CinemaCon 2024 is officially underway in Las Vegas. The convention brings together theater owners, their partners, and Hollywood studios to preview the theatrical slate for the upcoming year. Warner Bros, Universal, Disney, Paramount, Lionsgate, and Crunchyroll will have presentations sharing their biggest titles of the year.
The convention started with a bang on Monday night when Universal Pictures presented their upcoming blockbuster The Fall Guy, which kicks off the summer movie season on May 3. Much like viewers at SXSW, attendees praised the action rom-com, which is currently very Fresh on the Tomatometer at 89%. For more on the Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt movie check out our first reviews round-up.
As the week progresses we’ll update this page with all the news, first looks, trailers, and more out of each presentation. Stay tuned!
Godzilla Starts the Day
(Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
The King of the Monsters kicked off Tuesday’s presentations as Toho President and CEO Hiro Matsuoka led a look back at 70 years of Godzilla on the big screen. He went on to thank audiences and exhibitors for the success of Godzilla Minus One and acknowledged that while the film wasn’t a traditional recipe for success, after fans started a movement and encouraged others to join, it became a movie event around the world.
Crunchyroll Previews Theatrical Slate
Sony Pictures’ Crunchyroll was the first studio to present at CinemaCon 2024. After a look back at their biggest properties — Dragonball, One Piece, Demon Slayer, and others — Senior Vice President of Global Commerce Mitchell Berger reminded everyone that anime is here to stay and announced that anime in all of its forms is expected to earn $37 billion in 2025.
“Anime is made for the big screen, with its sweeping stories, dynamic animation, compelling characters, but also with the unique way it brings a passionate fanbase together.”
Berger then went on to share Crunchyroll’s upcoming theatrical slate. The studio has acquired North American theatrical rights to three big anime titles – HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle, Blue Lock The Movie – Episode Nagi, and Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom. They’ll join the first theatrical installment for Spy X Family, which hits theaters on April. 19:
Spy X Family Code: White – April 19
Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle – May 31
Blue Lock: Episode Nagi – June 28
Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom – Coming Soon
Warner Bros. Showcases Joker: Folie à Deux, Furiosa, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and More
The final presentation of the day was a big one, as Warner Bros. took the stage to showcase a slew of its most anticipated upcoming titles.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
(Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)
The first film to get the big splashy treatment was Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which opens in theaters on May 24, 2024. Stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth appeared alongside director George Miller to talk about their experiences making the film, which takes place over the course of 16-18 years before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road. Taylor-Joy expressed that she was more excited for this movie to be seen on a big screen than any of her previous projects, while Miller gushed over his two leads, talking about their transformative work. The trio concluded the presentation with an extended sneak peek of the film, broken into three chapters, that depicts the defining moments of Furiosa’s journey.
The Watchers
Next up was Ishana Night Shyamalan, who graced the stage to present her debut feature The Watchers, due out in theaters on June 14, 2024. Shyamalan said that she had wanted to play in the intersection of horror and fantasy, and when the source novel came into her life, it “felt like the perfect thing,” joking that the blend of horror, fantasy, and thriller is “very much how I see life.” Shyamalan also previewed a new trailer for the film, which stars Dakota Fanning as a woman stranded in an Irish forest who stumbles upon a mysterious shelter and discovers others are trapped there with her.
Superman and Super/Man
(Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)
Offering a bit of a DC update, James Gunn appeared in a live update from the set of his 2025 film Superman, promising to share more about the film next year and expressing gratitude for all the Guardians of the Galaxy love. Following that, Gunn’s DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran took the stage to provide an early look at the DC Studios slate for 2024 and to highlight the upcoming documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year to rave reviews. The film incorporates exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage of Reeve to chronicle the star’s life and disability activism in the aftermath of his horse-riding accident in 1995.
Horizon: An American Saga
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
Kevin Costner then took the stage to present his epic two-part Western film Horizon: An American Saga. Costner spoke at length about the inspirations behind the film, what motivated him to tell the story in this way, and why he chose to play the character. The film has been a longtime passion project for Costner, who has tried to get it off the ground since as far back as 1988. Chapter 1 of the story is slated to release in theaters on June 28, 2024, and Chapter 2 will open on August 16, 2024. At the end of the presentation, Costner also received the CinemaCon Visionary Award.
Mickey 17
(Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)
Next up was one of the more anticipated films of this year that was rescheduled for 2025, namely Mickey 17 from Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho. An adaptation of the 2022 novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, the film stars Robert Pattinson as Mickey 17, a disposable human employee on an expedition to colonize an ice planet whose body can be regenerated each time he dies. Both Bong and producer Dooho Choi initially took the stage to talk about the film and present the first trailer for it, after which they were joined by Pattinson. The star explained what drew him to work with Bong and what it was like to play essentially multiple characters, while Bong revealed why he wanted Pattinson for the film.
Trap
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
Not to be outdone by his own daughter, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan also showed up to promote his own film, Trap, which is set to open in theaters this year on August 2. Those in attendance were treated to an exclusive first look at the film, which stars Josh Hartnett and another of Shyamalan’s daughters, Saleka, in a thriller about a dangerous killer who has been lured by the FBI into — you guessed it — a trap set up at a concert he’s attending.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
(Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
One of the larger ensembles amassed for the event came on stage to promote Tim Burton’s upcoming sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Not only was Burton on hand, but he was joined by Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, and returning stars Catherine O’Hara and, of course, Michael Keaton. Keaton explained he and Burton had been kicking around the idea of doing another Beetlejuice for some time and said, “I can tell you this, though. It’s really f—ing good.” All of the stars chimed in on their experience working on the film, with Bellucci calling out the beautiful costumes and Dafoe praising the handmade effects, and the presentation ended with a new look at the film’s trailer.
Joker: Folie à Deux
The final big presentation of the day came courtesy of Todd Phillips and his highly anticipated sequel Joker: Folie à Deux. The director took the stage and explained how the process of writing the film changed once Lady Gaga came on board; when discussing the musical nature of the film, he stated, “We never really talked about it like that,” and that it isn’t a “musical” so much as “music is an essential element” to the film. Then Phillips ended the presentation by unveiling the first trailer for the film, which you can watch just above.
Thumbnail image by ©Warner Bros.
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