By George & Josh Bate
Disney was the big winner at last year’s CinemaCon, showcasing their most diverse slate of films to date. At this year’s CinemaCon, the studio didn’t pull any punches as they showcased footage from a variety of titles that highlight just how appealing Disney’s productions have become to so many different kinds of moviegoers. From music biopics to sci-fi horror thrill-rides to superhero epics to a return to Pandora, the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 had it all.
Below you’ll find a comprehensive overview of Disney’s presentation at CinemaCon 2025….
The slate of 2025 films on the horizon for Disney were showcased to the CinemaCon crowd. Over the course of the two-hour presentation, the studio had star-studded guests come on stage to talk about and present exclusive never-before-seen footage from these titles.
Before that though, the presentation took some time to celebrate its success in 2024. Disney is the only major film studio to surpass $5 billion in box office gross since the post-pandemic began and, with the exception of 2023, has consistently been the highest grossing film studio over the last few years.
Lilo & Stitch
The first film spotlighted during Disney’s presentation was Lilo & Stitch. After noting the viral sensation of Stitch causing mayhem at the Super Bowl, some great art of Stitch and symbols from a variety of Disney’s divisions was shown to the crowd. Check out the art below.
Disney celebrated the fact that the trailer for Lilo & Stitch was the second most-viewed Disney live-action trailer of all time, clocking a stunning 158 million views in its first 24 hours.
The crowd at CinemaCon was presented with a clip from the upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch film, which was also released to the public. Check out the clip below….
Lilo & Stitch is a live-action remake of Disney’s animated film Lilo & Stitch, which went on to spawn a 65-episode television series. The film follows an orphaned Hawaiian girl named Lilo (played by Daveigh Chase), who adopts a genetically engineering extraterrestrial dog-like creature named Stitch. Those familiar with the original film and the subsequent series will know that found family lies at the heart of the Lilo & Stitch story, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the new film evokes those sentiments.
Lilo & Stitch hits theaters on May 23, 2025.
Freakier Friday
Next up for Disney were Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, who were at the Caesar’s Palace colosseum to discuss their upcoming film Freakier Friday.
Fans of the 2003 body-swapping classic have been clamoring for a sequel for years and, later this years, will finally get to see the continuation of this story.
Lohan and Curtis received a roaring reception at CinemaCon, which speaks to how enduring the original Freaky Friday remains in the minds of many moviegoers.
“We made this movie with a lot of love,” Curtis said. “We specifically made it to be experienced on the big screen with a big crowd.”
Lohan and Curtis presented an exclusive clip and new trailer from Freakier Friday to the CinemaCon crowd. The footage shows a scene in which Curtis’ character is instructed Lohan’s character on how to flirt like a teenager while they shop in a music store. Chad Michael Murray’s Jake then enters and bares witness to Lohan’s miserably failed attempts to flirt with him. Curtis’ character ushers Lohan’s character away under the guise of going to the bathroom where they debrief about the disastrous flirtation. Lohan then says that she has to get back to Jake or he’ll think that she is pooping, to which Curtis’ character responds that it is too late for that. After this, Jake turns his attention to Curtis’ character and seemingly takes an interest in her.
After the clip, a new trailer unfolded that depicted all sorts of scenes from the movie. The Acolyte star Manny Jacinto can be spotted in a blink-and-you’ll-miss moment.
Freakier Friday hits theaters on August 8, 2025.
Tron: Ares
After Freakier Friday, the lights dimed in the Colosseum and there was a smokiness in the air. What followed was a spectacular light show with blue and red lasers shooting out of every corner of the arena, replicating the spectacle of the Tron films.
Jared Leto and Jeff Bridges came on stage to talk about Tron: Ares, the third installment in the franchise that began with the 1982 sci-fi classic.
Leto spoke about what drew him to join Tron: Ares. “As a boy, I was obsessed with Tron” Leto reflected. “Tron had everything I wanted from a movie. Action, adventure, spandex. Lots of spandex. It took me to a world I’d never seen before. It also introduced me to one of my favorite actors in the entire world Jeff Bridges.”
Jeff Bridges, meanwhile, championed the score for Tron: Ares. “The music we’ve got Nine Inch Nails, man. You’re in for a treat.”
Leading up to the footage, Leto told the audience that the footage they were about to see will hit them “right in the grid.” After some audience laughter, Leto humorously followed up with “wherever that is.”
After this, a new trailer for Tron: Ares followed, which was not only one of the highlights of Disney’s presentation for us, but one of the highlights of CinemaCon 2025 overall. To call Tron: Ares a visual marvel would be an understatement, such is the combination of visual effects, cinematography, and production design to bring our world and the grid to life. The scale of the footage was immense, as demonstrated by a massive craft hovering in the skyline of a major city and Greta Lee’s character sprinting away. The tag line of the trailer teased that “worlds will collide” as the digital world comes into the real world. Jared Leto’s Ares is only shown for one brief shot in the trailer, ominously delivering the line, “I am looking for something I do not understand.”
Without having much reverence or particular fandom for Tron or Tron: Legacy, we were pleasantly surprised by how excited this footage made us for Tron: Ares.
Tron: Ares hits theaters October 10, 2025.
Predator: Badlands
Just as we were catching our breath from the stunning Tron: Ares footage, Disney previewed another gem.
The follow-up to the phenomenal Prey, Predator: Badlands was next up for Disney at CinemaCon. The movie will pose a “provocative question” to the audience: “What if the Predator is the good guy?” Director Dan Trachtenberg made a name for himself by putting a spin on the Cloverfield franchise, and he certainly seems to be doing that with Prey and Predator: Badlands.
Elle Fanning, who plays the lead role in the film, arrived to the CinemaCon stage to speak about her role in Predator: Badlands. The A Complete Unknown actress spoke fondly of her time collaborating with Trachtenberg. “It’s his ability to break new ground in the Predator universe that speaks to his creativity and passion for this world,” said Fanning.
When asked to reveal more about the plot and her character, Fanning said, “Something unprecedented happens in this movie. My character is not the one being chased. My character teams up with the Predator and you get to see him in a new light.”
Fanning then introduced exclusive footage from Predator: Badlands to the CinemaCon crowd. The footage begins by introducing the viewer to a foreign planet, one with sweeping desert vistas not dissimilar from those seen in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films.
The trailer showed multiple shots of what appears to be the Predator home-world and offered enthralling glimpses of Predator culture. One Predator dressed in an elaborate gray costume sporting white dreadlocks appears in the trailer, as do red lightsaber-type weapons that Predators were dueling together with. The only human character to appear in the footage, Fanning briefly shows up, blinking and turning her eyes into an opaque white. Based on Fanning’s futuristic appearance, we suspect that this film is set sometime in the future, rather than the historical setting of Prey. The trailer concludes by showing a different kind of Predator than we’ve ever seen before. The Predator is smaller, leaner, and strangely more human like, although this may just be due to the advances in visual effects that have afforded greater specificity in facial animation. The footage concluded with this new Predator roaring while facing the camera, followed by the bold logo for the film.
Predator: Badlands hits theaters November 7, 2025.
Deliver Me From Nowhere
From sci-fi horror to musical biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere was up next for Disney. The Bruce Springsteen biopic from director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Antlers, Out of the Furnace) is the latest in a run of musician biopics that have dominated the film industry in recent years following the box-office smash hit Bohemian Rhapsody and have culminated in the just announced series of The Beatles movies at Sony.
Disney, which recently celebrated success in the musician biopic genre with A Complete Unknown, brought out Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong to discuss their Bruce Springsteen film. White plays Springsteen, while Strong plays Springsteen’s manager and producer Jon Landau.
White revealed that they had Springsteen’s “blessing” in crafting the film, which bodes well for Deliver Me From Nowhere to be an accurate depiction of The Boss’ life.
Strong, meanwhile, compared the relationship between Springsteen and his character Landau to Lewis and Clark as the two groups of men similarly created things both “beautiful and unprecedented.”
White and Strong presented a first trailer of Deliver Me From Nowhere to the CinemaCon crowd. Featured a version of Springsteen’s “Born to Run” sung by White, the trailer adopted a reflective, somber tone that mirrors some of Springsteen’s greatest works. The trailer chronicles White’s difficult upbringing, which Strong’s Landau describes by stating that Springsteen’s childhood bedroom had a hole in the floor. This both literally and figuratively meant that he didn’t have a strong foundation to build a life from. The trailer concluded with a touching line from Strong’s Landau, who says that Springsteen is “repairing that hole in himself” and that “once he’s done with that he will repair the entire world.”
The footage showcased a film that very much looks like it will be an awards contender next season. The trailer is emotional and, in just a few minutes, captures the heart of Bruce Springsteen and his music.
Deliver Me From Nowhere hits theaters this year.
Ella McCay
Jamie Lee Curtis returned to the stage alongside Sex Education star Emma Mackey to speak about their new film Ella McCay. The director and writer of the film James L. Brooks came on stage to accept CinemaCon’s Cinéma Vérité Award and told a story about a troubling interaction he had with the head of a streaming service. This person told Brooks that he can tell if a movie is good or not within the first three minutes, a point that seemed to resonate with the CinemaCon crowd. As CinemaCon is the ultimate celebration of the moviegoing experience, we’ve heard a lot about how important going to the movies is over the four days of CinemaCon 2025, but no one’s comment felt as genuine as Brooks’.
A trailer from Brooks’ new film Ella McCay was shown to the crowd. The trailer looked like a conventional comedy drama with several outdated jokes that didn’t quite land. The plot follows a young politician (played by Mackey) who takes on the job of governor of her state when the actual governor (played by Albert Brooks) is away. As she grapples with a soaring political career, Mackey also struggles to come to terms with the passing of her mother, a tumultuous relationship with her father (played by Woody Harrelson). Curtis plays Ella’s aunt, a primary source of support (and levity) for the young woman. Overall, the footage from Ella McCay didn’t quite move us, but, given Brooks’ illustrious filmography, we’ll wait and see how this one pans out.
Ella McCay hits theaters on September 19, 2025.
The Roses
A trailer for the upcoming dark comedy The Roses also premiered exclusively at CinemaCon. The film, which is based on the novel The War of the Roses by Warren Adler and was previously adapted into a 1989 film starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, is about a husband named Theo (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) and a wife named Ivy (played by Olivia Colman) whose marriage is on the rocks when Theo is fired and Ivy’s career soars.
The footage had lots of funny moments, in particular a moment in which a character played by Kate McKinnon made a pass at Theo and another moment in which Ivy embarrasses Theo at a dinner party by cleverly deriding his ability to perform sexually.
Even though the trailer didn’t amaze us, The Roses looks like the kind of witty black comedy that may click with audiences.
The Roses hits theaters on August 29, 2025.
Thunderbolts*
After a few films into the Disney presentation, it was time for Marvel Studios’ portion. Naturally, the next MCU film on the horizon – Thunderbolts* – was up first. Rather than entering from the side of the stage, cast members David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wyatt Russell, and Hannah John-Kamen all walked in through the audience entrance. The team of actors performed a bit about how they had to drag Russell out of the Caesar’s Palace casino after he got carried away with himself.
When the actors finally got to the main stage, Pugh humorously stumbled over a few lines from the teleprompter and joked that she was jet-lagged or drunk. At some point, she combined the words ‘David’ and ‘Harbour’ into one while talking about her co-star David Harbour, which elicited a funny response from the Stranger Things actor.
Regarding her time making the movie, Pugh said, “We had such a special time making this film.” Pugh pointed out that she got to jump off the second tallest building in the world while filming.
The actors then presented five minutes from Thunderbols* to the CinemaCon crowd.
The footage begins with Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes driving a van with Harbour’s Red Guardian in the passenger’s seat. In the back are Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Russell’s John Walker, and John-Kamen’s Ghost. Red Guardian makes a few quips to Bucky about leading this newfound team together, which Bucky seems reluctant to do. Red Guardian suggests that thhe two could learn from one another, a sentiment that also didn’t seem to sit well with Bucky.
In the back of the van, Yelena pokes fun at Walker’s “hat.”
Red Guardian asks Bucky what their “secret plan” is right before Bucky drives the truck straight through the entrance of what used to be Stark Tower. The foursome then engage with a collection of armed security in a well choreographed sequence that showed off each of the characters’ unique talents.
With one man left to dispose of, the voice Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina comes over the speakers telling the team that they had no reason to fight the guards as she had left the door unlocked for them,
Bucky, Red Guardian, Yelena, Ghost, and Walker then make their way upstairs to Valentina’s office. Valentina makes a comment about how many historic moments have happened in this very room, a nice touch referencing iconic MCU movies like the Battle of New York in The Avengers and the heist of the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame.
Valentina pokes fun at Yelena’s disheveled appearance before calling John Walker a “junior varsity Captain America.” Walker begins to pull out a pistol when Bucky tells him to stop.
Valentina does not recognize Red Guardian, who she funnily labels “old Santa.”
Valentina’s dialogue provides some hints at the story for Thunderbolts*. Valentina remarks tht she hired these characters (with the exception of Red Guardian) to kill one another but that she was surprised when they all came together and formed a team.
Before Valentina can talk more, Bucky goes to attack. However, he is interrupted by some kind of invisible force field. Valentina ominously says, “I’m not alone” when a figure obscured from the camera appears. It is clear that this is Lewis Pullman’s Bob (aka Sentry), although his full appearance is still being hidden from the audience.
After this clip concluded, a new trailer for Thunderbolts* unfolded. There’s definitely a Suicide Squad-esque feel to the footage, but, as people who didn’t particularly like either David Ayer or James Gunn’s versions of Suicide Squad, Thunderbolts* actually looks like it is a movie about a team of unconventional antiheroes done right.
Last week, Marvel Studios announced that all of the Thunderbolts (with the exception of Taskmaster) will return in Avengers: Doomsday.
Thunderbolts* hits theaters on May 2, 2025.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Releasing two months after Thunderbolts* is another MCU outing – The Fantastic Four: First Steps. As cast members like Pedro Pascal are currently in London shooting Avengers: Doomsday, none of Marvel’s original family were present at CinemaCon, although the audience was treated with a new trailer for the film.
The trailer begins on a talk-show called The Ted Gilbert Show, with Mark Gattiss (Sherlock, Game of Thrones) introducing the Fantastic Four. Gilbert provides a brief recap of how the four became superheroes, which seems to indicate that the film will largely skip over retreading the origin story of the team. Gilbert urges people of New York City to thank the Fantastic Four for what they’ve done. Several clips of firefighters, families, and schoolchildren were then presented, all thanking the Fantastic Four, all of which indicate that the Fantastic Four have been operating for some time prior to the events of First Steps.
The trailer then transitions to a Richards family dinner. Sue (played by Vanessa Kirby) and Reed (played by Pedro Pascal) arrive late, slightly annoying Johnny (played by Joseph Quinn). However, after a few moments, Johnny recognizes that his sister Sue is pregnant. He enthusiastically hugs Sue and then tells Reed he is out of his depth. This part of the trailer confirms a longstanding rumor that the film will introduce audiences to Franklin Richards, the child of Reed and Sue, who plays a key role in the comics.
The tone of the trailer then shifts as meteors shower down from the sky and Silver Surfer arrives. Yes, this trailer reveals our first look at Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer. The visual effects look pretty good and will likely look even better when the film hits theaters in July. Silver Surfer asks the Fantastic Four if they are protectors of Earth before telling them that they have been marked for death.
Reed then tells Sue that this is his fault, hinting that some of his research or experimentation may have opened the door to cosmic threats. “I stretched the bounds of space and they heard,” Reed troublingly says.
The same shot of Galactus from the first trailer was then presented, followed by a new shot that shows Galactus’ massive shadow hovering over New York City.
The Fantastic Four are then shown at some kind of press event or public hearing in which they are facing a barrage of questions. Someone asks the team if Earth is safe. A concerned Reed looks down before meekly replying, “I don’t know.”
Another shot of the Silver Surfer (this time surrounded by some kind of lava) is followed by a young girl running to pick up her action figure of The Thing from the ground as a massive boulder falls from the sky.
The trailer concludes as Reed says, “We will protect you.”
The footage from The Fantastic Four: First Steps was (aptly) fantastic. The alterante futuristic Tomorrowland-esque 1960s world is beautifully realized, while the stakes seem high. How this film, which clearly takes place in another universe, will connect to the main universe in which the MCU is set remains unclear. However, this trailer does confirm the existence of Franklin Richards and gives us our first look at the Silver Surfer.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25, 2025.
Avengers: Doomsday
Kevin Feige filmed a brief video from the set of Avengers: Doomsday. He confirmed that principal photography will begin in London in a few days.
Interestingly, Feige confirmed that last week’s massive casting announcement did not unveil the entirety of the Avengers: Endgame cast. At this point, we may be looked at one of the most stacked casts in cinema history with Avengers: Doomsday.
Elio
Zoe Saldaña then came on stage to showcase an extended trailer for the new Pixar movie Elio.
The footage shows Elio abducted by aliens and then scanned by a liquid supercomputer in space. Elio is taken to some kind of intergalactic community where he encounters another supercomputer that says it has all of the answers to the questions of the universe, including the purpose of life. Rather than probe for the answer to this existential query, Elio asks the supercomputer who would win in a fight: a gorilla or ten chimps. The supercomputer sighs and then answers: gorilla.
Elio then meets an alien named Glordon, a cute little creature who wraps Elio in web as a way to swaddle and comfort him.
“Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen then kicks in and shows Elio and Glordon have all sorts of intergalactic fun.
Elio hits theaters on June 20, 2025.
Zootopia 2
The endlessly charming Ke Huy Quan then came on stage to talk about Zootopia 2. The sequel to the $1 billion hit for Disney looks to continue a similar tone and sense of humor from its predecessor.
After speaking about his new character Gary the Snake, Quan introduced several clips from the film. The first clip is a group therapy session led by Dr. Fuzzby (voiced by Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson). It’s a funny bit that an animal is a therapist (akin to therapy animals in real life).
The next clip sees Judy (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick (voiced by Jason Bateman) at some kind of swamp as they inquire with some animals about sightings of Gary the Snake.
Zootopia 2 hits theaters on November 26, 2025.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
CinemaCon studio presentations tend to conclude on resounding notes, and Disney’s presentation this year was no exception. James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash comes to theaters this holiday season and, as Cameron continues to finish the film, he took the time to send a message to the CinemaCon audience.
Cameron promised that Avatar: Fire and Ash will have “increased emotional heart and soul,” while Saldaña returned to the stage to reveal more about the film.
Saldaña explained that Fire and Ash will introduce audiences to two new clans: The Wind Traders and The Ash People.
A few minutes of footage from Avatar: Fire and Ash were then presented to the CinemaCon crowd. A surprise to no one, the footage was visually phenomenal. Vast bodies of water and brilliantly intricate character facial designs were just some of the amazing visuals to marvel at.
The footage shows Jake, Neytiri, and the Navi’i face off against a new tribe wielding bows and arrows. The action looked impressive, although not much was revealed about the story.
Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters on December 19, 2025.
Overall impressions….
Disney fittingly concluded CinemaCon 2025 with a peak at what they have in store for moviegoers in the next year. Films from 2026 like The Mandalorian and Grogu were absent from the presentation, although the proximity to Star Wars Celebration Japan in a few weeks means this makes sense.
For us, Tron: Ares was the big surprise of the Disney presentation given the scale and spectacle of the footage shown. This is especially notable given that we don’t have any particular reverence toward the previous Tron films.
Predator: Badlands and The Fantastic Four: First Steps were are our other highlights of the presentation. Together, both films showcased the diversity in stories Disney is currently telling as the mammoth studio continues to reach new audiences. More than any other studio presentation at CinemaCon, Disney’s presentation had us wanting to get back into a movie theater as quickly as possible. The prospect of seeing the Fantastic Four’s version of New York City, the Predator home-world, and the intersection of the real and digital worlds in Tron left us with a great feeling as CinemaCon came to a close.