Motion Picture Group co-chairs Mike Deluca and Pam Abdy kicked off their slate for Warner Bros., reminding audience members that Minecraft would be coming to theaters this weekend based on one of the biggest video games of all time.
They continued with Sinners, releasing in a few weeks on April 18th, and it is the fifth collaboration for director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. A pre-recorded Coogler described the film as a genre event with blues music and a personal homage to his Uncle James and his paternal grandfather.
You can’t have a panel presentation without some stars in attendance, so Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor discussed the latest from director Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another, and finished with an extended sneak peek exclusive. The trailer seemed like a military action drama and a departure from his more artsy films. This September release was envisioned specifically for Vista Vision and IMAX screens.
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A film for next spring, March 2026, was The Bride! from director Maggie Gyllenhaal, who graced the stage with the film’s star, Jessie Buckley. It was initially inspired by a tattoo and Gllyenhaal’s fascination with monsters and the belief that we all have a little monster in all of us. Buckley described the film as punk love, as well as the films Wild at Heart and Bonnie & Clyde; DeLuca even chimed in and said, Sid & Nancy. The trailer was shown and felt eerily like The Joker 2 without it being a musical and also starring Christian Bale as Frankenstein. Similar to that of Paul Thomas Anderson, Gyllenhaal also directed this intended for IMAX, and worked closely with her cinematographer to understand the aspect ratio and what the lenses would bring to the screen.
Next up to discuss another film division within Warner Bros. was President and Chief Creative Officer Richard Brener of New Line Cinema, which began with a tribute of 25 years. Brener discussed their franchises, which started with a fall October release of Mortal Kombat 2 and Karl Urban stepping in as the iconic Johnny Cage. In September, audiences can continue with The Conjuring: Last Rites, continuing the Ed and Lorraine Warren saga with a return from director Michael Chaves and stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. To wrap things up was, Final Destination Bloodlines a great scene from the film that shows the dark humor of the originals.
Barbarian director Zach Cregger was brought to the stage to discuss his latest film, Weapons, and show a teaser specifically for Cinemacon attendees only and also to be screened on IMAX. The teaser kept the very vibe and tone of Barbarian with a feel of Village of the Damned.
The Top Gun: Maverick team of director Joe Kosinski and Uber producer Jerry Bruckheimer announced the highly anticipated F1 starring Brad Pitt and delivered the first ten minutes of the film. It was everything an audience would want, loud, fast under the music of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” to set the tone.
The presentation took a different tone, with a slate of titles from Warner Bros. Animation and everything from The Cat In The Hat and Meet The Flintstones. Margie Claus, Bad Fairies, Dynamic Duo, Lunar Chronicles, Oh The Places You’ll Go, Tom and Jerry, and Looney Tunes. Before wrapping up, Bill Hader was brought on stage to discuss his work on The Cat In The Hat, a joke audition from a Saturday Night Live skit, and a work-in-progress debut trailer.
DC Studios co-heads Peter Safran and James Gunn, the director of the biggest tentpole for the summer, Superman, came out to finish the presentation. After a brief behind-the-scenes, stars Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, and David Corenswet were brought to the stage to discuss their experience with the film and give the CinemaCon audience what they’ve wanted: world-exclusive footage of the film. Director James Gunn had previously discussed the inspiration for Krypto, the dog, and that showed up in the footage along with a more inside look at Superman’s Fortress of Solitude.
Although not the most spectacular presentation compared to the other studios from day one, Warner Bros. will still have audiences heading to the theater.
