by Rosa Parra
Cinemacon is approaching quickly. Over four days, theater owners are the main audience for this convention, which features new technological innovations, but the highlight is the presentations from movie studios. This year, Lionsgate will skip the convention itself but will still be present on-site. Here is the schedule and what to expect from Slant’s upcoming coverage.
On Monday, April 13, the event officially begins with the first film showcase featuring Angel Studios, Sony Pictures Classics, and making its Cinemacon debut, StudioCanal, Europe’s leading independent film studio operating in nine markets: Austria, Benelux, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Spain, and the UK. The day will end with a broader presentation from Sony Pictures, which has a slate including Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Evil Dead Burns, The Breadwinner, Insidious: The Bleeding World, The Social Reckoning, Archangel, and an untitled Jumanji sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level.
On Tuesday, April 14, Neon and Warner Bros. will be featured. Neon’s upcoming slate is noteworthy, as it has distributed past Best Picture winners. Their lineup includes Hokum and I Love Boosters. Warner Bros. will present highlights amid ongoing drama involving Paramount and Netflix. Anticipated presentations include Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, Mortal Kombat II, Supergirl, Cut Off, Evil Dead Burn, The End of Oak Street, Practical Magic 2, Digger, Clayface, The Cat in the Hat, The Great Beyond, and possibly Dune: Part 3.
Wednesday, April 15, begins with the first screening of DreamWorks’ upcoming animated film, Forgotten Island—a trailer I recently saw looks fantastic. Later, Universal and Focus Features will showcase previews from films like Disclosure Day, Minions & Monsters, The Odyssey, Forgotten Island, Other Mommy, Focker-In-Law, and Violent Night 2. Focus Features may also reveal trailers for Obsession, Pressure, Girls Like Girls, Finding Emily, Sense and Sensibility, and Werwulf. The day concludes with Amazon’s MGM Studios presentation.
Finally, Thursday, April 16, wraps up Cinemacon with Paramount’s showcase. The lineup may not be the most impressive this year, especially considering recent matters with WB. Upcoming titles include Scary Movie, a Paw Patrol film, Street Fighter, and Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Later, Disney will present its final major showcase. Disney’s lineup is typically extensive, divided by studio and genre—Searchlight, MCU, Star Wars, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation—with titles like The Devil Wears Prada 2, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Live Action Moana, Avengers: Doomsday, Ice Age 6, and Toy Story 5.
After the big studio presentations the convention will conclude with the “Big Screen Achievement Awards”, whose recipients are still to be announced.
Overall, 2026 looks promising with a diverse range of big-budget blockbusters and films by legendary directors across all genres and styles. I am especially eager to see Disney and Warner Bros.’ presentations.