Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Toy Story 5 Eyes Franchise-Record $275M Global Opening Weekend
Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 5 is tracking for a franchise-record $275 million global debut when it opens in 4,425 North American theaters on June 19, with domestic projections of $140 million—the biggest start of 2026. Presales have already hit $25 million, running slightly ahead of Super Mario Galaxy but behind Moana 2. The Juneteenth holiday is expected to lift Thursday night previews above normal. The film finds Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the gang navigating a tablet-obsessed Bonnie. Some international markets, including Japan (July 3) and Germany (July 23), open on staggered dates.
Sources: Deadline
DOJ Clears Paramount–Warner Bros. Merger Over Staff Lawyers’ Objections
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division approved Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, but the clearance drew immediate backlash after reporting revealed senior DOJ officials overrode career staff lawyers who had been “leaning” toward recommending a lawsuit to block the deal. Senator Elizabeth Warren called the move “reeks of corruption” on Bluesky, citing a Wall Street Journal account that the antitrust staffers who investigated the merger “didn’t participate in writing” the department’s clearance statement. The deal, expected to close by September 2026, still faces European Commission scrutiny under the EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation, with a provisional July 14 vetting deadline.
Sources: Variety
DGA Secures Four-Year Deal With Streaming Residual Hikes and New AI Protections
The Directors Guild of America reached a four-year contract with the major studios and streamers, winning streaming residual increases, health plan improvements, and sweeping new artificial intelligence protections. All AI-generated footage must remain under a director’s creative control, with studios required to provide advance notice and transparency around any AI training use. The deal also limits actors and non-directors from helming TV episodes—a provision responding to the 40 percent downturn in TV production jobs over four years. The DGA’s 19,500 members must still ratify the agreement. The AI and residuals language closely mirrors terms won earlier by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
Sources: Variety
WIF and ReFrame Release Emmy FYC ‘Who to Watch’ Guide With Ballots Closing June 23
Women in Film and gender equity advocate ReFrame have jointly published a “Who to Watch” Emmy FYC guide spotlighting female, nonbinary, and trans creators in the least gender-diverse nomination categories. The guide highlights directors, writers, cinematographers, composers, and VFX supervisors—among them writer-producers Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky of “Hacks,” Quinta Brunson of “Abbott Elementary,” and director Jamie Babbit of “Only Murders in the Building.” The release is a targeted final push, arriving as Emmy nomination ballots close June 23—the last week of the voting window for Television Academy members ahead of the official nominations announcement.
Sources: Variety
Prime Video Bets on ‘Entertainment Hub’ Model With 600-Plus APAC Partnerships
Amazon Prime Video is repositioning itself as an “entertainment hub” rather than a standalone streamer, executives revealed at the APOS (Asia-Pacific Online Streaming) conference in Bali. The platform now works with more than 600 content partners worldwide—including over 70 in Japan, 50 in Australia, and 30 in India—many of whom treat Prime Video as their primary distribution route. The hub model layers add-on subscriptions and transactional rentals atop the core Amazon Prime tier, offering customers the widest selection through a single app while giving smaller content partners Amazon’s global audience without requiring independent technology or payments infrastructure.
Sources: Variety
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Tracking $55M-Plus Opening as DC Studios’ Second Feature
Warner Bros. and DC Studios have opened advance ticket sales for “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” arriving in theaters on June 26 with initial tracking showing a domestic opening above $55 million. Craig Gillespie directs Milly Alcock (“House of the Dragon”) as Kara Zor-El, with Jason Momoa as antihero Lobo. Unaided audience awareness already runs higher than pre-release figures for “The Mandalorian and Grogu” ($81.6M domestic opening) and “Thunderbolts*” ($74.3M). The official trailer has accumulated 27 million YouTube views over two months. The film is the second release from James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios reboot.
Sources: Deadline
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disclosure Day | Jun 13 | $44.5M | $44.5M |
| 2 | Obsession | May 15 | $19.0M | $188.4M |
| 3 | Scary Movie | Jun 5 | $14.2M | $84.3M |
| 4 | Backrooms | May 29 | $11.5M | $160.3M |
| 5 | Masters of the Universe | Jun 5 | $8.9M | $47.0M |
| 6 | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu | May 22 | $4.8M | $165.2M |
| 7 | Michael | Apr 24 | $4.2M | $362.8M |
| 8 | BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Busan | Jun 12 | $3.8M | $3.8M |
| 9 | The Furious | Jun 12 | $2.8M | $2.8M |
| 10 | Stop! That! Train! | Jun 12 | $2.0M | $2.0M |
| 11 | The Breadwinner | May 29 | $1.5M | $17.5M |
| 12 | The Sheep Detectives | May 8 | $1.4M | $62.4M |
| 13 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 1 | $1.3M | $217.9M |
| 14 | Pressure | May 29 | $1.2M | $14.1M |
| 15 | The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act | Jun 5 | $0.6M | $23.4M |
| 16 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Apr 3 | $0.4M | $429.3M |
| 17 | Power Ballad | May 29 | $0.3M | $2.4M |
| 18 | Tuner | May 22 | $0.2M | $3.7M |
| 19 | I Love Boosters | May 22 | $0.2M | $9.2M |
| 20 | Passenger | May 22 | $0.2M | $17.9M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates (June 12–14, 2026)
Curated by JD · samwise.agency