What is CinemaCon? What to Expect in 2023 and More

Starting on Monday, April 24, Las Vegas will play host to the annual CinemaCon event. CinemaCon is not like other conventions traditionally imagined by movies and pop culture fans. The event is a convention centered around movie theaters, their owners, staffs, and more. The convention’s show floor features products ranging from theater chairs to popcorn buckets or Dolby speaker systems. However, the thing which will most pique the interest of mainstream audiences taking place in the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace. Each day, Monday through Thursday, the biggest movie studios will showcase their upcoming slates of films, announce new titles, and screen entire films. 

CinemaCon is not an event which is open to fans. Tickets do not go on sale. Industry personnel and media will be in attendance, sharing their experiences and news, including ComicBook.com. Live recaps will be available on the site starting on Monday night, right through the end of the event on Thursday. Thursday night, CinemaCon plays host to its Big Screen Achievement Awards, celebrating actors and filmmakers who have helped lead the industry forward. Celebrities slated to receive awards this year include Chris Meladandri, Melissa McCarthy, Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Zendaya, Stephanie Hsu, and more.

Studios on hand for CinemaCon include Paramount, Sony Pictures, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Universal, Focus Features, and more. The presentations and screenings from each studio are scattered throughout the week. Below, find the week’s schedule and a preview of what ComicBook.com is expecting out the presentations ahead of attending!

Monday, April 24 – Sony Pictures

At 6:15pm on Monday, Sony Pictures will kick off CinemaCon with a preview of its upcoming film slate. This year, Sony has a solid batch of films it can showcase, ranging from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to Big George Foreman. Further out, Sony has the option to offer updates on the upcoming third Venom movie which is putting its cast together now. Footage for films like Gran Turismo, Kraven the Hunter, and Napoleon are all on the table. The upcoming Ghostbusters film is also a likely candidate for some sort of news given its proximity to release. Whether or not Sony discusses titles as far out as Madame Web is unknown, as well as whether or not the studio will touch upon the upcoming fourth Spider-Man film it is making in conjunction with Marvel Studios. 

In previous years, Sony has including one guaranteed newsworthy reel in its presentations. Titles and logos for upcoming films flash across the screen, which is where films like Bad Boys For Life had its logo revealed for the first time and others which never came to fruition like the Men in Black and 21 Jump Street crossover film were first revealed. 

Tuesday, April 25 – Warner Bros. Pictures & The Flash screening

Warner Bros. Pictures will play host to two major events at CinemaCon. Starting at 8:30am, the studio will run through a presentation of its upcoming film slate following a “State of the Industry” address. The studio will be celebrating 100 years of movies at the event, likely looking back at many of its titles to have graced the big screen before talking about what is still coming in 2023 and early 2024. 

Whether or not James Gunn drops in to make a splash as the new head of DC Studios within Warner Bros. is unknown but is chalked up as unlikely. Gunn is currently traveling the globe in promotion of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which has a European premiere on April 22. That said, it’s possible as the filmmaker has events for the same title in Los Angeles starting just a few days after CinemaCon. Whether or not Gunn shows up to CinemaCon to make big promises to the theater owners in attendance about how Superman: Legacy will drive moviegoers to their venues, DC Comics films still have Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on the way this year which means both could be showcased at the event. Next years’ Joker: Folie a Deux has wrapped production, meaning director Todd Phillips and stars Joaquin Phoenix or Lady Gaga could be on hand to publicly discuss or preview parts of the film for the first time but this might be a long shot as there is another CinemaCon and other major events before the film’s release. The Batman Part II will probably be acknowledged during the presentation but major updates are anybody’s guess.

Warner Bros. Pictures has plenty more to showcase outside of the comic book genre. The Meg 2, Barbie, Dune: Part Two, Wonka, The Color Purple, and the still untitled Exorcist film are all likely candidates to be featured in the presentation as far as 2023 films are concerned. Looking at 2024, the recently announced Godzilla x Kong movie, the new Lord of the Rings films, Furiosa, and other titles could also be announced. With Warner Bros. Pictures attending the event after getting a bad wrap from theater owners when the studio decided to release all of its 2021 titles in theaters and on streaming simultaneously, it’s not unlikely they will be out to regain some favor and show off how they plan to drive audiences back into thee box office. If the recent plans from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav are any indication, it would not be a huge surprise to hear updates about some of the big IP sitting in the studio’s library getting revisited, relaunched, rebooted, or continued in some way. Titles like the Harry Potter reboot will not be featured at CinemaCon as it is a theatrically focused event.

Following the presentation, Warner Bros. Pictures will screen The Flash in its entirety at 4:45pm PT. The film is not slated to release until June, making this a two-months early viewing of the upcoming DC Comics film which has already been praised as one of the best super hero films ever made. CinemaCon requires an agreement from media in attendance not to formally review films, so major outlets won’t be rating the film just yet, but reactions will be popping up on social media and any theater owner in attendance with a blog or YouTube channel of their own (or their kids or friends joining them who happen to have such channels) will likely be discussing the film at length online after its screening. 

Wednesday, April 26 – Disney, 20th Century, Universal, Focus, and Transformers

At 9:30am PT on Wednesday, Disney will start the day with a showcase of its upcoming films and screening of its upcoming The Boogeyman. The presentation is scheduled to run for three hours, including the film screening. Disney’s presentation includes their 20th Century Studios operation, as well. Marvel Studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and a other studios within Disney will all likely offer presentations of their upcoming theatrical titles. In 2022, Disney confirmed the title of Avatar: The Way of Water at CinemaCon which could mean a title for the 2024 film could be on the way, with an acknowledgement and celebration of Avatar 2‘s massive success inevitable with the theater-owner crowd in attendance. On the heels of announcing three Star Wars movies at Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm has the option to follow up the news at CinemaCon depending on whether or not the studio is ready to reveal more information. Anything from release dates to casting announcements is possible, though such news would be a surprise out of the event.

Footage and discussion of titles such as The Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion, Elemental, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Peter Pan and Wendy, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and more should be expected in the room. Most of what is shown at CinemaCon, regardless of the studio, is not intended to be released online. CinemaCon is not typically a place where Disney announces new films or major castings.

Universal will take over the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace at 4:00pm PT, along with Focus Features. The presentation is scheduled to run for 2 hours and 15 minutes with no full movie screening scheduled. Still, plenty of footage and new trailers for upcoming films from the studios will be featured.

Following the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie in its first few weeks at the box office, Illumination might be ready to announce the Nintendo saga will be continuing within Universal. Other films which will likely have discussions and footage featured from Universal, Focus, and the studios within them include Fast X, Oppenheimer, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Strays, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Kung Fu Panda 4, Despicable Me 4, the recently growing Twisters, The Fall Guy, and more. Last year, Universal and Focus flew through a presentation showcasing featurettes and footage from more than a dozen titles.

At 6:30pm PT, Paramount has surprises in store for their upcoming Transformers film as a party will celebrate the upcoming title. The film is set to hit theaters in on June 9. This is not in lieu Paramount’s slate presentation, which takes place the next morning.

Thursday, April 27 – Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, and Awards

At 10:00am PT on Thursday, Paramount Pictures will play host to a presentation of its upcoming slate which will follow its special event for the Transformers film the night before. One thing the audience can expect is Tom Cruise being involved with the Paramount presentation. In years past, Paramount’s CinemaCon presentation have included special looks at Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible movies. Given the success of the Top Gun sequel, it’s entirely possible some sort of follow up is announced but Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part I is on the way and a featurette showcasing a behind-the-scenes look at Cruise’s latest stunt is almost a surefire guarantee. It’s possible the Paramount presentation becomes a surprise screening, as in recent years the studio has screen its Top Gun: Maverick and Clifford the Big Red Dog films in their entireties. 

Beyond Cruise’s films, Paramount will likely offer insights to and looks at films such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, the next PAW Patrol movie, A Quiet Place: Day One, Killers of the Flower Moon, the still untitled Gladiator sequel, and more. Paramount’s presentation is scheduled to be shorter than most others, booking an hour and 45 minutes.

Lionsgate takes of the Colosseum at 2:30pm PT, promising a screening of its upcoming Joy Ride movie. Prior to the screening, Lionsgate’s presentation will likely feature looks at the upcoming John Wick spinoff Ballerina, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, The Blackening, Expendables 4, Saw X, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and more. The entire presentation, including the Joy Ride screening, is scheduled two hours. With Joy Ride being 92 minutes long, Adam Fogelson, Vice Chairman, Motion Picture Group at Lionsgate and David Spitz, President, Worldwide Theatrical Distribution, will have to move quickly through any slate presentation which precedes the screening if all of those titles are going to be featured.

Thursday night, CinemaCon’s annual Big Screen Achievements Awards show will take place in Caesar’s Palace’s Colosseum. The awards being given out include the NATO Spirit of the Industry Award for Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, the Star of the Year award for Zendaya, the Comedy Ensemble Award for the cast off Joy Ride (Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu), the CinemaCon Award of Excellence in Animation award for Chris Meledandri, the Cinéma Vérité Award for Melissa McCarthy, and the Rising Stars of the Year award for Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback.

ComicBook.com will have complete coverage of CinemaCon as the event is taking place. For live updates, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter and stay tuned to ComicBook.com throughout the week.