Each year, CinemaCon brings the film industry together to celebrate everything we love about movies, and to get a look into the upcoming titles from companies like Disney, Sony, Warner Bros, and Lionsgate. This year's convention, which is taking place from April 24-27 in Las Vegas, is full of exclusive clips, announcements, and interviews. Let's get into it!
Day 1: Sony Entertainment
Jennifer Lawrence returns to the big screen in R-rated comedy No Hard Feelings. In the film, Lawrence stars as Maddie, an Uber driver who, after her car is repossessed, accepts a Craigslist ad to date 19-year-old Percy before he goes to college.
In a CinemaCon-exclusive clip, convention attendees got to see Maddie, dressed in a tight pink dress and heels, try to adopt a dog the shelter Percy works at. According to Variety, the scene was very well-received!
Kraven The Hunter is Sony's first R-rated Marvel film, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who stars as the titular character), described the movie as "a Marvel movie grounded heavily in the real world." Sony unveiled the first (very bloody) footage from the movie, which shows Kraven killing some poachers. The clip also offered a look at Ariana DeBose and Russell Crowe, who co-star.
Image via Apple Original Films/Sony
CinemaCon attendees also got a look at Ridley Scott's Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. Thanks to IGN, we know that the exclusive footage shows Napoleon and his army fighting enemy forces. "Wait!" Phoenix cries in the clip as the enemy approaches. "Let them think they have the high ground."
There were also some other fun first looks:
Sony showed off the first 14 minutes of Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse, before co-director Kemp Powers and actors Shameik Moore, Issa Rae, and Hailee Steinfeld came together onstage.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are in their fourth week of filming Bad Boys 4 and called in to talk about the film, which also features Paola Núnez, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, and Eric Dane.
Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney promoted their new R-rated romantic comedy Anyone but You, a vivacious enemies-to-lovers story that rom-com lovers of all kinds are sure to fall for.
Sony also showed off a first look at Gran Turismo , the PlayStation adaption directed by Neill Blomkamp, and starring David Harbour and Orlando Bloom.
Day 2: Warner Bros.
Image via Eric Charbonneau/Warner Bros.
Barbie - CinemaCon 2023 - Presentation and Press Line - April 25th
The Barbie movie is our most-anticipated movie of the summer and director Greta Gerwig was joined by stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and America Ferrera onstage to discuss the film. Gosling talked about finding his "Kenergy" while Robbie said that the film set felt like "a dopamine hit." Read more here!
Image via Eric Charbonneau/Warner Bros.
Dune Part Two - CinemaCon 2023 - Presentation and Press Line - April 25th
Director Denis Villeneuve and stars Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet premiered the trailer for the next installment of the Dune franchise. “Part Two is more action-packed, epic war movie, much more bulk, much more dance,” Villeneuve said via IndieWire. Dune 2 picks up at the end of the first film, and we'll see the relationship between Paul (Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya) develop. We'll also see Paul battle and ride a giant sand worm.
Timothée Chalamet also took to the stage for his film Wonka, in which he plays a younger version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory's candy maker. “I’m something of a magician, inventor and chocolate maker,” he says in the trailer, via Deadline. The film is scheduled for a Christmastime release.
Image via Eric Charbonneau/Warner Bros.
The Color Purple - CinemaCon 2023 - Presentation and Press Line - April 25th
Oprah premiered a first look at The Color Purple, the movie musical based on the book of the same name, and was joined by director Blitz Bazawule and stars Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino. The film hits theaters on December 25, 2023.
DC also premiered footage from Blue Beetle and screened The Flash.
Day 3: Disney
Marvel Studios started the presentation with an exclusive Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 clip, in which Peter Quill tries to talk to Gamora about experiences he shared with her alternate self. (We know — the multiverse is confusing).
They also screened a new trailer for The Marvels, which stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Melissa McCarthy introduced an exclusive first look at her “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from next month's The Little Mermaid. A new TV spot and character posters also dropped today! The film also stars Halle Bailey, Awkwafina, Daveed Diggs, and Javier Bardem.
Walt Disney Animation Studios announced that Chris Pine will star opposite Ariana DeBose in Wish. The animated musical mixes watercolor animation and CGI, and the studio showed off an exclusive clip of DeBose singing an original song from the film.
20 minutes of 3D footage from Disney and Pixar’s Elemental got incredibly positive feedback from the audience. We're already in love with the story about celebrating our differences and finding community, as well as the visuals. The movie is "clever, funny, gorgeous animation - certainly feels like classic Pixar," according to @ErikDavis.Read more here!
Here are some more exclusive looks:
The studio premiered the new trailer for Searchlight Pictures’ Next Goal Wins, which follows the American Samoa soccer team.
CinemaCon attendees got a special look at Disney Live Action’s Haunted Mansion, based on the iconic theme park ride. The film features an amazing cast with names like Lakeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
A teaser trailer for the horror-thriller A Haunting in Venice was truly spooky. The film stars Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, and Michelle Yeoh.
Footage from The Creator, a sci-fi action thriller starring John David Washington and Gemma Chan, was screened.
Harrison Ford sent in a video message in honor of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which was followed by a clip of Ford's Indiana Jones and his goddaughter, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Universal Pictures and Focus Features
Christopher Nolan arrived in Las Vegas to talk about Oppenheimer. He also debuted footage from the film, which is partially in color and partially in black and white. "Like it or not, J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived," he said onstage, via Variety. "He made the world we live in, for better or for worse. His story has to be seen to be believed."
Animals were a big part part of the presentation, thanks to Migration, Strays, and Kung Fu Panda 4.
Migration revolves around a family of ducks, voiced by Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks, who are feeling pulled in different directions during migration season. Will Ferrell stars as a dog who has to figure out how to make it after his owner abandons him in Strays. Jack Black introduced Kung Fu Panda 4, which sees Bo face off against a new villain called The Chameleon.
Convention attendees got a glimpse at Dreamworks' Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, in which the titular character (voiced by Lana Condor) discovers that she can actually turn into a giant kraken.
An exclusive first look at Wicked, including cuts of "Defying Gravity" and behind the scenes footage, was met with thunderous applause. "WICKED genuinely looks magical and perhaps the most on top of his game we've seen John Chu," says @AndrewJ626on Twitter.
Wes Anderson's Asteroid City debuted new footage, while Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson and Sung Kang took to the stage to discuss the legacy of The Fast and the Furious.
The studio also debuted a variety of trailers, including Drive Away Dolls, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, and The Holdovers.
Day 4: Paramount Pictures
Paramount kicked off their slot with a larger-than-life performance in honor of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which hits theaters in August. Dancing and skate board tricks were followed by a Paramount executive coming through a faux sewer to hand out pizza to the audience.
Seth Rogen also joined the conversation and had the audience cracking up as soon as he stepped onstage. One detail that Rogen noted was that the film feels like one of the most authentic TMNT movies because the voice actors are actually teens!
We got two Transformers titles — TransformersONE and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
TransformersONE is an animated movie that premieres July 19 and stars Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, and Laurence Fishburne.
Stephen Caple Jr. was joined by actors Anthony Ramos and Dominque Fishback to talk about this summer's Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which hits theaters June 9. The film is set in '90s Brooklyn, a city where both actors are originally from.
"I am so grateful to be here [and] I can't wait for people to see it," Fishback said onstage.
"Being able to be a part of the Transformers franchise is beyond my wildest dreams," Ramos added.
One of the craziest moments of the panel was when Rihanna made a surprise appearance to announce her involvement with the new Smurfs movie — dressed in a Smurf-approved blue, of course! The new film will explore what it means to be a Smurf, and will feature original music from the singer, who's also starring *and* producing.
"I hope this gives me a little bit of cool points with my kids one day," she jokes.
Film legend Martin Scorsese showed the first teaser for his new movie Killers of the Flower Moon, which stars Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Lily Gladstone. The film is set in the 1920s, when wealthy members of the Osage Nation began mysteriously dying.
CinemaCon 2023 also got a look at the upcoming Bob Marley biopic, Bob Marley: One Love, as well as John Krasinski's A Quiet Place: Day One and Imaginary Friends (abbreviated as IF).
The new installment in the A Quiet Place franchise follows Lupita Nyong'o's character as she navigates the first day of the alien invasion in one of the the loudest places in the world: New York City.
Paramount ended their presentation with a new teaser for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which looks like the perfect action-packed summer movie if you're an adrenaline junkie. While Tom Cruise did not attend the convention, we were told that he wanted us to have a first look at the movie, which meant we also got to see a 20-minute clip!
Lionsgate
The final presentation of the week began with a run through of Lionsgate's upcoming slate of films, including Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, John Wick: Chapter 4, Saw X, and Expendables 4.
Then it was time for the announcement that *we* were most excited for: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. After a Lionsgate x The Hunger Games experience on April 26, CinemaCon was treated to the official trailer for the film, starring Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth.
The presentation ended as the director and stars of Joy Ride, premiering July 7, took to the stage to introduce a screening of the film. The raunchy comedy is directed by Adele Lim and stars Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu, and Sherry Cola.
The CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards
CinemaCon ended with the "Big Screen Achievement Awards," hosted by Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier. The following awards were handed out:
- NATO Spirit of the Industry Award: Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas
- Star of the Year: Zendaya
- Comedy Ensemble Award: The cast of “Joy Ride" (Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu)
- CinemaCon Award of Excellence in Animation: Chris Meledandri
- Cinéma Vérité Award: Melissa McCarthy
- Rising Stars of the Year: Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback
Check out our CinemaCon coverage for more breaking news, and check out our Twitter for live updates on the convention!
This post has been updated.
