Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Devil Wears Prada 2 Opens to Estimated $75–$80 Million Debut, Best Wide Launch of 2026
The Devil Wears Prada 2 opened to an estimated $75–$80 million domestic debut across 4,100 North American theaters, the strongest wide-release opening of 2026. 20th Century Studios built the May 1 launch around a fashion-forward adult audience, collecting $10 million in Thursday previews and $32.5 million on opening day. The sequel reunites director David Frankel with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, 20 years after the original’s debut. In second place, Lionsgate’s Michael held well with $51 million in its sophomore frame, a 48% drop from last week’s record $97 million biopic opening.
Sources: Deadline
Devil Wears Prada 2’s 12-Brand Co-Marketing Strategy Drives Record Fashion-Film Opening
The $75–$80 million domestic debut of The Devil Wears Prada 2 validates the most extensive brand-partnership campaign in a 20th Century Studios release in years. Disney recruited more than 12 brand partners — including TRESemmé, L’Oréal Paris, Diet Coke, Samsung, and Walmart — for co-marketing activations designed to feel “like a fashion collection.” Unlike standard product placement, each brand produced original content drawn from the film’s world. TRESemmé was designated the film’s official “signature hair brand,” a sports-sponsorship-style designation new to film marketing, while Samsung aired a custom Galaxy S26 spot integrating the phone’s AI feature into a Miranda Priestly scene.
Sources: Variety
Devil Wears Prada 2 Scores $115 Million Global Opening; Michael Surpasses $413 Million Worldwide
The Devil Wears Prada 2 scored a $115 million worldwide debut, collecting $40.5 million internationally alongside its domestic opening. 20th Century Studios and Disney positioned the fashion sequel as a global release with a wide international rollout, achieving strong results across European and Asian markets in its first weekend. Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael meanwhile surpassed $413 million worldwide after just two weekends, following its record $218.8 million global debut. The combined strength of both titles’ international performance signals a healthy start to summer 2026, which analysts project could produce a domestic total exceeding $4 billion between May and Labor Day.
Sources: Deadline
Neon’s Hokum Opens to $6 Million as Specialty Films Navigate Blockbuster Weekend
Neon’s supernatural horror film Hokum, directed by Damian McCarthy and starring Adam Scott, opened to an estimated $6 million in its first limited-release weekend alongside blockbuster competition. The May 1 specialty frame also included a rerelease of Barbara Kopple’s documentary American Dream and the limited debut of Our Land. Neon constructed the Hokum campaign around horror-community outreach and festival word of mouth following strong advance-screening responses, rather than traditional wide-market media spending. The $6 million debut positions Hokum to expand into wider release in coming weeks, a common distribution pattern for genre titles at the specialty level.
Sources: Deadline
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 1 | $78M | $78M |
| 2 | Michael | Apr 24 | $51M | $185M |
| 3 | Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Mar 27 | $12M | $327M |
| 4 | Project Hail Mary | Mar 13 | $9M | $332M |
| 5 | Hokum | May 1 | $6M | $6M |
| 6 | The Drama | Apr 3 | $3.5M | $49M |
| 7 | You, Me & Tuscany | Apr 10 | $2.5M | $23M |
| 8 | Animal Farm | May 1 | $2.2M | $2.2M |
| 9 | Deep Water | May 1 | $1.8M | $1.8M |
| 10 | Casa Grande | May 1 | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| 11 | Hoppers | Mar 6 | $1.2M | $167M |
| 12 | Lee Cronin's The Mummy | Apr 17 | $1.1M | $41M |
| 13 | That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime | May 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M |
| 14 | Faces of Death | Apr 17 | $0.7M | $13M |
| 15 | Reminders of Him | Mar 13 | $0.5M | $25M |
| 16 | Ready or Not 2 | Mar 20 | $0.4M | $29M |
| 17 | The Bride! | Mar 6 | $0.35M | $20M |
| 18 | They Will Kill You | Mar 27 | $0.3M | $12M |
| 19 | Beast | Apr 10 | $0.25M | $16M |
| 20 | Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man | Mar 6 | $0.2M | $9M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates
Curated by JD · samwise.agency