Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Devil Wears Prada 2 Surpasses Original Film’s Lifetime Gross in Just Two Weeks
The Devil Wears Prada 2 has eclipsed its predecessor’s entire theatrical run in a fraction of the time. Disney’s fashion sequel reached $433 million worldwide after only two weekends, blowing past the 2006 original’s $326.5 million lifetime haul. Domestically the film held the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive frame with $41.6 million, dropping a modest 46 percent and lifting its North American total to $143.4 million. The international side contributed $288.4 million across 51 territories. The sequel also pushed Walt Disney Studios past the $2 billion worldwide mark for 2026, the first studio to reach that threshold this year.
Mortal Kombat II Opens to $38.5 Million but Lands at No. 2 Behind Prada Sequel
Warner Bros.’ martial-arts sequel Mortal Kombat II debuted with $38.5 million from 3,503 domestic venues, placing second behind The Devil Wears Prada 2 in a competitive Mother’s Day frame. The global launch reached $63 million, including $24.5 million from international territories. The opening fell below the studio’s initial tracking range of $40–$45 million and drew a B CinemaScore, a step down from the 2021 original’s B+. Produced for an estimated $80 million—up from the first film’s $55 million budget—the sequel will need strong international legs to reach profitability.
Disney’s $250 Million Brand Partnership Campaign Fuels Prada Sequel’s Box-Office Surge
Disney assembled brand partnerships valued at a combined $250 million to market The Devil Wears Prada 2, making it one of the most aggressively promoted releases in recent memory. High-profile collaborators included Dior, Google, Coca-Cola’s Diet Coke and Smartwater lines, Mercedes-Benz, L’Oréal Paris, Lancôme, Grey Goose, Zillow, TRESemmé and United Airlines. The studio also deployed a “Giant Red Heel Tour” placing oversized stilettos at landmarks nationwide and printed a physical edition of the fictional Runway magazine. The first trailer generated 222 million views in 24 hours, a 20th Century record. Disney spent roughly $80 million on direct marketing.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
NBCUniversal Upfront Unveils Four Fast & Furious Peacock Spinoffs and NBC’s 100th Anniversary Plans
NBCUniversal used its annual upfront at Radio City Music Hall to announce four new Fast & Furious spinoff series for Peacock, revealed on stage by Vin Diesel. The presentation leaned heavily on the broadcast network’s approaching centennial, with Tina Fey previewing a 100th-birthday event. New scripted orders include Line of Fire, The Rockford Files, Newlyweds and Sunset P.I. Sports dominated the pitch: NBCU touted Sunday Night Football, Sunday Night Basketball and Sunday Night Baseball plus 2026 FIFA World Cup coverage. Late Night host Seth Meyers closed the show with pointed jokes about rival networks.
Disney Upfront Centers Live Events and Cross-Platform Advertising in $4 Billion Sports Push
Disney held its 2026 upfront at the Javits Center before 3,700 attendees, positioning live spectacles as the core of its advertising strategy. Global ad chief Rita Ferro highlighted a six-week corridor connecting the Grammys, Super Bowl and Oscars as a single package for major brands. Marvel stars Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hiddleston and Paul Bettany offered a first look at VisionQuest, the Disney+ series set for October 2026. Olivia Rodrigo performed a three-song set debuting her new single Drop Dead. Multiple former Super Bowl MVPs appeared alongside Jason Kelce and Laura Rutledge to underscore Disney’s expanding sports portfolio.
Warner Bros. Discovery Holds Potentially Final Standalone Upfront as Paramount Merger Advances
Warner Bros. Discovery opened what may be its last independent upfront at Madison Square Garden with a tribute to the late Ted Turner led by CNN’s Anderson Cooper. Sales executives addressed the looming Paramount merger head-on, joking about “the Ellison in the room.” Content highlights included a Gremlins reboot, Oceans starring Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper, and a clip from A Minecraft Movie 2 with Jack Black and Jason Momoa. Noah Wyle confirmed Season 3 of HBO’s The Pitt. On the ad-tech front, WBD unveiled shoppable pause-screen ads and an AI-powered integration with Kerv.ai for scene-matched advertising.
Cannes 2026 Market Opens With Auteur-Driven Lineup and Smaller Independent Packages
The 79th Cannes Film Festival opened on May 12 with Pierre Salvadori’s The Electric Kiss as the official opening-night selection. Jury president Park Chan-wook leads a panel that includes Demi Moore, Chloe Zhao and Stellan Skarsgard. Honorary Palme d’Or awards go to Peter Jackson and Barbra Streisand. The parallel Marché du Film runs May 12–20 and has introduced its first Creator Economy Summit alongside a virtual-production stage. Neon has already acquired James Gray’s Paper Tiger and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden. Buyers report fewer $50 million-plus action packages than previous years, reflecting tighter independent financing.
Nine Major TV Companies Form Cross-Platform Partnership to Tie Ads to Business Outcomes
Nine of the largest television companies have joined forces in a new partnership designed to connect commercial advertising directly to measurable business results. The initiative arrives during 2026 upfront week, as advertisers demand greater accountability from media spending. A recent iSpot survey of 360 brand marketers found that 31 percent plan to hold or increase their upfront commitments, with half of those respondents shifting budget toward social video and streaming platforms. The deal signals a structural shift in how the industry values linear and digital inventory alike, moving beyond traditional viewership metrics toward outcome-based measurement standards.
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 8 | $38.5M | $38.5M |
| 3 | Michael | Apr 18 | $37.9M | $241.9M |
| 4 | The Sheep Detectives | May 8 | $15.1M | $15.1M |
| 5 | Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft | 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 | That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime | May 1 | $0.1M | $1.3M |
| 15 | Blue Heron | Apr 17 | $0.1M | $0.3M |
| 16 | Silent Friend | May 8 | $0.07M | $0.07M |
| 17 | Steal This Story, Please! | Apr 10 | $0.07M | $0.4M |
| 18 | You, Me & Tuscany | Apr 10 | $0.06M | $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 of May 8–10, 2026
Curated by JD · samwise.agency