CinemaCon 2024: Universal, Lionsgate Highlights & More

Along with breakfast in the morning, convention goers were treated to Angel Studios' presentation. They began by discussing their unique business model which starts from the bottom up. They have what is called "The Angel Guild", made up of average people who decide what film projects get green-lit. Then Angel Studios does crowdfunding to get the movies made. They also have a "pay it forward" program in which a person can donate a movie ticket to those less fortunate.

Angel Studios then discussed their biggest film of 2023, Sound of Freedom. A surprise box office hit, it grossed $250 million dollars worldwide. It was their first year as a feature film content creator and the movie exceeded expectations. They then spent time discussing their 2024 slate including the recently released Cabrini. They ended their presentation with a look at and a song from 2025's animated feature, David.

Next, Lionsgate gave the audience a look at the movies they have been working on. First up was Henry Cavill gave audiences a sneak peek of two of his films, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and In the Grey, and announced that he will star in Highlander. There were also looks at Flight Risk with Mark Wahlberg, The Killer's Game starring Dan Bautista and Never Let Go, a horror movie starring Halle Berry who came on stage to personally talk about the experience of acting in the film and executive producing it as well. Aziz Ansari did a two-minute standup routine that was hilarious before discussing his new comedy that he wrote, directed, and starred in with Keanu Reeve. The audience then got a first look of Ballerina with Ana De Armas in the lead role and finally the Michael Jackson biopic, Michael.

The afternoon presentation was Universal and from the minute we entered the room we knew we were in for something special. "Wicked" was the theme with plastic tulips in every cupholder (which we were instructed not to remove). However, before that, Universal couldn't help touting the Best Picture Oscar Winner Oppenheimer and then got into their upcoming slate. Twisters Stars Anthony Ramos, Glen Powell, and Daisy Edgar-Jones talked about the new film before giving the audience a demonstration of the wind, rain, and debris - including a flying cow - they endured while filming.

Universal announced a Five Nights At Freddy's and Megan sequels and then showed us footage of BlumHouse's Speak No Evil, the new James McAvoy horror. Bikeriders stars the latest "it" actor Austin Butler and Director Eli Roth and actor Ariana Greenblatt graced the stage and regaled everyone in the Coliseum with tales from the set of Borderlands. The film also stars powerhouses Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Finally (last but certainly not least), Jeff Goldblum took the stage and started the parade of actors who spoke about Wicked. Throughout the presentation of the film, LED lanyards and the aforementioned Tulips lit up in green and pink at various intervals. Culminating with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the audience was treated to an extended trailer of Wicked which looks incredible.

Besides the studio presentations, we took in a demonstration of BARCO's HDR Laser projection equipment. To say the colors were brighter, the black tones were layered and the details were sharper was an understatement. The clarity and brightness were like nothing I had ever seen before.

Thursday's presentations are Paramount and Disney and I can't wait to see what these two powerhouses have in store.