From Spider-Man to Avengers: Doomsday, the CinemaCon 2026 announcements made one thing clear — the big screen has plenty more to give.
The global box office entered 2026 with real force. According to Gower Street, the international market excluding China and the domestic U.S. market combined for $6.2 billion through March, up 19% on the same period last year and marking the highest-grossing first quarter since 2019. That matters because Q1 rarely carries the weight of the year on its own. It usually sets the tone. This time, the tone is clear: audiences are showing up, momentum is building, and the theatrical business is moving into the rest of 2026 with genuine strength.
Against that backdrop, the CinemaCon 2026 announcements felt less like a forecast and more like a statement, with each studio stepping forward to show what comes next, and why the months ahead could give cinemas even more to work with.
Sony Pictures
Sony opened the week with one of the busiest slates of the convention. Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrived with exclusive footage, with Tom Holland calling it the most emotional and mature chapter of this Peter Parker run. The studio also showed footage from Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil reboot, unveiled a first look at Insidious: Out of the Further, previewed the final chapter of Miles Morales’ story in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, and screened footage from Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, with Jeremy Strong stepping into the role of Mark Zuckerberg. Jumanji: Open World also joined the reel, giving Sony a strong mix of franchise scale and fresh intrigue.
Sony also had a few extra cards to play. Among the other notable additions were the announcement of a Bloodborne adaptation and the reveal of Takashi Yamazaki’s English-language Grand Gear for 2028, both signs that the studio is thinking beyond safe sequel territory.
NEON, with GKIDS in the indie-distributor block
The indie side of CinemaCon had its own electricity. While Godzilla Minus Zero came through GKIDS rather than NEON, it belonged in the same conversation, with first teaser footage showing the Oscar-winning monster franchise heading for a bigger, more international scale. NEON, meanwhile, leaned into prestige and unease with a first-look trailer for Chloe Domont’s A Place in Hell, and also stirred interest with footage from Hokum, I Love Boosters, and Na Hong-jin’s Hope. It was a reminder that exhibitor excitement does not only come from capes and sequels.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. arrived under the cloud of merger chatter, but on stage it looked like a studio determined to project range and confidence. AP described it as coming off a successful year, and its CinemaCon presentation made the case for a slate that can stretch from original filmmaking to major franchise firepower.
That range was everywhere. Sean Baker’s TI AMO! was announced as the first title from Warner Bros.’ new specialty label Clockwork. Tom Cruise showed up for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger, J.J. Abrams unveiled first-look footage from The Great Beyond, and DC pushed both Supergirl, with extended footage featuring Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa, and Clayface, whose for-the-room teaser reportedly leaned hard into body horror. Add in previews for Practical Magic 2 and the first seven minutes of Dune: Part Three, and Warner had one of the convention’s most complete showcases.
Universal Pictures and Focus Features
Universal and Focus came armed with crowd-pleasers and filmmaker names. Christopher Nolan brought The Odyssey, Steven Spielberg offered a cryptic tease for Disclosure Day, and the studio introduced One Night Only, a romantic comedy from Anyone But You director Will Gluck. Animation had a strong presence too, with footage from Minions & Monsters, while comedy franchise energy came through in the first trailer for Focker-In-Law. Universal also used the room to confirm its Snoop Dogg biopic starring Jonathan Daviss, best known from Outer Banks.
Amazon MGM Studios
Amazon MGM used CinemaCon to keep making its theatrical case. The studio reaffirmed its plan to release at least 15 films a year and brought a slate that mixed star-led remakes, franchise revivals, and crowd-leaning originals. Michael B. Jordan fronted The Thomas Crown Affair, the studio revealed the title Spaceballs: The New One, and it highlighted How to Rob a Bank and I Play Rocky. Trade coverage also noted Highlander among the titles in the mix, alongside Masters of the Universe and Verity.
Paramount
Paramount’s presentation came with bigger corporate talk attached, as David Ellison used CinemaCon to defend the proposed Paramount-Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and promise a strong theatrical commitment, including a 45-day exclusive window and a 30-film annual target across the combined business.
On the movie front, Paramount gave exhibitors plenty to chew on. The studio confirmed Top Gun 3, announced a Call of Duty adaptation, and spotlighted Street Fighter, Scary Movie, Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast, Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer, and first footage from Children of Blood and Bone. It also sprinkled in broader franchise fuel, from Paranormal Activity 8 to more family and genre fare.
Disney
Disney closed strong, and perhaps most broadly. The studio showed new footage from The Devil Wears Prada 2, previewed The Mandalorian and Grogu with a trailer and opening sequence, shared footage from Toy Story 5, brought Moana to the room, unveiled first-look material from the original animated feature Hexed, and brought Ice Age: Boiling Point back to the big screen. Then came Marvel’s headline moment, with first footage from Avengers: Doomsday. It was a finish designed to leave exhibitors looking ahead, not looking back.
CinemaCon 2026 did not feel like an industry waiting for momentum. It felt like one programming for it. Original films, legacy franchises, horror, animation, prestige and spectacle all had a place on the slate. For cinemas, and for brands that want to sit beside culture while it is still unfolding on the biggest screen, the CinemaCon 2026 announcements are the real headline.
CinemaCon 2026 announcements Sources: CinemaCon 2026, Deadline, Nerdist
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