Jonathan Sim
Universal Pictures/Focus Features delivered one of the most energetic and crowd-pleasing presentations at CinemaCon, blending star power, major auteur filmmaking, franchise extensions, and high-concept originals into a showcase that celebrated both theatrical spectacle and Hollywood legacy.
The panel opened with a surprise appearance from Snoop Dogg, who performed “Drop It Like It’s Hot” before helping introduce a biopic based on his life. The film, directed by Craig Brewer, will star Jonathan Daviss as Snoop and is set to begin filming this summer.
From there, the presentation pivoted to one of the most anticipated films on the slate, The Odyssey from Christopher Nolan. Nolan took the stage to emphasize the scale and ambition of the project, describing it as “not a story—it’s the story,” while highlighting his continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of IMAX filmmaking. The film has been shot entirely with IMAX cameras capable of recording sound simultaneously, and will be released across multiple formats including IMAX 70mm, traditional 70mm, 35mm, and digital presentations.
Despite its epic scope, Nolan stressed that the film is fundamentally about family. The footage shown included an extended look at the Trojan Horse sequence, as well as scenes of Matt Damon’s character Odysseus waking up on a beach with no memory of his past, unsure whether he has a wife or child. Jon Bernthal appears in a key moment asking, “Did you hear the story of the horse? Did you hear it from the inside?”, underscoring the film’s thematic focus on perspective and myth.
Animation and family entertainment played a major role in the presentation, led by Jack Black, who appeared to thank audiences for their response to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie before introducing Minions & Monsters. Set in the 1920s and described as a celebration of the birth of cinema, the film follows the Minions as they chase train robbers in a sequence that evolves into an airplane chase, complete with visual homages to silent film legends like Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton.
Another clip showed the Minions wreaking havoc on a film set, injuring their co-stars during a battle scene before rising to fame. The film surrounds their rise to movie stardom only to lose relevance with the arrival of sound in movies. The story escalates into a world-saving adventure, blending comedy with a meta-commentary on Hollywood history.
Universal also leaned into romance and genre storytelling. Will Gluck (Anyone But You, Easy A) returns this summer with One Night Only, a romantic comedy starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro, with a trailer debuting at the panel.
Horror was represented by Other Mommy, a Blumhouse production directed by Rob Savage and starring Jessica Chastain, as well as Werwulf from Robert Eggers, teased with the ominous tagline, “Do not dread the darkness. Embrace it,” and set for a Christmas release.
Franchise sequels brought both humor and chaos to the stage. Violent Night 2 debuted footage that pushes its irreverent tone even further, with Santa landing on the Naughty List, losing his magic, and embarking on a journey to rediscover the meaning of Christmas. He takes on even more bad guys in a shopping mall decorated for the holidays. The footage included over-the-top violence, including a moment where he cuts a gingerbread cookie out of someone’s forehead, and revealed Kristen Bell as Mrs. Claus, with a release set for December 4th.
Comedy took center stage with Focker In-Law, introduced onstage by Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, who joked about being “the actor not in The Odyssey.” The film flips the dynamic of the original Meet the Parents franchise, with Stiller now playing the overprotective father-in-law as his son brings home a new girlfriend. Robert De Niro returns and is joined by Ariana Grande, with footage showing De Niro’s character putting Grande through a lie detector test, delivering a modern twist on the franchise’s signature comedic tension.
Focus also highlighted literary adaptations, including a trailer for a new take on Sense and Sensibility from the producers of Pride and Prejudice, set for an October theatrical release.
The studio continued to emphasize prestige filmmaking with a major moment honoring Steven Spielberg, who was presented with the MPA America250 Award by Colman Domingo. Spielberg teased his next project, Disclosure Day, reflecting on how it builds on ideas he first explored nearly 50 years ago with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, now approached with greater certainty about extraterrestrial life. He described the film as a full cinematic experience, with its entire third act being withheld from marketing to preserve surprises. An extended trailer included a tense line from Emily Blunt to Josh O’Connor’s character on the phone: “I don’t know who they are, but they’re gonna kill you.” It also gave us a first look at the aliens.
Across its presentation, Universal reinforced its commitment to theatrical storytelling on every scale, from intimate character-driven narratives to massive cinematic spectacles, while embracing both nostalgia and innovation. The studio’s mix of auteur filmmakers like Nolan, Spielberg, and Eggers, crowd-pleasing franchises, and bold original concepts made for a showcase that felt both commercially ambitious and creatively diverse, positioning Universal as a major force heading into the next phase of theatrical filmmaking.
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