At Cinema United’s CinemaCon, the convention for movie theater owners and exhibitors, traditionally, the first morning presentation is their annual “The State of the Industry” talk, in which Cinema United lays out the challenges, hopes, and goals of the next year for theatrical exhibition, followed by a presentation by a smaller studio. This year, that slot belonged to NEON. Though they may not have the blockbuster heft that Sony Pictures does to make a splash with huge stars and superheroes, they have the sort of slate that exhibitors most want to hear about: smaller, specialty releases that could drive committed moviegoers to the screen in between the huge action franchises.
Their opening reel, in which they celebrate their immense Oscars and Cannes success, lauds “the most awarded independent studio of the decade.” That’s a pretty lofty statement, but the results are hard to argue against, especially for such a relatively young studio. NEON Distribution Chief Elissa Federoff noted that NEON started in 2017 with six people in a WeWork and is now a global theatrical player. She also told the crowd of exhibitors that the theatrical experience “drives every decision we make.” It’s not just for awards, but to get people into the theater. Their diverse slate helps get those moviegoers there.
To kick off CinemaCon’s look at NEON’s upcoming slate, Adam Scott took the stage to present “Hokum,” Damian McCarthy’s horror movie that releases May 1st. Scott talked about growing up and becoming obsessed with films, especially horror. “I learned at a young age that getting the shit scared out of me was irresistible.” Scott said that he loved McCarthy’s previous film, “Oddity,” and jumped at the opportunity to star in his next project. Audiences have already started seeing “Hokum,” but CinemaCon got a sneak peek at its latest trailer, full of haunted house terrors. While it didn’t receive a huge push from the stage, NEON also presented a first look at the trailer for Sundance acquisition “Leviticus,” the queer Australian horror film.
Next up, director Boots Riley and star LaKeith Stanfield arrived to promote “I Love Boosters.” Riley took plenty of time to praise Stanfield, describing him as one of the “best and most unpredictable” actors working today. Before offering an extended look at the film, Riley said he wanted audiences to feel as if they were on an amusement park ride. He joked that that’s where he disagrees with Martin Scorsese. We saw an extended scene in which Keke Palmer and Naomi Ackie’s characters shoplift as much as they could carry, but Stanfield’s character nearly blows the whole thing for them. Just as the clip ended and NEON was about to move on, Riley went off-script to remind theater owners about his exciting college tour of the film and to encourage them to engage with people coming to see “I Love Boosters” in full monochrome outfits.
Chloe Dumont’s “A Place in Hell” was up next, giving us a look at the potential awards contender arriving this Christmas. Michelle Williams stars as a defense lawyer for men accused of sexual assault, delighting in getting her clients freed. When Daisy Edgar-Jones arrives as a young lawyer joining her firm, Williams gets paranoid that she’ll take her place. It grows darker as Williams goes on maternity leave, turning up the heat on their rivalry. Also starring Andrew Scott, this trailer looked twisty and dark, with plenty of fun mixed in. This certainly seems like it could break into the awards race if NEON plays its cards right (as they tend to do).
While we got a quick glimpse of “Fjord” and other films in NEON’s opening reel, the studio only showed us a teaser of one of their Cannes titles. “Hope” hails from Korean director Na Hong-jin, and stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jong Ho-yeon, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender, among others. This alien invasion disaster movie has a pretty spectacular trailer. We see a small Korean town devastated by a creature, prompting an all-out search party to stop the monster. It’s no wonder NEON chose this as their Cannes title to promote; it looks huge, with stunning special effects and plenty of spectacle.
What was your favorite announcement from NEON presentation at this year’s CinemaCon? Which of their films are you most excited about? Please let us know in the comments below or over on our X account.
