Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Friday, May 15, 2026
2026 Upfronts Report Card: Disney and Netflix Dominate, NBCUniversal Stumbles
The compressed three-day upfronts concluded Thursday with a clear verdict: Disney and Netflix dominated while NBCUniversal stumbled. Disney’s gold-standard Javits Center showcase — drawing 3,700 industry guests — featured CEO Josh D’Amaro linking Super Bowl LXI, the Grammys, and the Oscars as a live-event advertising trifecta, with Anne Hathaway and Robert Downey Jr. lending marquee star power. Netflix, in its fourth upfront year, announced its ad tier now reaches 250 million monthly active viewers, a 31% jump from November. NBCUniversal ran a two-hour presentation padded with song-and-dance segments that fell flat, earning the weakest reviews of the week.
Sources: Deadline
Broadcast TV Defies Predictions with Scripted Series Surge at 2026 Upfronts
Broadcast television’s obituary has been written before — but 2026 upfronts told a different story. All four major networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox — increased scripted programming for 2026–27, defying years of predictions that reality and unscripted formats would take over entirely. CBS leads the surge, adding three drama series — Cupertino, NCIS: New York, and Einstein — plus one new comedy, while Fox’s revival of Baywatch headlines a midseason slate. ABC delayed High Potential and NBC held its Rockford Files reboot, underscoring a broader strategy of holding prestige scripted titles for the January–March window rather than burning them off in fall.
Sources: Deadline
Box Office: Michael Eyes Return to No. 1 as Obsession Opens Against Devil Wears Prada 2
Lionsgate’s Michael enters its fourth weekend targeting the top spot, with tracking projections edging past 20th Century Studios’ The Devil Wears Prada 2 after the biopic reclaims premium large-format and IMAX screens. Michael has grossed $604 million worldwide to date — including $253 million domestic — while Prada 2 stands at $433 million globally. New entry Obsession, a supernatural horror-romance booked into 2,542 locations including 435 PLF screens, arrives with 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and Thursday previews beginning at 2 p.m. Mortal Kombat II (Warner Bros.) is projected to fall roughly 60% in its second frame, landing around $15 million.
Sources: Deadline
Variety’s Upfronts Wrap: Jane Krakowski MVP, Country Music, AI Divide Define the Week
Variety’s cross-platform 2026 upfronts wrap names Jane Krakowski as the week’s MVP after the actress performed at both NBCUniversal and Fox presentations — a booking double-header with no modern precedent. Country music dominated Amazon’s pitch (featuring Kacey Musgraves and Shaboozey) and Netflix’s honky-tonk set piece. A notable absence: Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav did not appear on stage as he prepares to exit the company amid the Paramount–Skydance acquisition. Fox devoted more than five minutes to AI tools — far more than any other presenter — while Disney and NBCUniversal kept AI mentions minimal, signaling a strategic divide on how to pitch tech to ad buyers.
Sources: Variety
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Apr 30 | $41.6M | $143.4M |
| 2 | Mortal Kombat II | May 8 | $38.5M | $38.5M |
| 3 | Michael | Apr 17 | $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 27 | $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 | The Story of Everything | May 1 | $0.2M | $1.8M |
| 15 | Reincarnated as a Slime: Tears of the Azure Sea | May 1 | $0.1M | $1.3M |
| 16 | Blue Heron | Apr 17 | $0.1M | $0.3M |
| 17 | Silent Friend | May 8 | $74K | $74K |
| 18 | Steal This Story, Please! | Apr 3 | $69K | $0.4M |
| 19 | You, Me & Tuscany | Apr 10 | $59K | $18.7M |
| 20 | Mother Mary | Apr 17 | $47K | $2.5M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates · May 8–10, 2026
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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