CinemaCon 2025 Preview

Beginning March 31, 2025, the thirteenth CinemaCon will begin at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada and kick off a week of celebrating the moviegoing experience and the host of exciting films on the horizon. For those curious about what this year’s CinemaCon will entail, or for those who are entirely unfamiliar with CinemaCon, this article serves as a comprehensive overview of CinemaCon and a CinemaCon 2025 Preview.

What is CinemaCon?

CinemaCon is a convention held by NATO. No, not the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The NATO in question here is the National Association of Theatre Owners, which represents over 33,000 movie screens in all 50 states in the U.S. and additional cinemas in 82 countries. 

Fundamentally, CinemaCon serves as the predominant celebration of the motion picture theater industry. Attracting attendees from more than 80 countries since 2011, CinemaCon features extensive presentations from the top studios (e.g., Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, etc.) that detail their slate of upcoming films (including previously unannounced films) and debut exclusive never-before-seen footage. Participating in these studio presentations are some of the industry’s biggest stars, producers, and directors. Typically, these presentations unfold much like the big presentations at conventions like D23, Star Wars Celebration, and San Diego Comic Con. Producers, directors, and actors make their way on stage to talk about an upcoming movie and (usually) present footage from the movie. Typically, this footage takes the shape of a trailer yet to be released to the public, but, sometimes, it is an extended trailer or even several scenes from a movie. For instance, last year Disney’s studio presentation featured 35 minutes of Inside Out 2 and 15 minutes of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes screening to the audience prior to the theatrical releases of both of these films.

The convention also features exclusive early screenings of upcoming films (past screenings have included Top Gun: Maverick and The Fall Guy), various conference presentations highlighting important topics and novel ideas in the world of moviegoing, and a trade show in which various vendors associated with all facets of the movie theater industry exchange products and share ideas.

Preview of CinemaCon 2025

As is tradition with CinemaCon, the convention will be held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year’s convention will run for four days – from Monday March 31 to Thursday April 3.

March 31

Sony Pictures’ Presentation

The first day of CinemaCon 2025 features a variety of presentations throughout the day, all leading up to the Opening Night event. Starting at 6:30pm local time, the Sony Pictures studio presentation kicks things off with an exclusive presentation highlighting its upcoming releases after the studio skipped out on CinemaCon 2024. Looking ahead at Sony’s schedule in our CinemaCon 2025 Preview can provide insight into the types of movies that will likely feature during this presentation. 

Fresh off the conclusion of Cobra Kai on Netflix, Karate Kid: Legends hits theaters on May 30, 2025 and will almost certainly feature heavily in Sony’s presentation (likely in the form of a new trailer and perhaps a scene or two). The new film stars Jackie Chan as Mr. Han and Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and is the latest installment in the beloved Karate Kid franchise.

Also expected to feature during Sony’s presentation is 28 Years Later and its sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Releasing June 20, 2025 and January 16, 2026 respectively, the duo of zombie films brings audiences back to the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland over 20 years ago. Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes star in 28 Years Later, which sees Boyle return to the director’s chair. Its sequel, released just months later, is helmed by Candyman and The Marvels director Nia DaCosta.

Beneath the Storm is another film that may feature during Sony’s presentation. The upcoming survival thriller is from producer Adam McKay (The Big Short, Don’t Look Up) and Norwegian writer/director Tommy Wirkola (Violent Night, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters). Not much is known of the film, other than it stars Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak, and Djimon Hounsou and seems to have some sci-fi element to it. 

The remake of the 1997 cult classic Anaconda recently wrapped production and will likely play a role in Sony’s presentation. Anaconda stars Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Selton Mello, Daniela Melchior, Thandiwe Newton, and Steve Zahn. The CinemaCon crowd will likely be among the first to see footage of the film, given no trailer has been publicly released yet.

Showcasing the diversity in the studio’s upcoming slate is Goat, an animated sports comedy produced by Stephen Curry. The film releases February 13, 2026, which coincides with the NBA All-Star Game. 

Other films in pre-production and in earlier stages of development may also feature during Sony’s presentation. The studio has a Street Fighter film slated for March 20, 2026. There are also sequels to Spider-Man: No Way Home and Jumanji: The Next Level on the horizon, two heavy-hitters for Sony that will almost certainly be discussed at CinemaCon. Also down the line are biopics about each of the members of The Beatles, directed by Sam Mendes. Given the prominence and anticipation of this project, we highly suspect it will also play a role in Sony’s presentation.

April 1

The next day of CinemaCon sees Lionsgate present information about their upcoming slate of films (which we will detail in our CinemaCon 2025 Preview below), after a “State of the Industry” talk to the crowd.

Lionsgate’s Presentation

One of the films we expect will feature prominently in Lionsgate’s CinemaCon presentation is Ballerina, the upcoming action movie starring Ana de Armas from the world of John Wick. Footage from Ballerina was screened at last year’s CinemaCon and, ahead of the film’s June 6, 2025 release date, a new trailer and perhaps a scene or two from the film feel inevitable.

Before Ballerina though, Lionsgate has the release of Hurry Up Tomorrow to oversee. The new psychological thriller comes from director Trey Edward Shults (It Comes At Night) and star and co-writer Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd). The film hits theaters May 16, 2025 and will likely play a role in Lionsgate’s presentation. 

Another expected headliner for Lionsgate is Michael, the upcoming biopic about music superstar Michael Jackson. The film, which is scheduled to release on October 3, 2025. Early footage presented at last year’s CinemaCon wowed the crowd, and the Antoine Fuqua-directed film is expected to make some noise at this year’s event.

Next installments in the Saw and Now You See Me franchise are currently in development and scheduled for releases in 2025, meaning Lionsgate’s presentation will likely also feature these films to some degree.

CinemaCon 2024 saw the studio showcase their trilogy of The Strangers films. However, after the poor reception to The Strangers: Chapter 1 in 2024, not much is known of the studio’s plans for Chapters 2 and 3. Given that these films have already wrapped production, Lionsgate will probably be motivated to regain interest in the disturbing horror franchise by showing what the rest of this trilogy has in store.

Americana, a crime thriller starring Sydney Sweeney that premiered at SXSW in 2023, was acquired by Lionsgate and is slated for theatrical release on August 22, 2025. Given Sweeney’s growing stardom and the initial positive reception to this film, Lionsgate will probably want to show off what they have in store with this film.

That’s not the only Sydney Sweeney movie that will probably feature in Lionsgate’s presentation. The Housemaid, based on the book of the same name by Freida McFadden, comes from director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, A Simple Favor) and stars Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. The film is expected to hit theaters on Christmas Day 2025.

Another viral star – Pete Davidson – has a Lionsgate film coming up that could feature at CinemaCon. The Home, directed and co-written by James DeMonaco (creator of The Purge series), is a psychological horror film about a man who investigates a sinister retirement home.

Additionally, Guy Ritchie’s In the Grey will almost certainly feature in Lionsgate’s presentation. A trailer for the new film starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill, and Eiza González was shown at last year’s CinemaCon.

Fresh off of another Lionsgate release in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Gerard Butler headlines another sequel for Lionsgate that could play a role in Lionsgate’s presentation. Greenland: Migration is the follow-up to the 2020 disaster film that earned surprisingly favorable reviews among critics.

JT Mollner, writer/director of one of 2024’s best films Strange Darling, wrote the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Long Walk, another Lionsgate picture slated for release. Constantine director Francis Lawrence helms the film, which stars Cooper Hoffman. 

Arguably the studio’s biggest franchise – The Hunger Games – will be a fixture of Lionsgate’s presentation. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is set to hit theaters on November 20, 2026 and is a prequel to the events of the original The Hunger Games series.

At last year’s CinemaCon, another installment in The Blair Witch Project franchise was announced as coming from Lionsgate and Blumhouse Productions. More news about this found footage horror flick could be on the horizon.

Lionsgate and Luca Guadagnino are also developing a reimagining of American Psycho, another film that will likely be discussed at the presentation, in addition to a new Highlander movie, a theatrical adaptation of Naruto, and a movie inspired by the board game Monopoly.

Warner Bros.’ “The Big Picture” Presentation

Later in the day on April 1, starting at 4:30pm local time, is Warner Bros’ presentation, aptly titled “The Big Picture.” 

Releasing just one day after CinemaCon 2025 concludes, the live-action Minecraft movie will almost certainly be mentioned at this year’s convention. 

April 2025 also sees the release of Ryan Coogler’s vampire film Sinners starring Michael B. Jordan, another film highly likely to feature at CinemaCon (probably in the form of an extended trailer or a collection of scenes). 

The long-awaited next installment in the Final Destination franchise is slated for release on May 16, 2025. With the release right around the corner, Warner Bros. may be eager to show more of the film off after a teaser trailer and poster dropped earlier this year.

Similarly horror-flavored is The Bride!, a reimagining of Bride of Frankenstein by writer/director Maggie Gyllenhaal. The new Warner Bros. release hits theaters on September 26, 2025 and it’s a safe bet that the film will feature at CinemaCon.

Essentially confirmed to play a massive role in Warner Bros.’ presentation is James Gunn’s Superman. The first film in the re-imagined DCU is arguably the studio’s most anticipated (and most important) movie on the horizon. It marks the first solo Superman movie in over a decade and will kick start what the studio hopes to be a sprawling array of other DC movies, including Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. CinemaCon will probably be the home to a new trailer and footage from Superman, in addition to news about other DCU projects and possibly early footage from Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

A decidedly different flavor of film than Superman, One Battle After Another is the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie that hits theaters this August. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Regina Hall, not much is known of this movie, although that is likely to change after CinemaCon 2025.

The final installment in The Conjuring franchise (titled The Conjuring: Last Rites) and the sequel to Mortal Kombat will hit theaters this fall and will likely have some kind of footage screened to the CinemaCon crowd.

One of our most anticipated movies on the horizon is Weapons, which comes from Barbarian writer/director Zach Cregger. The film has already wrapped filming and, ahead of its January 2026 release, will probably be something Warner Bros. wants to show off to a crowd of press and movie theater industry experts.

Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, a new animated The Cat in the Hat, Andy Serkis’ The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and Alejandro Iñárritu’s new Tom Cruise-led film will also all likely feature in one way or another during “The Big Picture.” 

April 2

Screening over two months prior to its theatrical release, the live-action remake of How to Make Your Dragon will have an exclusive screening at CinemaCon 2025 on the morning of April 2.

Universal Pictures and Focus Features’ Presentation

In the afternoon, Universal Pictures and Focus Features invite the audience to a special presentation featuring footage from their upcoming slate, covered in our CinemaCon 2025 Preview below.

Right around the corner for the studio is Drop, an exciting psychological thriller from Blumhouse Productions that releases April 11, 2025. Almost certainly, the film will be presented in some way at CinemaCon.

In addition to How to Train Your Dragon, Universal will also release M3GAN 2.0, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Bad Guys 2, and Nobody 2 this summer. The collection of sequels are all films tailor-made for CinemaCon. Trailers and/or exclusive footage from these films are expected.

The sports and horror genres rarely (if ever) intersect, but they will this September with the release of Him. Starring Marlon Wayans and produced by Jordan Peele, the upcoming film is one of the more unusual and mysterious projects on the horizon for Warner Bros., although we suspect we’ll know more about the film after this CinemaCon presentation.

Also appealing to horror fans will be The Black Phone 2, the sequel to the acclaimed 2021 horror hit from writer/director Scott Derrickson and star Ethan Hawke. The sequel has wrapped filming, meaning a never-before-seen trailer may haunt the crowd at CinemaCon.

Similarly spooky is Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. The sequel to 2023 box office success releases on December 5, 2025 and is currently in production, which indicates early footage may be presented to the crowd.

Information about the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist reboot may also feature in Universal’s presentation.

Animation is also big for Universal. With Minions 3 and Shrek 5 both hitting theaters in 2026, it’s possible we’ll see some of these movies at CinemaCon.

Arguably the most talked about upcoming movie in recent months has been Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Currently in production, Nolan’s next project will star an ensemble cast, including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, and Zendaya. Although the project is still filming, Universal may be eager to showcase some early footage from what will certainly be one of 2026’s biggest films.

Amazon MGM Studios’ Presentation

Closing out the day on April 2 is Amazon MGM Studios, making their CinemaCon debut this year. 

Given the studio hasn’t presented at CinemaCon before, their presentation is a little more up in the air, although we can still speculate as to what it will entail.

The Accountant 2 starring Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal hits theaters later in April and will probably be one of the film’s Amazon MGM Studios kick their presentation off with.

Coming off an incredible year with Challengers and Queer, Luca Guadagnino is back with another film in 2025 that will probably feature during the presentation. After the Hunt stars Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebri, and Andrew Garfield and is described as a psychological thriller about a college professor grappling with her past after her colleague faces a serious accusation. 

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s upcoming epic sci-fi film Project Hail Mary, based on the novel of the same name by Andy Weir, could certainly play a role in Amazon MGM Studios’ presentation. No one has seen anything of the film starring Ryan Gosling and written by Drew Goddard, but CinemaCon could be the perfect place to debut some footage.

Currently in production, Masters of the Universe is one of the most anticipated movies from Amazon MGM Studios on the horizon. Before the film hits theaters on June 5, 2025, early footage may be presented at CinemaCon.

A Jack Ryan movie starring John Krasinski is also currently filming, meaning footage could be presented by the studio. The same could be said for the live-action adaptation of Voltron starring Henry Cavill. 

April 3

Things don’t slow down on CinemaCon’s final day with presentations from Paramount Pictures and Disney, previewed in our CinemaCon 2025 Preview below.

Paramount Pictures’ Presentation

Running from 9:30am to 11:30am local time on April 3, Paramount Pictures’ exclusive presentation of its upcoming slate will likely heavily feature Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Purported to be the final installment in the beloved action movie franchise, The Final Reckoning hits theaters on May 23, 2025.

A relatively light summer for Paramount sees the release of a Trey Parker and Kendrick Lamar movie in July. Not much is known of the film (not even the title), but this is very likely to change by the time CinemaCon comes around.

Rihanna stars in a reimagining of The Smurfs, which hits theaters on July 18. Expect a new trailer and perhaps some scenes from that movie.

Liam Neeson takes over from Leslie Nielsen for a remake of The Naked Gun, another movie we haven’t seen anything of. With an impending release on August 1, 2025, the film may feature in Paramount’s presentation.

Edgar Wright writes and directs a remake of The Running Man starring Glen Powell, which hits theaters on November 7, 2025. With production reportedly almost complete, footage from the film is likely to debut at CinemaCon.

2026 will see the release of new installments in the Scream and Scary Movie franchise (which is funny given the original Scary Movie was a parody of Scream). Although Scary Movie 6 has not started production, Scream 7 has, indicating we may get a first look at the film at CinemaCon.

Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie and a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem crash into theaters in the summer and fall of 2026 respectively. With both films in production, there is a possibility we could catch a glimpse of what these animated ventures have in store.

Disney’s Presentation

At CinemaCon 2024, Disney presented arguably the most diverse slate of upcoming movies. From gory sci-fi horror like Alien: Romulus to family friendly films like Inside Out 2 (and everything in between), Disney had something for everyone last year, and this year’s CinemaCon presentation is shaping up to be the same when it kicks off at 2:30pm local time.

Inevitably, Marvel will play a big role during CinemaCon’s presentation. This means new footage from Thunderbolts* (releasing May 2, 2025) and The Fantastic Four: First Steps (releasing July 25, 2025) feel inevitable. It’s probably too early for any footage from Avengers: Doomsday to be presented though, although the film may be discussed.

Disney is also bringing Star Wars back to the big screen soon with The Mandalorian and Grogu in 2026. Having wrapped production quite a while ago now, the studio will almost certainly present some footage (perhaps the trailer from D23 2024) to the CinemaCon crowd. With another Star Wars movie helmed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling on the horizon, it is also possible that information about this and other Star Wars movies are revealed too.

The third installment in James Cameron’s Avatar franchise—Avatar: Fire and Ash—hits theaters on December 19, 2025, and Disney will surely love to show off what they have in store here. 

Before Avatar though, there is Tron: Ares hitting theaters on October 10, 2025. The film starring Jared Leto and Evan Peters was part of Disney’s big presentation at D23 last year and will likely play a role in their CinemaCon presentation this April.

This autumn also sees the release of Predator: Badlands, written and directed by Prey filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg. The film stars Elle Fanning and, unlike Prey, is set in the future. Given how amazing Prey was, Disney may be eager to display what’s next from Trachtenberg in the Predator franchise.

Trading violent creatures for friendlier ones, Zootopia 2 also hits theaters this fall. Expect some new footage from this film to premiere at CinemaCon.

Toy Story 5 and Ice Age 6 are animated sequels currently in production that may feature in Disney’s presentation. Both films release in 2026. Meanwhile, Pixar’s Hoppers debuts on March 6, 2026 and, after being formally announced at D23 2024, will likely feature in Disney’s CinemaCon presentation this year.

Speaking of animation, the live-action adaptation of the animated blockbuster Moana hits theaters on July 10, 2026, meaning CinemaCon could be a perfect place to present footage from the movie (which is now in post-production).

Wrap-Up

CinemaCon 2025 wraps up with the “Big Screen Achievement Awards,” which honor particular filmmakers and actors who have contributed significantly to the moviegoing experience. After that, the convention is over and everyone is left with a multitude of exciting movies to anticipate and a burning desire to return to a movie theater. 

In a day and age in which streaming grows ever more prominent and interest in the theatrical moviegoing experience dwindles, CinemaCon is a reminder of just how impactful this medium can be.