CinemaCon 2023 – Roundup

The 2023 edition of CinemaCon drew to a successful close after four days of thrilling presentations, demonstrations, and discussions, which offered an unparalleled opportunity for industry leaders to come together and discuss the future of cinema.

CinemaCon attendees were privy to exclusive product presentations, cutting-edge technology demonstrations, and thought-provoking panel discussions featuring experts from various sectors of the industry, including studio executives, theatre operators, and technology providers.

Leading studios, including Disney, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery, presented their latest trailers for upcoming theatrical releases, and as always, the event concluded with the ‘Big Screen Achievement Awards’ –  held in honor of celebrities whose contributions to the industry have helped shape cinema into what it is today.

If you missed any of the presentations, fear not! Here are the latest trailers that were released during the event:

 

Sony Pictures

 

Sony Pictures set the tone for CinemaCon 2023 by showcasing a variety of major movie trailer releases and announcements. Some of the notable titles that were unveiled included Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Gran Turismo: The Movie, The Equalizer 3, and Insidious: The Red Door.

 

The Equalizer 3

Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington presented the first trailer of The Equalizer 3, in which he reprises the role of former government assassin Robert McCall. The film is described as the “final chapter” in the story, indicating that it could be the last with Washington as Robert.

The film is set to release in cinema on 31 August 2023.

 

Gran Turismo: The Movie

Orlando Bloom and Stranger Things star David Harbour presented a new trailer for Gran Turismo: The Movie. The film is based on the life of Jann Mardenborough, a real-life Gran Turismo player who became a professional racer. Archie Madekwe plays Mardenborough in the film. It also stars Djimon Hounsou as Mardenborough’s father. Harbour plays Jack Salter, a retired race car driver, who trains Jann.

The film is set to release in cinema on 10 August 2023.

 

Insidious: The Red Door

CinemaCon 2023 attendees were treated to an extended trailer for Insidious: The Red Door.The new footage showed an adult Dalton (Ty Simpkins) being haunted by a wide variety of demons while now attending college. At the request of his wife Renai (Rose Byrne), father Josh (Patrick Wilson) accompanies him to help move into his college dorm where he realizes that Dalton’s connection to “the Further” is coming back in full force.

The film is set for release in cinema on 6 July 2023.

 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Fourteen minutes from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was shown at CinemaCon 2023 as the studio is still finishing the movie. The latest trailer shows Miles Morales as he returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

The film is set to release in cinema on 1 June 2023

 

Other movies showcased by Sony Pictures included Kraven the Hunter (5 October 2023), Dumb Money (19 October 2023) and Napoleon (21 November 2023).

 

Warner Bros. Discovery

 

Warner Bros. Discovery presented a slew of trailers and announcements on 25 April, the second day of the mega event. Here is a look at the studio’s upcoming releases including three DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movies — The FlashBlue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

 

The Flash

Ezra Miller plays two versions of Barry Allen in different realities. While Ben Affleck appears as Batman in his own reality, Michael Keaton returns as the Dark Knight in an alternate reality in the story. Sasha Calle’s Supergirl and Michael Shannon’s General Zod are also seen in much more detail in the new trailer.

The film is set to release in cinema on 15 June 2023.

 

Blue Beetle

The Blue Beetle footage shown at CinemaCon 2023 was very similar to the trailer that was recently released. However, it did give us an even better look at the villainous Carapax. The trailer shows what fans have already seen, which is Xolo Maridueña’s Jamie Reye getting his hands on an alien object that looks like a mystical scarab which turns him into a superhero.

The film is set to release in cinema on 17 August 2023.

 

Barbie

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling joined director Greta Gerwig for an extended trailer release of Barbie.

The film is set to release in cinema on 20 July 2023.

 

Other movies showcased by Warner Bros. Discovery included: Dune: Part Two (2 November 2023), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (19 December 2023), Wonka (14 December 2023), The Color Purple (24 December 2023), The Nun II (7 September 2023), Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (TBA).

 

Disney

 

Disney brought Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Animation and Pixar films to CinemaCon 2023. Among these were MCU films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels, animated movie Elemental, and highly anticipated movies The Little Mermaid and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

 

A Haunting in Venice

The third instalment in Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot movies had its first teaser trailer release at CinemaCon 2023.

The film is set to release in cinema on 14 September 2023.

 

Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins

The maverick Taika Waititi is ready with his sports comedy film Next Goal Wins. It is about the American Samoa football team, known infamously for its 31-0 loss to Australia in a FIFA game in 2001. The film follows Michael Fassbender’s Thomas Rongen, a coach who is hired to help the team qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The film is set to release in cinema on 16 November 2023.

 

Elemental

Pixar’s Elemental is an animated film about residents of Element City, each of whom belong to an elemental group — land, air, water and fire. The extended 20-minute clip focussed on a fire element character, Ember, from the time she was a baby to her younger years. Unable to control her temper, she causes a disaster which brings her in conflict with water-element character Wade.

The film is set to release in cinema on 15 June 2023.

 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny concluded Disney’s slate of presentations at the event. Attendees got to see an action-packed clip from the upcoming film. The clip followed Harrison Ford’s Indy and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Helena in pursuit of Mads Mikkelsen’s antagonist character Jürgen Voller through Tangier in Morocco.

The film is set to release in cinema on 29 June 2023.

 

Other movies showcased by Disney included: The Creator (28 September 2023) and Wish (21 November 2023).

 

Paramount Pictures

 

Paramount Studios showcased their 2023 and 2024 slates of highly anticipated movie titles during their presentation at CinemaCon 2023.

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

CinemaCon 2023 was treated to a brand new look at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The footage was extended from the already-released teaser.

The film is set to release in cinema on 3 August 2023.

 

The studio showcased a full 20 minutes of the upcoming film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, starring Tom Cruise and set to release on 11 July 2023, along with the first trailer for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which is scheduled for release on 19 October 2023, and a first look at A Quiet Place: Day One, set to release on 8 March 2024.

 

Universal Studios and Focus Features

 

Universal and Focus Features presented their films after Disney on Day 3 of CinemaCon 2023.

 

Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan took to the stage to introduce Oppenheimer, one of the most-anticipated movies of 2023. Nolan said that a full trailer may be attached to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 theatrical release. A five-minute reel was then shown to attendees. Cillian Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer in the film. Matt Damon essays Major General Leslie Groves. Among the A-list star cast of the film are Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, David Dastmalchian, and Rami Malek among others.

The film is set to release in cinema on 20 July 2023.

 

Fast X

Vin Diesel made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon 2023 to announce that Fast X – Part 2 will be released in theaters in 2025. The announcement was made after the first part of the movie, Fast X, which is set to be released in cinemas on 18 May 2023. The event came to a close for the day following a trailer of Fast X.

 

Other titles showcased by Universal and Focus Features included: Drive-Away Dolls (22 September 2023), Kung Fu Panda 4 (6 March 2024), Wicked (November 2024).

 

 

 

Source: Lifestyle Asia, DiscussingFilm

What’s Buzzin Behind The Screen – Industry News – January 2022

In this edition of ‘What’s Buzzin Behind the Screen’, we bring you the latest industry news – everything you need to know about what’s happening behind the scenes in Hollywood. From the latest trailer releases to box office collections and movie announcements, here’s the January 2022 update:

 

  1. Given the cinema closures and audience worries during the pandemic, there have been some successful movies in 2021. But it took the MCU to deliver a true blockbuster, as Spider-Man: No Way Home crossed the $1 billion mark globally just 12 days after it was released. As of now, the movie is at $1.05 billion, making it the third-fastest film to reach that mark, after Avengers: Infinity War and the top title holder Avengers: Endgame.

 

  1. For the second year in a row, China ended 2021 as the world’s largest theatrical film market. Total movie ticket revenue in the country clocked in at $7.3 billion (RMB 47.3 billion, assuming an average annual exchange rate of RMB 6.45 to $1), more than double last year’s total and down just 26 percent from a pre-pandemic high of $9.2 billion (RMB 64.3 billion) in 2019, according to data from regional box office tracker Artisan Gateway.

 

  1. Josh Hartnett is the newest addition to Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer, despite already including Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, and Rami Malek. The movie is set in the backdrop of WWII, and portrays the life of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in developing the atomic bomb.

 

  1. Actors today are increasingly interested in portraying Hollywood luminaries of the golden age. Both Jamie Bell and Tom Holland have been linked with Fred Astaire in the last couple of years and now Chris Evans is rumored to be playing Gene Kelly in a new movie. The movie will revolve around 12-year-old boy working at the MGM lot in 1952 who develops an imaginary friendship with legendary movie star Kelly while he works on his next film.

 

  1. Taika Waititi is directing an adaptation of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Mœbius’ graphic novel The Incal – an epic space opera, which follows P.I. John Difool who stumbles upon a mystical artifact which forces him on a journey to save the universe. As for Waititi, his next project to arrive in theaters will be Thor: Love and Thunder, and he’s also working on a Star Wars movie.

 

  1. With Encanto out in the world, Disney has now announced its next big animation project –Strange World. The movie will tell the story of an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades, a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest — and by far — most crucial mission. A November 2022 release date has been set for the movie directed by Don Hall.

 

  1. Dave Bautista, who had a great year in 2021 with Dune and Army Of The Dead, now plans to add another respected director to his impressive list of collaborators as he has signed on to direct M Night Shyamalan‘s next film, Knock At The Cabin. The filmmaker’s follow-up to Old is, naturally, a complete mystery so far, with Shyamalan merely teasing the title. Bautista is also involved in Rian Johnson‘s Knives Out 2 and is currently working with James Gunn on Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3.

 

  1. The reuniting of Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot from Wonder Woman will have to stand in line. Jenkins has stepped down as director of Cleopatra, a chronological thriller starring Gadot as Egypt’s renowned ruler. The director of the Marvel superhit The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, namely, Kari Skogland will now be directing the movie. However, Patty Jenkins will not leave the filming completely. She’ll continue to produce Cleopatra as she concentrates on her following two films, Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman 3 as well as Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.

 

Stay tuned for the latest industry news in our February 2022 edition.

 

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Empire Online

 

 

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Tenet – First Major Tentpole to Release in Cinema Since COVID-19

Shot with IMAX Cameras, Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated sci-fi thriller, from Warner Bros., Tenet will release in cinemas across the UAE, KSA and Lebanon on Thursday 27th August (Wednesday 26th August in Egypt).

Towards the end of July, Warner Bros. confirmed that Tenet would release in cinema, towards the end of August, in 70 overseas territories including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United Kingdom.

The studio is still waiting for the go-ahead to debut Tenet in China – the world’s second-largest movie market. When theatres in the country first started to reopen, there were concerns that Tenet wouldn’t be able to screen there as exhibitors were not able to play movies that exceeded two hours in length — and Tenet clocks in at just over 2 hours and 30 minutes. But cinema owners have recently booked Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Inception and other old titles with lengthy runtimes, suggesting that China has eased up or doesn’t plan to enforce the restriction.

Warner Bros. also confirmed that the studio plans to move away from traditional global day-and-date release — a surprising break from tradition since North America is the world’s biggest film market and remains pivotal for major movies to turn a profit. Instead of a global day-and-date release, the studio hopes to innovate and recalibrate given the fact that foreign markets are already starting to reopen safely and is in desperate need for new Hollywood movies to entice audiences.

AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron praised Warner Bros. for sticking to its promise of a theatrical release for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, saying the studio is “doing something heroic.”

 

Watch the trailer for Tenet below:

 

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Source: Variety

The Latest News from the World of Movies – July 2020

Attention movie-lovers!

While cinemas in certain countries still remain closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and big movie titles keep shifting global cinematic release dates, there’s still some interesting news from the world of movies which you ought to know.

Here’s a round-up of the big announcements made in July 2020:

 

Trailer Image from The new Mutants

 

20th Century Studios has released a new teaser trailer for the long-delayed The New Mutants.

The New Mutants was produced by 20th Century Fox and writer/director Josh Boone shot the film back in 2017, when it was understood that it would be released as a new Fox Marvel movie akin to Logan or Dark Phoenix. However, the film was consistently delayed and pushed back to the point that when Disney bought Fox, The New Mutants was still unreleased. It’s a ‘holdover’ film that doesn’t have any specific connective tissue to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so fans have been eager to see how Disney would handle it.

The film is currently slated to hit cinemas on August 28 – but Disney/20th Century Studios may continue to hold onto its theatrical release if things don’t improve on the COVID-19 front.

Check out the teaser trailer below:

Read more on this at Collider

 

New Movie Release Dates announced in July 2020

 

Studios continue to move movie premiere dates due to US theatres remaining closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some of the shifts announced in the month of July 2020:

Tenet (August 12, 2020 to TBD, 2020)

Mulan (August 21, 2020 to TBD)

The Broken Hearts Gallery (August 7, 2020 to TBD)

Bill & Ted Face the Music (August 28, 2020 to September 1, 2020)

A Quiet Place 2 (September 4, 2020 to April 23, 2021)

What About Love (September 25, 2020 to February 12, 2021)

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (September 11, 2020 to June 4, 2021)

The French Dispatch (October 16, 2020 to TBD)

Top Gun: Maverick (December 23, 2020 to July 2, 2021)

 

Cinemas re-open in China after COVID-19 closure

Image Credits: Ng Han Guan-AP-Shutterstock

 

Movie theatres in China began reopening in July, and Chinese authorities also gave the go-ahead for cinemas in Beijing to reopen. With about 835 cinemas open across the country (about 12% of the total), the Chinese box office has been steadily climbing in July with films such as Sheep Without A Shepherd, Dolittle, and Bloodshot drawing audiences back to cinemas. More big Hollywood titles are to follow including the anniversary re-release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 1917, and Bad Boys for Life.

This is definitely good news for the cinema industry as China was the fastest growing film market in the world prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Read more on this at Deadline

 

A still from the Movie Tenet

 

Warner Bros. has taken Christopher Nolan’s latest espionage thriller Tenet off the release calendar due to the surge COVID-19. The film was set to become the first major studio film back in theatres, however, the studio assured fans that the film is still coming to theatres in 2020.

However, Warner Bros. has mentioned that they will be tossing the traditional global day-and-date release, and working on a non-traditional strategy to maintain its commitment to the theatrical experience around the world by first releasing overseas where cinemas have reopened – Europe, Asia, Middle East and 12% of the total in China, for two thirds of the global box office for a blockbuster such as Tenet typically comes from outside the US.

The studio is giving exact release dates, but sources elsewhere say the studio hopes to begin opening Tenet in international markets in late August before it arrives in the US in the first part of September (even if only in select cities).

Fingers crossed for Tenet – the push we’ve been waiting for to jump-start the cinema industry in times of post COVID-19 recovery.

Read more on this at The Hollywood Reporter

 

Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible Series

 

With most countries starting to reopen borders, especially Europe, Tom Cruise is hoping to return to Norway with his crew this fall to continue filming Mission: Impossible 7.

The upcoming sequel is back on track with filming and was recently granted permission to start shooting again after being delayed by the pandemic. Cruise is also continuing his plans to make history with the first narrative feature shot in space, and Universal Pictures is in negotiations to land the new film, which will be shot in cooperation with NASA on the International Space Station.

Read more on this at Deadline

 

Stage 13 to be directed by Edgar Wright

Image Credits: The Playlist

 

Edgar Wright, the beloved filmmaker behind movies such as Shaun of the Dead and Baby Driver, has signed on to develop, executive produce, and direct a ghostly film named Stage 13 – an adaptation of one of novelist/screenwriter Simon Rich‘s recent short stories. Despite the presence of a ghost, Stage 13 won’t be a traditional horror film. The film centres on a young, aspiring director who’s plucked from obscurity and hired to direct a movie on major film studio’s backlot – only to discover that the only reason he was given the chance in the first place is because the sound stage is haunted and the studio head is trying to get rid of the ghost, an aspiring actress who still desperately wants to be a star.

Read more on this at /Film

 

Summer Lovin' - The Grease Prequel

Image Credits: Paramount Pictures

 

Paramount’s Grease prequel Summer Lovin’ is revving up its engine, with the studio tapping Brett Haley to direct the film. The new movie tells the story of greaser Danny and good girl Sandy’s summer fling, originally hinted at in the song Summer Nights in the original 1978 movie. Leah McKendrick penned the script with Temple Hill and Picturestart producing.

The film will mark Haley’s first film at a major studio after cutting his teeth on the indie and streaming service circuit.

Read more on this at Deadline

 

The Snyder’s Cut

Image Credits: Warner Bros

 

In a live web panel at the first inaugural Justice Con, Zack Snyder revealed that Zach Snyder’s Justice League (The Snyder’s Cut) will be more than 214 minutes and confirmed none of Joss Whedon’s shots will be in this version.

The director didn’t come empty handed, for he shared a brief unfinished clip, along with a few details about the process of completing his film.

Snyder also said that he was in the process working on restoring the aspect ratio of the film back to the full frame, IMAX cut what he originally intended. He also revealed that he’s been collaborating with composer Junkie XL as they complete the score alongside the film’s additional footage.

Justice Con ran from 25 – 26 July 2020 and was organized by The Nerd Queens (Cole and Nana) and Wonder Meg, Justice Con. The event brought together fans, cast and crew members Snyder’s Justice League, and charitable organizations Ink to the People, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, for a series of live panels dedicated to the release of the Snyder Cut and its charity affiliates.

Read more on this at The Hollywood Reporter

Wonder Woman 1984 Gets A New Release Date

Wonder Woman 1984 to release on August 14, 2020 (worldwide)

 

The coronavirus crisis has hit the entertainment industry hard, with many film and TV projects forced to make some drastic decisions in recent weeks.

If you’re anything like us, having witnessed Diana Prince’s epic sprint through the bleak and hellish emptiness of no man’s land, you are even more desperate for more from the DC’s iconic goddess. But, it seems like all of us will have to wait a little longer to see Wonder Woman in action again!

Wonder Woman 1984 was initially set to release in early June, but has now been postponed until August 2020, and despite the rumours you might have heard, both Warner Bros. and director Patty Jenkins assures fans the now-delayed DC film will be released in cinema and not via VOD/streaming platforms.

In a tweet posted following news of the film’s delay, Jenkins declared, “We made Wonder Woman 1984 for the big screen and I believe in the power of cinema.” She then reiterated that Wonder Woman 1984’s new release date is August 14, and that she prays for “better times for all by then.”

 

Twiiter Post by Patty Jenkins on New Release Date for Wonder Woman 1984

 

Most delayed movies currently plan to arrive in cinema at some point, though Universal decided to forgo its theatrical run of Emma, The Invisible Man, The Hunt and Trolls World Tour – releasing then directly on VOD. Some fans have called for other films to do the same as Universal in order for them to have access to more entertainment while in lockdown and quarantine at home, but no other movies have taken that route.

Jenkins also stressed that many cinemas are struggling to cope with their shutdowns, something that has been echoed by other directors. Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright are among those who have encouraged support for cinemas during this time, either by buying memberships or through governmental assistance. In recent days, directors have championed the theatrical experience as more and more people rely on streaming services to keep them occupied.

 

 

Sources: Screenrant, World of Reel, Twitter and Techradar

Experience Deadly Silence in A Quiet Place Part 2

A Quiet Place was one of 2018’s surprise hits – a tense thriller featuring a young family trying to survive in a world where terrifying blind but noise-sensitive creatures hunt anything that makes a sound.

A Quiet Place Part 2 – releasing 19th March 2020, brings back director and screenwriter John Krasinski behind the camera, and picks up where the first film left off.

Distributed by Paramount Pictures, the second installment will witness the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe) tackle terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence.

Here’s what you should know about A Quiet Place Part 2:

 

Rating

Due to depiction of terror and bloody images, it can be presumed that the movie’s rating in the Middle East will end up being PG-15.

 

Director 

John Krasinski is back in the director’s chair. Krasinski successfully shook his public persona as The Office’s Jim Halpert with A Quiet Place (2018), and is now respected as a masterful horror filmmaker of suspense that few directors working in the genre today seem to have.

This time around, Krasinski is not just the director, but also the sole credited writer on the sequel’s screenplay with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck credited only as the creators of the characters from the original film. This adds yet another level of control for Krasinski.

 

Returning Cast

 While John Krasinski isn’t reprising his role from the first movie, due to his character’s shocking death, the other three leads from the original – Emily Blunt returns as Evelyn Abbott, Millicent Simmonds as Regan Abbott and Noah Jupe as Marcus Abbott.

 

New Cast Members

Actors Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou will be joining the cast.

Murphy is well known for his starring role as Tommy Shelby in the crime drama series Peaky Blinders, while he’s been seen on the big screen in Christopher Nolan movies such as Dunkirk (2017), Inception (2010) and The Dark Knight trilogy. Hounsou has appeared in both Marvel and DC movies such as Captain Marvel (2019), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and as the Wizard in Shazam! (2019).

 

Check out the trailer which featured during the Super Bowl 2020:

 

 

Box Office Statistics for A Quiet Place (2018):

Worldwide Box Office – $336,157,526

UAE Admissions – Ran for 13 weeks and did approximately 162K admissions.

 

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Sources: Looper, Box Office Pro, The Numbers and MVM Analysis.