Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Michael Holds No. 1 with $25M as Horror Debut Obsession Opens to $13M–$15M
Lionsgate’s Michael held the domestic No. 1 slot in its fourth weekend with an estimated $25 million, down 34%, aided by a return to IMAX and PLF screens at 3,560 theaters. The Michael Jackson biopic’s domestic cumulative gross is pacing toward $281.6 million. Disney’s The Devil Wears Prada 2 finished second with $19M–$20M in its third frame, down 53%, lifting its domestic cume to roughly $177.7 million. The weekend’s biggest surprise was horror opener Obsession from Focus Features and Blumhouse, tracking $13M–$15M at 2,615 theaters. YouTube filmmaker Curry Barker’s debut holds a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, backed by 102.2 million social media followers across platforms, per RelishMix.
Sources: Deadline
LA Screenings 2026: International Buyers Weigh Paramount–WBD Merger Impact
More than 1,000 international acquisitions executives convened at studio lots across Los Angeles this week for the annual LA Screenings, where the pending Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery dominated private conversations. The $30-per-share all-cash offer, targeting a Q3 2026 close, is poised to consolidate two of Hollywood’s largest studio vendors at the annual event. Warner Bros. Discovery is showcasing new titles including DC series Lanterns and comedy spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, while pre-merger restrictions prevent executives from discussing the integration. Multiple buyers told Deadline they expect the deal to shrink the studio vendor pool at future LA Screenings as consolidation reshapes international content distribution.
Sources: Deadline
Sam Raimi Set to Direct Magic Horror Remake at Lionsgate
Horror veteran Sam Raimi will direct a modern adaptation of the William Goldman thriller Magic for Lionsgate, reuniting with Send Help screenwriters Mark Swift and Damian Shannon. The project reimagines the 1978 film starring Anthony Hopkins, in which a ventriloquist magician named Corky is increasingly controlled by his malevolent dummy, Fats. Goldman wrote the original novel and adapted it for the screen himself. Raimi, whose credits include the Evil Dead franchise and the first two Spider-Man films, returns to pure horror territory with the Lionsgate project. No production schedule or release date has been announced.
Sources: Deadline
Social Creator Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid Earns Cannes’ First Standing Ovation
Social media comedian and filmmaker Jordan Firstman scored the first major standing ovation of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival when his directorial debut Club Kid premiered in Un Certain Regard to a six-minute ovation at the Claude Debussy Theatre. The comedy-drama follows a washed-up New York City party promoter who discovers he has a son; the ensemble cast includes Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva and Miss Benny. Firstman, whose Instagram and TikTok sketch comedy built him a significant online following, is the latest digital creator leveraging social audiences into festival prestige and theatrical distribution potential. The ovation positions Club Kid as a prime specialty acquisition target at the Cannes Market.
Sources: Variety
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 2 | $41.6M | $143.4M |
| 2 | Mortal Kombat II | May 8 | $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 | 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 | $837K | $3.7M |
| 10 | Animal Farm | Apr 17 | $704K | $5.0M |
| 11 | Lee Cronin’s The Mummy | Apr 10 | $556K | $28.7M |
| 12 | The Drama | Mar 27 | $294K | $47.7M |
| 13 | Hoppers | Mar 6 | $202K | $165.7M |
| 14 | The Story of Everything | May 1 | $164K | $1.8M |
| 15 | That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie | Apr 25 | $130K | $1.3M |
| 16 | Blue Heron | Apr 17 | $110K | $266K |
| 17 | Silent Friend | May 8 | $72K | $72K |
| 18 | The Christophers | Apr 3 | $71K | $1.8M |
| 19 | Steal This Story, Please! | Apr 3 | $69K | $387K |
| 20 | You, Me & Tuscany | Apr 10 | $59K | $18.7M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates · May 8–10, 2026
Curated by JD · samwise.agency