CinemaCon 2024 Recap: Universal Studios Doubles Down on “Wicked,” “Despicable Me 4,” and “Twisters” (Plus “Wicked” Footage Description)

Universal Studios came out on top in 2023 at both the domestic and international box office, so their appearance at CinemaCon felt like a victory lap. Jim Orr (President of Domestic Distribution) and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg (President of International Distribution) kicked off the show with a well-deserved pat on the back and an optimistic message about repeating their success in 2024. Christopher Nolan sent a video greeting thanking exhibitors for helping to make Best Picture-winner Oppenheimer a success in various formats. Based on the presentation, Universal has put a lot of eggs in a few baskets, and a repeat of their 2023 top status feels like it’s largely reliant on the success of just two films – Despicable Me 4 and Wicked. In particular, Wicked’s presence was felt upon entering the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace, which contained new key art outside the doors.

Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri took the stage to thank exhibitors for standing by Migration, allowing the film to have strong wings at the box office. He reaffirmed the studio’s commitment to producing original animated films in addition to sequels, reminding the crowd that a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie is in development for a 2026 release. But this summer, on July 4th, the minions that started it all are back in Despicable Me 4. The familiar voice cast returns alongside new additions Will Farrell, Stephen Colbert, Sofia Vergara, and Joey King. Pharrell Williams is also back at the helm for the music. CinemaCon attendees got to see a full scene from the film, in which Gru, Gru Jr. (the family’s new baby), Gru’s young villain-in-training protege, and two Minions break into a palatial school to steal its mascot, a real honey badger, and nothing goes according to plan.

Also this July, Universal seeks to whip up another box office storm with Twisters (domestically distributed by Universal, internationally by Warner Bros.). Director Lee Isaac Chung described the spell the 1996 film had him under when he was growing up in Arkansas, which was no stranger to cyclones. His goal was to make the storm chaser sequel as joyous and fun as possible while still leaning into the real science of these weather phenomena. Lee Isaac Chung then yielded the stage to stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, and Glen Powell, who talked about the fun they had on set with all the special effects. Daisy forced Anthony and Glen to give the audience a live demonstration, with assistants bringing on two large fans, spray bottles, bags of leaves, and an inflatable cow to launch at her costars. The work-in-progress footage gave us a taste of the interesting dynamic between the three leads. Glen Powell plays a rodeo cowboy and viral storm chaser, while Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos are scientists with the goal of deploying Dorothy III into a cyclone. And true to the film’s plural title, in one scene, they were shocked to see a twister split in two, creating twins – Twisters.

Universal continues to work with Blumhouse Productions, announcing a sequel to Five Nights at Freddy’s for 2025 before showcasing a first-look teaser at Wolf Man (Coming January 17th, 2025) starring Christopher Abbott and Jennifer Garner. The film comes from Leigh Whannell, whose other adaptation of a Universal Classic Monster property, The Invisible Man, was a success. Next, director James Watkin appeared to introduce the first trailer for Speak No Evil, coming to theaters on Friday, September 13th.

Focus Features Chairman Peter Kujawski briefly introduced four trailers: the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black (May 17th), the motorcycle gang drama The Bikeriders (June 21st), the religious thriller Conclave (November 1st), and Robert Eggers’ adaptation of Nosferatu (December 25th).

DreamWorks Animation President Margie Cohn thanked exhibitors for helping to make Kung Fu Panda 4 one of the biggest movies of the year so far, and the animation studio’s third franchise to cross the $4 billion mark globally. Next on the horizon is The Wild Robot from director Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon), who took the stage alongside star Lupita Nyong'o. Inspired by Peter Brown’s children’s book of the same name, the film follows Roz, a robot programmed to help humans. Roz accidentally ends up on an island inhabited solely by animals, making it difficult to fulfill her mission. When a baby bird imprints on Roz, she finds herself doing what every first-time parent does – winging it. CinemaCon attendees got to see a trailer for the film, which looks like it delivers on Sanders’ winning mix of quirk and heart. The voice cast also includes Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Kit Connor, and Mark Hamill.

Held for the finale, but continuously teased throughout the showcase, it was finally time for a look at Wicked, Universal’s two-film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz. When we entered the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace, props and costumes from the film were on display. We were given a bulky lanyard to wear that would be activated at some point during the show, and cup holders in the theater contained a battery-operated tulip.

Donna Langley, Chairman of NBCU Studio Group and CCO of NBCUniversal Studio Group, had the honor of initiating the queue to activate this dazzling glow moment. All of the lights changed between pink and green as an overture of Stephen Schwartz’s music from the show transported us from Las Vegas to Oz.

“There’s no place like Oz,” repeated the metallic head of the Wizard on screen, directly addressing the CinemaCon audience before the man behind the curtain was revealed, Jeff Goldblum. He was as delightfully quirky as ever as he welcomed director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc E. Platt to the stage. Platt recounted securing the film rights to Gregory Maguire’s novel and the moment that Stephen Schwartz came to him, begging to let it be adapted as a stage musical first. Chu shared his heartfelt first exposure to the show in its pre-Broadway trial in San Francisco, a moment he got to share with his mother, who had recently won her battle with cancer. He knew then that the show was destined for a film adaptation, but he never thought his dream of being at the helm would come true.

Jon M. Chu’s collaboration with Michelle Yeoh continues in Wicked, and the Oscar-winner jokingly asked why he always puts her in nefarious roles. All kidding aside, she shared how frightened she was to sing as Madame Morrible. Yeoh was also joined by Jonathan Bailey, who plays Fiyero (“FIYEEEEEEROOOOOOOO!”).

Chu discussed the importance of casting the right actors, introducing the film’s lead actresses after sharing how they both claimed the roles of Elphaba and Glinda. Indeed, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande both seemed emotional as they took the stage, standing close and routinely holding hands like best friends supporting one another as they introduced an extended look at the film. Ariana Grande shared the often-told story of her first time seeing Wicked when she was ten years old and how it inspired her. Chu also talked about how Grande was so passionate about the show that when the film script deviated too far, she was the first to step in to make sure they were doing the show justice.

While they all said they would return to CinemaCon next year for a look at the second film, I was surprised to find that the first look footage went beyond Act 1 of the Broadway musical. It’s unclear if that’s an indication that the first film will go beyond “Defying Gravity” or if the showcase was meant to be all-encompassing. If you want to remain spoiler-free, this is your queue to stop reading. But for Wicked fans who are hungry to learn more, here is a description of what we saw and heard.

Wicked First Look Description

We saw the same Elphaba and G(a)linda intro from the teaser trailer (“You’re green!”), followed by the two future witches accidentally becoming roommates. The underscore included instrumentals from “Popular,” plus a few of Ariana Grande’s vocals from the song (she previously transformed into a pop song with Mika). Within a fast-paced montage of clips from Shizz University, we got a first look at Dr. Dillamond, who is a CG character (we didn’t get to hear any of Peter Dinklage’s dialogue or vocAAAAAls). We also saw the moment when Glinda thinks Madame Morrible is calling her forward, and the insane jealousy when she realizes Elphaba has been chosen instead of her.

A brief shot of Fiyero’s arrival gave a hint that the first part of “Dancing Through Life” will be a spectacular number in the film. We then saw Glinda at her vanity getting ready for the Ozzdust Ballroom surrounded by her friends, including Bowen Yang, who is the one to hand her the pointed black hat along with the idea to give it away (“I don’t hate anyone that much”). Elphaba enters the room and Glinda gets up to give her the hat. The moment didn’t appear to be sung the way it is in the show, implying that “Dancing Through Life” has a non-musical break in the film). We got to see a few shots from the dance itself, including Elphaba’s disastrous arrival and Glinda’s instant regret.

The rest of the footage was largely set to “Defying Gravity” instrumentals. This included Elphaba’s departure for the Emerald City, inviting Glinda to join her. More footage of the Wizard’s metal head, plus the two witches walking down a hallway lined with monkeys, all of whom had blue faces the way they did in MGM’s 1939 musical film. In another shot, we got to see one of the monkeys (presumably Chisteree) in pain as wings begin to protrude from his back. “I’m not afraid,” we heard Elphaba say. “It’s the Wizard who should be afraid of me!” Another rapidfire onslaught of clips, included a first glimpse of baby Elphaba, Elphie as a child, Glinda’s arrival in Munchkinland by bubble, Nessarose receiving the Silver Slippers, and Madame Morrible declaring Elphaba to be a “Wicked Witch.” Footage from Act 2 of the show was part of this final segment, including a glimpse of Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion heading down the Yellow Brick Road and Elphaba facing off against Glinde in a broom vs. wand battle. In terms of vocals, we got to hear Cynthia Erivo’s goosebumps-yielding “So if you care to find me, look to the Western sky. As someone told me lately, ‘Everyone deserves the chance to fly’” before closing out with Erivo’s ending riff as heard in the teaser.

I’m a diehard fan of the musical Wicked, and the footage shown thrillified me. It was already my most-anticipated film of the year, but now I couldn’t be happier for November to arrive.

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