Jeri Jacquin
Every year I look forward to one of the most amazing events
that the city of Las Vegas
CINEMACON is a fascinating gathering of people who have the
chance to be a part of what is up and coming by seeing the trade show and
demonstrations of all things that make their way into theatres. From the latest
innovations in theater sound to the eye catching and stunning capabilities of
the next generation of projection equipment, CINEMACON is a feast for those of
us who love everything that goes behind and in front of the big screen.
Also part of CINEMACON is the anticipated presentations by
the studios that come each year to share with theater owners what will be
coming by way of entertainment for movie lovers of all kinds. For four days,
the excitement builds with each presentation and the studios do not disappoint.
The studios of SONY begins the four day event with their
slate of films that include SUPERFLY with Trevor Jackson and Jason Mitchell,
SICARIO: Day of the Soldado with Benicio Del Toro, THE EQUALIZER 2, WHITE BOY
RICK with Matthew
McConaughey and Jeff Robinov, the highly anticipated VENOM
with Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams, THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB with the
Queen herself Claire Foy and Fede Alvarez, SPIDER-MAN: Into the Spider-Verse,
HOLMES AND WATSON with the beloved Will Ferrell breaking out into song and
finally, MISS BALA with Gina Rodriguez and Anthony Mackie due in theaters
January 25, 2019.
On day two, Disney brings in their line up that includes
many live action stories. Also celebrating the 10 year anniversary for Marvel
Studios beginning with IRON MAN, it is 14.8 billion dollars later and here we
are with AVENGERS: Infinity War. Also coming to theaters is ANT MAN and the
WASP bringing Paul Rudd back to his tiny role in a huge film. Disney also
announced that Brie Larson is the new CAPTAIN MARVEL with a story set in the
90's and will be on the big screen in March 2019.
The live action CHRISTOPHER ROBIN stars Ewan McGregor as
Christopher all grown up and forgetting what it is like to be a child but with
the help of some old friends he might just remember once again. THE NUTCRACKER
AND THE FOUR REALMS brings McKenzie Foy of TWILIGHT fame now playing Clara.
Rounding out the cast is Morgan Freeman, Kiera Knightely and Helen Mirren.
This December is the return of a beloved nanny as Emily
Blunt dons the cap and umbrella for MARY POPPINS RETURNS. Jane and Michael are
now grown and seem to be in need of help that only Mary Poppins can provide.
Look to see a few familiar faces in the cast as well as we all travel once
again to the house on Cherry Tree
Lane
From Pixar and Disney Animation comes the one film I have
been waiting for. Writer and director Brad Bird brings a family of supers back
to fight for us all once again as INCREDIBLES 2 will fill theater seats this
summer on June 15. Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson returns
as Frozone! Wait until you see what Jack-Jack has been up to!
WRECK IT RALPH 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet comes swinging
into theaters for the whole family this fall and you can be sure that the story
will be as epic as the first.
Lucas Films brings the next film with the anticipated SOLO:
A Star Wars Story this May. Ron Howard along with Lawrence and John Kasdan
bring the story of our favorite scruffy-looking-nerf-herder to life. Hopefully
we will get all the answers to Han Solo's life and with Ron Howard at the helm
I am absolutely looking forward to the film.
The future of Disney includes director Kenneth Branagh's
telling of the Eoin Coifer book ARTEMIS FOWL starring Dame Judy Dench, Josh Gad
and Lara McDonnell. Anna and Elsa return in FROZEN 2 in the fall of 2019 and
finally THE LION KING will bring the return of James Earl Jones as Mufasa to
this live action film.
WARNER BROS. pictures bring Will Arnett out to introduce
their coming films starting with AQUAMAN as Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard and
Patrick Wilson join director James Wan to talk about the underwater thrill ride
to come. Also announced is the coming of SHAZAM and the next installment of
WONDER WOMAN.
Melissa McCarthy is set to be the LIFE OF THE PARTY hitting
theaters May 11th, OCEANS 8 brings its bevy of beauties with Sandra Bullock at
the helm, TAG has Ed Helm, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Jake Johnson and Hannibal
Buress playing the adult version of the game and Jason Statham prepares for
what swims big in the water with THE MEG. If frights are what you are looking
for then this fall beware of THE NUN or perhaps you'd like something a little
more clownish with the return of IT: Chapter 2 due in theaters September 2019.
In animation, Arnett was more than happy to talk about the
upcoming TEEN TITAN GO! TO THE MOVIES and for more animated fun, Channing
Tatum, Zendaya and Common bring SMALL FOOT to families.
CRAZY RICH ASIANS is a film based on the best selling novel
and it proves that perspective mother-in-laws are pretty much the same all over
the world. Andy Serkis brings the live action story of MOWGLI with the voices
of Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch and Matthew Rhys. Bradley Cooper
retells A STAR IS BORN starring himself and Lady GaGa.
FANTASTIC BEASTS: The Crimes of Grindelwald starring Eddie
Redmayne, Jude Law and Johnny Depp is going to make the month of November one
of the most anticipated. Newt Scamander is back at Hogwarts and once again
there is trouble afoot in the wizarding world. That's all I need to say because
the line around the theater is going to be endless!
The studio STX brings Chairman Adam Fogelson center stage to
introduce a film I am excited to see with ADRIFT starring Shailene Woodley and
Sam Claflin coming this June. On the water two people in love find that the
elements aren't always on their side. PEPPERMINT with Jennifer Garner is about
a Mother who refuses to see injustice go unpunished, SECOND ACT has Jennifer
Lopez back on the screen as a woman looking to change her life one more time.
My granddaughter is thrilled to know that UGLY DOLLS will be
making its debut May of 2019 and Melissa McCarthy with husband Ben Falcone are
part of the human-puppet experience with the HAPPY TIME MURDERS.
Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg are together again bringing
Lauren Cohan and Ronda Rousey along for the action thriller MILE 22. It is
clear that Wahlberg and Berg have a partnership that makes for fantastic story
telling as they succeeded in showing us just that with last years films
DEEPWATER HORIZON and PATRIOTS DAY.
Entertainment Studios will be bringing the animated feature
ANIMAL CRACKERS to the entire family voiced by John Krazinski, Emily Blunt,
Danny DeVito and Sylvester Stallone. Also GOD BLESS THIS BROKEN ROAD and BOSS
LEVEL with Mel Gibson. Finally, the return of a guilty pleasure as the sharks
have another go at 47 METERS DOWN 2.
UNIVERSAL PICTURES brings Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish
together for a little NIGHT SCHOOL. Hart also says he will be returning as
Snowball in SNOWBALL: THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2. Founder of Illumination Chris
Meledandri promises the return of our favorite overhaul wearing little people
in MINIONS RETURN and another SING film. Benedict Cumberbatch will be the voice
of THE GRINCH in this telling of his life again.
Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy and director Damien Chazelle bring
the story of Neil Armstrong in the film FIRST MAN. Jack Black, Eli Roth and
Cate Blanchett bring the Amblin Entertainment film THE HOUSE WITH THE CLOCK IN
ITS WALLS. It looks to be quite the story! Director Gerard McMurray return to
bring another Fourth of July chapter of THE FIRST PURGE. Peter Jackson brings
his next epic story with MORTAL ENGINES this December.
Laurie Strode is back forty years later as Michael Meyers
isn't quite done with Haddonfield in HALLOWEEN. Jamie Lee Curtis says the film
is 'hella scary' with the promise that it will scare us all beyond belief.
Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan is bringing Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson
and James McAvoy together for a final showdown in the film GLASS. Jackson
For Toothless fans out there of which I'm sure there are
many, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: The Hidden World will be dazzling us with all
things dragon from DreamWorks in March of 2019.
Dwayne Johnson brings another high intensity action film
reminding us all what fun those can be in a theater with SKYSCRAPER. He says
that SKYSCRAPER will be an experience that audiences will remember and also
says that when fans love it, "I'm going to take complete credit" in a
joking way that only Johnson can do.
MAMA MIA! Here We Go Again brings the sites of the Greek Isles
along with the music of Abba in this next installment. The story brings Sophie,
played by Amanda Seyfried, on a journey to learn about her mother Donna in her
younger years played by Lily James. Mixing the present with the past, MAMA MIA!
Here We Go Again will have audiences cheering once again as well. I will admit
I went full on squeal-fan when Cher came to
the Colusseum stage and performed the Abba song Fernando. It was an experience that the audience will never forget
– ever!
Finally, JURASSIC WORLD: Fallen Kingdom brings Chris Pratt
and Bryce Dallas Howard center stage to talk about the film. Pratt promises
that it is going to be a good summer but I have to say that anytime dinosaurs
are around, it's going to be epic! I'm sort of thrilled that Blue comes back in
this film; I always like a dinosaur that makes that kind of impact in a film.
Focus Features brings Charlize Theron in a film that I know
should be seen by any woman who gets the chaos of family life in the film
TULLY. I absolutely love this film. Also coming from the studio is POPE
FRANCIS: A Man of His Word and a film about a man we all know as Mr. Rogers in
WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR.
Domhnall Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Ruth Wilson and Will
Poulter star in THE LITTLE STRANGER and Rowan Atkinson is back with JOHNNY
ENGLISH
STRIKES AGAIN. Felicity Jones and Mimi Leder talk ON THE
BASIS OF SEX as Ms. Jones compares her character to Rocky! Joel Edgerton and
Lucas Hedges star in BOY ERASED. Finally, Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie are
two fierce queens in the film MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. I personally am looking so
forward to seeing these two actresses go all out regal.
Paramount Pictures brings it's slate and talent beginning
with Hailee Steinfelt and John Cena in BUMBLEBEE directed by Travis Knight. His
resume is pretty impressive with the films CORALINE, BOXTROLLS, PARANORMAN and
my favorite KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS.
When these four women come to the stage, you know the film
has got to be epic! Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen and Diane
Keaton are lovely ladies deciding if there are more chapters to their lives in
THE BOOKCLUB. Also coming from Paramount
Taraji P. Henson thinks she knows WHAT MEN WANT, director Sean
Anders brings Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne together to make an INSTANT FAMILY,
Will
Smith is the GEMINI MAN and Linda Hamilton along with Arnold
Schwarzenegger return for another TERMINATOR. In animation there is WONDER PARK
Also in the works from Paramount Pictures is TOP GUN 2, PET
CEMETARY, and ACTION POINT with Johnny Knoxville as an amusement park owner
with a business that is disturbingly amusing! Also J.J. Abrams brings the first
R-rated film from the company Bad Robot with the title of OVERLORD. Abrams
calls the film 'batsh*t crazy!'
Tom Cruise is back with Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Rebecca
Ferguson in MISSION
20th Century Fox knows how to start out a presentation as
dancers with the Deadpool theme give the audience a morning of song and dance,
Chris Aronson get caught between the sheets because what happens in Vegas stays
in Vegas. ALITA: Battle
THE HATE U GIVE and THE DARKEST MINDS bring the YA film
genre front and center. BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE stars Jeff Bridges, Jon
Hamm, Chris Hemsworth and Dakota Johnson in an eerie tale that I have just got
to see. WIDOWS brings together four women and the only thing they have in
common is death and debt starring Viola Davis.
THE PREDATOR is back in the hands of director Shake Black
starring Olivia Munn and Sterling K. Brown. Rami Malek has a chance to bring
back one of the most iconic performers in music history as Freddy Mercury in
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY.
Amazon Studios brings their slate and the story of John
Callahan as Joaquin Phoenix, Jack Black and Jonah Hill bring Gus Van Sant
together for DON'T WORRY HE WON'T GET FAR ON FOOT. The documentary GENERATION WEALTH might have a
few people's jaws dropping as director Lauren Greenfield surmises that 'No
matter how much people have, they want more' PETERLOO brings a story of the
1819 massacre by British forces against a peaceful pro-democracy rally in
Manchester.
Also, Pawel Pawlikowski's work COLD WAR, Rosamund Pike as
Madame Curie in RADIOACTIVE, PHOTOGRAPH, Viola Davis and Allison Janney in
TROUPE ZERO, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones in THE AERONAUTS, and Luca
Gudagnino's retelling of SUSPIRIA starring Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson.
Steve Carell and Timothy Chalamet bring director Felix Van Groeningen's story
of a troubled but BEAUTIFUL BOY.
The final presentation of CINEMACON 2018 is Lionsgate's
offering beginning with UNCLE DREW starring Lil Rel, Tiffany Haddish and Shaq,
BLINDSPOTTING, Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon in THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, KIN
starring Dennis Quaid and James Franco, HELL FEST, A SIMPLE FAVOR and the
retelling of OVERBOARD with Ana Faris and Eugenio Derbez.
It was an adventurous, exciting, enlightening, fun and
entertaining four days of CINEMACON 2018 and I expect no less. Every year the
gathering of industry and theater owners brings so much that it really is a
whirl wind to experience it all. I'd like to thank everyone responsible for
putting this convention together for all their hard work and dedication to
making the yearly trek into the desert something to always look forward to.
Every year I have the opportunity to see amazing friends I
have made over the years and meet new people who bring ideas, creativity and
technology all wrapped up in entertainment.
There are so many films coming this year and a slew more in
2019! We will be in the seats to see them all because that is where great
experiences and great adventures are meant to be seen - in your local theater!
Enjoy it all with a huge tub of popcorn and an ice cold beverage with your
friends, family or just a big theater full of people who go to the movies for
the same reason you do!
See you in 2019!
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