CinemaCon 2024 Recap: Warner Bros. Previews “Mad Max” Prequil, “Beetlejuice” and “Joker” Sequels, and Some Impressive New Originals Led By Bong Joon-ho’s “Mickey 17”

Warner Bros. was the first studio showcase this year at CinemaCon, which was fitting because they had the highest-grossing film of 2023, Barbie, and are already off to a fantastic start this year, with Dune: Part 2 currently holding the top spot. My hopes were high that the studio would announce the un-cancellation of Coyote vs. Acme. They didn’t, but it was still an impressive slate.

The showcase began with an introduction by Jeff Goldstein (EVP, Domestic Theatrical Distribution) and Andrew Cripps (President, International Distribution), dressed in Beetlejuice suits and wigs. Before handing the mic over to Michael De Luca (Chairperson & CEO) and Pamela Abdy (Co-Chairperson & CEO), Jeff and Andrew showcased some upcoming Fathom Events releases, including the Sundance doc Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and the anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

The first film showcased was Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, with director George Miller and stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth taking the stage.CinemaCon attendees were treated to a footage presentation that showcases Furiosa’s journey to protect the Green Place. During the Q&A, Anya talked about how inspired she was by Charlize Theron’s portrayal of Furiosa. Chris shared his childhood memories of watching the Mad Max films with his father, and how the villainous role of Dementus is unlike any he’s played before. And George talked about the challenges of casting that role, because the character needed to be both charismatic and nefarious. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits theaters on May 24th.

M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan, was present to promote her directorial debut, a screen adaptation of A. M. Shine’s The Watchers starring Dakota Fanning, coming June 14th. She explained how the story blends Celtic folklore with the horror genre, and shared the joys of filming in Ireland. Prior to the event, Warner Bros. had released a teaser trailer, but CinemaCon marked the debut of the full trailer, which isn’t yet available online.

James Gunn, CEO of DC Studios, sent a video greeting from the Atlanta set of Superman, which will be released next summer. This will kick off his vision for the rebooted DC Universe, but Gunn is best known for his work at Marvel Studios, and in his greeting, he thanked exhibitors for helping to make Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 a hit. The stars of Superman, David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, also recorded a video greeting, but the only reveal was the stylized crest logo for the film. This led to Peter Safran, Co-Chairman and CEO of DC Studios, taking the stage to unveil the trailer for the Sundance documentary film, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.

Kevin Costner was the next celebrity to take the stage, recipient of the CinemaCon Visionary Award. He was there to promote Horizon: An American Saga, an ambitious western drama that he’s been trying to make since 1988. As he’s continued to revisit the project over the years, he shared how it’s expanded to four potential films, but Warner Bros. has committed to two, which are both hitting theaters this summer (the first on June 28th, the second on August 16th). Costner’s vision for the saga spans twelve years, tracking the rise of the American West and the end of its era with The Civil War. Costner writes, directs, and stars as Hayes Ellison, and Costner’s son, also named Hayes, makes his big screen debut in the film. CinemaCon attendees got to see an extended trailer that included moments from both films.

To me, the biggest surprise of the panel was Mickey 17 from Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho, adapted from Edward Ashton’s novel Mickey 7. Robert Pattinson stars as the title character, joining the director to unveil the first trailer, which hasn’t been released elsewhere yet. The sci-fi comedy tells the story of Mickey, who has been genetically modified to spawn a new version of himself when he dies. The number in the title represents which iteration of Mickey the story follows. Amongst Robert Pattinson’s costars is another Robert Pattinson when something goes wrong, spawning Mickey 18 while Mickey 17 still exists. The trailer had the audience gasping from fits of laughter. Additional cast members include Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo.

M. Night Shyamalan joined his other daughter, singer/songwriter Saleka, to promote the first film under his new development deal at Warner Bros., Trap. Saleka gave a live performance before introducing a trailer for the film, in which she plays a pop star named Lady Raven. Josh Hartnett stars as a father who brings his daughter to Lady Raven’s concert, only to find that the venue is being used as a trap for a serial killer, and they are all stuck inside. Trap is coming to theaters on August 9th.

Jeff Goldstein and Andrew Cripps started the presentation dressed as Beetlejuice, and it was finally time to hype up the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which marks Tim Burton’s tenth film for Warner Bros. A career highlight reel was played to introduce the director, who was joined by returning cast members Michael Keaton and Catherine O'Hara, plus new cast members Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe.

Tim Burton and Michael Keaton recalled numerous discussions over the years about a sequel, and how important it was for them to recreate the feeling they had on set when making the original, which included as many practical effects as possible. Tim was impressed with Jenna Ortega, who, like him, went from working at Disney to making horror projects. And Willem Dafoe was on Tim Burton’s dream cast list, an actor he’s wanted to work with for a long time. Michael Keaton shared that making Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has been the most fun project of his career. Immediately following the panel, Tim Burton was heading back to London to finish editing the film, which will be released on September 6th. But before departing, CinemaCon attendees were the first to see the full trailer, which hasn’t been released elsewhere yet.

Last, but not least, Joker: Folie à Deux director Todd Phillips took the stage and shared that he intended to return to CinemaCon in 2020 simply to thank exhibitors for standing by the first Joker film, which got a lot of negative media attention prior to its release. It went on to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. While that film was originally conceived as a single entry, Todd shared that he and star Joaquin Phoenix began talking about what was next for Arthur Fleck while still making the first film. When the pandemic hit, Todd had a lot of time to think about what the next chapter of Arthur’s life would be like, and the idea for Joker: Folie à Deux quickly came to him. Having produced the 2018 remake of A Star is Born, Todd wrote the part of Harley Quinn with Lady Gaga in mind. And while he clarified that it’s not a musical, music is an important part of the story, even more so than it was in the first film. And with that, the first full trailer was unveiled ahead of its launch online. The film comes out on October 4th.

To close out the panel, Andrew Cripps, Jeff Goldstein, Pamela Abdy, and Michael De Luca returned to the stage, popcorn in hand, to wrap it all up with a look at other films in production that will be hitting theaters in early 2025. These included Jack Black teasing the Minecraft movie, now shooting in New Zealand, Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor on the set of Flowervale Street, director Maggie Gyllenhaal with her new horror film The Bride, a quick plug for Final Destination: Bloodlines, finishing with director Ryan Coogler on set with Michael B. Jordan teasing a film without sharing any other details, such as a title or genre.

Final Assessment

My most anticipated film from Warner Bros, Coyote Vs. Acme, wasn’t resurrected at CinemaCon, but I still walked away from the showcase impressed. I went in thinking Beetlejuice Beetlejuice might be the only film in the slate that would appeal to me but left with Mickey 17 high on my must-see list. The trailer for Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story brought tears to my eyes, and I’m also very intrigued by Horizon: An American Saga (the first one, at least). Horror is not a genre that I personally enjoy, but M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap intrigued me, and I may have to check out the first Joker because the sequel looks pretty spectacular.

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