By George & Josh Bate
Few success stories in the recent history of the film industry are as remarkable as NEON. Founded in 2017, the independent studio has quickly become a global powerhouse in the independent film space, championing bold and auteur-driven cinema. While retaining the scrappy spirit that put the company on the map in the first place, NEON has grossed an incredible $250 at the domestic box office in the past two years, won six consecutive Palme d’Or awards at Cannes, and received a whopping 57 Academy Award nominations.
Needless to say, NEON approached its first major studio presentation at CinemaCon with swagger and confidence as the studio showcased exclusive footage from their upcoming slate.
Keep reading for a comprehensive breakdown of every reveal, announcement, preview, and first look during the NEON presentation at CinemaCon 2026.
Hokum
First up for NEON at CinemaCon 2026 was Hokum, the new horror film from Oddity filmmaker Damian McCarthy.
The film made its world premiere recently at SXSW 2026 and received positive reviews from critics, who lauded the haunted house movie for its effective shocks and atmospheric mythology.
Hokum follows an author (Adam Scott), who travels to a remote part of Ireland to spread the ashes of his deceased parents. Putting his life at risk, Scott’s character is unaware that his rented accommodation may be haunted.
Hokum was described as a movie that “channels the psychological tension of The Shining.” And yes, the film includes an axe just like Stanley Kubrick’s iconic horror movie.
NEON also pointed out the film’s “deeply unsettling mythology” that lies at the heart of its story.
Hokum star Adam Scott arrived on the Colosseum stage to discuss the new movie. The Severance actor spoke about being “enamored by horror movies” as a kid of the 1980s. He namedropped Friday the 13th, The Thing, The Shining, and An American Werewolf in London as some of the films he particularly enjoyed. “Getting the shit scared out of me was irresistible,” Scott remarked.
Scott said that he was a fan of Damian McCarthy’s last film Oddity as it “scared the shit out of” him. As such, joining Hokum was an easy choice for him.
“Making this film was an incredible experience,” Scott reflected. “There are moments that will stay with you long after you leave.”
Scott remarked on the meaning of the title Hokum, a word that refers to nonsense. The actor said that his protagonist in the film dismisses the concerning events he witnesses as hokum, or nonsense, much to his peril.
Scott then presented a brand new trailer for the film. From multiple images of dead animals to strange utterances to flickering images of an odd woman with bunny ears, the footage certainly looked unsettling. We’ll see if the final film holds up to the impressive promotional material.
Hokum is in theaters May 1, 2026.
I Love Boosters
Singular filmmaker Boots Riley and frequent collaborator LaKeith Stanfield were next up at CinemaCon to talk about their latest collaboration I Love Boosters.
Initially making its world premiere at SXSW 2026, the film has garnered praise for its “carefully-controlled chaos” and “raucous capitalist critique.”
The film follows a woman named Corvette (Keke Palmer) and her group of shoplifters known as the Velvet Gang, who target a cutthroat fashion maven (Demi Moore).
“I make movies for the big screen,” the immaculately dressed Riley proclaimed. “I’m doing my best work in this film and I’m lucky to have LaKeith doing his work in this film.”
Stanfield, who shared a great on-stage banter with his director, commented, ““He’s one of the most original voices out there and you feel that in everything he does… I Love Boosters makes you feel all kinds of things and delivers a sweet little message.”
Upon remarking that he wants to “take people through visceral experiences” with his movies, the outspoken Riley pushed back against Martin Scorsese’s dismissive labeling of Marvel movies as amusement park rides, stating that he wants his movies to “feel like an amusement park ride.”
I Love Boosters star Keke Palmer then delivered a pre-recorded message to the CinemaCon crowd expressing her regret at not being present at Caesar’s Palace and her excitement at audiences around the world catching her new movie.
Riley and Stanfield then presented an exclusive scene and new trailer from I Love Boosters to the CinemaCon crowd.
The scene began with Palmer’s Corvette and Naomi Ackie’s Sade orchestrated a heist of a monochromatic green clothing store. In the background, they have a white woman ready to draw attention and two men ready to engage in a faux fight. While waiting to begin the heist, Corvette watches a news report on a television that shows Demi Moore’s fashion maven Christie Smith label the Velvet Gang “urban bitches.” Corvette takes offense at this term before proceeding forward with the heist. The footage then cuts to outside the store as Corvette and Sade make their way across a parking lot looking like Michelin Men given the amount of stolen apparel they’ve stuffed under their own clothes.
I Love Boosters is in theaters May 22, 2026.
Leviticus
Another festival gem then took the spotlight during NEON’s presentation. A new trailer for Leviticus, the fusion of horror movie and queer love story Leviticus that was one of the most talked about movies from Sundance 2026, was presented to the crowd.
The film follows two teenage boys, Naim and Ryan, in a conservative community who are subjected to a “conversion therapy” ritual. The ritual goes wrong, releasing a malevolent entity that takes the form of the person its victims desire the most: each other.
The trailer initially features some steamy action between teenagers Naim and Ryan before ominous shit starts to go down. The two kiss at a funeral when one suddenly strangles the other. One of the characters remarks, “You see anything that looks like me, don’t go near it.” The trailer then concludes with a character shoving his hand violently and quickly into another’s mouth.
Leviticus is in theaters June 19, 2026.
A Place in Hell
The penultimate film of NEON’s CinemaCon presentation was A Place in Hell, a new thriller from Fair Play director Chloe Domont.
Starring Michelle Williams and Daisy Edgar-Jones, the film follows a cutthroat criminal defense attorney on the verge of making partner and giving birth. Suddenly, a younger lawyer is brought into the form to replace her, sparking a rivalry for control that pushes both women to dangerous extremes.
An exclusive first look at the film was presented to the CinemaCon crowd that very much felt like it originated from the same filmmaker who masterminded Fair Play. Like the Alden Ehrenreich-led Netflix thriller, A Place in Hell hones in on the cutthroat nature of the corporate world and seemingly explores greed, gender politics, and backstabbing all in the context of a ‘90s-esque nail-biting thriller. The footage teased a really intense cat-and-mouse battle between Williams and Edgar-Jones.
A Place in Hell is in theaters December 25, 2026.
Hope
Last up for NEON at CinemaCon 20226 was Hope, “the pulse-pounding sci-fi action thriller” from Na Hong-jin.
Making its world premiere at Cannes 2026, Hope takes place in the remote village of Hope Harbor, near the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). When a tiger is suspected to have appeared and local police chief Bum-seok is alerted, it throws the community into chaos. But what begins as a local emergency soon spirals into a deeper, more terrifying mystery, one that forces the town’s residents to confront the unknown.
A world exclusive first look at the film was presented to the CinemaCon crowd and suggested an intense movie coming soon. The footage begins in a desolate city, with destroyed cars and damaged buildings everywhere. A female police officer wields a rifle and steps out of her patrol car as she looks up a man walking down the street. Suddenly, a car flies into him and kills him.
The footage then cuts to multiple shots of characters ominously wielding guns in forest and urban settings. They fight off creatures that appear to be like a cross between tigers and the creatures from A Quiet Place.
Other creatures in the film look like variants of the Engineers from the Alien franchise.
One of the footage’s most notable moments comes in the form of a massive spaceship object slowly crashing down from the sky.
Hope does not currently have a release date.