As Warner Bros. & Paramount head through their merger drama and Disney hands out mass layoffs, Universal Pictures takes to the CinemaCon stage as one of the more stable major studios in Hollywood. In recent years, they’ve attracted some of the biggest directors in the business, including Jordan Peele, the Daniels, Christopher Nolan, and Steven Spielberg. After being the first studio to make a major release available for streaming during COVID, Universal has now fully reversed course, committing to a minimum five-week exclusive theatrical window for all 2026 releases, before moving to a seven-week exclusive run for 2027 releases. This went over extraordinarily well with the exhibitors in the crowd who rely on the exclusivity of their screens to stay afloat. Universal kept the momentum going as they unveiled their 2026 slate and beyond, showcasing all their heavy hitters.
For the second year in a row, before Universal took the stage at CinemaCon to unveil its upcoming slate, it presented the exhibitors with the convention’s only film screening this year, a work-in-progress version of DreamWorks’ animated feature “Forgotten Island.” Even in the unfinished state, the hilarious energy and powerful emotions came through strongly. It’s a coming-of-age story of the friendships that shape us, and the magic of memory, as well as a dive into Filipino mythology. While we’re quite a ways away from “Forgotten Island’s” September 25th release date, it’s one that should stay on your radar.
But the true opening of CinemaCon 2026 was Snoop Dogg, who took the stage to perform brief snippets of his biggest hits, all while announcing a new biopic to be made of his life. He said that after “Straight Outta Compton,” it was his turn to tell his story. He announced that Craig Brewer, fresh off of “Song Sung Blue,” would direct the film (and he sang a few bars of “Sweet Caroline”). Snoop then brought out the actor who will play him in the film, Jonathan Daviss. They start filming this summer, and it’ll hit theaters in 2027. That was the lone look ahead for Universal, which spent the remainder of its time focusing exclusively on the films headed to theaters this year.
Christopher Nolan was the first director to come out for Universal’s presentation, who said he was “just happy to not be following Spielberg.” Setting up a teaser for “The Odyssey,” Nolan said that the story had fascinated audiences for thousands of years. “It’s not ‘a’ story, it’s ‘the’ story,” he said. Nolan praised his extensive cast, saying that Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland are the emotional core, but especially lauded Damon, describing him as a partner throughout this arduous journey to bring this story to the screen. He went on to describe the importance of shooting this on IMAX, to bring all the spectacle to theaters, especially for premium formats. Thanking the exhibitors in the crowd, Nolan noted, “You are who we hand the film off to. You are the ones who are going to bring this film to our audience.” His commitment to the theatrical experience is why this CinemaCon crowd can’t get enough of his films. While he didn’t bring much new footage, he showed us the Trojan Horse sequence that has already played exclusively in theaters.
In a surprising ode to movies, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri came out to talk “Minions & Monsters,” after a victory lap with Jack Black over the success of “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” Meledandri praised “Minions & Monsters” in ways one wouldn’t necessarily expect; he talked about the director and voice of the Minions, Pierre Coffin, as an auteur who was meticulous with every frame. He showed us two extended sequences that highlighted the film’s love for the early days of cinema in the 1920s, as the Minions crash-land in Hollywood and become accidental movie stars. The clip featured odes to the great silent film stars, including Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd. It sounds a bit absurd, but it’s actually exciting that young kids may get their first exposure to these icons of silent film when the movie hits theaters on July 1st.
Next up, we got first looks at a slew of new trailers. First, One Night Only, starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro. This is as if “The Purge” were a rom-com, set in a world in which single people are only allowed to have sex on one specific day each year. This leads everyone on a mad dash to find someone to hook up with before the day is through. It looked very silly, of course, but it’s a great premise. Then we saw the trailer for “Other Mommy,” a horror film starring Jessica Chastain. She plays an entity who haunts a little girl by looking exactly like her mother, making the girl doubt who is who. It looked very creepy and over-the-top in the best way.
Then, turning our attention to Focus Features, we saw the first trailer for Georgia Oakley’s new adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.” Daisy Edgar-Jones, George MacKay, Caitríona Balfe, Esmé Creed-Miles, Frank Dillane, and others star in this new version of the classic romantic drama. It’s shot very well, and looks sweeping and romantic as it should, though the trailer didn’t seem to be offering much new after Ang Lee’s beloved version of the story. Next, in a very different direction, was the much-anticipated look at Robert Eggers’ “Werwulf.” The footage was dark and disturbing, as you would expect. Brutal as it was, the trailer seemed to be hiding Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s full transformation into a werewolf, much as the marketing for “Nosferatu” hid the titular monster.
Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro came out next to banter about their latest comedy, “Focker-In-Law.” Stiller joked that he is the new De Niro of the franchise, since Ariana Grande is taking on the role of the new member joining the family. De Niro gave Stiller a hard time, saying that when he first starred in “Meet the Parents,” he had already starred in films like “The Godfather Part II” and “The Deer Hunter,” and now Grande’s joining the series with an Oscar nomination under her belt. “How many Oscar nominations do you have?” De Niro prodded Stiller. Eventually, they introduced the first trailer, which seems like an upgrade from the last entry, “Little Fockers.”
Finally, we arrived at the extended tribute to Steven Spielberg. The Motion Picture Association bestowed him with their MPA America250 Award for representing American cinema to the world. Though that award title is a little silly, there’s truly no one like Spielberg, who graciously accepted the award and sat for a chat about “Disclosure Day” with star Colman Domingo. As one would expect of Spielberg in a crowd of exhibitors, he restated his commitment to theatrical distribution and applauded Donna Langley for extending Universal’s theatrical windows. Turning toward the film itself, much of their conversation revolved around Spielberg’s reinvigorated curiosity about alien life. When he made “Close Encounters,” Spielberg said he called it “science speculation,” but with “Disclosure Day.” he’s made it with a lot more certainty. He was inspired to dive back into the world of aliens after reading a 2017 New York Times article about the now-famous “tic-tac” UAP. Though he introduced a new extended trailer, Spielberg told the crowd that he wants to keep much of the sense of mystery around the film, especially with its third act. “All I can say is that it’s an experience.”
While Universal kept things much more 2026 focused, without teasing much of anything from 2027 and beyond, it’s for good reason. It doesn’t get much bigger than having films from Nolan and Spielberg heading to theaters this summer. Their presentation reaffirmed Universal’s commitment to the partnership they have with movie theaters and exhibitors, and that they want to be the home for the best filmmakers in the world.
What was your favorite announcement from Universal Studios’ 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.
