SONY PICTURES OPENS CINEMACON 2023 WITH EXCLUSIVE PEEKS AT THE LIKES OF SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, KRAVEN THE HUNTER, DUMB MONEY, GRAN TURISMO, NAPOLEON, AND MORE!
CinemaCon, the largest theatrical exhibition convention in the world, opened on Monday, April 24h. This annual shindig takes place at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, NV, and prides itself on the latest and greatest in movie theater hardware but it’s also known for its legendary movie studio representation. Sony Pictures had the honor of hosting the opening night primetime slot and in addition to bringing plenty of footage from their upcoming slate, they also marched out the talent. The presentation began with a recorded message from Will Smith and Martin Lawrence from the set of the tentatively titled BAD BOYS 4. Their banter was brief but they were funny and quickly proved they still have plenty of BAD BOYS chemistry to spare. And in case you wondering, NO! There wasn’t a slap involved. Immediately following that cheeky Smith/Lawrence clip, Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO, Josh Greenstein was brought to the stage where he and a few of his colleagues, including the legendary Tom Rothman, welcomed attendees and preceded to give a look at a large chunk of their upcoming slate. We’ll give a bit of an overview here but it should be noted that we’ll refrain from spoilers at the request of the powers that be;
DUMB MONEY
Director Craig Gillespie and star Paul Dano were on hand to give attendees a very early, very raw look at this upcoming true story about the chaos that ensued on Wall Street as a result of GameStop stock skyrocketing following a popular piece at Reddit. This comedy also stars Seth Rogen, Clancy Brown, and Shailene Woodley.
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Last year, Sony showed off nearly 15 minutes of INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE over a year early so given that the film is dropping in theaters this June, we were pretty confident we’d get another look here. Co-director Kemp Powers (here’s my dumb dad joke of the day; With great Powers comes great responsibility) was on hand with vocal cast members Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, and Issa Rae to talk about the highly anticipated sequel. Additionally, they brought along 14 minutes of mostly complete footage with them. As expected, on a technical level, this thing looks gorgeous and incorporates the same unique animation style that was at the heart of its wildly popular predecessor. Most of the footage we were treated to revolved around the bond between Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy and without giving anything pivotal away, their chemistry is spot on. We also got a couple of lovely moments between Miles and his adoring mom. One of the things that made the first film special was the fact that it offered up wonderful character beats and colorfully vibrant action in equal measure. INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE looks to do something similar and I can’t wait to see it when it drops in theaters on June 2nd.
KRAVEN THE HUNTER
Pound for pound, this is probably the clip that got the loudest reaction from attendees, mostly because it was thought that Sony might not have anything to show from the film. Star Aaron Taylor Johnson sent along a recorded message and he certainly brought the energy as he talked about his excitement surrounding this Marvel property. He then went on to address the elephant in the room; Whether or not the movie would be rated R, to which he proclaimed; “Fuck yeah, it’s rated R!” This garnered one of the loudest (and most enthusiastic crowd responses) throughout the Sony Presentation. Johnson then introduced the premiere of the trailer and yes…It looks super R-rated! Violent action abounds in this fantastical story of Russian immigrant Sergei Kravinoff, a man who sets out to prove he is the greatest hunter in the world. KRAVEN THE HUNTER is slated for October 6th, 2023.
NO HARD FEELINGS
Star Jennifer Lawerence was on hand to set the stage for her new R-rated comedy, NO HARD FEELINGS in which she plays a woman who’s hired to date a socially awkward teen. The main hook here is that she’s actually hired by the boy’s parents. We were treated to a clip in which a sexy Lawerence attempts to bust a move on the young man. The big selling point here is Lawerence’s comedic chops which we haven’t really seen at this level before. NO HARD FEELINGS opens on June 23, 2023.
ANYONE BUT YOU
Continuing to keep the spirit of irreverent R-rated comedies alive, Sony also gave us a look at ANYONE BUT YOU, starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. Powell and Sweeney were both on hand and they treated attendees to the trailer. It’s just what the title suggests; It’s essentially a tale of two individuals who hate each other so much, that they actually find themselves attracted to each other. ANYONE BUT YOU opens sometime in 2023.
GRAN TURISMO
A very energetic David Harbour and his co-star Orlando Bloom were on hand to deliver the first-ever trailer for Neill Blomkamp’s race action-heavy tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose next-to-none gaming skills would lead him to compete in actual car races. This one has quite the fan base including director Blomkamp himself. GRAN TURISMO opens on August 11, 2023.
UNTITLED GHOSTBUSTERS AFTERLIFE SEQUEL
No footage from this film as its makers are in the middle of shooting but producer Jason Reitman, director Gil Kenan, and cast members Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, and Finn Wolfhard sent along a recorded message right from the set. No word on a subtitle nor was there a confirmed release date but it appears as if all involved are having a blast. Personally, I loved AFTERLIFE therefore, I’m greatly looking forward to this movie. Hopefully, it makes its rumored holiday release.
THE EQUALIZER 3
You can’t keep a skilled badass down so it should come as absolutely no surprise that director Antoine Fuqua is back with THE EQUALIZER 3. Mr. Fuqua was on hand to talk about the movie, of course, but he was also on hand to pay tribute to the film’s star, the legendary Denzel Washington. What’s more, he was there to bestow upon the actor, CinemaCon’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Following a stirring tribute reel consisting of clips from Washington’s illustrious career, Fuqua welcomed the legend to the stage. Washington was genuinely touched and delivered a brief but wonderful speech. He and Fuqua then dished on THE EQUALIZER 3 and went on to premiere an extended trailer. It looks fittingly violent and in perfect keeping with the series. Of course, this franchise is loosely based on the old t.v. show and in this third chapter, trained assassin Robert McCall finds himself jumping into action once more, in an effort to protect his friends from the Italian Mafia. THE EQUALIZER 3 opens on September 1st.
NAPOLEON
Sony Pictures capped off their presentation with a look at an epic battle sequence from NAPOLEON starring Joquin Phoenix in the title role. This period piece was directed by the legendary Ridley Scott and quite frankly, I thought this particular footage won the night. This thing is being painted on a massive scale. NAPOLEON is actually an Apple Puls title but Sony has stepped up to the plate to give it a theatrical release beforehand and quite frankly, that’s certainly how I plan on experiencing it!
Sony also shared a brand new trailer for INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR and also offered a brief peek at this May’s THE MACHINE.
By and large, a very entertaining Sony Pictures presentation!
Watch for more CinemaCon coverage right here at Cinemast.net!
