Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Michael Jackson Biopic Surpasses Oppenheimer as Highest-Grossing Biopic of All Time
Michael, the Lionsgate-distributed biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua, crossed $977 million worldwide this weekend to overtake Oppenheimer ($975 million) as the highest-grossing biopic in box office history. Starring Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson, the film has earned $370 million domestically across ten weekends and now stands as Lionsgate’s biggest release ever. The previous record was held by Bohemian Rhapsody at $911 million. The film’s sustained run reflects a fan-centric marketing campaign built on moonwalk flash mobs across 20 global markets and more than 564 million social media views. Colman Domingo and Nia Long co-star alongside Jaafar Jackson as Joe and Katherine Jackson.
Supergirl Opens to $37M, Projects $125M Loss Despite DC’s Record $100M-Plus Ad Campaign
Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ Supergirl stumbled to a $37.1 million domestic opening—well short of its $40–50 million target—putting the film on course to lose an estimated $125 million. The studio spent $170 million to produce and roughly $120 million to market the Milly Alcock-led picture, DC’s largest promotional campaign ever, with more than 80 brand partners including Waymo, Samsung, KFC, and Ulta delivering over $100 million in media value. Despite the scope of the blitz, audiences skewed 59% male, meaning the film failed to attract the young-female casual moviegoer it targeted. The film scored a “B-” on CinemaScore and 56% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Toy Story 5 Holds No. 1 With $70.8M Second Weekend, Reaching $298M Domestically
Toy Story 5 retained the top domestic box office spot in its second frame, earning $70.8 million from 4,425 theaters—a 55.6% drop from its $160 million opening. The Disney and Pixar sequel has now amassed $298 million domestically after just two weekends, holding strongly despite new competition from Supergirl and Jackass: Best and Last. The film’s durable run reflects a campaign anchored by a $200 million global partnership portfolio—the largest in Pixar franchise history—and a marketing boost from Taylor Swift’s original song “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 before the film’s opening weekend.
Disney Becomes First Studio to Cross $3 Billion at the Global Box Office in 2026
Walt Disney Studios became the first studio to cross $3 billion in worldwide ticket sales in 2026, a milestone powered by Toy Story 5’s second-weekend performance. The studio’s total was built on a diverse portfolio: The Devil Wears Prada 2 ($677.6 million), Pixar’s Hoppers ($372 million), Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu ($323 million-plus), and 20th Century Studios’ Send Help ($94 million), alongside carryover from Zootopia 2. Toy Story 5 opened to $312 million globally, the second-best Pixar launch ever. The achievement underscores Disney’s franchise-heavy strategy and high-profile cultural partnerships—led by Taylor Swift’s involvement—as a template for sustaining theatrical momentum in 2026.
Cannes Lions 2026: Creator Economy and AI ROI Take Center Stage for Entertainment Marketers
The 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity closed with two themes dominating entertainment marketing: the explosive growth of the creator economy and a shift from AI experimentation to measurable ROI. 500 creators attended—up from 400 in 2025—as major platforms courted influencer talent for branded content deals. Nvidia, Palantir, and Pinterest unveiled agent infrastructure to automate marketing tasks previously done by humans. Adidas’ Oasis-inspired campaign “Original Forever” won the Entertainment Grand Prix. Apple’s Eddy Cue was named Entertainment Person of the Year, and Oprah Winfrey received the LionHeart honor. Executives noted that brands are now entering entertainment partnerships from the earliest stages of creative development, displacing traditional late-stage placements.
What DC Studios Must Learn From Supergirl’s $125M Box Office Failure
Supergirl’s projected $125 million loss has prompted a reckoning at DC Studios and across the industry about the economics of mid-tier superhero films. Analysts argue casual moviegoers need a film to feel “culturally inevitable” before studios commit $200-plus million in combined production and marketing—a bar Supergirl never cleared. DC’s next release, body-horror film Clayface (October 23), carries a modest $40 million budget—a deliberate correction. The studio’s bigger bet arrives next summer with Superman: Man of Tomorrow, starring David Corenswet, whose universal character recognition gives DC its clearest path to restoring audience trust after misfires including The Flash and Joker: Folie à Deux.
Obsession Surpasses Blair Witch Project as Highest-Grossing Film Festival Acquisition Ever
Obsession, the micro-budget horror romance directed by first-time filmmaker Curry Barker, crossed $286.5 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing film ever acquired at a festival, surpassing The Blair Witch Project’s $248.6 million global final. Focus Features bought the film for $15 million out of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Produced for under $1 million, the film earned $9.7 million domestically in its seventh weekend—now ranking as Focus Features’ all-time highest-grossing title. Its marketing campaign, built around cryptic Out of Home billboards and an interactive phone-number activation mimicking the film’s protagonist, drove audience turnout that skewed heavily toward 18-to-25 moviegoers.
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toy Story 5 | Jun 19 | $70.8M | $298.1M |
| 2 | Supergirl | Jun 27 | $37.1M | $37.1M |
| 3 | Obsession | May 15 | $9.7M | $233.8M |
| 4 | Jackass: Best and Last | Jun 27 | $8.5M | $8.5M |
| 5 | Disclosure Day | Jun 12 | $8.3M | $94.5M |
| 6 | Backrooms | May 29 | $4.3M | $184.2M |
| 7 | Scary Movie | Jun 5 | $3.1M | $103.6M |
| 8 | BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War — The Calamity | Jun 27 | $3.0M | $3.0M |
| 9 | Masters of the Universe | Jun 5 | $2.3M | $62.0M |
| 10 | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu | May 22 | $1.8M | $175.4M |
| 11 | Leviticus | Jun 19 | $1.0M | $5.4M |
| 12 | Michael | Apr 24 | $903K | $370.2M |
| 13 | Lucky Strike | Jun 27 | $803K | $803K |
| 14 | The Death of Robin Hood | Jun 19 | $589K | $4.8M |
| 15 | The Sheep Detectives | May 1 | $508K | $65.6M |
| 16 | The Breadwinner | May 29 | $476K | $20.1M |
| 17 | The Invite | Jun 27 | $379K | $379K |
| 18 | Girls Like Girls | Jun 19 | $319K | $2.5M |
| 19 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Apr 30 | $313K | $220.0M |
| 20 | The Furious | Jun 12 | $297K | $6.1M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates · June 26–28, 2026
Curated by JD · samwise.agency