Last week, Gizmodo was on the ground in Las Vegas for CinemaCon 2021, a convention for movie theatre owners. Basically, it’s a week for movie studios and technology companies to get those folks excited for what’s to come, both on the screen and around it. Each year, studios bring exclusive footage and presentations and though we haven’t gone anywhere in a while, with required vaccinations and fully masked participation, we decided to check it out. Today we’re ranking our favourite moments.
What was previewed at CinemaCon 2021?
13. Uncharted sneak peek
Sony revealed a few quick shots from its upcoming adaptation of the Uncharted video game. You can read about it here. Directed by Ruben Fleischer and starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, the film is scheduled for release on February 18, 2022.
12. 10 minutes from No Time to Die
We saw an extended, 10-minute clip from the long-awaited James Bond movie No Time to Die, starring Daniel Craig and set for release in the U.S. October 8. It was action-packed to the max. Read about it here.
11. Samaritan trailer
Next summer, Sylvester Stallone stars in Samaratin as Samaratin, a former superhero who retires and is forced back into action. A trailer was shown that had a very gritty feel. Highlights included Stallone running through bullets with a massive sledgehammer and getting hit by a car, only to fully heal while laying on the ground. This one could be very cool when it opens next August.
10. A new look at DC’s The Batman
There wasn’t a lot of new footage from The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, mainly just a replay of last year’s first trailer (seen above), but scattered among a few new shots were quotes from writer-director Matt Reeves saying he believes this is the most emotional Batman movie ever. It’ll be released March 4, 2022.
9. More Halloween Kills
After the first trailer for Halloween Kills, I don’t want to see any more. It gives away so much. And yet, new footage was screened at CinemaCon that was even better and, somehow, even more spoilery. It really focused on how, in this film, the whole town is teaming up to take down Michael, lead by his former victims. The footage ended with someone (maybe Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode) desperately trying to rip Michael’s mask off. Halloween Kills is out October 15.
8. A first look at The Northman
Robert Eggers is a heck of a filmmaker. The Witch. The Lighthouse. And his new film, The Northman, which is about Vikings. It won’t be out until next year but seems like it could top them both. CinemaCon saw the first footage from the film and the best way to describe it was The Witch meets Braveheart. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, and Anya Taylor-Joy, among others, and will open April 8, 2022.
7. The Black Phone is revealed
The latest film from the team behind Sinister stars Ethan Hawke and is based on a Joe Hill story. It comes out next year and we dove into the details at this link.
6. Jurassic World: Dominion unleashed
IMAX audiences have seen the opening of Jurassic World: Dominion, out next year, but CinemaCon was shown even more footage that looked like a Jurassic Park movie crossed with Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Jason Bourne. Read our write-up here. The film, which unites Jurassic World stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard with Jurassic Park stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum, roars into theatres June 10, 2022.
5. The opening of Top Gun Maverick
Top Gun Maverick isn’t really an Gizmodo movie but I don’t care, I have to tell you about it. Paramount showed the film’s first 10-15 minutes which included the opening credits and first scene. As a die-hard, long-time Top Gun fan, I think it was perfect. The opening credits are exactly like the original. The text, the font, the music, “Danger Zone,” and then the film goes into its first scene with Maverick (Tom Cruise) flying a supersonic jet Mach 10 and then being mistaken for an alien. Oh, hey, maybe it is an Gizmodo movie! Maverick opens November 19.
4. An epic Mission Impossible 7 stunt
Speaking of Tom Cruise, he can apparently fly even without one of those Top Gun planes. Or at least it will appear that way when Mission Impossible 7 opens next summer. Paramount showed a video of Cruise attempting his latest, greatest stunt for the action franchise which consists of driving a motorcycle off a cliff, free-falling, and then pulling a parachute. MI:7 brings back Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby, among others, and you can read many more details about the stunt here.
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer
This is only footage on this list that was actually released to the public, so that’s why it’s a few slots below the next two things. You can check out the Sony/Marvel trailer above if you missed it and check out our in-depth breakdown here. No Way Home stars Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zendaya, and others, and opens December 17.
2. The Matrix Resurrections
CinemaCon saw not just the first official confirmation of the title to the upcoming fourth Matrix movie, but a screening of the first footage, which has a lot in common with the 1999 original. Written and directed by Lana Wachowski, it’s called The Matrix Resurrections and it stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss along with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, and more. It opens December 22 and you can read all about the footage here.
1. All of Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Sony Pictures surprised everyone at CinemaCon by screening, in its entirety, November’s highly anticipated Ghostbusters: Afterlife, directed by Jason Reitman and starring McKenna Grace, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, and Finn Wolfhard. Seeing a movie that I’m very excited for — three months early (it opens November 11) and completely spoiler-free — was simply magic. I’m not allowed to say much more than that but you can read some general reactions here.
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Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.
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