Day two of CinemaCon 2023 promised to be an exciting but lighter day. Besides the State of the Industry presentation that ran for two hours in the morning, there was only one studio presentation today that concluded right before lunch. Then just around dinnertime, attendees packed the coliseum for a special, first public screening of DC Comic's The Flash, followed by a party sponsored by Fandango. All in all, it was a day of RRR - reiterating to the crowd that the movie industry, especially movie theaters, were solvent, remembering an industry leader, and relaxing during a screening of one of the year's most anticipated and controversial films of the year.
Continuing the theme set on day one of CinemaCon 2023, all of the speakers touted impressive statistics which validated the theory that the recovery of movie theaters is here. They lauded such films as Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick as getting scores of people back into theaters. They also addressed the elephant in the room a.k.a streaming services, and, offered commentary about theaters' need for cooperation and partnership from streaming platforms. Finally, they looked forward to discussing some of the amazing movies headed to theaters in 2023.
After a short break, Warner Bros. Studios began their presentation with a video celebrating some of the incredible films they have made over the last 100 years. From Casablanca to The Harry Potter saga and A Streetcar Named Desire to the DC Comics Universe, they have been creating amazing content for audiences to enjoy. On a sadder note, members of the industry and Warner Bros. Mourned the loss of MGM head Erik Lomis who they described as a leader in the industry as well as a champion for movies and a genuinely nice person.
Then Warner Bros. began their slate of some of the sixteen films they will offer throughout the rest of 2023 and they started things off with Producer Oprah Winfrey interviewing the cast and director of a reimagined version of The Color Purple. Speaking of color, next up Presidents of both Domestic and International Distribution Jeff Goldstein and Andrew Cripps, respectively, walked on stage donning bright Pink suits and ties to introduce the cast and an extended trailer of the new Barbie movie.
Timothée Chamalet has two film offerings through Warner Bros. In 2023 and he came onstage first to discuss Wonka, a prequel to the Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp versions of the character. The movie looks interesting and I think Chamalet is well cast however, the best moment of the sizzle reel was when Wonka meets an Oompa Loompa played brilliantly by Hugh Grant. Next, we were treated to quick looks at two sequels coming up - The Meg 2 and Nun II, both of which looked scary for different reasons.
Once again Warner returned Timothée Chamalet to the stage with his Dune Part Two costar, Zendaya, and the film's Director Denis Villeneuve. Amazing visuals highlighted Paul Atreides riding a sandworm in what looks to be the epic conclusion of this version of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel. Based on the success of Part I, it seems Warner Bros. has high expectations of this second film.
Finally, the presentation ended with the DCU and looks at Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Blue Beetle, and, of course, The Flash. All three films look terrific and should surely bring in huge revenues for the Studio. Last but not least, Warner Bros. showed the first public screening of The Flash to a packed house at the Coliseum that ended with thunderous applause as the credits rolled. While I can't talk about the movie, I can tell you the movie was great but I'm not sure it will launch the rebirth of the DCU as Warner is hoping it will.
Stay tuned for our day three coverage including the Disney and Universal Studios presentations, plus a screening of The Boogeyman.
Photo Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images for CinemaCon
