Samwise Film & TV Marketing Newsletter
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Minions & Monsters Opens Today With Eyes on $80M Holiday Frame
Universal and Illumination’s Minions & Monsters opened in 4,000 North American theaters today, targeting an estimated $80 million five-day holiday frame through July 4th weekend. The seventh entry in the Despicable Me franchise earned a franchise-best 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and the series’ first PG rating, making it the most family-friendly installment yet. Tracking ranges from $75M to $115M for the five-day window. Set in 1920s Old Hollywood, the Minions prequel benefits from strong advance ticket sales; prior July 4th entries Minions: Rise of Gru and Despicable Me 4 each opened to $123M and $122M over comparable frames.
Obsession Arrives on PVOD as Focus Features’ All-Time Domestic Record-Holder
Curry Barker’s breakout horror film Obsession launched on PVOD yesterday, now available on Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube Movies at $24.99 purchase / $19.99 rental. Acquired by Focus Features for $15 million at its festival debut, the film has earned $233.8M domestic and $371.1M worldwide since opening May 15. Focus Features deliberately delayed PVOD from an original June 2 date to June 30 to extend the theatrical window. Blu-ray and DVD follow July 14. Starring Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston, Obsession is now Focus Features’ all-time domestic box office champion.
Sources: Hollywood Reporter Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Enola Holmes 3 Is on Netflix Today — Millie Bobby Brown Returns for a Third Turn
Enola Holmes 3 is on Netflix today, marking Millie Bobby Brown’s third appearance as Arthur Conan Doyle’s tenacious youngest detective. Directed by Philip Barantini and written by Jack Thorne, the PG-13 sequel finds Enola racing to solve the kidnapping of her brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) while managing an impending wedding to Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge) on the island of Malta. Helena Bonham Carter returns to the cast as family matriarch Eudoria. The Hollywood Reporter calls the film “elementary but enjoyable,” noting Millie Bobby Brown delivers a seasoned performance as a detective who can now “give her brother a run for his money.”
Sources: Hollywood Reporter Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Final Feinberg Forecast: Pluribus Leads Emmy Race With 22 Projected Nominations
With Emmy nominations set for Tuesday, July 8 at 8:30 AM PT, Scott Feinberg’s final Feinberg Forecast projects Pluribus (Apple TV+) leading all programs with 22 projected nominations, followed closely by HBO’s The Pitt at 21. Streamers trimmed costs this cycle: Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu opted out of expensive For Your Consideration screening houses. The nominations will be announced live by Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller. HBO is making late pushes for limited series DTF: St. Louis and Half Man, while FX’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette holds a final FYC event this week.
Sources: Hollywood Reporter Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Amazon’s OpenAI Deal Costs Guadagnino’s Artificial Its Distributor — Neon Steps In
Neon has closed a deal for Luca Guadagnino’s nearly-completed drama Artificial after Amazon MGM Studios dropped the $40 million film, citing it would “be better served” by another studio — a decision tied to Amazon’s $50 billion investment partnership with OpenAI, the subject of Guadagnino’s film. Andrew Garfield stars as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, with Monica Barbaro as former CTO Mira Murati and Mark Rylance portraying AI researcher Geoffrey Hinton. Netflix, A24, and Focus Features all passed before Neon won the rights. The distributor plans an awards campaign, with Venice Film Festival as a possible debut platform.
Universal Skips Influencer Screenings for The Odyssey in a Confident Pre-Release Flex
Universal has decided to skip word-of-mouth influencer screenings for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey ahead of its July 17 opening, bucking an industry standard. Instead, after a global premiere in London on July 6, the film will screen exclusively for critics. Universal previously ran influencer screenings for Disclosure Day — one viral blurb calling it “Spielberg’s best film in 20 years” drew backlash. The decision also follows controversy over Warner Bros.’ decision to invite influencers to a pre-release Supergirl screening, where unusually glowing posts clashed sharply with official critic reviews averaging 59% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sources: Hollywood Reporter Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Supergirl’s Box Office Bomb Forces DC Studios to Recalibrate
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow opened to $37M domestically — well below the $50–55M Warner Bros. had targeted — with industry sources projecting a $125 million total loss. Warner Bros. spent $170M to produce the film and roughly $120M to market it globally. Audiences skewed 59% male and 65% over 25, the inverse of DC Studios’ target demographic. James Gunn and Peter Safran face scrutiny; the upcoming $40M Clayface (directed by James Watkins) represents a sharp budget pullback. Analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations called Supergirl “always going to be a tough hurdle” given the character’s limited event-movie history.
Box Office — Currently in Theatres
| # | Title | Release Date | Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toy Story 5 | Jun 13 | $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 | $8.1M | $94.5M |
| 6 | Backrooms | May 22 | $4.3M | $184.2M |
| 7 | Scary Movie | May 30 | $3.1M | $103.6M |
| 8 | BLEACH: The Calamity | Jun 27 | $3.0M | $3.0M |
| 9 | Masters of the Universe | May 30 | $2.3M | $62.0M |
| 10 | The Mandalorian & Grogu | May 15 | $1.8M | $175.4M |
| 11 | Leviticus | Jun 19 | $1.0M | $5.4M |
| 12 | Michael | Apr 24 | $0.9M | $370.2M |
| 13 | Lucky Strike | Jun 27 | $0.8M | $0.8M |
| 14 | The Death of Robin Hood | Jun 19 | $0.6M | $4.8M |
| 15 | The Sheep Detectives | May 1 | $0.5M | $65.6M |
| 16 | The Breadwinner | May 22 | $0.5M | $20.1M |
| 17 | The Invite | Jun 27 | $0.4M | $0.4M |
| 18 | Girls Like Girls | Jun 19 | $0.3M | $2.5M |
| 19 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Apr 17 | $0.3M | $220.0M |
| 20 | The Furious | Jun 13 | $0.3M | $6.1M |
Source: Box Office Mojo · Weekend estimates
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.