Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Saturday, April 18, 2026
Super Mario Galaxy Movie Holds at No. 1 With $30M; The Mummy Opens to $13M
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie claimed its third consecutive weekend at No. 1 with an estimated $30 million, lifting its domestic cumulative to approximately $290 million and its global total past $659 million. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy debuted in second place with $13 million from 3,304 theaters — below Blumhouse’s mid-teens tracking target and earning a soft C CinemaScore from audiences. Amazon MGM’s Project Hail Mary remained a formidable third, adding $19.4 million in its fifth weekend for a remarkable 20 percent hold, pushing its domestic total past $222 million. The April market is running roughly 23 percent ahead of the same period in 2025.
Disney Begins 1,000-Person Layoff Wave, Hitting Marketing, Awards, and Marvel Hard
Disney has begun a sweeping round of layoffs affecting approximately 1,000 employees, with the marketing, publicity, and awards divisions among the most impacted. Eliminated roles include SVP of Global Digital Marketing Dustin Sandoval, longtime print campaign executive Steve Nuchols — who oversaw nearly every Disney film campaign for 25 years — plus the entire home entertainment team and EPK unit. Marvel Studios faces significant cuts across visual development, production, and franchise teams. CEO Josh D’Amaro framed the restructuring around a “more technologically enabled workforce” under consolidated enterprise marketing chief Asad Ayaz, as Disney readies summer tentpoles including Toy Story 5 and Avengers: Doomsday.
Sony’s Tom Rothman Tells Theaters to Cut Pre-Show Ads: ‘Get Off the Ad Crack’
Sony Pictures chairman and CEO Tom Rothman used his CinemaCon 2026 keynote to challenge theater operators to slash their pre-show ad loads, which he said now routinely run 30 minutes of trailers and commercials before the main feature. Rothman argued that infrequent moviegoers arrive on time and are punished with advertising they can avoid for free at home, while frequent attendees now deliberately show up late — a habit enabled by reserved seating. He also pushed exhibitors to create more aggressively priced affordable ticket tiers, citing cost anxiety as a persistent audience barrier. Rothman’s Sony stable this summer includes Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Gets CinemaCon Debut, Tom Holland Returns in Footage Reveal
Sony Pictures unveiled the first footage from Spider-Man: Brand New Day at CinemaCon 2026, with Tom Holland appearing via prerecorded video to introduce a scene from the film alongside chairman Tom Rothman. Rothman described the project as “as big as anything we’ve ever made” while adding it “feels like nothing we’ve ever made.” Exhibitors and press in attendance reported strong enthusiasm for the footage. The film is targeting a July 2026 release window, which would position it as one of Sony’s biggest summer tentpoles. It marks Holland’s fourth solo outing as Peter Parker under the Marvel Studios and Sony co-production arrangement.
Sources: Deadline
A24’s The Drama Faces Backlash Over ‘Misleading’ Wedding-Focused Marketing Campaign
A Variety investigation has raised questions about whether A24’s marketing for The Drama — starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson — deliberately misrepresented the film. Promotional materials leaned heavily into a breezy wedding-preparation narrative, positioning it as a romantic comedy; critics and audiences contend the actual film, directed by Kristoffer Borgli, is a darker psychological examination of the couple’s troubled relationship. The discourse has spilled onto social media, with debate about whether misdirection marketing is a valid creative strategy or an audience trust violation. The Drama has grossed approximately $26 million domestically in three weeks of wide release.
Sources: Variety
Apple TV+ Opens Emmy FYC House April 24, Featuring Severance and The Studio Activations
Apple TV+ opens its “Think Apple TV+” Emmy For Your Consideration house at the Hollywood Athletic Club on April 24, running through May 21, welcoming Television Academy members for screenings, panels, and immersive activations. Lead contenders include Severance, The Studio, Slow Horses, Shrinking, Bad Sisters, and Presumed Innocent. Apple enters the campaign with significant momentum: Severance and The Studio anchored the streamer’s record 81 total Emmy nominations last cycle, with Severance alone earning 27. Highlights include a recreation of Severance’s Lumon Industries severed floor and a Studio-themed screening room staffed by actors performing as studio executives.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Variety’s 2026 Entertainment Marketing Summit Finalizes Lineup for April 22 L.A. Event
Variety’s 2026 Entertainment Marketing Summit, presented by Deloitte and set for April 22 in Los Angeles, has confirmed its full program. Keynotes include Tina Knowles discussing her memoir Matriarch and her work with Parkwood Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chair Pam Abdy speaking to the studio’s awards-season run with One Battle After Another and Sinners. A roundtable will gather domestic marketing chiefs from Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Streaming. Additional speakers include NBCU Television Chairman Pearlena Igbokwe, Apple VP Oliver Schusser, brand strategist Ariana Madix, and Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire.
Trailer Park Group Veterans Launch Independent Agency Requiem With Major Studio Clients
Three Trailer Park Group veterans have launched a new independent entertainment marketing agency called Requiem. Founded by former co-president Kelly Adelman, executive creative director Adam Finkelstein, and applied mathematician Dan Herbatschek, the firm has already signed Universal, Netflix, Warner Bros., Disney, Sony, and Lionsgate as clients. Adelman oversaw campaigns for Wicked, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Wednesday at Trailer Park. Finkelstein, a multiple Golden Trailer and Clio award-winner, is widely considered one of the most influential creative talents in the business. Herbatschek brings AI-driven analytics and digital development capabilities to the new venture.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Mazda Goes Full Hollywood With Short-Film Campaign for the CX-5, Eyeing Theatrical Run
Mazda is taking an unusually ambitious approach to automotive brand marketing by producing a full short film built around its CX-5 SUV, produced in partnership with Lionsgate and titled 5 Sides of the CX-5. The film follows a single vehicle through five interconnected character narratives and is currently distributed across YouTube, TikTok, and Hulu, with Mazda considering a theatrical rollout timed to major summer releases. The Hollywood Reporter calls it one of the most ambitious automotive brand integrations in recent memory, as carmakers increasingly pursue content-led marketing to reach audiences who stream more and watch traditional TV advertising less.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Apr 4 | $68.1M | $307.2M |
| 2 | Project Hail Mary | Mar 20 | $24.1M | $256.2M |
| 3 | The Drama | Apr 3 | $8.7M | $30.8M |
| 4 | You, Me & Tuscany | Apr 10 | $7.8M | $7.8M |
| 5 | Hoppers | Mar 7 | $4.2M | $157.2M |
| 6 | BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' | Apr 10 | $2.4M | $2.4M |
| 7 | Faces of Death | Apr 10 | $1.6M | $1.6M |
| 8 | Exit 8 | Apr 10 | $1.4M | $1.4M |
| 9 | A Great Awakening | Apr 3 | $1.3M | $4.9M |
| 10 | Reminders of Him | Mar 13 | $1.0M | $47.5M |
| 11 | Ready or Not 2: Here I Come | Mar 20 | $0.9M | $22.0M |
| 12 | Beast | Apr 10 | $0.8M | $0.8M |
| 13 | Dhurandhar: The Revenge | Mar 20 | $0.7M | $27.4M |
| 14 | Hunting Matthew Nichols | Apr 10 | $0.6M | $0.6M |
| 15 | They Will Kill You | Mar 27 | $0.5M | $10.4M |
| 16 | Scream 7 | Feb 27 | $0.5M | $121.5M |
| 17 | GOAT | Feb 13 | $0.3M | $103.1M |
| 18 | Hamlet | Apr 10 | $0.2M | $0.2M |
| 19 | Undertone | Mar 13 | $0.1M | $19.7M |
| 20 | Palestine 36 | Mar 20 | $0.1M | $0.4M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Apr 10–12, 2026 (most recent complete chart — Weekend 16 estimates pending) — Domestic
Curated by JD · samwise.agency