Warner Bros. puts on a starry CinemaCon show with Cruise, Kidman,
Bullock, Zendaya and Chalamet
[April 15, 2026]
By LINDSEY BAHR
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Warner Bros. put on a big show hyping their upcoming
films for theater owners Tuesday in Las Vegas, with the help of stars
like Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Sandra
Bullock and Jason Momoa.
The audience at CinemaCon got previews of J.J. Abrams' original science
fiction thriller “The Great Beyond,” with Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega,
Cruise with a potbelly in “Digger,” the Owens sisters in “Practical
Magic 2,” Milly Alcock’s “Supergirl” in an intergalactic fight and the
first seven minutes of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three.”
Villeneuve said this third film is a “thriller” that is “more intense
and definitely more emotional” than the previous films, while Chalamet
spoke about how his character has become his worst vision 17 years after
“Part Two.”
The studio saved “Dune: Part Three” for the epic finale, but there were
highlights throughout the nearly two and a half hour showcase.
Bullock even got Kidman to say her iconic AMC Theaters line, “we come to
this place for magic,” which she reluctantly did to much applause in the
room of exhibitors.
“I didn’t think anyone would clap,” Kidman said with a laugh.
The two reunite for the “Practical Magic” sequel, which opens in
September.
Earlier in the presentation, Cruise also got a big reception from the
audience in a rare standing ovation as a devoted and vocal advocate of
the big screen experience. This time he doesn’t have a “Top Gun” or a
“Mission: Impossible,” but a boisterous satire in Alejandro G.
Ińárritu’s “Digger,” opening in October.
“The movie is wild. It’s funny,” said Cruise.
Ińárritu called Cruise’s performance “a high-wire act.”
“We know that he’s fearless — the stunts, the planes, the jumps — but I
have to say embodying this character, this is another kind of fearless,”
Ińárritu said. “This role could possibly be the most challenging.”
‘Originality is not risky’
Pam Abdy and Mike DeLuca, the co-chairs and CEOs of the studio’s motion
picture group, kicked off the presentation reflecting on their successes
since coming into the job in 2022 and their vision for the future with a
mix of franchises and original films.
The studio is coming off a banner year, with over $4.4 billion in global
box office with hits like “Sinners,” “A Minecraft Movie” and “Weapons,”
and multiple Oscar wins, including best picture and best director for
“One Battle After Another” as well as best actor for Michael B. Jordan.
“Originality is not risky,” DeLuca said. “Derivative sameness is.”
Abdy noted that not everything is going to work, either, but that just
comes with taking big swings. One thing they’re especially optimistic
about is Generation Alpha’s enthusiasm for the movie theater experience.
“We are at a crucial, critical moment in time with this audience,” Abdy
said. “The Letterboxd generation is only growing.”
They announced that Warner Bros. will be releasing Sean Baker’s
follow-up to “Anora,” “TI AMO!” under their new label Clockwork next
year.
There was also a breakneck video rundown of their 2027 releases, with
stars and filmmakers getting about 30 seconds each, often from set, to
tease their films: Margot Robbie on her “Ocean’s” prequel set in 1962;
Keanu Reeves, floating in the water in the Dominican Republic, on
getting eaten by sharks in “Shiver”; Gollum being, well, Gollum; and
Nancy Meyers on the set of her romantic comedy that she called “a bit of
a love letter to the world of making movies.”
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Cast members Sandra Bullock, left, and Nicole Kidman of the upcoming
film "Practical Magic 2" speak during the Warner Bros. presentation
at CinemaCon on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at Caesars Palace in Las
Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
 The Paramount question
This year is not just business as usual, with its pending
acquisition by another legacy studio, Paramount, looming.
Both Villeneuve and Abrams were among the over 1,000 signers of an
open letter published Monday to a website called BlocktheMerger.com.
Some attendees at the convention have also been wearing #blockthemerger
pins as well.
Nothing was discussed from the stage Tuesday. Warner Bros. Discovery
CEO David Zaslav did not make an appearance during the program
either. But it's something that's on the minds of many at the
convention.
Greg Marcus, whose company's Marcus Theaters is the fourth largest
theater circuit in the United States with 78 locations in 17 states
told The Associated Press on Monday that he was concerned as well
for what it means for moviegoers and the price of tickets.
“The concentration of power at the studio level has allowed them to
raise the cost of going to the movies to the consumer quite
significantly,” Marcus said. “Our margins are no better. We’re not
making more money. And yet the cost to the consumer has far outpaced
inflation.”
Michael O’Leary, the president and CEO of the movie theater trade
organization, reiterated his group’s opposition to the merger
Tuesday morning.
“Consolidation results in fewer films being produced for movie
theaters,” he said. “We believe this transaction will be harmful to
exhibition, consumers and the entire industry.”
O'Leary told reporters that the decision is in the hands of
regulators now.
Not everyone in the business of making and releasing movies is
opposed to a Paramount-owned Warner Bros. James Cameron is, in fact,
a supporter. He also publicly opposed the idea of a Netflix-owned
Warner Bros. because of the possible implications for theaters. But
he doesn't have the same fears with Paramount.
Speaking to the AP last week on behalf of the upcoming big screen
concert film “Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live
in 3D),” which is being released by Paramount, Cameron said “I’m a
supporter of it. I know it’s controversial.”
Cameron worked with Paramount Skydance chair and CEO David Ellison
closely on “Terminator: Dark Fate.” Ellison has promised to grow the
combined Paramount-Warner Bros. slates to some 30 theatrical
releases a year.
“I know David quite well. And I know that he really cares about
movies. And he’s a natural born storyteller and thinks like almost
an old school entrepreneurial producer that was a storyteller that
loves storytelling and loved putting on spectacular shows,” Cameron
said. “He’s the right man for the job to run a major studio, and now
it looks like he’s going to have two of them, you know, swept under
his leadership, which doesn’t bother me at all.”
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