Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Friday, June 26, 2026
Supergirl Eyes $40M–$50M U.S. Opening as Toy Story 5 Dominates Second Frame
Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the Craig Gillespie-directed adaptation of Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s graphic novel, is opening this weekend at 3,600 North American theaters with tracking pointing to a $40M–$50M domestic debut. The $170M production starring Milly Alcock enters a weekend already owned by Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 5, which is eyeing an $88M–$96M second frame after its record-breaking $159.6M domestic opening last weekend. An upper-$40M debut would land above Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, but below James Gunn’s Superman, which opened to $125M domestic last summer.
Disney Becomes First Studio to Cross $3 Billion Worldwide in 2026
Walt Disney Studios has become the first movie studio to surpass $3 billion at the global box office in 2026, a milestone powered by Toy Story 5’s $312M worldwide opening weekend — the second-best Pixar animated debut ever — and a string of earlier hits. The studio’s 2026 gross also includes The Devil Wears Prada 2 at $677.6M globally, pushing the franchise past $1 billion, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu at $323M and Pixar’s Hoppers at $372M. All Disney theatrical releases this year opened at No. 1. Still ahead: live-action Moana (July 10), Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars (August 28) and Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday on December 18.
Focus Features Debuts ‘Sense and Sensibility’ Trailer Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Set for October 16 Release
Focus Features unveiled the first trailer for director Georgia Oakley’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s debut novel Sense and Sensibility, set for U.S. theaters on October 16. Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Elinor Dashwood alongside Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne, Caitríona Balfe as Mrs. Dashwood, Frank Dillane as Willoughby and George MacKay as Edward Ferrars. The film is produced by Working Title Films, whose Austen catalog includes the 2005 Keira Knightley “Pride & Prejudice” and Anya Taylor-Joy’s 2020 “Emma.” Oakley’s debut feature “Blue Jean” earned BAFTA and British Independent Film Award nominations.
Cannes Lions Day 2: Disney, Taco Bell, Kraft Heinz on AI, Live Sports and Cultural Agility in Brand Marketing
Senior marketing executives from Disney, Taco Bell, Kraft Heinz and Walmart gathered Thursday at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity to discuss how entertainment partnerships and AI are reshaping brand strategy. Disney advertising president Rita Ferro highlighted the studio’s first Super Bowl telecast on ABC in 20 years as a live marketing catalyst. Taco Bell detailed its viral LeBron James “Taco Tuesday” campaign, while Kraft Heinz leveraged World Cup buzz to sell TSA-friendly ranch dressing within a day of spotting the consumer trend. L’Oréal’s chief marketing officer urged brands to audit their AI “answer layer” presence as large language models increasingly reshape product discovery.
Netflix’s Live-Action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Season 2 Premieres, Showrunners Detail Key Story Departures
Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender returned for Season 2 on June 25, with new cast member Miyako as blind earthbender Toph Beifong joining returning leads Gordon Cormier as Aang and Dallas Liu as Zuko. Showrunner Christine Boylan and executive producer Jabbar Raisani told Variety they adapted the Nickelodeon animated classic by cannibalizing scenes rather than wholesale cutting — most notably condensing a full “The Drill” episode into Azula’s strategy speech. The season also moves Katara’s “Painted Lady” arc from the original’s Season 3 into Season 2 and builds the walled city of Ba Sing Se into a deeper narrative setting.
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toy Story 5 | Jun 19 | $159.7M | $159.7M |
| 2 | Disclosure Day | Jun 12 | $17.7M | $79.0M |
| 3 | Obsession | May 15 | $13.4M | $215.0M |
| 4 | Backrooms | May 29 | $7.2M | $175.1M |
| 5 | Scary Movie | Jun 5 | $6.4M | $97.2M |
| 6 | Masters of the Universe | Jun 5 | $6.2M | $57.5M |
| 7 | Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu | May 22 | $4.2M | $172.0M |
| 8 | The Death of Robin Hood | Jun 19 | $2.9M | $2.9M |
| 9 | Leviticus | Jun 19 | $2.6M | $2.6M |
| 10 | Michael | Apr 24 | $2.2M | $367.9M |
| 11 | Girls Like Girls | Jun 19 | $1.5M | $1.5M |
| 12 | The Furious | Jun 12 | $1.1M | $5.3M |
| 13 | The Sheep Detectives | May 8 | $1.1M | $64.6M |
| 14 | The Breadwinner | May 29 | $0.9M | $19.3M |
| 15 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | May 1 | $0.6M | $219.3M |
| 16 | Stop! That! Train! | Jun 12 | $0.5M | $3.4M |
| 17 | Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul | Jun 19 | $0.4M | $0.4M |
| 18 | Pressure | May 29 | $0.3M | $15.1M |
| 19 | Tuner | May 22 | $0.1M | $4.0M |
| 20 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Apr 3 | $0.1M | $429.6M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates, June 19–21, 2026
Curated by JD · samwise.agency