A Look Back At The Final Day of Cinemacon 2019

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The final day of Cinemacon 2019 proved to be one of the best with presentations from Paramount and Lionsgate.  While not the largest studios they managed to offer slates that seem both interesting and diverse. Their presentations were also entertaining and offered much in the way of enjoyment and thrills.  From newcomers to the big screen to Hollywood legends they excited the audience with glimpses of what is to come later this year.

The day started off with Paramount and as per their usual fare, they began with a skit between the President of Domestic Distribution Kyle Davies, and Chairman Jim Gianopulos. As in past years, we saw a taped segment of Gianopulos valiantly attempting to make it to Las Vegas on time for the presentation.  He ends up in a series of hilarious situations proving that Paramount has a sense of humor.

The first film they presented to theater owners was the anticipated movie about Sir Elton John called Rocketman.  Star Taron Edgerton and Director Dexter Fletcher spoke about the challenges of the film and John's involvement before showing a clip of the film.  Following that came a horror movie called Crawl.  Set in Florida, it takes place during a hurricane (of course) where a young woman tries to save herself and her father from deadly alligators. Then Eva Longoria, Michael Pena, Eugenio Derbez, and Isabella Moner graced the stage to discuss Dora and the Lost City of Gold before showing an extended trailer.

One of the highlights of the studio's presentation came when Director Tim Miller introduced the cast of Terminator: Dark Fate.  As each one of the actors walked on stage the excitement in the Coliseum grew until Linda Hamilton appeared followed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The latter then highjacked the presentation and spoke for about ten minutes.  Next up we saw two clips of Sonic the Hedgehog with an intermission between them hilariously narrated by Jim Carrey.

John Cena then came out to discuss his latest project called Playing with Fire.  Finally, we got a highlight reel of work from Director Ang Lee and Will Smith before some behind-the-scenes footage of their new project Gemini Man.  The action/thriller is a unique film that looks like a terrific challenge for Smith and may prove to be some of his best work ever.

The afternoon offered Lionsgate's vision with their slogan "a Home for Artists to Thrive".  President of Domestic Distribution David Spitz and Chairman of the Motion Picture Group Joe Drake spoke to the audience about Midway and Rambo: Last Blood before announcing the studio's deal with Point Grey Entertainment.  The company co-founded by Seth Rogen, Adam Goldberg, and James Weaver will create comedic-based films for the studio.  Next up was Hellboy and David Harbour followed by the beautiful and talented Halle Berry who talked about her involvement in John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum.

In the ever-growing world of faith-based movies, Lionsgate brought information about their latest project, I Still Believe. Based on the life of country singer Jeremy Camp the studio announced that it will star K.J Apa and Gary Sinise.  Jeremy Camp then came out to sing part of the title song.  Rian Johnson then appeared with Jamie Lee Curtis to discuss their Agatha Christie Style whodunnit, Knives Out.  With an all-star cast including Curtis, Christopher Plummer,  Chris Evans, Don Johnson, Daniel Craig, and Toni Collette, the film promises to be an entertaining ride heading to theaters this November.  The presentation finished with Seth Rogan and Charlize Theron coming to the stage to introduce their romantic comedy, Long Shot which was then screened for the audience in its entirety.

The day was a surprise as these studios showed that they can not only compete with the likes of Universal and Disney but, in this case, offer more interesting fare than the other two studios.  Two Thousand and nineteen is going to be a rich year for films and we should expect to see some great stories and blockbusters headed our way before the end of the year.  

Cinemacon 2020 will take place at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada March 30th through April 2nd.