CinemaCon 2026 once again proved why Las Vegas remains the most vital stop on Hollywood’s calendar. For four days, studios used the Colosseum stage at Caesars Palace to transform unfinished films into must-see events through exclusive trailers, extended scenes, and first-look footage designed to energize exhibitors and dominate industry chatter.
From Marvel’s multiversal mic-drops to Warner Bros.’ brutal return to Arrakis, these were the biggest footage reveals from CinemaCon 2026.
1. Avengers: Doomsday (Marvel Studios / Disney)
The clear mic-drop moment of the week—and arguably the year—belonged to Avengers: Doomsday. Disney saved the heavy hitters for their grand finale, with Kevin Feige bringing Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans to the Colosseum stage to unveil a two-minute trailer that played twice to satisfy a room full of shell-shocked exhibitors.
The footage opened on a somber note at the X-Mansion, where Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) watches a blinding energy rift tear through the sky. Over the ruins of the school, we hear the first strains of Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor von Doom—utilizing a chilling, gravelly Latverian accent. “Something is coming,” he warns. “Something we may not be able to deter.” While Downey remained masked in the green-hooded metal suit for much of the sizzle, a tight close-up reportedly revealed deep scarring around the eyes, confirming this is a far cry from Tony Stark’s polished billionaire.
The reel then accelerated into a “multiversal flood” of crossovers. In one standout action sequence, Channing Tatum’s Gambit (sporting a more dramatic, toned-down accent) is seen in a high-octane duel against Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, their powers of kinetic energy and the Ten Rings clashing in a neon explosion. Fans also got a glimpse of “Florence Pugh vs. Florence Pugh” as Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) shapeshifts into Yelena Belova to infiltrate the new Avengers Tower—a redesigned skyscraper that now houses both Sam Wilson’s team and the Fantastic Four.
The climax of the footage was pure visceral spectacle: Thor (Chris Hemsworth), glowing with Asgardian lightning, lunges at Doom with Stormbreaker. In a staggering display of power, Doom stops the axe mid-swing with a single, unyielding palm, effortlessly absorbing the shockwave. As a weary Thor whispers, “We’re going to need a miracle,” the trailer delivered its “mic-drop” stinger. A long-haired, bearded Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) steps out of the shadows, clad in a tactical black shirt. As Thor gasps, “It’s not possible,” Mjolnir flies across the frame, landing firmly in Rogers’ hand as he offers a grim, knowing smile. It was the loudest reaction in the history of the convention, cementing Doomsday as the must-see theatrical event for December 2026.
2. Dune: Part Three (Warner Bros.)
Warner Bros. screened seven minutes from Dune: Part Three, which Denis Villeneuve described as “Saving Private Ryan in space.” The footage focused on a Fremen assault led by Stilgar (Javier Bardem) against advanced defenses during a torrential rainstorm—a prophetic sign that energized the troops.
The sequence transitioned into a montage featuring a 17-year time jump. We saw a hardened Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) confronting a resurrected Hayt (the Duncan Idaho ghola played by Jason Momoa). When Paul asks for his loyalty, Hayt bluntly replies, “I think you’re way beyond redemption.” The footage also offered a first look at Robert Pattinson as the Tleilaxu Face Dancer Scytale, whose eyes appeared clouded as he spoke of a future Paul can no longer see.
3. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (Warner Bros.)
One of the week’s strongest surprises showcased a tougher, battle-tested Kara Zor-El. The extended preview saw Milly Alcock’s Kara on a “space bus” filled with alien refugees. When a group of pirates led by a swaggering Lobo (Jason Momoa) boards the ship to rob the passengers, Kara—depowered by red sunlight—tries to negotiate with a “kind of” plan.
The ensuing brawl utilized teleportation tech, with Kara taking visible damage and even breaking her hand on a pirate’s armor, emphasizing her vulnerability. The trailer ended with her flying into the heart of a sun to regain her strength, followed by a brief cameo of David Corenswet’s Superman, whom Kara dismissively describes as a “freaking nerd.”
4. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
Sony Animation returned with a visually dense scene centering on the confrontation between Miles Morales and his Earth-42 Prowler counterpart. The footage leaned into the “don’t watch the mouth, watch the hands” advice from Peter B. Parker, as Miles uses his venom powers to break free from Prowler-Miles.
The montage that followed teased an interdimensional chase involving Spider-Noir (Nicolas Cage) and a silhouette of the Kingpin that mirrored the “Spot” visual effects. Producers confirmed the film will feature even more disparate animation styles than its predecessors, including a “zine-inspired” world for Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk.
5. Children of Blood and Bone (Paramount Pictures)
Paramount didn’t just show a trailer; they staged a manifesto for what looks to be their next Gladiator-sized tentpole. Introduced by director Regina King—who noted the production spanned three continents to capture the “soul of the soil”—the footage for Children of Blood and Bone was a breathtaking introduction to the world of Orïsha.
The sequence opened with a high-contrast wide shot of Thuso Mbedu’s Zélie training on a sun-drenched coastal cliff. The choreography is a standout; moving away from the “weightless” CGI fighting of recent fantasy, Mbedu’s staff work appeared punishingly physical and grounded. The lush, vibrant color palette of the West African-inspired landscape popped against the Colosseum’s high-gain screens, offering a stark, refreshing alternative to the “prestige gray” of other genre offerings.
The atmospheric tension was anchored by a gravelly, spine-tingling narration from Viola Davis’s Mama Agba. Over shots of “diviners” being rounded up by armored guards, Davis’s voice boomed: “They didn’t just kill our people; they tried to bury the breath of the gods.” The “wow” moment for exhibitors, however, was the creature design. The footage offered a first look at the ryders—massive, snow-leopard-sized felines with iridescent fur—brought to life through a seamless blend of sophisticated animatronics and top-tier VFX. One particularly visceral shot showed Zélie racing a ryder through a dense, bioluminescent jungle, the camera shaking with every heavy, tactile thud of the beast’s paws. For a studio looking to fill the void left by maturing franchises, Paramount’s bet on Tomi Adeyemi’s mythology felt like the most confident “new world” build of the week.
6. Whalefall (20th Century Studios / Disney)
Director Brian Duffield delivered a claustrophobic masterclass with Whalefall. The footage followed Austin Abrams as a scuba diver looking for his father’s remains, only to be caught in the vacuum of an 80-foot sperm whale’s mouth. The “Martian-meets-127-Hours” vibe was palpable as Abrams’ character realized he had only one hour of oxygen left while trapped inside the dark, rib-lined interior of the beast.
7. Evil Dead Burn (Warner Bros.)
The “horror title of the week” went to Evil Dead Burn. Directed by Sébastien Vaniček, the trailer featured a mother unloading a dishwasher before being possessed by a Deadite. In a stomach-churning sequence, she yanks a car headrest out of her own neck and proceeds to impale a family member on the dishwasher’s cutlery rack. The footage ended with her drinking boiling candle wax and a sarcastic toast to a “perfect family.”
8. The Thomas Crown Affair (Amazon MGM Studios)
Michael B. Jordan didn’t just arrive at CinemaCon; he arrived as the industry’s newly minted heavyweight champion, fresh off an Oscar win for Sinners. Pulling double duty as director and star, Jordan used the Amazon MGM presentation to position The Thomas Crown Affair as a “glossy, upscale event” built specifically for the IMAX canvas.
The footage opened with a sultry, high-stakes gala in Europe, where Jordan’s Crown and Adria Arjona’s investigator engage in a game of “seduction chess” that feels like a spiritual successor to the 1968 and 1999 classics. However, Jordan is pivoting the narrative: his Crown isn’t just stealing for the adrenaline—he’s a billionaire on a mission to “repatriate” stolen artifacts to their original creators.
The sizzle reel culminated in a jaw-dropping heist at a fictionalized Met, where Jordan utilizes high-tech holograms and synchronized blackout tech to swap a priceless Van Gogh in broad daylight while standing mere feet from the guards. The aesthetic is pure luxury—private jets, tailored suits, and Mediterranean vistas—all set to a pulsating, jazz-fused score by Jon Batiste. With a supporting cast that includes Kenneth Branagh as the villainous obstacle and Lily Gladstone in a pivotal role, the March 2027 release looks to be the “sexy, international thriller” the theatrical market has been craving.
9. Spaceballs: The New One (Amazon MGM Studios)
Nostalgia hit a fever pitch when Mel Brooks and Rick Moranis took the stage. The footage featured Dark Helmet (Moranis) struggling with a “Legacy Sequel” helmet that was too large for him to walk in. The trailer mocked modern franchise “multiverses,” showing Bill Pullman and his real-life son Lewis Pullman (playing “Starburst”) navigating a ship called the Millennium Eagle.
10. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Sony Pictures)
ony’s second Spidey reveal focused on the “most viewed trailer of all time,” but the exclusive CinemaCon clip offered a deeper look at the heartbreaking “emotional reset” facing Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Facing a world where he is a ghost to those he loves, Peter’s isolation was brought to life in a sequence set four years after the events of No Way Home.
Holland appeared virtually via hologram to set the stage: “Peter had to make a sacrifice… here, you’ll see some of the consequences of that choice.” The footage finds Peter at a college party, standing inches away from his former best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon), who doesn’t recognize him. In a moment of sharp dramatic irony, Ned shows Peter a “conspiracy board” dedicated to unmasking Spider-Man just to thank him, though his prime suspects are Flash Thompson and Professor Harrington.
The tension peaked with the entrance of MJ (Zendaya), who delivered a classic deadpan line about the “statistically probable sociopaths” at their rager. When Peter awkwardly introduces himself as “Maynard,” a neighbor from across the hall, and hands her flowers, she responds with a hollow, “Friendly neighbor.” The “gut-punch” moment for the Colosseum crowd? Spying MJ kissing a new boyfriend, forcing Peter to retreat back into his life as a “full-time Spider-Man.” With a logline teasing a “surprising physical evolution” that threatens his existence, director Destin Daniel Cretton looks to be steering the July 31, 2026, release into much darker, more transformative territory.
11. Hope (NEON)
NEON’s sci-fi thriller Hope left the room shaken. The footage depicted an alien invasion of a small town near the Korean DMZ. Unlike typical “ships in the sky” tropes, these creatures were shown as fast, predatory blurs that launched civilians into the air. The sequence where a family hides in the woods while a creature mimics their voices was a standout moment of tension. Honestly this footage felt more like Resident Evil than the footage from Zach Creager’s upcoming Resident Evil movie.
12. Grand Gear (Sony Pictures)
Takashi Yamazaki’s English-language debut, Grand Gear, featured some of the most impressive VFX of the week. The footage showed a singular giant mech navigating a cityscape with the same weight and scale Yamazaki brought to Godzilla Minus One. Though short on plot, the “mechs-as-horror” aesthetic sparked significant buzz.
13. Street Fighter (Paramount Pictures)
Paramount went for pure spectacle with Street Fighter. The trailer featured Noah Centineo as Ken and Andrew Koji as Ryu in a neon-soaked tournament setting. The choreography looked hyper-stylized, moving away from “gritty realism” toward a more color-saturated, arcade-accurate aesthetic that the audience found surprisingly refreshing.
14. Mortal Kombat II (Warner Bros.)
Warner Bros. leaned heavily into the “R-rated” promise of the franchise, delivering a sequence that was as comedically sharp as it was physically brutal. The centerpiece of the footage was the formal introduction of Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, who looks to be the film’s primary source of meta-commentary and levity.
The clip opens with Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) attempting to negotiate with the Tarkatan general Baraka. When the toothy mutant refuses Liu’s terms, Cage—sporting a tactical but expensive-looking jacket—begins trash-talking Baraka from the sidelines, calling him a “toothy pussy.” The move backfires spectacularly when Baraka decides he’d rather kill the “annoying actor” than fight the champion.
What follows is a high-stakes, hilarious pursuit through a desert village. Cage, frantically shouting that he has “stuntmen for this s***” and pleading for someone to “save the face,” is eventually cornered and tossed through the roof of a hut. Encouraged by Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) to “just act,” Cage finds his signature shades, strikes a pose, and delivers a pitch-perfect: “It’s showtime.” The fight that followed showcased Urban’s martial arts training, culminating in Cage dropping into a split and delivering his iconic crotch-punch to Baraka. The sizzle reel ended with a first look at Martyn Ford’s Shao Kahn towering over the arena, followed by a brief, stomach-churning glimpse of a Fatality involving a spinal tap that left the Colosseum audience gasping and cheering in equal measure.
15. Other Mommy (Universal Pictures / Blumhouse)
Universal saved their creepiest reveal for last. Jessica Chastain stars as a mother whose daughter claims she is being haunted by “Other Mommy.” The trailer featured a mundane domestic scene where Chastain scolds her daughter for hiding ice cream—only for her voice to distort and her neck to elongate as she begins cooking a pot of beans on a stove that isn’t turned on. The “deeply wrong energy” radiating from Chastain’s performance suggests a major horror hit.
High-Value Honorable Mentions
- The Mandalorian and Grogu (Lucasfilm / Disney): First footage showed Mando and a slightly older Grogu engaged in a dogfight with Imperial remnants, positioning the film as a massive theatrical scale-up for the TV duo.
- Disclosure Day (Universal Pictures): Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi bet starring Emily Blunt showed humanity’s first contact not as a war, but as a global “disclosure event” that collapses society overnight.
- Everybody Wants to Fk Me (STUDIOCANAL): Taron Egerton leads this manic, neon-drenched dark comedy that was described as “the wildest trailer of the festival.”
- Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (Sony Pictures Classics): A sharp, provocative comedy that generated chatter for its adult themes and witty script.
- Digger (Warner Bros.): A quiet, atmospheric thriller that suggests a prestige turn for the studio’s mid-budget slate.
Final Takeaway
If CinemaCon 2026 proved anything, it’s that the “death of cinema” narrative has been firmly moved to the trash folder. The message from the Colosseum stage was loud, clear, and exclusively theatrical: footage still sells movies, but only if that footage demands a 60-foot screen.
Whether it was Marvel’s multiversal mic-drops, Warner Bros.’ uncompromising commitment to blockbusters like Dune and Supergirl, or Paramount’s big-swing original fantasy, the week was defined by a rejection of the “straight-to-streaming” mindset. For four days in Las Vegas, the conversation wasn’t about algorithms or mobile viewing—it was about the “collective electricity” of a shared dark room.
As exhibitors head back to their home circuits, they do so with a slate that feels less like a recovery effort and more like a victory lap. Hollywood isn’t just back; it’s doubling down on the scale, spectacle, and star power that only the big screen can contain
Editor-in-Chief | Owner
I’m a dedicated aficionado of all things movies, pop culture, and entertainment. With a passion for storytelling and a love for the silver screen, I’m constantly immersed in the world of cinema, exploring new releases, classics, and hidden gems alike. As a fervent advocate for the power of film to inspire, entertain, and provoke thought, I enjoy sharing my insights, reviews, and recommendations with fellow enthusiasts.