CinemaCon 2024 dispatch: The view from the cheap seats at the annual gathering of movie theater moguls

CinemaCon, as one might occasionally need to remind friends and family not particularly invested in entertainment industry conventions, isn’t the same thing as Comic-Con. It’s not an event that’s geared towards fans, or even open to the public at large. The annual trade show hosted by that other, second-most-famous NATO, the National Association of Theater Owners, CinemaCon is a four-day event which gathers together exhibition executives and theater managers from all over the United States and, indeed, the world each April in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace. That distinction in audience means that instead of attempting to circumnavigate over-caffeinated cosplayers carrying their weight in limited-edition merchandise, the people-watching amusement at CinemaCon more takes the form of over-served patrons arguing with slot machines or other inanimate objects.

Interspersed with several industry fetings—plus pitches from concessionaires on advances in popcorn flavoring, as well as moderated think-tank chats alternately dishing, kvetching and prognosticating on the fragile state of modern theatrical exhibition—are, of course, the main reason many entertainment journalists still trek to Las Vegas: Hollywood studio presentations that are sort of akin to TV industry “up-fronts,” providing first looks at highly anticipated films releasing throughout the rest of the year, and often even beyond.

While there were some full-length offerings this year—The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, and the comedy Babes both screened to robust —the bread and butter of CinemaCon was, as usual, its exclusive trailer debuts and extended-footage viewings. It’s also interesting, and very instructive, to see how studios (and stars) pander to and position their wares for their gatekeeping theatrical partners.

This year’s iteration, held from April 8th-11th, served up no shortage of memorable moments, including colorful entrances from studio executives (Warner Bros. distribution chief Jeff Goldstein appearing in costume as Beetlejuice; Paramount distribution president Chris Aronson entering the stage on a chariot pulled by gladiators, triumphantly waving a sword), and onscreen talent flying into Sin City (sometimes for just a couple hours) to talk up their films. Here’s what we heard from the major studios.

Sony is all in on anime

Sony used its presentation slot to basically flog Crunchyroll, and argue to a somewhat skeptical audience that anime presents the cure for what ails stalled-out Stateside box office. Crunchyroll senior vice president of global commerce Mitchel Berger walked a fine line, introducing attendees to anime by way of familiarity with the previous Dragonball and Demon Slayer franchises, but also touting the passion of its existent fanbase along with the accessibility of self-contained narratives and various points-of-entry for those newer to the medium. Ten minutes of footage from Spy X Family Code provided a nice glimpse of the type of story that could woo open-minded animation fans. But the most effective arrow in Berger’s quiver might’ve been the number he cited for the annual revenue projection of the anime industry across all platforms: $37 billion. The message was implicit but still crystal clear: if theaters can make inroads with that audience, superhero fatigue won’t matter.

Warner Bros. wins with spectacle

With its high-profile presentation, Warner Bros. delivered the goods, including three of the undisputed highlights of CinemaCon, with projects whose scope and scale cry out for big-screen absorption.

One big highlight was a six-minute sneak peek at Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24), whose high-energy footage was split into chapters chronicling its title character’s journey, as she attempts to honor her mother’s final wish of returning to the Green Place. Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth appeared onstage alongside director George Miller (fresh off of work on the film’s final sound mixes) for a brief Q&A with Warner Bros. chiefs Pamela Abdy and Michael DeLuca. Calling the film “the story of one woman’s relentless commitment to impossible hope,” Taylor-Joy said that she fell in love with the character when Charlize Theron played her in Fury Road and, as a fan, never thought this opportunity would come her way.

Another high point was the trailer for Joker: Folie a Deux (October 4), promoted onstage by director Todd Phillips. Already devoured online following its concurrent release, the evocatively staged footage in the rumored musical hints at a different and perhaps even more complex power dynamic between Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga).

One more highlight came by way of sweeping footage from Kevin Costner’s Horizon (slated for release in two parts, on June 28 and August 16), described as a multifaceted chronicle covering the settlement of the American West, spanning the four years of the Civil War. Reflecting on his affinity for stories rooted in America’s history, Costner said, “There was a promise out here that if you were tough enough, if you were mean enough, if you were resourceful enough, if you were lucky enough, then you could take what you wanted in America. Now, that promise meant that we stepped on a whole group of people who had been here for thousands of years. But that’s what happened in America…and I don’t pass judgment because I don’t want to look down on people’s resourcefulness.”

Another high-profile peek from Warner Bros. elicited a more mixed reaction. Bong Joon Ho and star Robert Pattinson received a warm in-person welcome in support of the first look at Mickey 17, the South Korean auteur’s first film since his Oscar-winning Parasite. The footage, though, was maybe another story.

Telling the tale of an expendable blue-collar clone whose endless replication suits the most dangerous work in space colonization, the film’s irreverent trailer, which features Pattinson playing off himself in many scenes, seemed to give some viewers tonal whiplash.

Pattinson, who for his part called Bong’s script “one of the funniest, most bizarre sci-fi scripts I’ve ever read in my life,” seems to really lean into the dark humor of the material, while the filmmaker characterized the movie as the story of “a simple man who ultimately ends up saving the world,” and joked that he killed his star 10 times more than its source material (it’s based on a novel titled Mickey 7). Perhaps most telling, though, is the project’s January 31, 2025 wide release date—a slot that indicates a straight commercial play more than any artistic confidence.

Universal and Focus share a victory lap

During its shared Wednesday presentation, fun and engaging footage from Universal’s Twisters (July 19), starring Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones, and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, gave the Colosseum’s Dolby sound system a nice workout. Arthouse banner Focus Features, meanwhile, fresh off the success of Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, served up exclusive looks at its more awards-oriented slate. If clips from Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black and The Bikeriders — a period piece crime drama about the rise and fall of a Chicago motorcycle club, starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Tom Hardy — came off a bit flat, of much more interest were Conclave (November 1, limited; November 8, expanding) and Nosferatu (December 25).

The former, director Edward Berger’s follow-up to All Quiet on the Western Front, follows one of the world’s most secretive events—the selection of a new Pope. Incredible ambitions, uncovered secrets, and cloak-and-dagger maneuvering from a cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini? Yes, please.

Meanwhile, Robert Eggers’ reimagining of the classic vampire tale Nosferatu (December 25), starring Bill Skarsgård, looks positively stirring and stunning—a heady mix of psychological horror, obsession and, yes, jump-scares.

In addition to the aforementioned movies, Focus’ 2024 slate includes films from a nice mix of established auteurs and breakout new directors, including, among others, Baltasar Kormákur’s sweeping romantic drama Touch (July 12); the Sundance-Award winning Dìdi (July 26); and the very unique-looking Piece By Piece (October 11), a movie from Morgan Neville about global superstar Pharrell Williams told through the lens of LEGO bricks.

Lionsgate teams up with Margot Robbie, Blumhouse

Lionsgate made plenty of noise and news at CinemaCon, too. First, they announced a deal with LuckyChap, the production company headed by power-couple Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley, to produce Monopoly, a motion picture based on the legendary classic board game. On the heels of their collaboration on the horror film Imaginary, Lionsgate also announced that they’ll partner with Blumhouse Productions on the development and production of a new The Blair Witch Project as the first film in a multi-picture pact reimagining horror classics from the Lionsgate library.

“I’m very grateful to Adam and the team at Lionsgate for letting us play in their sandbox,” said Blumhouse founder Jason Blum, expressing his admiration for the original 1999 film. “The Blair Witch Project brought the idea of found-footage horror to mainstream audiences and became a true cultural phenomenon—I don’t think there would have been a Paranormal Activity had there not first been a Blair Witch, so this feels like a truly special opportunity and I’m excited to see where it leads.”

Appearing in person in support of his promising-looking upcoming comedy Good Fortune, Aziz Ansari (who assured folks he was “not Henry Cavill in brown-face”) had the Colosseum audience howling. It was probably the footage from a pair of 2025 movies, however, that most surprised and thrilled attendees: a glimpse at John Wick spin-off Ballerina (June 6, 2025), starring Ana de Armas, and the first look at the estate-approved, still-in-production biopic Michael (April 18, 2025), which will feature 30 of Michael Jackson’s best-known songs.

On-the-block Paramount banking on familiar IP

Kicking off their presentation, Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins made light of the imminent corporate sale talks swirling around his studio (Skydance Media is currently in the midst of an exclusive, but somewhat contentiously received, 30-day negotiating window), joking about the aforementioned Aronson having a Kickstarter to make a bid for the company.

Is anyone except Hasbro stockholders and certain deluded captains-of-industry truly clamoring for a crossover between the G.I. Joe and Transformers cinematic universes? Well, time will tell, but we now have confirmation of the project, teased in last year’s Rise of the Beasts.

Of more interest, Paramount announced a pair of R-rated, live-action offerings—a bawdy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles flick spun off from its “Last Ronin” graphic novel storyline, plus an under-wraps musical comedy from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, featuring Kendrick Lamar—that should each land well with both teenage boys and the numerically-older-but-perhaps-not-a-great-deal-more-mature man-children they become. (No judgments.)

Paramount’s announcement that Glen Powell, among the busiest on-the-rise talents working today, is teaming up with director Edgar Wright for a remake of The Running Man found warm and intrigued reception. The studio ended its slate with a first look at Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II (Thanksgiving), which delivered in thunderous fashion on the action, epic scale and emotional stakes that have been hallmarks of the legendary director’s career.

Disney and the MCU both in a rebuilding phase

Following a midday luncheon honoring Jon M. Chu, director of the upcoming Wicked, with the Cultural Impact in Filmmaking Award, Disney wrapped up the 2024 studio presentations with a show—as is typically characteristic of the studio’s annual CinemaCon offerings—light on showmanship but heavy on footage.

This included the first 35 minutes of Inside Out 2, which was, well, just about as wonderful as one could hope—a nice blend of laughs and heartfelt sentimentality, told against the backdrop of a thoughtfully constructed world.

Marvel CEO Kevin Feige spoke extemporaneously a bit about Marvel’s upcoming slate, and after touting Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025) as a grounded political thriller, introduced star Anthony Mackie. The actor reflected on his own personal MCU journey before introducing a first look that won’t debut with fans until Comic-Con—Harrison Ford’s president asking Sam Wilson (Mackie) to rebuild the Avengers. Needless to say, Wilson’s pondering about what happens if there are disagreements in management comes to fruition.

After describing Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26) as a movie “built for audience joy,” director Shawn Levy introduced nine minutes of footage, and was proven to not be a liar. Heavy on physical comedy and, of course, plenty of rapid-fire quips, the material (cut around lots of plotting, Levy admitted) may have most connected with fans in a segment in which Deadpool, locked in argument with Matthew Macfayden’s Mr. Paradox, refers to himself as “Marvel Jesus.”

Wrapping up with accolades

CinemaCon 2024 came to a conclusion with its annual Big Screen Achievement Awards, emceed this year by Entertainment Tonight host Kevin Frazier. At a show where honorees typically wax rhapsodic about some of their favorite theatergoing experiences, Amy Poehler received the CinemaCon Vanguard Award, Lupita Nyong’o was honored as the Star of the Year, Levy was celebrated as Director of the Year, and A Quiet Place: Day One star Joseph Quinn was recognized as the Breakthrough Performer of the Year.

In other recognitions, Dan Stevens was bestowed the Award of Excellence in Acting; Ariana Greenblatt, the 16-year-old co-star of Eli Roth’s Borderlands, was tabbed Rising Star of 2024; Geena Davis was honored with the Viola Davis Trailblazer Award, and Dennis Quaid was given the Cinema Icon Award.