Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Holds No. 1 as ‘Mortal Kombat II’ Opens to $38.5 Million
The Devil Wears Prada 2 held No. 1 in its second domestic weekend with $41.6 million—a 45.8% decline from its $77 million opening—lifting the 20th Century Studios sequel’s North American total to $143.4 million after two frames. New release Mortal Kombat II debuted in second place with $38.5 million from 3,503 venues, below its projected $50 million domestic target, while earning $63 million globally against an $80 million production budget. Disney’s fashion sequel now stands at $433 million worldwide, running well ahead of any female-led comedy since Barbie and underscoring the returns on Disney’s reported $250 million brand marketing campaign.
Sources: Deadline
Golden Trailer Awards 2026: ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ Leads With Nine Nominations as Disney Dominates
IT: Welcome to Derry leads all projects with nine nominations for the 26th Golden Trailer Awards, while Disney dominates among studio distributors with 144 total nominations, led by FX’s Alien: Earth with eight. Warner Bros. Discovery placed second with 79 nominations. AV Squad tops trailer companies with 52 noms; Tiny Hero, Requiem, and Zealot each earned 34. Among films, Wuthering Heights and Sinners tied for the most with seven noms apiece. The ceremony, hosted by Morgan Jay, is set for May 28 at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills. The 116-category GTAs recognize trailer, TV spot, poster, and digital campaign creativity across the global film industry.
Sources: Deadline
AMPAS Overhauls Best International Feature Film Eligibility: Palme d’Or and Five Other Festival Winners Now Auto-Qualify
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has overhauled eligibility rules for the Best International Feature Film Oscar, with the announcement coinciding with the opening of the 79th Cannes Film Festival. Under the new framework, the Palme d’Or winner automatically qualifies for the category, alongside top prizes from Berlin, Busan, Sundance, Toronto, and Venice—eliminating the longstanding requirement for a government-approved country submission. Previously, each nation could enter only one film annually. The change is expected to benefit dissident filmmakers who cannot officially represent their countries, and could allow prolific producing nations like France, Spain, and South Korea to field multiple entries for the first time.
Sources: Deadline
Cannes Film Market Opens: Hollywood Studios Absent as AI-Produced Films and High-Budget Indies Fill the Void
The 79th Cannes Film Market opened Wednesday with 40,000 industry professionals expected and 16,000 registered participants from 140 countries—but without a single major Hollywood studio title in the festival lineup, the smallest studio footprint in recent memory. The vacuum has been partly filled by AI-produced features, including a family film from OpenAI called Critterz and a Bitcoin thriller directed by Doug Liman with Casey Affleck, Gal Gadot, and Pete Davidson. High-budget independent packages drawing buyers include Park Chan-wook’s $70 million Western The Brigands of Rattlecreek, starring Matthew McConaughey, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler, and a $70–80 million Studiocanal project starring Florence Pugh.
“Human Provenance in Film” AI Disclosure Standard Launches at Cannes Film Market
London-based The Mise En Scène Company unveiled a no-cost AI disclosure framework for the film and television industry at the Cannes Film Market, opening consultation on May 12. Titled Human Provenance in Film, the standard groups AI usage into three designations—No AI Used, Assistive AI, and Generative AI—designed to travel through existing sales and distribution paperwork. The consultation is open to producers, distributors, insurers, platforms, and exhibitors through an October 31, 2026 deadline. Proponents argue the taxonomy is scalable across the entire independent film supply chain, addressing growing industry demand for transparency as AI-produced titles increasingly enter international markets and distribution pipelines.
Sources: Variety
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 1 | $41.6M | $143.4M |
| 2 | Mortal Kombat II | May 9 | $38.5M | $38.5M |
| 3 | Michael | Apr 24 | $37.9M | $241.9M |
| 4 | The Sheep Detectives | May 8 | $15.1M | $15.1M |
| 5 | Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft — Tour Live in 3D | May 8 | $7.0M | $7.0M |
| 6 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Apr 3 | $6.6M | $412.2M |
| 7 | Project Hail Mary | Mar 20 | $6.6M | $328.3M |
| 8 | Hokum | May 1 | $3.3M | $12.4M |
| 9 | Deep Water | May 1 | $0.8M | $3.7M |
| 10 | Animal Farm | May 1 | $0.7M | $5.0M |
| 11 | Lee Cronin’s The Mummy | Apr 17 | $0.6M | $28.7M |
| 12 | The Drama | Apr 3 | $0.3M | $47.7M |
| 13 | Hoppers | Mar 6 | $0.2M | $165.7M |
| 14 | Slime the Movie: Tears of Azure Sea | May 1 | $0.1M | $1.3M |
| 15 | Blue Heron | Apr 17 | $0.1M | $0.3M |
| 16 | Silent Friend | May 9 | $0.1M | $0.1M |
| 17 | Steal This Story, Please! | Apr 10 | $0.1M | $0.4M |
| 18 | You, Me & Tuscany | Apr 10 | $0.1M | $18.7M |
| 19 | Mother Mary | Apr 17 | $0.05M | $2.5M |
| 20 | A Great Awakening | Apr 3 | $0.04M | $8.1M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates (May 8–10, 2026)
Curated by JD · samwise.agency