Now we’ve reached the portion where Hollywood drama finally collides with these CinemaCon 2026 presentations. When Warner Bros. took the stage in the Colosseum here in Las Vegas, rumors swirled about the fates of co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy. They had taken big swings on filmmaker-driven material with huge budgets, and investors thought those risks would lose big time. Instead, “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” not only performed well at the box office but also became the year’s biggest award successes. De Luca and Abdy may be out of the woods. Still, now the pending merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. has everyone buzzing, boiling well past insider Hollywood drama and onto the nation’s political stage. But that merger isn’t a done deal yet, and both Paramount and Warner Bros., separately, I might add, will deliver presentations at CinemaCon 2026. First up, an absolutely massive slate that certainly had the exhibitors in the crowd buzzing.
After taking multiple victory laps for their incredible 2025, De Luca and Abdy encouraged the crowd about the industry’s state. De Luca noted that while ticket sales are down 37% since 2019 and pre-pandemic levels, studio releases are also down 23%, an important part of the equation. They said the risky approach to their film slate has paid off, and that studios should embrace risk rather than run from it. “If we respect the audience,” Abdy said, “moviegoers will get off their couch and give it a shot.” As part of that effort, the pair announced a brand-new specialty label, Clockwork, from Warner Bros., which will highlight independent voices. The first film under that label will be “Ti Amo!” in 2027, the newest film from Sean Baker after his Oscar-winning success with “Anora.”
Continuing the trend of auteur voices, Alejandro Iñárritu and Tom Cruise took to the stage to discuss “Digger.” Iñárritu praised Cruise’s fearlessness throughout his career and says that portraying the main character of this film, Digger Rockwell, was “another kind of fearless.” Cruise described the film as “wild and very funny,” while the pair discussed their shared belief in filming “Digger” for premium-format screens to prioritize the theatrical experience. They shared an extended first look at the film, giving us our clearest view yet of Cruise’s character. He’s loaded up with really convincing old-age makeup and a chubby suit, playing Rockwell as a conceited rich man who discovers something that can save the world. This truly feels like the first time in ages we’ve seen Cruise truly sink his teeth into a character, and it’s refreshing. The teaser was light on story but felt like a “Dr. Strangelove”- style satire with a huge scope. Emmanuel Lubeski’s wide, sweeping cinematography was on full display. If Iñárritu can stick the landing this October, this could hit big with the Academy.
WB turned toward the science fiction and horror genres next. They showed a new trailer for David Robert Mitchell’s “The End of Oak Street,” though it didn’t reveal much beyond the previously released one. Still, mixing in dinosaurs to this mysterious film looks incredibly unique. Next came a trailer for “Evil Dead Burn,” which looks gory and gross, and an extended scene from “Mortal Kombat II.” Admittedly, “Mortal Kombat” isn’t really my thing, as even the fight scene between Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) and Baraka (CJ Bloomfield) didn’t really do much for me.
Taking quite a different turn from there, Thing 1 and Thing 2, from “The Cat in the Hat,” ran out on stage, where presentation host Patton Oswalt corralled them and invited the entire audience to pull out a package from their seats to reveal Thing wigs for everyone. Naturally, this meant that a new extended trailer for “The Cat in the Hat” was up next. Starring Bill Hader, this is the first film from the relaunched Warner Bros. Animation. To honor the occasion, WB also unveiled the first look at Warner Bros. Animation’s new animated logo, which will precede its films. Tweety Bird is the first character you see, while the iconic WB Studios and water tower are enveloped in paint. It’s beautiful, and it feels like it honors the WB legacy. As for “The Cat in the Hat,” the trailers aren’t fully working for me yet, and this new extended look didn’t change that. It still feels as though it’s lacking the true imagination and whimsy that a Dr. Seuss adaptation should have. We’ll see if that’s the case when “The Cat in the Hat” releases on November 6th.
Peter Safran took the stage next to showcase the two DC Studios films this year. First up was the first-ever look at “Clayface,” the horror film from director James Watkins, written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. The trailer opens with Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) lying in a hospital bed, face almost entirely wrapped in bandages. His wide-open eyes are sad and horrifying, and any bits of skin we can see appear to be bloody. Intercut with this shot are only brief flashes from the film, but the teaser ended with a healed Matt lying in a bathtub. He rubs his hands on his face, and all his features smudge as if made from clay (get it?). Slight on story, but heavy on creepy vibes, the teaser for “Clayface” did its job. Next, Milly Alcock, Jason Momoa, and director Craig Gillespie came out to introduce “Supergirl.” Gillespie emphasized the galactic nature of this film, which he says takes place largely off-Earth, spanning six different planets, and that Alcock had to learn lines in five different alien languages. The extended sequence they showed backed that up, showing Kara confronting raiders on a space bus. The sequence felt heavily reminiscent of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but that’s not a bad thing. “Supergirl” releases on June 26th.
In a major nostalgia play, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman came out on stage, bantering and bickering as they teased “Practical Magic 2.” Directed by Susanne Bier, this long-awaited sequel returns to the Owens sisters 25 years after the events of the first film. Bullock and Kidman joked about the “relentless” calls from fans to get a sequel, which is why they finally returned to the story. While the trailer should excite fans, the best part of their presentation was Bullock goading Kidman into reciting her famous AMC lines, “We come to this place for magic.” How fitting, especially with this crowd on movie theater owners and exhibitors.
J.J. Abrams arrived next to talk about his new film “The Great Beyond.” This is only Abrams’ second original film of his career, following “Super 8” and his legendary run of franchise films. He said the film took a long time to develop because of the extensive world-building, but that he longed to “reconnect to the spirit of adventure you have when you’re a kid.” In a cool comparison, he said he kept thinking about having a giant coffee table book full of the biggest and coolest concepts in the history of cinema, sitting right next to a family’s photo album, and wanting to blend the energies of both. The trailer kept the mystery intact, opening close on an old PC typing out an H.G. Wells quote about the existence of other worlds just out of sight. We got glimpses of Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega’s characters, along with text that beckoned us to “Step into The Great Beyond.” Even though it didn’t really reveal what the film is actually about, it’s clear that Powell’s character will be venturing into another world. The footage shot for this has put it at the top of my list of most anticipated films of the year. It arrives on November 13th.
Finally, a huge group of Fremen arrived in the Colosseum, who parted to make way for director Denis Villeneuve, here to unveil the first seven minutes of “Dune: Part Three.” Villeneuve said that with this final film, he didn’t want to walk in his own footsteps, approaching this much more as a dark thriller than the previous films. He said he made the first two films for himself, but this third would be for the fans. Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, and Jason Momoa all joined their director on stage and praised his visionary direction, with Chalamet saying, “It’s the honor of my life to be working with “The One.” “Dune: Part Three“ opens with Javier Bardem’s Stilgar leading a Fremen army to fight on a distant planet. They land on a beach and are immediately attacked. This feels like Villeneuve’s version of the “Saving Private Ryan“ Omaha Beach sequence, with a visceral feeling of relentless pummeling. The action was intense and brutal, much more so than the previous entries in the franchise. We only got this brief taste of the film, but it’s sure to be a smash hit when the “epic conclusion“ hits theaters on December 18th.
Wrapping things up for Warner Bros., De Luca and Abdy returned to the stage with one final teaser for their 2027 slate and beyond, listing on an enormous amount of films, including an “Ocean’s” prequel directed by Bradley Cooper, a “Weapons“ prequel titled “Gladys,” “Gremlins,” “A Minecraft Sequel,” “Hello Kitty,“ Zach Cregger’s “The Flood,“ A Baz Luhrmann Film, A Nancy Meyers Film, “Oh The Places You’ll Go,” “Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest,“ and much, much more.
Curiously, as De Luca and Abdy wrapped up their presentation, they invited a host of other executives and WB employees to take the stage, and invited the rest of WB’s employees in the audience to stand up, honoring their work in bringing this enormous slate to the world. It was a lovely sentiment, but it was unusual for these presentations. Was it a simple gesture to acknowledge their tireless work, or some farewell, knowing that they might not be back to this stage next year amidst the chaos of mergers?
What was your favorite announcement from Warner Bros’ 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.
