Day four of Cinemacon started out with the Paramount Pictures presentation at 10:00 am. A quick video of a clip of Johnny Knoxville was shown doing a computerized Jackass stunt over Caesars Palace. It was at this point that Chris Aronson, President, Domestic Distribution appeared on stage in the same rocket used for the Jackass stunt video.
After a brief introduction, Paramount showed everyone a quick look at The Lost City. This was followed by a video from Tom Cruise offering insight into the setup for Mission: Impossible 7. The audience was then treated to a featurette showing the amazing new motorcycle / base-jump and how it was filmed.
Next up was the true treat of the Paramount presentation. Thirteen minutes of the new Top Gun: Maverick movie followed by a new trailer. The footage showed how fans, both old and new, are the target audience of the film making sure there was enough nostalgia while keeping the story fresh and updated. Our on-the-ground convention-goer, Nathan Rose (@movieguynathan), stated it simply - "I got chills".
With everyone on an emotional high after the Top Gun: Maverick footage, an announcement was made that Clifford: The Big Red Dog would be screened. Noticeably absent was any news or footage for the brand new Scream 5 or Sonic The Hedgehog 2 films.
Lionsgate closed out this year's Cinemacon presentations with a look at their upcoming slate of films for the rest of 2021 and some for 2022. This included sizzle reels for American Underdog: The Kurt Warner story (slated for a Christmas Day release), The Unbreakable Boy, The Jesus Music, Moonfall, The Devil's Light, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Borderlands, five seconds of John Wick 4, White Bird, A Wonder Story, Cobweb, and Are You There God? It's Me, Margret.
Lionsgate certainly did bring the most films to the convention this year. Aside from the sizzle reels they also included footage from Moonfall and American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story. Moonfall looks like it will be an intense thriller, and American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story definitely looks as if it could be a contender for some awards.
The sizzle reel for The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, a film in which Nicolas Cage (Face/Off) plays himself alongside Neil Patrick Harris (Matrix Resurrections) and Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), had the entire coliseum roaring with laughter
At 4:00 PM PST, the studio presentations were over. Cinemacon 2021 is now in the books (minus an evening big screen achievement awards dinner). This year was definitely an odd mix and the "vibe" was more low-key since COVID-19 is still hanging around. A lot more sizzle reels, no Hollywood celebrities, and a feeling of joy that the theatrical movie experience is coming back slowly to the world.
Highlights this year included the unexpected showing of Ghostbuster: Afterlife which both our on-the-ground crew members (Nathan Rose (@movieguynathan), Austin Putnam (@austinpputnam) can't stop singing praises about, Universal Studios / Focus Features panel, the sizzle real for Matrix Resurrections, and the unbelievable first thirteen minutes of Top Gun: Maverick.
Thank you everyone for following our coverage this year. See everyone at next year's Cinemacon April 23rd thru 25th, 2022.
For more coverage of Cinemacon 2021 read our recipes of Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.
