Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Super Mario Galaxy Movie Shoots Past $310M Domestic With Blockbuster Second Weekend
Universal Pictures’ The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is delivering box office history in its second frame, tracking an estimated $71M for the April 11–13 weekend and surpassing $310M domestic by Sunday — the fastest clip for any animated title in 2026. The film’s $372.5M global opening earlier this month marked the year’s biggest launch and the third-highest debut ever for a video game adaptation. Nintendo and Universal’s marketing campaign leaned into franchise nostalgia, cross-platform social activations and family-first positioning to sustain extraordinary audience enthusiasm. With strong holds across international markets, the film is now pacing toward a $700M-plus global run.
Sources: Deadline • Deadline (Second Weekend Tracking)
March For Our Lives Challenges A24’s “Deeply Misaligned” Drama Marketing
Gun violence prevention group March for Our Lives issued a public rebuke of A24’s marketing approach to The Drama — the Zendaya and Robert Pattinson dark comedy that opened to $14M domestically — calling the campaign “deeply misaligned” with the film’s school shooting subject matter. A24 spent months rolling out wedding-themed promotions, including a fake Boston Globe engagement announcement and a one-day Las Vegas wedding chapel, without acknowledging the film’s central plot: that Emma (Zendaya) once planned, but did not carry out, a school massacre. The criticism highlights the ongoing tension between unconventional marketing tactics and socially sensitive material.
Beef Season 2 Red Carpet and Creator Deal Signal Netflix’s Emmy Confidence
Netflix mounted a full marketing offensive this week for Beef Season 2, hosting a world premiere at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood ahead of the anthology’s April 16 launch starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny. In tandem, Netflix announced a multi-year extension of creator Lee Sung Jin’s overall deal spanning scripted series and features, underscoring the streamer’s confidence in Sung Jin as a long-term creative partner. Season 2 swaps the road-rage premise of its Emmy-winning first season for a country club setting, following a young couple drawn into the unraveling marriage of their boss and his wife.
Sources: Deadline
Angel Studios Drops Animal Farm Trailer for Andy Serkis Animated Adaptation
Angel Studios unveiled the official trailer this week for Animal Farm, director Andy Serkis’s animated adaptation of George Orwell’s political allegory, arriving in theaters May 1. The star-studded voice cast includes Seth Rogen, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi, Laverne Cox, Jim Parsons, Kathleen Turner and Iman Vellani, with Serkis himself also lending his voice. The film, written by Nicholas Stoller, received its world premiere at the Annecy Animation Film Festival last June and was subsequently acquired by Angel Studios for North American theatrical distribution. The trailer campaign emphasizes the story’s timely allegorical resonance for contemporary audiences.
Sources: Deadline
TriStar Launches Breadwinner Campaign for Nate Bargatze’s May 29 Family Comedy
TriStar Pictures has released a new trailer for The Breadwinner, marking comedian Nate Bargatze’s first leading film role. Directed by Eric Appel — whose previous feature was Weird: The Al Yankovic Story — the film follows Bargatze as a stay-at-home dad who struggles after his supermom wife, played by Mandy Moore, lands a Shark Tank deal. The film opens May 29 against A24’s Backrooms, Focus Features’ D-Day thriller Pressure and Lionsgate’s The Furious. Bargatze and co-writer Dan Lagana also produced through Wonder Project alongside Jeremy Latcham. The trailer’s warm comedic tone is positioned to capture the family audience ahead of summer.
Sources: Deadline
Peacock’s Ponies Mounts Full-Court Emmy Push in Comedy Categories
Peacock and Universal Television are submitting spy comedy Ponies across 20 Emmy categories, positioning Emilia Clarke for lead comedy actress and Haley Lu Richardson for supporting actress at the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards. Clarke plays Bea, an over-educated daughter of Soviet immigrants who becomes a CIA operative in 1977 Moscow, and will additionally be eligible as an executive producer on the outstanding comedy series submission. Richardson’s Twila, a fearless small-town woman drawn into Bea’s world, anchors the supporting campaign. All eight episodes of Ponies Season 1 are now streaming on Peacock, with the series having earned strong critical notices upon its debut.
Sources: Variety
Apple TV+ Opens FYC House for Severance and The Studio at Hollywood Athletic Club
Apple TV+ launched its Emmy FYC campaign in earnest this week, announcing a multi-week FYC House at the Hollywood Athletic Club running April 24 through May 21. The campaign covers the full Apple TV+ slate: dramas including Severance, Slow Horses and Bad Sisters; comedies The Studio, Shrinking, Government Cheese and Bad Monkey; and limited series Disclaimer, Presumed Innocent and Dope Thief. TV Academy members attending the venue can make a Lumon Industries employee badge from Severance, participate in mock studio executive screenings inspired by The Studio, or drink at a Slow Horses-themed bar. Scheduled appearances include Ben Stiller, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Kathryn Hahn.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Variety Entertainment Marketing Summit Lines Up Warner Bros., Apple and NBCUniversal Executives for April 22
Variety’s 2026 Entertainment Marketing Summit, presented by Deloitte and set for April 22 in Los Angeles, has unveiled a program featuring some of the industry’s top marketing executives. Confirmed speakers include Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chair Pam Abdy, who will speak to the studio’s pair of Best Film nominees; Tina Knowles; NBCU Television Chairman Pearlena Igbokwe; and Apple’s VP of Music, TV, Sports, Podcasts and Beats Oliver Schusser. A keynote roundtable will convene Universal’s Dwight Caines, Paramount’s Josh Goldstine and Warner Bros. Streaming’s Shauna Spenley to discuss marketing strategies for theatrical and streaming releases. Netflix Games President Alain Tascan is also confirmed.
Sources: Variety • Variety (Speaker Update)
You, Me & Tuscany Opens to Soft $8.3M, Placing Third Behind Mario and Hail Mary
Universal’s romantic comedy You, Me & Tuscany, produced by Will Packer and starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page, opened to $8.3M at 3,151 theaters during the April 10–12 weekend — landing within its tracking range of $8M–$12M but at the low end of expectations. The film placed third at the domestic chart behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Project Hail Mary, which continues to hold well in its fourth weekend. While Rotten Tomatoes critics gave the film 68%, audiences responded more warmly with a 94% audience score. The modest opening positions the studio for a potential streaming run that outperforms the theatrical debut.
Sources: Deadline
Box Office — Recent Releases (Last 30 Days)
| # | Title | Release | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Apr 1 | $71M est. | $310M+ |
| 2 | Project Hail Mary | Mar 20 | — | $232M |
| 3 | You, Me & Tuscany | Apr 10 | $8.3M | $8.3M |
| 4 | The Drama | Apr 4 | — | $14M+ |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Deadline · Weekend estimates via Friday tracking