Howdy, folks!
Every studio head and exhibitor across the country gathered in Las Vegas last weekend for CinemaCon, the annual gathering of theater owners, and there was… what’s this? Optimism?
While our CinemaCon crew of Sharon Waxman, Jeremy Fuster and Casey Loving reported that the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger loomed large — including the prospect that it will result in fewer movies in theaters — for the most part, the key decision-makers in town had a strut in their step.
That’s partly to do with the box office hitting the highest levels since the pandemic in 2026, and the exciting slate of movies on the docket like “Dune: Part III,” “Avengers: Doomsday” and “The Devil Wears Prada 2” that are guaranteed to get butts in seats.
But there is also, as Fuster reported, a strong willingness to experiment by theater owners. YouTubers are bringing floods of fans to theaters for their theatrical debuts, like this year’s “Iron Lung.” Large formats like IMAX are becoming as trendy as a brand like A24 for moviegoers. Even Netflix’s Ted Sarandos sparked hope when he privately met with theater owners last week, signaling a possibility that more Netflix films could be headed to theaters.
There are hurdles to be crossed for sure, but the mood across town mirrors one of the biggest box office hits of the year so far: the optimism and “we’ll get through this” perseverance abundant in “Project Hail Mary.”
Amaze amaze amaze.
Now on to the rest of this week’s Reel to Real column.
Box Office: ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ Leads Again With $35 Million Third Weekend
Thanks to a stronger-than-projected Saturday at the box office, weekend estimates are rising as Universal/Illumination’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” has earned $35 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $355 million.
With $48 million from international markets, the Nintendo sequel now stands at $747 million worldwide with likely another $100 million-plus still to come from its theatrical run in Japan, which starts next weekend to time with the country’s Golden Week holiday.
In second is Amazon MGM’s “Project Hail Mary,” which continues to hold excellently with $20 million in its fifth weekend for a $285 million domestic total and $573 million worldwide. The acclaimed Phil Lord/Chris Miller sci-fi film returned to IMAX screens on Friday for one more week of play before the release of Lionsgate/Universal’s “Michael” next weekend.
In third is the sole newcomer in the Top 5, Warner Bros./New Line’s “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy,” which opened to $13 million from 3,304 locations. Produced by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, the film has a reported $22 million production budget, so its break-even point is quite low.
But beyond those just interested in a new horror offering, “The Mummy” may not get far as the film has received a C+ on CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 45% critics and 76% audience, numbers that likely won’t be sufficient for long legs against the four-quadrant competition in coming weekends. – Jeremy Fuster
The Spotlight
What does a “real” AI movie look like? We wanted to find out, so we sent reporter Emily Zemler to the London set of Doug Liman’s $70 million thriller “Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi.” Casey Affleck, Gal Gadot, Pete Davidson and Isla Fisher star in the film, which was shot on a grey stage with minimal lighting and sets — all to be filled in during post-production using AI. Reaction to our exclusive set visit report was strong, with many decrying the number of jobs lost as a result of such a production. Is this the future or a flash in the pan? Read our full story here.
New Releases
Try Everything: In Jeremy Fuster’s report from CinemaCon, theater owners explain how they’re succeeding — and, yes, talk WB-Paramount.
The Movies!: And in her CinemaCon report, Sharon Waxman grades each studio’s presentation.
Disney Layoffs: Disney’s 1,000-person layoffs claimed the company’s entire home entertainment team, Drew Taylor exclusively reported.
‘Big Believer’: AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron broke with other theater owners and backed David Ellison/Paramount during CinemaCon.
Scary Business: “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” director Lee Cronin broke down his new production company for us, and how he’s leveraging his horror success to elevate new voices.
Doomsday: Casey Loving has a full rundown of the first “Avengers: Doomsday” footage.
Not Normal: Bob Odenkirk went long with Drew Taylor on why he’s been on an action movie streak lately.
Typecasting: Samara Weaving explained to Andi Ortiz why she’s perfectly happy with her “scream queen” designation.
Concession Stand
A24 is moving fast on Alex Garland’s “Elden Ring” video game adaptation — the film hits theaters in 2028. And it’ll be shot in IMAX.
Speaking of, Disney’s counter to “Dune 3” taking up IMAX screens in December is to launch its own PLF.
After much speculation over who’d take the role, Charles Dance is in talks to play Harvey Dent’s father in “The Batman: Part II.”
“Ferngully” is coming back, this time as a live-action movie directed by Marielle Heller for Amazon MGM.
OK the “Focker-in-Law” trailer is pretty good.
Zach Cregger is returning to New Line for two new movies after Sony releases his “Resident Evil.”
Streaming Corner
- Netflix’s shark movie “Thrash” — about a hurricane that makes it possible for sharks to swim inside houses — is a smash. The film, starring Phoebe Dynevor and produced by Adam McKay, drew 37.7 million views in its first weekend.
What I’m Watching
My wife and I devoured Season 2 of “Beef,” which has the patina of a great Mike Nichols film. Sharp, funny, devastating. Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeney and Charles Melton are incredible as creator Lee Sung Jin turns his attention towards romantic pairings and dares to ask what happens when you realize you might have picked the wrong person to spend the rest of your life with?
The post Reel to Real: CinemaCon Offers Hope, AI Movie Rankles appeared first on TheWrap.
