April 13, 2024

Greetings! I have just returned from my second CinemaCon as a “film buyer” for theatrical exhibition, and again, had an excellent time getting quality face time with theater owners, studio execs, and industry friends. The residual effects of the strikes has been tough, but the year ahead looks promising. Here are the studio presentation highlights!

From WB: They previewed FURIOSA, BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE, SUPER MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY, THE WATCHERS, TRAP, MICKEY 17, JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX

Stand outs? Every single film was exciting, and WB kind of won the entire week with their presentation. FURIOSA, we got an extended preview showcasing the epic 13 year span (!) the movie covers. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE was probably the most welcome bit. Extended new trailer, plus the behind-the-scenes featurette showing off the whacky Burton-esque practical FX (of the recently deceased) won us all over. I can’t believe how weird and bizarre MICKEY 17 is! Bong Joon-Ho said, “it’s based on a book called Mickey 7. But I wanted to kill Robert Pattison 10 more times, so…” M. Night Shymalan’s premise for TRAP is absolutely ridiculous, but I can’t wait. And the first look at JOKER on that giant screen… perfection!

From Lionsgate: They previewed BORDERLANDS, THE CROW, THE STRANGERS CHAPTER 1, NEVER LET GO, THE KILLER’S GAME, JOHN WICK PRESENTS: BALLERINA

Stand outs? By far, the extended trailer for BALLERINA, which they delayed a full year to add more action set pieces. They also confirmed it takes place between JOHN WICK 3 & 4, so you can guess what that means! NEVER LET GO is a new Alex Aja movie with Halle Berry! SOLD. And MICHAEL, the Michael Jackson movie, had a stunning trailer that brought the whole house down. They also “announced” BLAIR WITCH with Blumhouse (why?), NATURO from SHANG CHI director Destin Daniel Cretton, and MONOPOLY from Margot Robbie. I don’t know the BORDERLANDS game, it just continues to look like GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY / SUICIDE SQUAD to me, and THE CROW’s new trailer solidifies what a mistake that “remake” is.

From Universal: DESPICABLE ME 4, TWISTERS, THE WILD ROBOT, THE BIKERIDERS, NOSFERATU, WICKED

Stand outs? For me, Robert Eggers NOSFERATU, even though we only got teased Nosferatu himself. Great, moody teaser trailer. THE WILD ROBOT has the promise of THE IRON GIANT. Not so stand out? They announced sequels from BH’s FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY and MEGAN, and showed a WOLF MAN teaser, since that company is incapable of a single original thought.

From Paramount: IF, TRANSFORMERS ONE, A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, SMILE 2, GLADIATOR 2

Stand outs? SMILE 2 impressed me because it looks like they gave that director 100 times the budget for a story set around a Lady Gaga-esque singer, who starts getting followed by smiling people. GLADIATOR 2 footage was great, but Ridley is hit or miss lately. Cautiously optimistic! SONIC 3 looks like a blast with Jim Carrey doing his thing. TRANSFORMERS ONE is wonderfully animated, but the very kid friendly “Optimius and Megatron when they were teens and friends” approach isn’t for me. Announced? A live action TMNT: THE LAST RONIN! GI JOE VS TRANSFORMERS (long overdue), Edgar Wright’s THE RUNNING MAN with Glen Powell, THE NAKED GUN with Liam Neeson, a BEE GEES biopic, Damian Chazelle’s next movie, and a new SCARY MOVIE. (Why?!)

Last but not least: DISNEY!

They knew they had a lot to prove, so their presentation pulled out ALL the stops. We got 13 minutes of KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, which was mesmerizing. The first 35 minutes of INSIDE OUT 2 which was top tier Pixar. The absolute stand out of the entire event, 10 minutes of DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, introduced by Kevin Feige. It’s more filthy, hilarious, and outrageous than you can possibly imagine. Earns its R rating, and apparently the promotional “popcorn” buckets will be offensive as well. We got a teaser trailer for CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. They’re definitely aiming for THE WINTER SOLDIER in terms of tone. We got 2 scenes from ALIEN: ROMULUS, which were scary! Fede Alvarez applied the EVIL DEAD 2023 touch to the ALIEN franchise, and I welcome it. The Rock humbly came out for MOANA 2, and Barry Jenkins to show the teaser of MUFASA: THE LION KING.

Full Features Screened:
– THE FALL GUY: Had an absolute blast with this. Ryan Gosling is a true movie star and this has everything I want from a popcorn movie – a love story, incredible stunts, laughs, and a lot of heart!
– BABES: Neon’s indie comedy. Not great, but very good, and worth a look. (Check out the red-band trailer)

That’s a wrap on another CinemaCon! See you at the movies!