As far as studio presentations go, these studios were polar opposites.
Disney started off the day with a 90-minute show followed immediately followed by a screening of The Boogeyman. They showcased approximately a dozen films coming out later this year, and their presentation, like in years past, was all business. Conversely, Universal Studios has more than double that number of films being released in 2023 and their over two-hour presentation included some celebrities and a short stunt show.
Disney began their presentation with their closest upcoming release Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in theaters May 5, 2023. The movie uses the same humor as the first two films in the trilogy but also seems more serious than the others. The Guardians preview was followed by a previously released trailer for The Marvels and then a look at the animated feature, Wish. With a familiar sound and look (think Pocahontas meets Frozen) the musical number that attendees were treated too is the pure Disney magic we have all come to know and expect.
Speaking of musicals, Melissa McCarthy was the only celebrity in attendance during the entire Disney presentation and she came on stage to discuss her role as Ursula in the live-action version of The Little Mermaid. She then introduced the clip of her singing the full song, "Poor, Unfortunate, Souls". Not only was her singing and acting on point but the Rob Marshall directed musical, showcased the huge production of the film.
Next up was a peek of The Haunted Mansion film based on the Disney theme park ride, followed by 20 minutes of the Pixar movie, Elemental. Disney closed out their show with Searchlight's Thanksgiving release, Next Goal Wins, a murder mystery called A Haunting in Venice, The Creator, and finally the highly anticipated, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. After the show, there was a screening of The Boogeyman.
The afternoon brought Universal Pictures Studio showcase with a slate of anticipated 2023 releases. First up to introduce his film, Oppenheimer, was Director Christopher Nolan. The movie looks intense and should be a big hit for the studio. After discussing Universal's presence and continued commitment to the Global Market, Illumination's CEO introduced a clip from their upcoming movie, Migration which looks to be fun, family-friendly fare, followed by Will Farrell being upstaged by a dog while discussing his movie, Strays.
Horror master Jason Blum talked about M3GAN and, based on the success of the film, creating a franchise. Then Jason, along with David Gordon Green, introduced the upcoming sequel to the 1973 classic, The Exorcist, called The Exorcist Believer and, much like the original, it looks terrifying. To light the mood, up next were two DreamWorks projects - Ruby GIllman Teenage Kraken and The third installment of Trolls - the latter being introduced by Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake.
Also back is the beloved, Kung Fu Panda and, though there wasn't any footage to show, Star Jack Black gave us a hilarious overview of the plot. Sounds like this will be a fun one. Then Focus Feature discussed the need for "specialty features" and how, despite rumors, they have been going very well. Besides mentioning Robert Eggert's upcoming Nosferatu, attendees saw a preview of Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, The Holdovers and Drive Away Dolls.
After Jordan Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Sung Kang graced the stage to review the Fast and Furious franchise before introducing Vin Diesel who went entirely off script and gave an impassioned speech about just how important Movie Theater Owners are to the business. Then he surprised the audience by telling everyone Fast X will be a two part film with the second half coming in 2025. From the sizzle reel, it looks like it will be better than Fast 9. To introduce The Fall Guy, the audience was treated to a stunt show before David Leitch , Ryan Gosling, and Emily Blunt introduced the trailer. Finally, Universal CEO Donna Langley came back to the stage to wrap up the presentation and to offer a glimpse of the highly anticipated musical, Wicked, which looks amazing.
Tomorrow closes out an eventful week with Studio Presentations from Paramount Pictures and Lionsgate plus a Legend of Cinema Award Luncheon honoring Martin Scorsese and a screening of the Comedy, Joy Ride.
Photo Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images for CinemaCon
