Cinemacon 2022, Piracy, Neon and Warner Bros.

Photo Courtesy of Frazer Harrison  / Getty Images for CinemaCon. All Rights Reserved.

April 26, 2022, Las Vegas - As we put day two of CinemaCon 2022 to rest, there were some highlights, low points, and a few funny moments to discuss in today's recap.

The second morning of the convention started off as it usually does, with a look at the State of the Industry.  As I mentioned yesterday, the word of CinemaCon 2022 is "piracy."   MPA Chairman and CEO, Charles Rivkin, outlined an extensive plan which is already in place, to combat and shut down illegal piracy networks.  He offered examples of recent cases in Houston and Seattle and then stated there are currently over 200 active referrals that have been made to law enforcement organizations worldwide.

He also noted one of several ways to combat illegal recordings and downloads is to return to the pre-covid model of longer theatrical windows as opposed to releasing films in theaters and on streaming on the same day.  This concept was echoed throughout the day by industry executives promising an auditorium of movie theater owners and managers a return to longer theatrical windows.  Of course, that idea was met with applause from the crowd.

Piggybacking on the State of the Industry presentation was Neon. They sang the praises of the recently released Petite Maman, which has been certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.  They brought famed director, David Cronenberg (Crash), on stage to tease his new movie, Crimes of the Future.  After discussing his film, the presentation was dominated by David Bowie and Neon's movie, Moonage Daydream.

The evening's studio presentation for day two was a robust and packed slate from Warner Bros. emceed by Aisha Tyler (Criminal Minds) as master of ceremonies.  She was charged with making sure the show moved along smoothly and inviting celebrity guests to join her on stage.  Among the talent were Baz Luhrmann and Austin Butler talking about Elvis, Olivia Wilde discussing her sophomore directorial project, Don't Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, and the younger cast members of Shazam, director James Wan talking about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and finally, Dwayne Johnson for both his films, Superpets and Black Adam.

With all the movie stars presenting their films, and with an overall atmosphere of fun and frivolity, Warner Bros. brought some humor to their presentation, which seemed to be enjoyed by the attendees. They had a great slate to offer and they delivered on the fun while still managing to inform the more than 2500 guests about the great movie offerings yet to come this year.