Sony Pictures made a grand entrance at the start of CinemaCon 2023’s opening night, bringing with it the most exciting updates of 2023. There were enticing trailers, and news on some of their highly anticipated films, such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Kraven The Hunter, Gran Turismo: The Movie, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, and others. In this blog I swear, I will provide you with all the essential details about all the worthy films that will be hitting the theaters in the coming days. Let’s get started-
Gran Turismo [releasing on August 11, 2023]
Present at the opening night of CinemaCon 2023, David Harbour and Orlando Bloom screened a fresh trailer for Gran Turismo, the movie adaptation of the iconic PlayStation racing game series. Starring Archie Madekwe as Jann Mardenborough, a real-life Gran Turismo player who made a name for himself by winning various gaming competitions and eventually becoming a professional race car driver.
The CinemaCon preview showcased a brief scene of Jann enjoying the Gran Turismo game with his buddies online. Djimon Hounsou played his father and made it clear that the dream of becoming a race car driver was not feasible due to the exorbitant cost of race cars.
Moreover, we saw a glimpse of David Harbour’s character, Jack Salter, who is a retired race car driver and does not believe that gaming enthusiasts can compete in the real world of car racing. However, he ends up training Jann and constantly challenges him. Several professional racers Jann encounters also belittle him and deem his aspirations unrealistic.
Kraven the Hunter [releasing on October 6, 2023]
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the lead actor of Kraven the Hunter, conveyed a pre-recorded message to the attendees of CinemaCon 2023, disclosing that the upcoming film would be Sony’s first R-rated Marvel movie. Along with the announcement, Sony shared a roughly two-minute teaser trailer from the movie, which is slated to hit the theaters on October 6, 2023.
The teaser footage showcased Kraven taking out poachers and mercenaries with gruesome kills. We also caught a glimpse of Russell Crowe portraying the Russian father of Taylor-Johnson’s character, Sergei Kravinoff. One of the most thrilling highlights of the clip was the revelation of Alessandro Nivola playing the Rhino, with his skin transforming into rhino skin.
Moreover, the footage briefly showed Sergei holding up the iconic fur costume donned by Kraven in the Marvel comics.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse [releasing on June 2, 2023]
At CinemaCon, Sony Pictures presented 14 minutes of footage from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, with the spotlight on a grounded Miles Morales, his parents, and Gwen Stacy.
While the reason for Miles’ grounding remains unclear, the footage depicted him in his room before being interrupted by Gwen Stacy entering through a portal from another dimension. They escape from Miles’ room and traverse through Brooklyn by web-swinging, moments before Miles’ parents walk in and realize he is missing, thus extending his grounding period by another three months.
Gwen and Miles discuss the urgent need to prevent the collapse of multiple dimensions, Gwen’s father, and the risks of their budding romance.
The final sequence takes place at a festival, with Gwen departing, and Miles’ mother arriving to offer comfort and support to Miles, empowering him for the challenges that lie ahead.
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon [releasing on November 22, 2023]
During CinemaCon, Sony premiered the first glimpse of a monumental battle sequence from Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, featuring Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military commander.
In the preview, Napoleon and his army appear to be discovered by the Russian and Austrian troops. Nevertheless, Napoleon adeptly reverses the situation, compelling the enemy soldiers to flee onto a frozen lake, which he then subjects to cannon fire.
A frenzied and terrifying scene ensues, with men and horses becoming trapped under the ice, and blood flowing in the water.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Although information about the follow-up to Ghostbusters: Afterlife remains scarce, CinemaCon 2023 provided a sneak peek at the movie’s set, which should whet fans’ appetite for what’s to come. We were already aware that this sequel would see our heroes return to New York and the iconic Ghostbusters firehouse, and the footage showcased Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, and McKenna Grace in their Ghostbusters uniforms, casually leaning against the Ecto-1.
Denzel Washington Gets a Lifetime Achievement Award at CinemaCon
During CinemaCon, Denzel Washington was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by director Antoine Fuqua and Sony Pictures head Tom Rothman, who praised him as an enduring and iconic talent. After accepting the award, Washington addressed the audience before welcoming his co-star from The Equalizer 3, Dakota Fanning, to the stage to unveil the first trailer for the movie, scheduled for release on September 1, 2023.
The “final chapter” of the story, as the trailer is called, shows Robert McCall, played by Washington, living in Southern Italy before he is compelled to return to his vigilante ways. In addition to showcasing McCall’s quick justice, the trailer features him discussing the mafia and corpses found in Sicily with Fanning’s character. The official trailer released to the public yesterday, watch it here.
Bad Boys 4
Despite their absence, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence had a message for the CinemaCon audience about the progress of Bad Boys 4. Lawrence revealed that the film is currently in its fourth week of shooting, while Smith expressed his enthusiasm and excitement for the project.
Even though they were not physically present at the event, the duo seemed to be hard at work on set. Lawrence even made a playful quip about being glad they were working and getting paid instead of attending the convention.
Dumb Money [releasing on October 20, 2023]
Director Craig Gillespie and star Paul Dano made an appearance at CinemaCon to talk about the highly anticipated GameStop movie, Dumb Money, and to showcase the first footage from the film. Dano plays Keith, a blue-collar YouTuber known as Roaring Kitty on YouTube and DeepF******Value on Reddit, who invested his entire life savings into GameStop.
The sneak peek opens on January 25, 2021, in Miami, introducing the audience to the characters and the events leading up to the story. Alongside Dano, the movie boasts a star-studded cast including Seth Rogen, Clancy Brown, Shailene Woodley, Sebastian Stan, Nick Offerman, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrera, and more.
Insidious: the Red Door [releasing on July 7, 2023]
Insidious franchise veterans Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Ty Simpkins are reprising their roles for the fifth installment of the series, Insidious: The Red Door. The film takes place a decade after the events of James Wan’s original film and follows a father-son duo as they grapple with the lingering trauma from the previous two movies.
No Hard Feelings [releasing on November 3, 2023]
Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Feldman star in the upcoming comedy film No Hard Feelings, in which Lawrence’s character Maddie takes on a peculiar job to save her childhood home from being lost. The job involves dating a wealthy, introverted son of a couple before he leaves for college. In a released clip, Maddie tries to win over Percy (the introverted son) by flirting with him at the dog shelter where he works. Despite her efforts, Percy seems oblivious to her advances, and Maddie ends up offering him a ride home while joking about Billy Squier’s The Stroke. However, Percy misunderstands her intentions and ends up pepper spraying her, thinking she’s trying to kidnap him.
FAQs
What movies were highlighted at CinemaCon 2023 by Sony Pictures?
Some of the movies that were highlighted at CinemaCon 2023 by Sony Pictures include Gran Turismo, Kraven the Hunter, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and The Equalizer 3.
When is the movie adaptation of Gran Turismo being released?
The movie adaptation of Gran Turismo is set to be released on August 11, 2023.
Who plays the lead role in Kraven the Hunter?
The lead role in Kraven the Hunter is played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Who receives a lifetime achievement award at CinemaCon?
Denzel Washington received a lifetime achievement award at CinemaCon.
When is The Equalizer 3 scheduled to be released?
The Equalizer 3 is scheduled to be released on September 1, 2023.
Read More : Daniel Craig’s Wife Rachel Weisz Discusses ‘Betrayal’ in Private Marriage