From Superman to Wicked and The Running Man: The Coolest Things We Saw at CinemaCon

CinemaCon, the largest and most important gathering for the worldwide movie theater and exhibition industry, just concluded its nearly week-long festivities in Las Vegas. In that Nevada oasis there were exclusive Hollywood presentations which debuted a slate of upcoming films, premieres and surprise feature screenings, stars, producers, and directors—all there to celebrate the moviegoing experience. CinemaCon offered on-stage reveals, sizzle reels, and extended footage exclusively shown to CinemaCon goers.

Among the highlights, attendees got first looks and extended footage reveals of James Gunn’s Superman, a behind-the-scenes look at Masters of the Universe, an eerie M3GAN 2.0 performance, hilarious Thunderbolts* footage, and more!

SUPERMAN – DC Studios (Warner Bros. Presentation)

DC Studios Chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran hit the CinemaCon stage on Tuesday to introduce new unseen footage from the upcoming Superman. The presentation started with behind the scenes footage and a sizzle reel of the first day of shooting Superman in Norway. The presentation also surprised us with some of the star-studded cast, including David Corenswet (Superman), Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane) and Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor).

“David, dressed as Superman, is flying into the sunset… and I felt like I was witnessing the magic of cinema in first-person, in real time,” Hoult said about the effect of watching Corenswet don the red cape in-person.

CinemaCon was also the launching pad of nearly five minutes of footage. Much of it has been released online, such as the full scene of super-powered dog Krypto rescuing (and jumping on) a badly damaged Superman in the Arctic. The canine then takes Kal-El home to the Fortress of Solitude where robots are waiting for him. However, what we saw at CinemaCon is a bit more extended than even the recent sneak peak. Indeed, we got a better idea about why the reason the Fortress of Solitude is in shambles: Krypto wrecked the place! And after being healed by the sun’s yellow rays, Superman lightly scolds Krypto for making a mess inside the fortress. “Stay,” Superman says before flying off.

Gunn told the audience that Krypto was largely inspired by his own rescue dog Ozu. The filmmaker also recounted a funny story about bringing him home: “He was the worst dog you could ever imagine.” He said Ozu chewed up everything he could and that included a new $8,000 laptop. Gunn would have to climb on furniture because Ozu would run around trying to bite his feet. “I didn’t know if he was playing or he hated my guts.”

The footage also showed Lois hard at work and giving Clark a hard time during an interview. Also while speaking at the presentation, Brosnahan revealed she went through an intense journalistic boot camp and spoke with reporters about what brought them into the profession. This may be the best Lois Lane yet.

The extended look showed a lot of Gunn’s personality and heart. As described by Gunn, “This movie celebrates kindness and human love.” Hoult meanwhile added that he’s “so excited to watch this movie with my son.”

WICKED – (Universal Presentation)

Wicked, one of the biggest Broadway adaptations of all time, had its third year of closing out the Universal Pictures presentation. CinemaCon attendees were the first audience in the world to see a glimpse of the second half of the story that captivated theatergoers last year. WE’RE ABOUT TO BE CHANGED FOR GOOD! Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo took the stage with director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt as they introduced an exclusive clip loaded with magical moments. 

It starts with bubbly Glinda (Grande) who can sense the presence of Erivo’s Elphaba, telling her to come inside before the monkeys see her. There’s a voiceover of Elphaba saying “there’s no way back,”and Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) is leading a charge to find the Wicked Witch as angry villagers march with torches. Musical fans will recognize the music which cuts from “No Good Deed” to “For Good.” We even see Glinda and Fiyero having a wedding, and then it cuts to Dorothy and friends meeting the Wizard. Fiyero also is shown eventually declaring his love for Elphaba, “the Wicked.” The last sizzling clip shows Glinda hug her only “friend that mattered.”

M3GAN 2.0 Blumhouse (Universal Presentation)

Blumhouse presented exclusive looks at sequels of some of its biggest hits. As expressed by CEO Jason Blum, “October is an extra special month for horror.” Universal Pictures revealed an exclusive trailer for the iconic AI doll movie, M3GAN 2.0, and stole the show with CinemaCon goers by having 30 dancing M3GANs bop to Britney Spears and a live-Orchestra performance led by renowned music director, composer, and music producer, Rickey Minor. 

The performance was introduced by the film’s star Violet McGraw—Cady in the film and the little sister of The Black Phone’s Madeleine McGraw’s younger sister—who is back to reprise her role from the first M3GAN. Violet says  “My friend Allison Williams is stuck in Atlanta shooting right now,” and that she believed she was alone, but M3GAN “hates to not be in the spotlight” leading to the surprise dance party.

The Blumhouse/ Atomic Monster spectacle featured 30 dancing M3GAN “dolls” performing the iconic Britney Spears hit, “Oops…I Did it Again,” on the Colosseum stage. Violet then had the honors of introducing the trailer. After the dolls performed the exciting dance number, which included the iconic M3GAN dance choreography, the dolls exited down the aisles through exhibitors. 

Masters of the Universe (Amazon MGM Studios)

Amazon MGM Studios showed the earliest of early looks at Jared Leto’s Skeletor and the long-awaited film adaptation of the legendary toy franchise Masters of the Universe. CinemaCon audiences also caught first looks of the stacked cast, including Nicholas Galitzine’s He-Man and Camila Mendes’ Teela (who were also in attendance), as well as Idris Elba’s Man-At-Arms and Alison Brie’s Evil-Lyn. 

Director, Travis Knight (Bumblebee) showed off a BTS sizzle reel of the cast, the creative team, massive London sets, intricate backdrops and worldbuilding, costumes, swords, weapons, the fictional planet Eternia, and He-Man’s iconic Sword of Power and the glorious He-Man himself with his hair blowing in the wind. Knight discussed his love of the toys and beloved ’80s animated series, admitting he had a He-Man haircut as a kid. The footage also showed Galitzine’s workouts, sword-wielding and bench-pressing.  “By the power of Grayskull!” 

The Running Man (Paramount)

CinemaCon Star of the year Glen Powell took the stage with co-stars Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, plus visionary director Edgar Wright, to present the footage in Las Vegas. CinemaCon was the first audience in the world to get a sneak peek at The Running Man. The dystopian film, which finished shooting less than a week ago, gives off a bleaker, darker Hunger Games meets a popular game show competition.  

Domingo, who plays the intense and eccentric host of a homicidal game show, introduced the first-look to attendees. This dystopian remake of the 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger film follows a desperate man named Ben Richards (Powell) who needs money for his sick daughter. To solve his family’s money problem, he joins a popular show titled The Running Man in which teams of killers hunt down the contestants where the longer a contestant survives, the more money that person will make. Wright, who is also a fan of the Stephen King book, was inspired by the literary source material’s more serious tone and themes. He said he wanted to make this film more dystopian. From the footage we saw, the opponents are more special opps, ex-military serious. This might be a far cry from the eccentric, wonky personalities from the original film. 

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount) Stunts 

Paramount saved its biggest blockbuster for last, promising a stunt-filled spectacle and featuring some of Tom Cruise’s most daring tricks. Christopher McQuarrie was honored with Director of the Year. Meanwhile Chris Aaronson, president of theatrical distribution at Paramount Pictures, introduced the exciting stunt spectacle. The stage was set with ramps, glaring red lights, and lots of smoke. A group of a few professional motor-dirt bikes hyped the crowd with the intense light show and exciting stunts like flipping on the bike!

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount) Val Kilmer Moment of Silence

Action legend Tom Cruise took the stage and started the Mission: Impossible presentation by paying tribute to his late Top Gun co-star, Val Kilmer, who died of pneumonia earlier this week.

“I can’t tell you how much I admire his work,” Cruise said. The audience took a moment of silence to honor what he contributed to the film industry. Cruise told the audience he was honored to work with Kilmer once again on the 2022 film, Top Gun: Maverick. He closed with “I wish you well on your next journey.”

Thunderbolts* – Marvel Studios (Disney Presentation)

Marvel Studios showed a hilarious and action-packed look at Thunderbolts* full of witty one-liners, especially from Julia  Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The extended scenes opened with Harbour’s Red Guardian telling Stan’s Bucky Barnes, “We are same, we are different” before revealing the rest of the unconventional team of antiheroes—Yelena Belova, Ghost, Taskmaster, and John Walker in the back of the van. 

The next scene shows Valentina poking fun at Congressman Barnes and his “promising career of less than half a term. Yikes!” She also calls John Walker a JV varsity Captain America. She tells Yelena “you look awful, you sure you’re ready?” with Yelena responding, “Eat shit Valentina.” 

After more comedic moments, it gets a little serious with Yelena adding the “Avengers are gone, no ones coming to save the day,” but “we could be the people that are coming. Not heroes, not giving up.”

Following the cast’s appearance at CinemaCon, Marvel Studios announced that tickets will go on sale this coming Monday, April 7 for Thunderbolts*.

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