By George & Josh Bate
Sony Pictures kicked CinemaCon 2026 off with the first major studio presentation. Coming off a year that yielded mixed success, CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Group Tom Rothman was eager to highlight what he believes will be “an Olympic year” for the multinational entertainment company and the movie industry more broadly.
In an impassioned speech, the ever-provocative Rothman urged exhibitors to acknowledge the serious challenges the film industry faces, namely lower admissions post-COVID. He emphasized that exhibitors must strive to achieve three goals: Longer, Shorter, and Cheaper. Longer refers to his request that theaters enforce longer theatrical windows for films, a hotly debated topic in the industry for years now. Shorter refers to theaters getting rid of the endless advertising before movies and, at last, shortening the overly long preshows. Rothman eloquently put, “Get off the ad crack.” Finally, cheaper refers to doing what they can to make movies be more affordable again.
On the distributor’s end, Rothman promised that Sony would continue to prioritize high-quality releases that appeal to a wide array of moviegoers.
Keep reading for a comprehensive breakdown of every reveal, announcement, preview, and first look during Sony Pictures’ presentation at CinemaCon 2026.
The Breadwinner
The first film to take center stage during Sony’s presentation was certainly not the movie anyone expected.
Comedian Nate Bargatze came on stage to crack a few jokes and discuss his upcoming PG-rated family comedy The Breadwinner. Bargatze was joined by his co-star Mandy Moore, who compared the established comedian and fledgling movie star’s acting ability to the kid who played the dog Samuel in her third grade production of Annie (quite the endorsement from the Emmy nominee).
Bargatze and Moore presented two scenes from their film, which highlight its light-hearted tone and perhaps somewhat problematic premise. The film follows an incompetent stay-at-home dad (Nate), who is forced to take charge of the household and care for his three young daughters when his wife (Mandy Moore) lands a deal on Shark Tank and has to be away from home.
Both scenes that were presented exclusively to the CinemaCon crowd hinged on a single, rather tired joke: that dads aren’t incompetent. Rather than examine just why so many men weaponize incompetence and get away with contributing nothing to their families, The Breadwinner seems content to use a father’s ineptitude as the brunt of a dull running joke.
The first scene shows Bargatze’s father character as he tries and fails to make oatmeal by himself as his daughters mourn their mother’s impending exit from the home. As the family waves Moore’s character off, one of the daughters points out that they have locked themselves out of their home. Yes, it only took a few seconds for the mom not to be there for the dad to cause a big problem. That’s no worry though as the dad comes up with a quick solution: shove the smallest child through a back window so she can unlock the door.
The next scene shows Bargatze driving his three daughters to school. The problem? He doesn’t know where any of their schools are. Even more egregious, he doesn’t know the names of any of their schools. The girls take full advantage of their father’s incompetence by threatening to call their mom. This causes the dad to take his eyes off the road and try to snatch a cell phone from one of his daughter’s hands. But by taking his eyes off the road, Bargatze accidentally drives the car through several garbage cans and a mail box. If that wasn’t enough, the model volcano that one of the girls is holding onto erupts all over the interior of the car.
Needless to say, The Breadwinner looked like an uninspired family comedy overly reliant on a single, problematic gag. Maybe the final movie proves more entertaining and clever, but, based on the clips shown at CinemaCon, we’re not holding our breath.
The Breadwinner is in theaters on May 29, 2026.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
From the silly to the spectacular, Sony pulled out the big guns with their next film. Coming off the mammoth box office and critical success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, anticipation has been sky high for the big-screen return of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, culminating in record-breaking viewership numbers for the first trailer of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Of course, the brass at Sony were eager to showcase the fourth installment of the MCU’s Spidey franchise. In discussing the film, Rothman poignantly said Brand New Day is “as big as anything we’ve ever made and yet it feels like nothing we’ve ever made.”
Rothman went on to describe Tom Holland’s performance in the film as the “finest” of his career.
Rothman then welcomed a virtual, pre-recorded Tom Holland on stage to further discuss the film. Holland described Brand New Day as “big and fun and cool.” He continued, “It’s the most emotional Spider-Man and, in some ways, the most grown-up.”
This sentiment was certainly felt as Holland presented an exclusive scene from the film to the CinemaCon crowd.
The scene begins with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker sitting at a table in a small store watching as Ned (Jacob Batalon) purchases some items for a house party. Peter clearly yearns to have his best friend back, but, consistent with the conclusion of No Way Home, everyone who once knew him no longer remember him.
Clearly, Peter wants to re-enter Ned’s life, which leads him to follow him across the street to a house party. Carrying flowers with him, Peter ends Ned’s apartment and takes a drink from a person passing by before entering a backroom. The wall in this room is covered with pictures and newspaper clippings of Spider-Man. As Peter examines the clippings, Ned enters and expresses his interest in figuring out who Spider-Man is. He says that he does not wish to expose Spidey’s identity to the public, but, rather, he simply wants to know the identity of the man that saved his friends so many times. Ned then pulls a sheet back from the wall to reveal his two primary suspects for the identity of Spider-Man: Flash Thompson and Mr. Harrington, his high school physics teacher.
Ned also reveals to Peter that he has created an app called Spidey-Tracker, where people can report sightings of the masked hero. The app has pinpointed Spider-Man as being from Queens.
While discussing Spider-Man, Zendaya’s MJ walks in the room and seems ever-so-slightly taken aback by Peter. Is this because, in some deep corner of her mind, she remembers him? Or is she simply surprised at seeing a stranger in her apartment? Either way, MJ and Peter engage awkwardly with one another in an extended version of a moment showcased in the first trailer.
After this, MJ exits the room with Ned, who asks her about a recent job interview. MJ confirms that she secured her job, as Peter listens to the conversation from afar. MJ again seems like some part of her remembers Peter (or at least, she has some immediate emotional connection to him) as she stares at him for a few moments too long.
Suddenly, MJ’s boyfriend (played by Ahsoka star Eman Esfandi) comes in and gives her a kiss. At this, Peter becomes troubled and abruptly leaves the party.
Based on the scene, it appears that Brand New Day is indeed honoring the bold ending of No Way Home and committing to exploring how Peter handles everyone in his life forgetting his existence. Consistent with Holland’s comments, the film certainly seems more grounded and intimate than his previous outings as the character. This appears to be a fitting tonal shift that aligns with Peter’s difficulties accommodating to a new lifestyle.
After the scene, a brief trailer was shown, set to narration from Keith David. Much of the scenes were similar from the first trailer. No new looks at Sadie Sink’s mystery character or Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle. The trailer concluded with a new action scene depicting Spidey stretching and complaining, “I’m not in high school anymore” before fighting a bunch of prison guards.
In addition to the exclusive scene, two new posters for the movie were released during CinemaCon. Check them out below.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in theaters July 31, 2026.
Insidious: Out of the Further
Sony went from Spidey to supernatural as they transitioned to the sixth film in the Insidious franchise during their CinemaCon presentation.
“I assure you this movie is the most terrifying in the franchise,” said Sony Pictures president of domestic distribution Adam Bergerman about Insidious: Out of the Further.
The film stars Amelia Eve stars as Gemma, a young mother who discovers that her daughter’s troubling ‘dreams’ are actually instances of her traveling to The Further, the realm of lost souls that lies at the heart of the Insidious franchise.
Check out the first trailer of Insidious: Out of the Further below.
Interestingly, the trailer suggests that the film will serve as a fresh start for the franchise, seemingly requiring little knowledge of the prior installments. Other than the obligatory appearance of franchise staple Lin Shaye, there’s nothing in the trailer to suggest that this is an Insidious movie.
Sony also debuted a poster for the film, which you can view below.
Insidious: Out of the Further is in theaters on August 21, 2026.
Resident Evil
The horror didn’t stop there for Sony as the studio introduced the first footage from its new Resident Evil movie exclusively to the CinemaCon crowd.
There to present the film was director and co-writer Zach Cregger, fresh off the mammoth success of last year’s horror epic Weapons.
Cregger voiced his longstanding adoration for the Resident Evil games, admitting that he’s “put an embarrassing number of hours” into them over the years. Cregger went on to say, “I love the atmosphere. I love the pacing, the resource management, the dread. It’s so naturally cinematic.”
Cregger’s adaptation of what he brands “the gold standard of survival horror” will not feature the “narrative acrobatics” that defined his previous efforts in the horror genre. Instead, “you’re going to be locked in with a protagonist on a foot journey from Point A to Point B as everything is trying to destroy them.”
An exclusive first trailer for Cregger’s “big scary ride” was presented at CinemaCon. It begins with Weapons star Austin Abrams stumbling on an abandoned house in a snowy field. Desperate to find a working phone, he frantically tries to call his girlfriend and apologize for being disconnected earlier. Ominously and nervously, he says that they may never speak again.
The trailer then cuts to a number of unsettling shots, in particular one of a pale and bloated zombie sitting on the floor of a sewer. Another notable moment involves a dark doorway (similar to the iconic one from Weapons) suddenly being populated with various disconnected limbs.
The big climactic moment of the trailer shows Abrams running through a deserted snowy street as a zombie horde chases him from the rooftops. The trailer concludes with numerous zombie bodies falling from the rooftops and splattering violently on nearby cars.
Unlike Johannes Roberts’ misguided franchise reboot Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City, Cregger’s film tells an original story set in the zombie-infested universe of the video games. The trailer certainly evokes the terror and dread of the games, even if the story seems entirely different.
Resident Evil is in theaters on September 18, 2026.
Klara and the Sun
After a duo of horror movies, Sony Pictures brightened CinemaCon up with a first look at Klara and the Sun.
The new film from director Taika Waititi adapts Kazuo Ishiguro’s best-selling sci-fi novel and is officially set to release in theaters on October 23.
“This is a hopeful story about friendship and connection at a time when technology makes us feel so alone,” TriStar Pictures president Nicole Brown told the CinemaCon crowd.
Like its source material, the film follows a solar-powered robot whose sole purpose is to assist humans.
The robot in question is named Klara and is played by Jenna Ortega. The footage shows Ortega embrace her quirky and unusual side as an eccentric and off-beat robot. These personality trades appeal to Josie (Mia Tharia), a sick girl who chooses to bring Klara home. Her mother, played by Amy Adams, asks skeptically, “This one? She looks tired.”
The trailer may not have been anything groundbreaking, but it did suggest that a return to form may be in store for Waititi. His previous two films – Thor: Love and Thunder and Next Goal Wins – have been wishes and have made the successes of Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit feel like a lifetime ago.
Klara and the Sun is in theaters October 23, 2026.
The Nightingale
Sony is also masterminding another adaptation of a bestselling novel from a female author.
Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale will soon begin production, starring Dakota and Elle Fanning. The film marks the first time the sisters will star in a movie together.
The real-life sisters will play estranged sisters Vianne and Isabelle in the movie, who each take different paths to survival and love in German-occupied France.
The Nightingale is in theaters on February 12, 2027.
Grandgear
Hot off the incredible success of Godzilla Minus One, Takashi Yamazaki helms his first English-language film in the form of Grandgear.
Produced by JJ Abrams and Bad Robot, the film will hit theaters on February 18, 2028 and has yet to begin production. Despite that, Sony presented early test footage from the film, which showcased big robot battles in an urban environment. The most apt comparison appears to be Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim.
Grandgear is in theaters February 18, 2028.
The Legend of Zelda
Surprisingly, no footage from Wes Ball’s upcoming video game adaptation of The Legend of Zelda was shown at CinemaCon 2026.
However, the studio confirmed that the film recently wrapped production.
The Legend of Zelda is in theaters on May 7, 2027.
Bloodborne
One of the major announcements from the panel came in the form of a video game adaptation of the beloved video game Bloodborne.
Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, promised that the upcoming animated film will be “very true” to the violent spirit of the PlayStation game.
The popular video game YouTuber Sean McLoughlin (also known as Jacksepticeye) will produce and help develop the adaptation.
Bloodborne does not currently have an official release date.
Helldivers
Another massively popular video game will soon get the feature film adaptation from Sony. Justin Lin (Star Trek: Beyond, Fast Five) will helm Helldivers, starring Jason Momoa.
Lin was at CinemaCon to talk about the movie. He said that he was looking for a character-driven action movie to enjoy on the big screen and that Helldivers fit that description perfectly.
The director described Helldivers as more than a video game – it’s a “phenomenon…that balances satire with humanity.”
Lin continued, “The only person who I think could pull this off is Jason Momoa.” The Aquaman actor was recently confirmed as the lead of the film.
Helldivers is in theaters November 2027.
The Social Reckoning
Aaron Sorkin’s “companion piece” to the Academy Award-winning drama The Social Network was showcased at CinemaCon 2026.
A contrast to David Fincher’s dramatic approach to the 2010 hit, The Social Reckoning was described as a “thriller” during CinemaCon.
Aaron Sorkin appeared on stage to discuss the film and the context in which it will be released. “A couple of things have changed since that dream explored into a global corporation,” Sorkin said. “There isn’t a life that Facebook’s influence hasn’t touched… it’s time to say more. It’s a real David and Goliath story.”
An exclusive trailer for the film was presented to the CinemaCon crowd and highlighted Mikey Madison’s Frances Haugen as the lead character. For those unfamiliar, the movie will adapt Ben Mezrich’s book ‘The Accidental Billionaires’ and follow the true story of the young Facebook engineer who collaborated with a Wall Street Journal reporter to expose Facebook’s most guarded secrets.
The trailer begins as Madison’s Frances Haugen approaches Jeremy Allen White’s Jeff Horwitz covertly in a park. Haugen insists that she only wants to “help Facebook, not hurt it,” a sentiment that puzzles Horwitz.
The trailer then offers a first look at Jeremy Strong’s Mark Zuckerberg. Strong seemingly steps seamlessly into the role made iconic by Jesse Eisenberg. Zuckerberg is first depicted as facing scrutiny from a character played by Bill Burr for not being likable enough.
The rest of the footage ramps up the tension and stakes, namely by various characters voicing their concerns of speaking out against Facebook. One character states that the mafia would make a better enemy, while a character played by Billy Magnussen boasts that the company has transcended government.
As the title card flashes, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ theme from The Social Network kicks in and provides greater continuity to Fincher’s movie.
Overall, we were impressed with the trailer, although we still have concerns that Sorkin’s voice as a director will pale in comparison to the razor sharp style of David Fincher.
The Social Reckoning is in theaters on October 9, 2026.
Buds
Sony Pictures Animation displayed a teaser image from and revealed a plot description of its upcoming movie Buds.
Described as a “comedy that reveals there’s a lot more going on in the plant world than we possibly imagined,” Buds follows a plant that breaks the most sacred rule of the planet world – never talk to humans. One day, our hero does the unthinkable to save his best friend, a radical act that changes the plant world and opens our eyes up to how connected our worlds are.
Buds is in theaters December 22, 2027.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Brand New Day wasn’t the only Spidey flick Sony had to show off in Vegas.
During Sony’s CinemaCon presentation, writer-producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller and directors Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson spoke on stage about the “finale” of the Spider-Verse trilogy. Miller promised that it is “the most emotional Spider-Verse film we have ever made.” Lord then added that it is the “most spectacular.”
Lord and Miller revealed that they worked on post-production for Project Hail Mary next to Sony Animation so that they could be close to the work on the capper of their Spider-Verse trilogy.
The creative team revealed that the movie will begin right where Across the Spider-Verse left off, with Miles restrained by Aaron and Miles’ Earth-42 counterpart.
An early scene from the film was shown exclusively to the CinemaCon crowd and shows Miles tied up to a punching bag. His uncle Aaron lurks as The Prowler arrives and reveals himself as Miles Morales. The two versions of Miles argue about the pronunciation of “Morales,” with the Earth-42 variant rolling the ‘r’ in a way that our protagonist does not.
The variant Miles is surprised by the nature of the multiverse, especially as Miles starts to glitch out and explain the impending canon event (i.e., the death of his father) that he is trying to prevent.
Miles says that he doesn’t want to hurt his captors, a claim that makes them laugh. That is, until electricity surges through Miles’ hands and incapacitates his variant and Aaron.
The footage then transitioned to a compilation of other scenes from the film. Peter B. Parker, Spider-Ham, The Spot, Spider-Man 2099, and Gwen Stacy were all briefly shown in the footage.
Four images from the footage have been publicly released and can be seen below.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is in theaters on June 18, 2027.
Jumanji: Open World
Sony concluded its presentation by bringing out a trio of the world’s biggest movie stars.
Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart came on the stage in The Dolby Colosseum to discuss their upcoming Jumanji movie. The team revealed the official title of the film as Jumanji: Open World, a fitting title given the plot that the trailer displayed to the CinemaCon crowd teased.
Johnson and Hart exchanged some jokes about being short, alcohol intoxication, hating one another, and disingeniously pointing out names in the crowd before Black said, “I’ve never had more fun working on a movie. This is my favorite so far.”
Black, Hart, Johnson, and Gillan will take it up a notch this time around as they each play three separate characters in the new film.
Johnson also revealed that the movie will pay homage to Robin Williams, stating, “Robin, as we like to say, this one’s for you.” He revealed that Williams will be referenced in an Easter Egg in every scene of the movie.
A first trailer for Jumanji: Open World begins as two new characters accidentally turn on the Jumanji video game and cause the game to come into the real world.
Our group of heroes are having dinner in a cafe when they recognize Johnson’s character sitting in a chair. They soon realize what’s happened and team up with Johnson, Hart, Gillan, and Black to separate the real world from the video game world.
The footage looked fun and teases a movie that seems more unique than Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Hart and Johnson have a great back-and-forth as always. And you can never have enough of Jack Black.
Jumanji: Open World is in theaters on December 25, 2026.