Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” Opens to $77 Million Domestically, $233 Million Worldwide
Disney’s “The Devil Wears Prada 2” dominated the domestic box office in its opening weekend, earning $77 million from 4,150 North American theaters — the biggest domestic comedy debut since 2015’s “Pitch Perfect.” Internationally, the sequel added $156.6 million, lifting the worldwide opening to $233.6 million and ranking as the second-biggest global debut of 2026. Nearly 75% of opening-weekend audiences were women, and exit polls produced an A− CinemaScore. Meryl Streep’s return as Miranda Priestly, 20 years after the original, drove the nostalgia-fueled demand that helped the sequel outperform projections and vastly exceed the original film’s $27.5 million domestic debut.
Sources: Deadline
“Michael” Crosses $300 Million Worldwide, Becomes the No. 2 Musical Biopic of All Time
Lionsgate’s “Michael,” the authorized Michael Jackson biopic, crossed $300 million worldwide in its second weekend, unseating Warner Bros.’ “Elvis” ($288.6 million) to become the second-highest-grossing musical biopic in history behind only “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($911 million). The film earned an estimated $45 million domestically in its second frame — a 54% decline from its record-setting $97 million debut — raising the North American cumulative to $174.8 million. Jaafar Jackson portrays his late father in the film, which was granted cooperation by the Jackson estate. Worldwide, the running total has reached approximately $423 million after just 12 days in theaters.
Sources: Deadline
TikTok and Fandango Launch In-App Ticket Purchasing for Billie Eilish Concert Film
TikTok and Fandango have launched an in-app ticket purchasing integration for “Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft,” the Paramount Pictures 3D concert film opening May 8. U.S. users can buy digital promo codes directly through TikTok Shop via Fandango’s product page, then redeem them to select showtimes on Fandango’s platform, creating a discovery-to-purchase path within the app. The integration builds on TikTok’s earlier Box Office Lift badge and targets Eilish’s large Gen Z fan base. The film is co-directed by Eilish and James Cameron and captures her sold-out “Hit Me Hard and Soft” world tour in immersive 3D footage.
Sources: Deadline
OpenAI-Owned TBPN Launches $800,000 Out-of-Home Emmy FYC Campaign Across Los Angeles
TBPN, the tech-insider talk show acquired by OpenAI, launched an $800,000 out-of-home Emmy FYC campaign across Los Angeles on May 4, targeting a nomination in the Emerging Media category. The campaign, arranged via a barter deal with AdQuick, places billboards across high-traffic corridors including Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, and Santa Monica and Vine. The ads’ tagline — “the most influential show you’ve never heard of” — is drawn from a blurb by The Free Press. The strategy mirrors traditional Hollywood FYC out-of-home tactics, applied here to a tech-sector streaming format, as Emmy nomination voting opens.
Sources: Variety
NEON’s “Hokum” Opens to $6.4 Million, Delivering Strong Returns on $5 Million Budget
NEON’s horror release “Hokum,” directed by Damian McCarthy (Oddity), debuted to $6.4 million domestically from 1,885 screens, landing at No. 5 despite competition from three other new wide openers. The result is notable for a film with a reported $5 million production budget. The Adam Scott-starring supernatural thriller — set in a creepy Irish inn — earned an 86% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a B CinemaScore. NEON acquired the film following its festival run, bringing it to nearly 1,900 screens through a targeted horror-fandom marketing campaign built around the debut of director Damian McCarthy.
Sources: Deadline
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 1 | $77.0M | $77.0M |
| 2 | Michael | Apr 25 | $45.0M | $174.8M |
| 3 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Apr 3 | $12.1M | $402.7M |
| 4 | Project Hail Mary | Mar 14 | $9.0M | $318.7M |
| 5 | Hokum | May 1 | $6.4M | $6.4M |
| 6 | Animal Farm | May 1 | $3.4M | $3.4M |
| 7 | Deep Water | May 1 | $2.2M | $2.2M |
| 8 | You, Me & Tuscany | Apr 12 | $1.7M | $22.1M |
| 9 | Hoppers | Mar 6 | $1.4M | $149.6M |
| 10 | Scream 7 | Feb 27 | $1.1M | $185.2M |
| 11 | Reminders of Him | Mar 6 | $0.8M | $55.4M |
| 12 | Hamnet | Jan 23 | $0.5M | $109.2M |
| 13 | Crime 101 | Feb 6 | $0.3M | $52.0M |
| 14 | The Housemaid | Jan 9 | $0.3M | $112.8M |
| 15 | Ready or Not 2 | Mar 6 | $0.2M | $14.5M |
| 16 | They Will Kill You | Mar 14 | $0.2M | $8.9M |
| 17 | Wuthering Heights | Jan 16 | $0.1M | $87.4M |
| 18 | 28 Years Later: Bone Temple | Jan 23 | $0.1M | $19.6M |
| 19 | Primate | Jan 16 | $0.1M | $29.8M |
| 20 | Avatar: Fire and Ash | Dec 19 | $0.1M | $627.8M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates
Curated by JD · samwise.agency