Opening Act: Fandango Sets the Stage
Before Universal took the stage, Will McIntosh, CEO of Fandango, opened the session with a forward-looking look at where ticketing and the moviegoing experience are headed. McIntosh — whose company recently completed the acquisition of the Indie Cinema Group — unveiled Fandango1, a new ticketing and operating platform designed to modernize the theatrical experience end to end.
Among the highlights: robust membership programs, early ticket access events, and priority purchasing for highly anticipated releases. McIntosh pointed to early access for Project Hail Mary as one example of how Fandango is driving pre-release excitement. The platform is also expanding beyond films into live events, including sports, with WrestleMania cited as one of the marquee non-film offerings.
McIntosh also drew attention to Seen on the Screen, a round-up campaign aimed at raising money for charity at the point of ticket purchase — a signal that Fandango sees itself as more than just a ticketing service, but as a partner in the broader cultural conversation around cinema.
Snoop Dogg Opens Universal’s Showcase
Universal’s presentation kicked off with a bang — literally. When a DJ took the decks as the legendary Snoop Dogg himself materialized on stage, treating the assembled theater owners and press to a rollicking mini-concert of his greatest hits. The performance was more than entertainment: it was a teaser. Universal is telling Snoop’s story.
The studio announced a Snoop Dogg biographical film, tentatively titled Snoop, directed by Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow, Coming 2 America) and produced by Brian Grazer. Playing Snoop Dogg is Jonathan Daviss, best known as Pope Heyward on Netflix’s Outer Banks. As Snoop performed hit after hit, Daviss’s presence confirmed the casting in theatrical fashion. The biopic is set to chronicle Snoop’s rise from the streets to hip-hop royalty.
Snoop (biopic): The rags-to-riches story of hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg, from Long Beach streets to global stardom.
One notable footnote from the Snoop conversation: Daviss’s bungalow on the studio lot sits directly next to Steven Spielberg’s — a proximity that seemed to delight those in the room.
Donna Langley Takes the Stage
Universal’s showwoman of the hour was Donna Langley, Chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, who stepped out to address the audience and set the tone for the studio’s robust slate. Langley wasted no time pointing to the franchise power already in motion, declaring that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is on track to be the first billion-dollar film of the year — a bullish opening statement that drew strong applause from the room.
Christopher Nolan Brings The Odyssey to the Biggest Canvas Yet
If there was a single moment that sent electricity through the Colosseum ballroom, it was Christopher Nolan taking the stage to discuss his forthcoming epic, The Odyssey. The director was characteristically thoughtful and passionate, explaining why he returned to one of Western civilization’s foundational texts.
Nolan described Homer’s epic as “the” story — a narrative that has fascinated generation after generation and refuses to be exhausted by time or retelling. He spoke of a boyhood dream: to one day make a truly large-scale epic film in IMAX. With The Odyssey, that dream is fully realized. For the first time in his career, Nolan shot the entire film using IMAX cameras — a landmark achievement he spoke of with evident pride.
“Theater owners are the last people this film will be passed on to.”
Nolan emphasized that IMAX isn’t just for the action sequences — the format captures intimate dialogue scenes with a beauty and sharpness he described as unlike anything previously achieved on film. The Odyssey stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland. Nolan described the film as fundamentally a story of family and homecoming, with Damon serving as his creative partner throughout a grueling shoot that took the production across boats, mountains, caves, and some of the harshest weather conditions imaginable. “It’s meant to be difficult to film,” Nolan acknowledged with a wry smile. The presentation concluded with a glimpse of the film that left the room buzzing.
The Odyssey: Nolan’s sweeping IMAX epic follows Odysseus’s perilous journey homeward across seas, myth, and hardship.
Jim Orr Champions the Theatrical Mission
Jim Orr, President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution at Universal Pictures, took a moment to articulate why Universal’s commitment to the big screen is not just strategy but identity. He invoked the legacy of the great innovative filmmakers who have all found a home at Universal, and framed the studio’s theatrical commitment as spanning from 1912 to the present day.
“It’s the studio’s responsibility to fill the seats you supply.”
Orr expressed genuine optimism about the state of the industry, noting that the early part of 2026 has already delivered extraordinary results.
Jack Black, Illumination, and the Minions March On
Few entrances received as warm a welcome as Jack Black’s. The star — who voices Bowser in the Super Mario films — bounded out to a hero’s reception. Chris Meledandri, Founder and CEO of Illumination, joined him on stage and offered a heartfelt tribute to Black as a “true movie star” in the classic sense of the phrase.
Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was highlighted as a triumph of the franchise era, with the Mario universe having generated over $11 billion worldwide across all media. The sequel looks to build on the blockbuster momentum of its predecessor.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: Mario and friends return for a new animated cosmic adventure in the beloved franchise’s dazzling sequel.
From there, Meledandri turned to Illumination’s next major animated event: Minions & Monsters. Set in the 1920s and rooted in Old Hollywood’s golden (and silent) era, the film follows the Minions as they arrive in the Western United States searching for a new villain and fall into the world of moviemaking, becoming improbable stars. Then the Talkies arrive, and everything falls apart.
Meledandri described it as a personal film for the franchise’s creator, director Pierre Coffin — a love letter to auteur cinema and to the act of discovering filmmaking as art. The film’s voice cast includes Jeff Bridges as the studio boss and Christoph Waltz, alongside Coffin’s returning Minions. The story celebrates the birth of cinema while centering on characters who desperately want to be a part of it — only to be ruined by the very innovation that changes everything.
Minions & Monsters: In 1920s Hollywood, the Minions chase movie stardom until the Talkies arrive and monsters are unleashed.
Laughs, Scares, and Romance: Universal’s Genre Slate
One Night Only
Director Will Gluck (Anyone But You) returns with One Night Only, a romantic comedy with a hilariously high-concept premise: what if there were one night a year when pre-marital sex was legally permitted? Stars Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner were introduced to the room as the film’s central couple, navigating a night that is at once absurd, romantic, and consequential.
One Night Only: Two strangers seek connection on the one night per year the rules no longer apply — with unforgettable results.
Other Mommy
Other Mommy brings Jessica Chastain’s considerable dramatic presence into full horror-film territory. The film follows a family stalked by a demonic, doppelganger-like entity masquerading as the mother. Produced by James Wan’s Atomic Monster, it’s the kind of deeply unsettling domestic horror that suggests Chastain is ready to scare audiences as skillfully as she has moved them.
Other Mommy: A sinister demonic entity poses as the mother of a household, terrorizing a family from the inside out.
Violent Night 2
David Harbour is back in the red suit, but this time Santa is on the naughty list. Violent Night 2 finds St. Nick having lost the meaning of Christmas and wandering the wreckage of his own legend — until Kristen Bell arrives as Mrs. Claus to remind him who he is (and who to fight). The franchise’s signature brand of blood-soaked holiday mayhem returns for another round.
Violent Night 2: A disillusioned Santa rediscovers his purpose when the fierce and formidable Mrs. Claus arrives to help.
Focker-In-Law
Twenty-six years after Meet the Parents, the Focker saga returns. Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro both appeared on stage to tease Focker-In-Law, which deftly reverses the franchise’s original dynamic: Stiller is now in De Niro’s former role, and it is Ariana Grande — playing the fiancée of Greg and Pam’s son — who comes in as the new outsider being subjected to the Circle of Trust. Grande appeared alongside her co-stars, having described her Wicked experience as having given her “deer hunter vibes,” a line that got one of the bigger laughs of the session.
Focker-In-Law: The beloved franchise returns as Greg’s son’s fiancée — a mysterious ex-FBI negotiator — enters the Circle of Trust.
Focus Features: Art, Austen, and Eggers
Universal’s specialty arm, Focus Features, showcased two distinctive films that speak to the label’s commitment to singular cinematic voices.
Sense and Sensibility
Director Georgia Oakley brings a fresh adaptation of Jane Austen’s enduring novel to the screen, with Daisy Edgar-Jones leading as Elinor Dashwood alongside Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne. The film, set against the societal expectations of 18th-century England, promises the same emotional intelligence and period craft that has made every screen version of Austen’s work worth watching.
Sense and Sensibility: Jane Austen’s classic tale of sisters navigating love, loss, and social expectations in 18th-century England.
Werwulf
Robert Eggers unveiled first footage from Werwulf, his follow-up to Nosferatu. Set in 13th-century England, the film is a deeply gothic horror in which a werewolf stalks a fog-shrouded village, bringing ancient dread into the lives of ordinary people. Eggers’s trademark atmospheric intensity was evident in the footage, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson starring as the lycanthrope. A Christmas 2026 release date anchors the film as a holiday destination for horror fans.
Werwulf: Robert Eggers unleashes gothic dread as a werewolf stalks foggy 13th-century England in visceral, haunting horror.
The Biggest Ovation of the Week: Steven Spielberg
The presentation’s emotional and theatrical peak arrived with the appearance of Steven Spielberg — reportedly his first time at CinemaCon. The ovation that greeted him was, by all accounts, the biggest of the week.
Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, took the stage to present Spielberg with the MPA America250 Creator Award — a one-time honor created in celebration of the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary. The award recognized Spielberg’s singular contributions to American cinema and to the theatrical experience. Colman Domingo, a cast member in Spielberg’s new film, had the honor of accompanying and celebrating his director in conversation. Spielberg mused on his origin story as a moviegoer, recalling the thrill of sharing a film with an audience from his earliest days in cinema. He spoke of Cecil B. DeMille and the primal magic of 1,000 people experiencing the same story at the same moment.
On the business side, Spielberg praised Universal’s commitment to a 45-day theatrical window, while noting his own personal preference for a full 60 days — a position that underscores his deeply held belief in the theatrical experience as cinema’s proper home.
“If we keep making movies about known IP, we’re going to run out of gas. We need to tell more original stories — stories we can’t imagine unless we see them in a movie theater.”
Disclosure Day: Spielberg Returns to the Unknown
Spielberg’s new film, Disclosure Day, is a return to the science-fiction territory that defined some of the most celebrated chapters of his career. The film follows the unraveling of a vast government conspiracy surrounding UAPs — Unidentified Aerial Phenomena — and asks the questions that humanity has long dreamed and feared to answer.
Spielberg spoke about the American cultural fascination with UFOs and the way Hollywood has always chased that obsession. He drew a distinction between Disclosure Day and Close Encounters of the Third Kind: where that film was written with wonder and open mystery, the new film is written with a greater sense of certainty — of people who know what really happened, including events like the Roswell incident. It answers questions, but raises new ones.
The title itself functions as a shrouded mystery. Colman Domingo, clearly relishing the conversation, described the experience of working with Spielberg: the filmmaker creates a joyful, collaborative set where the team functions as family. Domingo offered his own childhood memory — renting 16mm films and charging the neighborhood kids for the experience — as a mirror to Spielberg’s own origin story.
Spielberg noted that Universal has been deliberate about keeping the film’s deeper secrets out of the trailer. As for what audiences need to know before sitting down to watch, he offered a single, characteristic piece of advice.
“All you need to get from the beginning to the end is a seatbelt.”
Disclosure Day: Spielberg returns to sci-fi as a government UFO cover-up unravels, with humanity’s deepest questions at stake.
