CinemaCon 2023 Wrap-Up!

The highly-anticipated CinemaCon 2023 has just wrapped up, leaving attendees and film lovers thrilled with the exclusive insights and exciting announcements about the future of cinema. Held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the event featured an impressive line-up of panel discussions, presentations, and exhibitions, showcasing the latest trends, technologies, and strategies in the world of film. From innovative advancements in movie-making to the much-awaited previews of upcoming releases, CinemaCon has genuinely delivered an exciting sneak peek into what's to come. Let's take a closer look at some of the most notable events and updates from this year's convention!

1. Kraven the Hunter

One of the most highly-anticipated movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Kraven the Hunter, featuring the titular villain from the Spider-Man comics. Kraven, also known as Sergei Kravinoff, is a skilled hunter obsessed with capturing and defeating Spider-Man, whom he considers his ultimate prey. He possesses remarkable physical strength, agility, and senses, and is recognized for his signature lion's mane vest and use of exotic weapons. Kraven first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 in 1964 and has since become a fan-favorite character.

The convention offered a first glimpse of the movie, showcasing Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who formerly appeared as Quicksilver in the MCU) as Kraven unleashing his inner beast. Reports suggest that the movie will also feature another Spider-Man villain, Rhino, played by Alessandro Nivola (previously portrayed by Paul Giamatti in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2). Furthermore, Johnson confirmed that "Kraven the Hunter" would be Sony's first R-rated Marvel movie, but not Marvel's first R-rated film, as Deadpool also holds this rating.

2. Bad Boys 4 & Will Smith

One celebrity who couldn't attend the event was Will Smith, who had to promote the upcoming 4th Bad Boys film virtually with his co-star Martin Lawrence. He expressed his excitement about the upcoming sequel to the audience, saying "We're hyped, we're excited," while apologizing for not being there in person. Lawrence joked that they were "not sorry we couldn't be there," to which Smith replied, "We're glad we're not there because we're here, and they're paying us to be here," referring to the fact that they were on the set of Bad Boys 4, which started principal photography four weeks prior.

This is one of Smith's first major projects since his infamous slap of comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards in March of last year. As a result of this several of his upcoming projects, including Bad Boys 4, were put on hold. A source toldThe Hollywood Reporter in April 2022 that the production of this specific film had been delayed due to the incident. 

3. Barbie

Along with a new renovation show based on the iconic doll from Mattel, which is set to be released on the upcoming joint venture platform Max between HBO Max and Discovery+, there is also the highly-anticipated Barbie movie. Starring Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie as Ken and Barbie respectively, the film is set to be released in theaters on July 21, 2023. The stars arrived to promote the movie wearing pink outfits, with Gosling even sporting a shirt with the name of the movie's director, Greta Gerwig, written in the iconic Barbie font.

According to reports from CinemaCon, the movie features Barbie and Ken getting into a series of misadventures in the "real world" after a series of strange circumstances in their plastic landscape. They get arrested multiple times, sing the Indigo Girls' "Closer to Fine", and even encounter a merman played by John Cena. When asked about playing Ken in the movie, Gosling commented that he only knew Ken from afar before now, but Margot and Greta helped him tap into his "Kenergy". He even joked about bleaching his hair, shaving his legs, and wearing bespoke pink outfits while rollerblading down Venice Beach.

4. Anyone But You

While it may not have been the most highly-anticipated movie at the convention, the new romantic comedy has certainly generated quite a bit of buzz online - not because of its plot but rather due to the two stars who presented the trailer. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell arrived on Monday to introduce the upcoming film, with Sweeney even affectionately referring to Powell as "Top Gun", a nod to his role in Top Gun: Maverick. However, it wasn't just their on-screen chemistry that had people talking. Both Sweeney and Powell are reportedly in relationships, with Sweeney engaged to Jonathan Davino and Powell linked to model Gigi Paris. The rumor mill went into overdrive when Paris posted on Instagram with the caption "know your worth & onto the next", leading many to speculate about a possible breakup.

Despite the rumors and speculation, there were plenty of photos online of Sweeney and Powell hanging out together during filming, including shots of Sweeney with Powell's family at the Taronga Zoo in Australia. As one insider put it, "They're filming a romantic comedy, for goodness' sake! It's like when people say movie stars have great chemistry on-screen -- it's just the magic of the movies."

5. Wicked

Attendees were treated to previews of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's roles as Elphaba and Glinda in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked, as well as a first listen of their versions of the songs "Defying Gravity" and "Popular". The footage also included first looks of Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz himself. Leaked photos of Grande as Glinda had fans talking even before the event!

6. Timothée Chalamet Double-Duty

Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet had two films heavily promoted at CinemaCon. First up, his prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory titled Wonka, where he plays the titular quirky candy-maker. The trailer shown to attendees revealed none other than Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa, and it was also revealed that the film will be a musical. The trailer also featured glimpses of Sally Hawkins and Olivia Colman as Wonka's mother and an innkeeper, respectively.

Next up for Timmy C., fans of the Dune series were treated to footage from Dune: Part 2, which included first looks at newcomers to the series, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Lea Seydoux.

7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Perhaps one of the most heartwarming moments was an exclusive extended clip of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3" showing Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) sharing a heartfelt conversation. Director James Gunn has warned fan that this (final) installment of the Guardians' adventures will definitely make you cry!

8. Wish

Disney introduced their first-ever Afro-Latina heroine, Asha, voiced by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose. In the trailer for the animated feature, a young girl is seen wishing on a star, and then the star itself comes down from the heavens to hang out with her! Not much else about the plot is known as of yet but the trailer sure looks magical!

Elsewhere, the first screening of the DC film The Flash was shown, with the trailer being released online. Other films featured at CinemaCon 2023 included the first 15 minutes of Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse 2, a trailer for Neill Blomkamp's adaptation of the videogame Gran Turismo starring David Harbour and Orlando Bloom, as well as clips from Dumb Money, Insidious 5, The Machine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Mission Impossible 7, Indiana Jones 5, and fans of A Quiet Place were also given a first-look at John Krasinski's prequel. 

CinemaCon 2023 certainly did not disappoint in terms of providing a tantalizing glimpse into the world of cinema!