $14.8M in its second frame—reflects a soft audience hold and raises questions about DC’s ability to sustain theatrical momentum beyond opening-weekend superfans. The film’s domestic cumulative stands at $52.5M through Friday, July 3. Competing against an Illumination tentpole and a Pixar sequel in the same July 4 holiday frame, Supergirl’s performance illustrates the challenge of positioning DC franchise content in a crowded family-film marketplace without stronger audience advocacy.
July 4 on Saturday Pulls Holiday Box Office Down 21% Year-Over-Year to $123M
The July 4 holiday weekend is tracking to a total domestic gross of $123M—down 21% from the same frame a year ago, which delivered $155.6M. Industry analysts attribute the shortfall primarily to the holiday’s placement on a Saturday, which compresses the typical five-day event window and reduces Friday attendance as audiences choose celebrations over theaters. Adding to the structural headwind, a record U.S. heatwave and the FIFA World Cup further diluted moviegoing demand. Despite those pressures, the market launched two wide-release newcomers and posted a strong hold from Toy Story 5, suggesting content-driven demand remains intact.
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minions & Monsters | Jul 2 | $39.5M* | $64.5M |
| 2 | Toy Story 5 | Jun 19 | $34.0M | $367M |
| 3 | Young Washington | Jul 3 | $18.0M | $18.0M |
| 4 | Supergirl | Jun 27 | $14.8M | $67.3M |
| 5 | Disclosure Day | Jun 13 | $6.7M | $108M |
| 6 | Obsession | May 15 | $6.0M | $248M |
| 7 | Backrooms | May 29 | $4.0M | $193M |
| 8 | Jackass: Best and Last | Jun 27 | $3.5M | $15.8M |
| 9 | BLEACH: Thou.-Year Blood War | Jun 26 | $1.8M | $4.8M |
| 10 | Scary Movie | Jun 6 | $1.2M | $107M |
| 11 | The Invite | Jun 27 | $0.9M | $1.2M |
| 12 | Masters of the Universe | Jun 5 | $0.7M | $63.0M |
| 13 | Star Wars: Mandalorian & Grogu | May 22 | $0.7M | $178M |
| 14 | Michael | Apr 24 | $0.5M | $371M |
| 15 | Leviticus | Jun 19 | $0.5M | $5.9M |
| 16 | Lucky Strike | Jun 26 | $0.4M | $1.2M |
| 17 | The Sheep Detectives | May 8 | $0.3M | $65.9M |
| 18 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Apr 30 | $0.2M | $221M |
| 19 | The Death of Robin Hood | Jun 20 | $0.1M | $5.5M |
| 20 | Girls Like Girls | Jun 19 | $0.1M | $2.7M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates (3-day Fri–Sun) · *Minions 5-day incl. previews: $64.5M · All figures estimated
Curated by JD · samwise.agency