Warner Bros. Pictures was able to walk into their 2024 CinemaCon with their head held high. They have been behind six of the seven highest-grossing films of the last eight months. With films like “Barbie”, “Wonka”, “Dune 2”, and the latest “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” to name a few. Now it was time to get the exhibitors excited once again!
To kick off their presentation, Warner Bros. Pictures started with “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”, and who better to talk about the film than director George Miller along with stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth. Each of the stars talked a bit about their characters and all three spoke about working with one another. They also introduced some thrilling footage from the upcoming film which is scheduled to be released on May 24th.
They then moved to the horror film, “The Watchers”, which features the feature film debut of writer-director Ishana Night Shyamalan, the daughter of famed filmmaker, M. Night Shyamalan. This film is based on a horror novel with the same title. She talked about her experience on the film as well as a bit of what audiences can expect.
Warner Bros. Pictures then pivoted to the new DC Films branch, which featured an opening message from James Gunn, who is currently in production on “Superman” which is slated for 2025. The video message showcased the new Superman logo, which seems inspired by the Kingdom Come Superman logo which was written by Mark Waid with artwork by Alex Ross.
On the topic of Superman, they showcased the first title under that banner, which will be the documentary, “Super-Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”. The film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and impressed WB enough to get a deal to bring it to a theatrical release. Before showcasing the trailer for the documentary, Gunn said he would be back to CinemaCon 2025 to kick off what he calls “The Summer of Superman”.
Next up for Warner Bros. Pictures was Kevin Costner’s multi-film project, “Horizon: An American Saga”, and who better to tell us all about it than Costner himself. He made it clear that this was a passion project and that is evident by the fact that he has been developing this since 1988! Costner showcased footage from both parts and said that in making these films, it wasn’t about a specific plot but the journey of the characters. The first part of this western epic will be released in theaters June 18th and the second part on August 16th. Costner also said he is already working on more parts!
The next film presented has been the talk of attendees since the presentation, Academy Award winner Bong Joon-Ho’s “Mickey 17”. The director was in Las Vegas to tell us more about the film along with the star of the film, Robert Pattinson. The film is based on the novel “Mickey 7” that follows a space colonist who is expendable, meaning he does the most dangerous work around and often dies in the process, only to be brought back to life through human printing technology. When asked why “17”, Bong said, “The number is the number of times he dies. I killed him 10 times more”. “Mickey 17” is scheduled to be released on January 31st, 2025.
Now to a thriller, Warner Bros. Pictures showed the trailer for “Trap” by M. Night Shyamalan which is set to be released on August 2nd. The director took the stage to introduce the trailer and talk about the film. In this thriller, law enforcement agencies have set up a sting (or trap), to catch a serial killer they believe will be attending a pop concert. Interestingly enough, there is a twist to this story that is quickly revealed in the trailer. While I won’t say what it is here, I will note that it may be better to check this movie out without seeing the trailer first.
Warner Bros. Pictures then moved on to one of their most anticipated films of the year, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” set to be released on September 5th. On hand to talk about the film to the delight of the crowd was director Tim Burton, as well as cast members Catherine O’Hara, Monica Belluci, Justin Theroux, Willem Defoe, and the demon himself, Michael Keaton. Along with introducing the footage, they highlighted the fact that the film needed to be made practically, like the original one to match its tone. They also made it clear that without O’Hara this sequel would not be happening.
Finally, it was the moment everyone had been waiting for as it had been a well-known fact that the trailer for “Joker Folie à Deux” would be premiering at CinemaCon before being released to the public. Director Todd Phillips took the stage to talk about the now franchise that was supposed to be a one-off, but said that even while still in production, he would have conversations with star Joaquin Phoenix about what could be next for Arthur. Phillips also dismissed the rumors of the film being a musical, but said it would incorporate music the same way the first film did, which was a key part of his storytelling.
Warner Bros. Pictures presentation was solid, but really lacked a knockout punch with a movie like “Barbie” last year. While there were a couple of films that we know will do well, the question is can this year’s slate complete with what they were able to accomplish last year? Looks like we’ll have to wait and see!
