Convention - Cinemacon 2023: Our review of the Sony Pictures presentation

By Mulder, Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, 24 march 2023

This year our media covered for the first time since its creation the Cinemacon convention in Las Vegas at the Cinemacon. Since its inception in 2011, this global convention that brings together exhibitors, professionals in the film industry but also the international press allows Hollywood studios such as Son Pictures, Warner Bros, The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and Lionsgate. This year it was the studio Sony Pictures that had the heavy responsibility of being the first presentation. Mission accomplished with a continuous parade of world stars coming to present either the world exclusive trailer or excerpts from their upcoming films. This convention, which was not open to the public, lived up to our wildest expectations with an unforgettable atmosphere and Dantesque panels that had nothing to envy to those in hall H of SDCC.

Bad boys 4
The Sony Pictures panel was introduced by a sequence announcing a new movie for the cinematographic saga Bad Boys and presented by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence who apologized for not being able to be there but were very happy to talk about this new part. During this panel was presented Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Kraven the Hunter, Gran Turismo, Insidious: The Red Door, The Equalizer 3.

Dumb money
The first film presented on stage was Dumb Money by Craig Gillespie, (the director of the films I, Tonya and Cruella). Based on the true story of a motley crew of investors on a Reddit page called Wall Street Bets, who banded together to put pressure on at least two hedge funds who had bet that GameStop's stock would fall." The first minutes of the movie were presented during this panel and we can't wait to discover this movie which will be released in theaters on October 20, 2023 in the United States.

Insidious: The Red Door.
The spectators could then discover in world exclusivity a long trailer of the movie Insidious: The Red Door.  This film marks the directorial debut for Patrick Wilson and is based on a script by Scott Teems after a story by Leigh Whannell.  It is a direct sequel to Insidious (2010) and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), and the fifth installment in the Insidious film series. Ty Simpkins, Wilson, Andrew Astor, Rose Byrne and Lin Shaye reprise their roles from the previous films. Hiam Abbass and Sinclair Daniel are also part of the cast. After the release of Insidious: The Last Key (2018), Blumhouse Productions opted for opportunities to produce future films in the series, including a crossover with the Sinister series. In October 2020, the studio announced that Wilson would direct and star in the new film, with Teems writing the script based on a story written by Whannell. The release of Insidious: The Red Door is scheduled for release in the U.S. on July 7, 2023, by Sony Pictures Releasing.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The film's presentation features as much as fourteen minutes of never-before-seen footage. Produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the film is a direct sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and takes place in a shared multiverse of alternate universes called the Spider-Verse. The film is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson (making their directorial debut), from a script written by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and David Callaham. Shameik Moore stars as Miles, alongside Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni, Jason Schwartzman, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham and Oscar Isaac. In the film, Miles goes on an adventure with Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman across the multiverse where he meets a new team of Spider-People, known as the Spider-Society, but comes into conflict with them over the handling of a new threat. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is scheduled for release in the United States on June 2, 2023. A third film, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, is scheduled for release on March 29, 2024.

Kraven the Hunter
Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, the film is produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is expected to be the fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The film is directed by J. C. Chandor from a script by Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk. The cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the title role alongside Ariana DeBose, Russell Crowe, Fred Hechinger, and Alessandro Nivola. Kraven the Huntsman was repeatedly considered for film appearances before Sony became interested in a standalone film for the character as part of their new shared universe in 2017. Wenk was hired in August 2018, with Marcum and Holloway joining him later. Chandor entered negotiations to direct the film in August 2020, and was confirmed in May 2021 when Taylor-Johnson was cast in the role. Further casting took place in early 2022, before shooting began in late March in London, England, and wrapped in mid-June. Filming also took place in Iceland and is expected to take place in Glasgow. Kraven the Hunter is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 6, 2023. The trailer discovered during this panel announces a violent film and especially the presence in the cast of the cult person Rhino.

No hard Feelings

No Hard Feelings is an American coming-of-age sex comedy directed by Gene Stupnitsky from a script he co-wrote with John Phillips. Jennifer Lawrence produces and stars alongside Andrew Barth Feldman. Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti, Natalie Morales, Scott MacArthur and Ebon Moss-Bachrach play supporting roles. No Hard Feelings is scheduled for release in the United States on June 23, 2023 by Sony Pictures Releasing.

Gran Turismo

Sony Pictures has unveiled a new trailer for Gran Turismo that has us pretty excited about this film in the vein of the mythical Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise.  Gran Turismo is a coming-of-age sports drama directed by Neill Blomkamp from a script by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin. Produced by Columbia Pictures, PlayStation Productions, Trigger Street Productions and 2.0 Entertainment, the film is based on the racing simulation video game series published by PlayStation Studios, while inspired by the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a teenage Gran Turismo player aspiring to become a race car driver. The film stars David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Archie Madekwe, Darren Barnet, Geri Halliwell Horner and Djimon Hounsou. Development of a film based on Gran Turismo began in 2013, with Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti producing and a script by Alex Tse. In 2015, Joseph Kosinski was to direct the film, and Jon and Erich Hoeber were to write a new script. By 2018, Kosinski's version was no longer moving forward. In May 2022, a new iteration of the Gran Turismo film began development, with Blomkamp set to direct. The main cast was confirmed in September, while additional actors were added in November. Filming began in Hungary the same month and was completed in December 2022. Gran Turismo is scheduled to be released on August 11, 2023 by Sony Pictures Releasing Director Neill Blomkamp seems to have enjoyed making this film and has taken great care to ensure the realism of the racing scenes and the perfect cast to create a truly intense cinematic experience.

Anyone But You

Today we were able to discover the first images of the romantic comedy with Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. The film is a modernization of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. It features two former college enemies who pretend to be a couple at a destination wedding years later for their own personal gain, but who actually fall in love.

Equalizer 3

This panel allowed us to see the world premiere of the trailer but also to give an award to actor Denzel Washinton.  The Equalizer 3 is an American action movie directed by Antoine Fuqua. It is the sequel to The Equalizer 2, released in 2018, and the final installment of The Equalizer trilogy, loosely based on the television series of the same name. Denzel Washington reprises his role as retired U.S. Marine and former DIA agent Robert McCall for the final time. Dakota Fanning, David Denman, Sonia Ammar and Remo Girone also appear. Washington and Fanning are reuniting on screen for the first time since Man on Fire in 2004. The film is the fifth collaboration between Washington and Fuqua, following Training Day (2001), The Equalizer (2014), The Magnificent Seven (2016) and The Equalizer 2 (2018). The film is scheduled for release on September 1, 2023 by Sony Pictures Releasing.

Napoleon
The panel ended with unreleased footage from Ridley Scott's highly anticipated new film Napoleon. A long clip of Ridley Scott's war biopic Napolean, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the French historical figure, was shown. Napoleon a historical film directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa. The film depicts the rise to power of the French leader and will be released in theaters by Sony Pictures Releasing on November 22, 2023, before streaming on Apple TV+ at a later date.

As we didn't have the agreement to take pictures during this presentation, we propose you to discover the official pictures made by Getty Images for the press at the request of Cinemacon on our official Flickr page (for a limited time)

Photos : Getty images for Sony Pictures