Cripps took over the position from Tony Chambers, who now serves as Disney’s president of EMEA, at a time when Disney’s successful 2024 gave way to a 2025 start in which “Captain America: Brave New World” had to fight just to reach break-even territory while “Snow White” has fallen to the ignominious status of the biggest flop in Disney’s remake series.

Fortunately for the studio, the rest of the year’s slate is looking much brighter, and Cripps noted that the films to come, like all of Disney’s films over the past two years, come with the longest theatrical window in the industry. Without much fanfare, Disney started a 100-day theatrical window on all of its films starting with “Avatar: The Way of Water,” with no promotion of the film’s release on Disney+ prior to the day it hits streaming.

“For many years, I have sat where you are watching in awe at the breadth and width of Disney’s slate, and it is an honor to now stand up here to show you what we have coming to your theaters in the months ahead,” he said.

The changes weren’t limited to Cripps. In past years, Disney eschewed the cast and filmmaker appearances that other studios would do at CinemaCon, instead just letting the cameras roll with lengthy sneak peeks. This time, they went the traditional route with in-person appearances from cast members of many of their films.

The show opened with a sneak peek of “Lilo & Stitch,” with Lilo, played by the six-year-old Maia Kealoha, trying and failing to get the CGI Stitch to put down a soda gun.

In a rare absence, Kevin Feige spoke to CinemaCon attendees from a video message rather than in person, as he is now on the London set of “Avengers: Doomsday.” He introduced a first look at Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer in “Fantastic 4: First Steps,” while the cast of “Thunderbolts” showed up in person to present one of their film’s fight scenes.

One of the more intriguing aspects of the presentation was 20th Century Studios, which is now under the leadership of David Greenbaum and, along with franchise titles like “Predator: Badlands” and commercial biopics like “Deliver Me From Nowhere” starring Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen, is also now producing the sort of mature fare that Disney once released under labels like Touchstone Pictures.

CinemaCon attendees got a first look at Greenbaum’s efforts with Ella McCay, a dramedy starring Emma Mackey as an idealistic politician who suddenly finds herself as the governor of Rhode Island when the previous one resigns. Now in a seat of power at the age of 34, she must balance her difficult new job with personal struggles with her family. The film is currently in production under the direction of James L. Brooks, who showed up to receive an award from Cinema United.

But after sneak peek clips of Pixar’s “Elio” and Disney’s ‘Zootopia 2,” the show ended with the first teaser of what will likely be the highest grossing movie of the year, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” a film that marks a pivotal point in James Cameron’s planned five-film saga on Pandora and shows a raging tribe of Na’vi called the Ash People who have forsaken Eywa.

While Disney may be struggling with its recent films, “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Snow White” still stand as the two highest grossing movies of the year so far. And with the rest of its slate, it is expected to be the top grossing studio in Hollywood for the ninth time in the past 10 years.

The post Disney Brings Superheroes, Springsteen and 3D ‘Avatar’ to CinemaCon appeared first on TheWrap.

In a first look shown Thursday at CinemaCon, Judy and Nick have gone through a rough patch as police partners because of their species differences and go to Dr. Fuzzby under the orders of their boss, Chief Bogo. Among the other attendees is an elephant cop afraid of his mouse partner.

Judy insists that they are not dysfunctional, but Fuzzby notices that she does not let Nick talk and taps her foot rapidly when she’s suppressing discomfort. They are set to go through the treatment, but are very disturbed when one pair goes through an exercise that ends with them trying to claw each other’s face off.

“Zootopia” grossed $1 billion in after its release in 2016 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Its sequel will now look to join “Frozen II” and “Moana 2” as the third Disney sequel to pass that same mark.

“Zootopia 2” hits theaters Nov. 26.

The post ‘Zootopia 2’ Sneak Peek: Quinta Brunson Joins Cast as Nick and Judy’s Therapist Dr. Fuzzby appeared first on TheWrap.

The clip opens over New York City, and shows Bucky driving with Red Guardian in a truck. “You get tired, I drive,” Red Guardian says.

Yelena rides in the back of the truck with U.S. Agent. The truck plows through the entrance of the former Avengers Tower entrance and the Thunderbolts disarm the security guards. They ride up the elevator to see Valentina who disses U.S. Agent as “Junior Varsity Captain America.” She also calls Red Guardian Santa.

The movie reunites “Black Widow” stars Pugh and Harbour as Yelena Belova and Red Guardian respectively, and teams them up with a whole slew of Marvel returners, including Louis-Dreyfus, Russell, John-Kamen, Sebastian Stan and Olga Kurylenko, plus newcomer Geraldine Viswanathan (filling the role previously held by “The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts caused by Hollywood’s double strike).

For those unfamiliar, in the comics, the Thunderbolts team is similar to DC Comics’ Suicide Squad in that it is a team of villains completing dangerous missions for the government.

The summer release will see Valentina Allegra de Fontaine bring her plan for a replacement for the Avengers out to the public with a team of misfits from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Disney+ shows.

Much like the Avengers before them, the Thunderbolts have a hard time working together. They can’t even agree on the team name, as Red Guardian is the only one who likes it. But the former Soviet hero believes that if they can put aside their differences, they can be “the heroes on the Wheaties box.”

“Thunderbolts*” is directed by Jake Schreier.

The film hits theaters on May 2.

The post ‘Thunderbolts’: Bucky Smashes a Truck Into the Former Avengers Tower in New Footage appeared first on TheWrap.

“We all had Bruce’s blessing with this film,” Allen White said.

The sneak peek begins in a parking lot where Bruce is trying to buy a car. Next, Bruce is doing a sound check in a hotel room. A flashback of Bruce’s adolescence is shown as his father beats him. “He is going to repair the entire world,” Jeremy Strong’s character says.

Bruce is next seen on stage singing “Born to Run.”

Written and directed by Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart,” “Black Mass”), the film chronicles the making of Springsteen’s sixth album, “Nebraska” and also stars Strong as Jon Landau, Stephen Graham as Bruce’s father, Gaby Hoffmann as Bruce’s mother, Paul Walter Hauser as Mike Batlan and Marc Maron as Chuck Plotkin.

20th Century Studios, which found success with the Timothée Chalamet-fronted Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” last year, will release “Deliver Me From Nowhere” later this year.

The post Jeremy Allen White Sings as Bruce Springsteen in First ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere’ Footage appeared first on TheWrap.

The film’s star Elle Fanning came out to talk about the film, which is set in the future and flips the franchise on its head by making the Predator the protagonist, with Fanning’s character teaming up with him.

In the new teaser, we see shots of a futuristic wasteland, filled with dystopian armies and a creature that the Predator is hunting that can’t be killed. Of course, that’s not going to stop the Predator from trying.

Trachtenberg’s last “Predator” film titled “Prey,” was a straight-to-Hulu release in 2022 that received critical acclaim, and on the heels of its success, Disney has decided to give the filmmaker another installment in the franchise for the big screen. It will hit theaters on Nov. 7

The post ‘Predator: Badlands’: Elle Fanning Must Fight Alongside the Predator in CinemaCon Sneak Peek appeared first on TheWrap.

The sneak peek starts with two Tron cycles evading the police on a freeway. “I’m looking for something, something I did not understand,” Bridges says.

Shots of figures coming to life from the grid ensue. “Ready? Because there is no going back,” Bridges added.

The third film in the “Tron” franchise, which began way back in 1982, arrives this October, with Jared Leto starring as a program named Ares who finds himself in the real world.

In addition to Leto as Ares, the cast also includes Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, Gillian Anderson and, of course, Bridges as Kevin Flynn, the creator of the computerized world of Tron.

Following in the footsteps of electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos and French duo Daft Punk (nee Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo), the music for “Tron: Ares” will be provided by composers and Nine Inch Nails principals Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Reznor and Ross have provided iconic scores for movies like “The Social Network,” “Soul,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and, most recently, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.”

According to Disney’s official synopsis: “’Tron: Ares’ follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.”

Director Joachim Rønning, who takes over for director Joseph Kosinski, said in an official statement, “Now more than ever, it feels like the right time to return to the Grid.” Rønning is a Disney regular who has also directed “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” and “Young Woman and the Sea” for the studio.

“Tron: Ares” arrives in theaters Oct. 10, 2025. 

The post Jared Leto Enters The Real World in First ‘Tron: Ares’ Footage appeared first on TheWrap.

“I’d like to take a moment before we move on,” Cruise said solemnly after walking onstage to thunderous applause. “I’d like to honor my dear friend Val Kilmer. I really can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how much I thought of him as a human being, and how honored I was when he joined ‘Top Gun’ and returned for ‘Top Gun Maverick.’”

Cruise continued: “I think it would be really nice if we could just have a moment together, because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.”

After the silence passed, Cruise said to Kilmer, “I wish you well on the next journey.”

Kilmer died on Tuesday at the age of 65 from pneumonia, his family announced, and the tributes poured in from all of Hollywood. The actor had previously battled throat cancer and his return in 2022’s “Top Gun Maverick” was far from a sure thing, but he made it work and his quiet scene with Cruise — a revisitation of the Maverick/Iceman dynamic — ended up being one of the most emotional moments of the entire film.

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During the studio’s CinemaCon presentation, Nickelodeon and Paramount Animation president Ramsey Naito announced that when Aang makes his big screen debut next year, it will be with a film that bears his name: “The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender.”

In his film debut, Korean singer-songwriter Eric Nam will voice Aang in the film, which is set years after the beloved Nickelodeon series and will follow him in his young adult years. “Rugrats” and “Fairly OddParents” voice star Dionne Quan will play Toph while Canadian TV star Jessica Matten will play Katara. Dave Bautista and Steven Yeun are also set to star in the film.

“The Legend of Aang” is one of several Nickelodeon titles on Paramount’s film slate. A new “Spongebob SquarePants” movie titled, “The Search for SquarePants,” will hit theaters this holiday season and a sequel to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is in the works for next year along with “Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie.”

The post ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Film Gets New Title appeared first on TheWrap.

The sneak peek starts in an alley in the future where we meet firefighter Ben Richards. “The Running Man is the biggest show in the country,” Brolin says.

“The thrill of the hunt, can you feel it?” Domingo says.

Shots of the game show set is shown. “Hunt him down,” Domingo screams as Richards is chased. “Stop filming me,” Richards says.

More stunts ensue.”I’m still here you s–t eaters,” Powell says as armed troops come for him.

Powell stars in the project along with Brolin, Domingo, Lee Pace, Katy O’Brian and Daniel Ezra. Edgar Wright directed and co-wrote the story with his “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” collaborator Michael Bacall.

As TheWrap first reported, Powell took on the role filled by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 film set in a dystopian future Los Angeles, where a framed police helicopter pilot is forced into a violent game show where convicts are hunted down by assassins with the promise of a pardon if they survive. O’Brian is playing one of the other contestants on the show.

King’s futuristic novel differs a bit from the original film. The book is a chase thriller set in a dystopian America in the year 2025. The story centers on Ben Richards, a desperate man who participates in violent reality show “The Running Man” in order to win enough money to revive his gravely ill daughter. The show follows Richards being chased by numerous hunters, sent to kill him.

King first published the “The Running Man” under his pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982.

The film will be released on Nov. 7. According to an insider with knowledge of the project, the new movie “is a more faithful adaptation” of the novel. Simon Kinberg, Nira Park and Wright are producing.

The post Glen Powell Runs for His Life in First ‘The Running Man’ Footage appeared first on TheWrap.

The bonkers new “M3GAN 2.0” trailer begins with the titular M3GAN (played again by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis) reflecting on her actions in the sequel’s 2023 predecessor and confessing, “I’ll admit: There were some bugs in my programming.” That is a bit of an understatement, but it turns out that her attempt to kill her creator, Gemma (Allison Williams), and “raise” Gemma’s young niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), on her own was not bad enough to stop her from being re-awoken in “M3GAN 2.0.”

Williams’ Gemma is forced to bring M3GAN back — first in the form of a “plastic teletubby” and later with an upgraded, taller humanoid design — in order to combat Amelia (“Ahsoka” star Ivanna Sakhno), a robot created with Gemma’s original M3GAN technology who has gone rogue and begun to hunt down everyone involved in her creation. It is a battle that, as the “M3GAN 2.0” trailer cheekily puts it, pits “this b—h vs. that b—h.”

Check out the full trailer, which is set almost entirely to Britney Spears’ “Oops!…I Did It Again,” below.

“M3GAN” became an unlikely hit when it hit theaters in early 2023. It earned mostly positive reviews and grossed over $180 million at the worldwide box office, a particularly impressive number given the film’s reported $12 million budget. “M3GAN 2.0,” consequently, looks bigger and more expensive. Its trailer highlights multiple action sequences, including one aerial dive that sees M3GAN soar through a treacherous canyon.

The sequel is directed once again by “M3GAN” director Gerard Johnstone, and it is based on a screenplay co-written by him and “M3GAN” screenwriter Akela Cooper. Johnstone and Cooper do not seem to have held back at all, either.

If the first “M3GAN” was influenced by horror comedies like “Child’s Play,” then “M3GAN 2.0” looks more like a cross between a “Power Rangers” film and “Alita: Battle Angel.” It seems, in other words, more well-suited to its prime summer release date than even fans of the first “M3GAN” may have expected.

“M3GAN 2.0” hits theaters on Friday, June 27.

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