Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Directors Guild Reaches Tentative Four-Year Deal With Studios and Streamers
The Directors Guild of America has reached a tentative four-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, covering pay, health and pension benefits, and the use of artificial intelligence in production. The agreement—the first negotiated under DGA president Christopher Nolan—follows similar four-year pacts secured earlier by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. DGA executive director Russell Hollander and AMPTP president Gregory Hessinger led negotiations. The deal arrives as TV employment for DGA members fell 35% in 2024, a figure cited during talks as evidence of the structural impact of streaming consolidation on directing work.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Obsession Becomes Highest-Grossing Festival Acquisition in Film History
Obsession has crossed $225.5M in global grosses to become the highest-grossing festival acquisition in film history, surpassing the previous record set by Fahrenheit 9/11, which earned $222M following its 2004 release. The thriller was acquired by Focus Features following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Director Curry Barker’s film returned $25.4M domestically over the June 5–7 weekend—its fourth-place finish—bringing the U.S. cumulative to $151.9M. The record underscores the growing commercial viability of festival acquisitions when backed by disciplined theatrical rollout strategies and sustained audience marketing efforts.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Matt Damon Launches Rap Alter-Ego “The Nomad” in Cross-Brand Campaign for The Odyssey and Water.org
Matt Damon has debuted a rap alter-ego called “The Nomad”—“Damon” spelled backwards—in a cross-brand marketing campaign tied to the upcoming film The Odyssey and the Water.org initiative Get Blue. Produced with Grammy-winning collaborator Hit-Boy, the project draws partners including Gap, Starbucks, Amazon Music, and Ecolab. The campaign positions music and humor as tools for cultural reach, with each $5 donation providing a person with safe water for life. The dual role of entertaining audiences while funding clean water access marks an unusually integrated approach for a studio film’s marketing campaign.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Art Directors Guild Condemns Martin Scorsese’s Endorsement of AI Storyboard Tool
The Art Directors Guild publicly rebuked filmmaker Martin Scorsese after he promoted Black Forest Labs’ FLUX AI image generator as a storyboarding resource, with the guild stating his endorsement amounted to “turning his back on the human artists” who realize directors’ visions on screen. ADG membership has declined from 3,492 in 2022 to 2,966 in 2025. The guild also cited a 2024 study confirming that AI tools threaten employment across the production design, art direction, and set decoration roles falling under ADG jurisdiction—positions central to the storyboarding work Scorsese endorsed the tool for.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scary Movie | Jun 5 | $54.3M | $54.3M |
| 2 | Masters of the Universe | Jun 5 | $29.4M | $29.4M |
| 3 | Backrooms | May 16 | $26.3M | $135.4M |
| 4 | Obsession | Apr 24 | $25.4M | $151.9M |
| 5 | The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act | May 30 | $12.4M | $20.2M |
| 6 | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu | Apr 17 | $10.0M | $155.8M |
| 7 | Michael | Mar 27 | $7.6M | $354.2M |
| 8 | The Breadwinner | May 23 | $3.4M | $13.9M |
| 9 | Pressure | May 23 | $3.1M | $11.2M |
| 10 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Mar 6 | $2.8M | $215.0M |
| 11 | The Sheep Detectives | Apr 3 | $2.3M | $59.5M |
| 12 | Power Ballad | May 30 | $1.3M | $1.5M |
| 13 | Tuner | May 1 | $0.65M | $3.1M |
| 14 | Passenger | Feb 13 | $0.63M | $17.4M |
| 15 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Mar 6 | $0.60M | $428.5M |
| 16 | I Love Boosters | Apr 17 | $0.50M | $8.7M |
| 17 | Mortal Kombat II | Mar 13 | $0.49M | $79.1M |
| 18 | Project Hail Mary | Mar 20 | $0.42M | $343.3M |
| 19 | Trainspotting (re-release) | Apr 3 | $0.29M | $16.8M |
| 20 | Carolina Caroline | Jun 5 | $0.11M | $0.11M |
Source: The Numbers · Weekend of June 5–7, 2026
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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