By George & Josh Bate
Last but certainly not least at CinemaCon 2026, Walt Disney Studios impressed with a resounding showcase of their diverse upcoming slate of films. With the likes of The Mandalorian and Grogu and Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon later this year, the mammoth studio spotlighted their big blockbuster fare that will hit theaters soon, in addition to a slew of animated, thriller, and drama films.
Senior Vice President and General Sales Manager for Theatrical Distribution Matt Kalavsky and Head of Global Theatrical Distribution Andrew Cripps were welcomed on stage by Chairman of Disney Entertainment Studios Alan Bergman to celebrate the studio’s monumental success in 2025. Last year, the studio brought in nearly $6.6 billion at the global box office, nearly $2 billion more than their closest competitor.
This year has already seen Disney find success with Send Help and Hoppers, the latter of which scored the biggest original animated opening since Pixar’s Coco in 2017.
But Disney is just getting started in 2026. In the coming months, Star Wars makes its big return to the screen, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway reteam for a sequel twenty years in the making, and Doctor Doom arrives.
Keep reading for a comprehensive breakdown of every reveal, announcement, preview, and first look during Disney’s presentation at CinemaCon 2026.
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Twenty years after their iconic performances as Miranda and Andy, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway return to the NYC fashion scene and the offices of Runway Magazine with The Devil Wears Prada 2 next month.
Footage from the upcoming film was shown exclusively to the crowd at CinemaCon 2026 during Disney’s studio showcase.
The footage shows a meeting at Runway Magazine led by Miranda Priestly. The demanding editor-in-chief is told off a number of times by a character played by Simone Ashley for her insensitive remarks. It’s a funny little bit and captures the character’s icy demeanor from the original film.
“The intention was to be dull and listless?…The models were encouraged to mill around like starving goats in the parking lot of a methadone clinic in New Jersey?” she asked. The poor staffer replies, “Well, I wouldn’t say that was the intention.”
Miranda goes on to make a joke about suicide, further causing Simone Ashley’s character to admonish her. Miranda retorts that she is only talking about killing herself, not others. For now, that is.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is in theaters May 1, 2026.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
After headlining this year’s Creative Community Luncheon at CinemaCon 2026, Jon Favreau walked on stage at The Dolby Colosseum to discuss his upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Marking the big screen return of Star Wars after seven years, Favreau’s film marks a milestone in the acclaimed filmmaker’s career as he has directed an episode of The Mandalorian but never a full-fledged Star Wars movie. “Star Wars made me fall in love with movies,” said Favreau. “That opening shot with the ship flying over changed my life… I had gotten to only direct one episode of the series, which was the first episode of the second season, and now I got the opportunity to do that with all the collaborators [on a movie].”
The excitement in Favreau’s voice was easy to detect as he gears up to bring Din Djarin and Grogu (not Baby Yoda, as Favreau reminded the audience) to theaters next month. Favreau took the time to praise the performances of Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, and Sigourney Weaver in the film.
A brand new trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu was then screened at CinemaCon and released concurrently online. Check it out below.
Along with the trailer, a new poster for the movie was released. Check it out below.
Favreau then came back on stage, presumably to wrap up The Mandalorian and Grogu portion of the presentation. But thankfully, that was not the case.
The first 18 minutes of The Mandalorian and Grogu were screened exclusively to the CinemaCon crowd, providing the audience at The Dolby Colosseum a world exclusive first look at the movie. Keep reading for a detailed description of the first 18 minutes of The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Of course, the film begins with the Lucasfilm logo. Unlike the slew of Disney+ series that have released since the last theatrically released Star Wars film, however, the movie does not begin with the blue and red Star Wars intro full of characters’ silhouettes.
An opening crawl then appears on screen, establishing the story that is to unfold. The opening crawl appears in a pale yellow/green color and explains that the evil Empire has fallen. The remnants of the old regime, however, remain and are actively hunted down by the New Republic. The Mandalorian and Grogu (whose names are capitalized) are working for the New Republic to hunt down lingering Imperial forces.
After the text fades, we pick up on the snowy planet seen in the trailers. An unnamed Imperial warlord sits at a table full of local government officials as he informs them that he has to raise the local tributes. One of the government officials protests and is swiftly shot and killed by the warlord, as the others cower in fear. The Imperial warlord then says, “Long live the Empire,” as heard in the trailer.
Elsewhere in the facility, Stormtroopers and Snow Troopers are eliminated from a dark figure in the shadows. It’s clear that this is Din Djarin, who evokes his inner Batman in operating from the darkness to stealthily take down bad guys one by one.
Back in the main room, one of the Snow Troopers receives a warning that someone is in the facility and sets off a warning. The government officials are handed blasters to defend themselves, but they look confused, presumably unfamiliar with ever wielding blasters. The Imperial warlord, meanwhile, flees in an elevator and once again shouts, “Long live the Empire.”
Din Djarin then makes his grand hero entrance by emerging through the entrance of the main room. We see the moment from the trailer in which he uses his wrist flamethrower to burn one trooper alive and then use his blaster to shoot another trooper from behind without looking.
As this is going on, Grogu is in another part of the facility. We see Grogu use the Force to disassemble a Mouse Droid that was dispatched by the Imperial warlord. Grogu makes his way outside and covers behind an object as a Snow Trooper approaches him. Before he’s caught though, Grogu’s dad steps in with an AT-RT (All Terrain Reconnaissance Transport). Din Djarin blasts the soldier with the AT-RT cannon and tells Grogu, “What are you waiting for?” Grogu then does a big Force leap onto the AT-RT.
Din Djarin tells Grogu to hold on as he leads the AT-RT down a steepy cliff. They go down the cliff and turn a corner onto a narrow ridge where three massive AT-ATs await. The scale is incredible and certainly is bigger in scope than anything we’ve ever seen from the Disney+ series.
Inside one of the AT-ATs is the warlord, who angrily commands his troops to kill “The Mandalorian.” This line suggests that Din Djarin has become somewhat of a known figure among the Imperial remnant, which would make sense given his role in stopping Moff Gideon on more than a few occasions.
On the ground, Din Djarin and Grogu maneuver the AT-RT to avoid being stomped on. Djarin takes one of the vehicles down by placing thermal detonators on its legs. Right before they’re crushed, he uses his jet pack to fly away.
We then pick up inside the back of the AT-AT. What then ensues is an intricately choreographed one-take action sequence reminiscent of the hallway battles in Daredevil. Din Djarin takes down trooper after trooper in increasingly innovative ways. He uses his blaster, his fibercord whip, his fists, and more to eliminate them all one-by-one. As he approaches the camera, it then turns around to reveal the inside of the AT-AT cockpit. The remaining officer shuts the door to stop Din Djarin from entering. He alerts the warlord that he hears something climbing on the roof.
Din Djarin and Grogu then blow up the second AT-AT and make their way to the final AT-AT, which houses the Imperial warlord. They make their way into the cockpit, only to see that he has escaped in a small shuttle and left behind him a bunch of ignited thermal detonators.
Din Djarin takes control of the AT-AT’s weapon system as he aims at the fleeing warlord’s struggle. Grogu on his back taps him several times to alert him of the explosives that are about to go off. Din Djarin shoots down the warlord and, together with Grogu, escapes the AT-AT just in the nick of time.
They use the jetpack to board a U-Wing piloted by none other than Zeb, the fan favorite Lasat from Star Wars Rebels. Zeb tells Din Djarin that he should have tried to keep the warlord alive, but Din Djarin dismisses him.
The title card then appears.
The opening credits unfold as we see shots of the Adelphi Base, the same base that appeared in The Mandalorian Season 3. Pedro Pascal, of course, is credited first. Jeremy Allen White is credited second, which suggests a rather prominent role for Rotta the Hutt. Credited third is Brendan Wayne, who plays Din Djarin in many scenes. It’s nice to see Wayne receive such a prominent credit given how much he is responsible for bringing this iconic character to life.
As the credits wrap up, Din Djarin and Grogu make their way into a room occupied by Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward. Grogu uses the Force to try and get some sweets from the table, but Ward stops him. Ward admonishes Din Djarin for killing the warlord, saying that they are not pursuing revenge. Instead, they want to “prevent another war.” Din Djarin remains resolute, however, in his determination to kill all the remaining bad guys.
The trio make their way outside, where Ward tasks Din Djarin with another mission. She wants him to track down a mysterious Imperial warlord named Coyne (spelling is unclear, although we suspect that this is the character played by Jonny Coyne. Kind of strange though that the character and the actor share the same name). Ward mentions that no one knows what Coyne looks like, a secret that is implied by the fact that the card she presents Mando is blank.
Ward elaborates that she wants Mando to journey to Nal Hutta and do a favor for the Hutts so that they can lead the New Republic to Coyne. The favor in question? Rescue Jabba the Hutt’s only living heir from the clutches of a rival crime syndicate.
Din Djarin refuses to take on the job as he does not want to work for a crime syndicate. Here we see a departure in philosophy for the bounty hunter, who was introduced as working for all manner of scum and villainy.
Ward seemingly knew that Mando would resist taking on the job as she already has a plan in place to incentivize him. She turns a corner to reveal a brand new Razor Crest. Mando and Grogu board the ship, alongside Zeb. The Lasat recommends that they take the job.
Mando explores the ship as he sees Grogu playfully jump up and down on his little bed. They make their way into the cockpit and Grogu starts to play with buttons. Mando tells Grogu to stop hitting the buttons and then proceeds to take off, presumably with Zeb on the back.
Putting the pieces together from the CinemaCon footage, Favreau’s comments, and the trailers, we predict that the film will then see Mando visit the Hutt Twins from The Book of Boba Fett on Nal Hutta. There, he will probably be unmasked and face the big white snake monster. After that, we suspect he’ll meet the character voiced by Martin Scorsese for info on Rotta the Hutt. This will lead him to the gladiator arena, where Din Djarin will presumably become a reluctant participant. Beyond that, we’re unsure how the story will go. It seems as if footage from this final act has been kept out of promotional material.
An extended trailer not released to the public was then presented to the CinemaCon crowd.
It should be noted that Ludwig Göransson’s score that accompanies the opening 18 minutes is incredible. He uses established themes, remixes them at times, and implements all kinds of other new musical cues. The music from the three-time Academy Award winner really adds a cinematic feel to the film.
Overall, we were impressed with what we saw. Favreau has clearly taken strides to make the movie feel like an actual movie, and not just another episode of The Mandalorian. The action is more elaborate, the sets are bigger, and the visual effects are stronger.
If our anticipation was already sky-high for The Mandalorian and Grogu, this new footage amplified our hype to new heights.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters May 22, 2026.
Toy Story 5
From one blockbuster franchise to another, Disney flew from a galaxy far, far away to a magical world of toys.
Two scenes and a new trailer from Toy Story 5 were presented to the CinemaCon crowd. The first scene shows the toys tossed aside as eight-year-old Bonnie (voiced by Scarlett Spears) becomes fixated on her Lilypad device (voiced by Greta Lee). The second scene depicted Buzz and Woody jostle for power. Woody is from his peak, however, now sporting a bald patch on the back of his head and a beer belly.
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen went on stage to discuss the new film. After watching footage of them recording the original Toy Story over 30 years ago, Hanks joked that he thought he and Allen looked like their grandchildren.
Andrew Stanton, director of Wall-E and Finding Nemo, directs the film. Hanks and Allen are joined by returning voice actors Joan Cusack, Tony Hale, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, Blake Clark, Annie Potts, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal, Keanu Reeves, and Melissa Villaseñor. They are joined by newcomers Greta Lee, Conan O’Brien, Craig Robinson, Shelby Rabara, Scarlett Spears, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Matty Matheson, Jeff Bergman, Anna Vocino, John Hopkins, and Ernie Hudson.
Toy Story 5 takes the long-running Pixar franchise to the modern day as it depicts how Woody, Buzz, and the gang cope with their owner Bonnie growing enamored by a frog-like tablet named Lilypad.
Toy Story 5 is in theaters June 19.
Moana
Having appeared early in the week to showcase Jumanji: Open World during Sony’s CinemaCon presentation, Dwayne Johnson returned to the Colosseum stage to unveil an exclusive new look at the live-action remake of Moana.
Johnson spoke about “living with the character [Mawi] for 10 years” and how much Mawi means to Polynesian people. He went on to explain why he believes Mawi represents a healthy form of masculinity for audiences to look up to. “All men of all ages should support and champion and embolden women.” Johnson said. “To me and to Mawi, that’s what real masculinity looks like.”
Johnson pulled out his phone to show the audience a picture of his grandfather, who served as an inspiration for Mawi.
He also touched on the translation of Moana from animation to live-action and what this new medium affords the story. Johnson mentioned, “There’s something important [about going from animation to live-action], because we’re able to showcase the Pacific Island and real people.”
Johnson then welcomed Catherine Laga’aia on stage to talk about playing Moana in live-action. Laga’aia’s mother and father traveled from Sydney to be at CinemaCon. Johnson reflected on how Laga’aia is just at the beginning of what appears to be a promising career ahead of her and reminisced about when he first did press interviews, as Laga’aia did earlier that day.
The extended look at Moana showed Laga’aia sing “How Far I’ll Go” as Johnson sang “You’re Welcome.” The footage suggested that the live-action remake will stick closely to the tone and narrative of the original film.
Taking place in ancient Polynesia, Moana follows the titular character, a daughter of a village chief chosen by the ocean to save her people. Her journey across the Pacific sees her ally with the shape-shifting demigod Maui, voiced by Johnson.
Moana is directed by Thomas Kail, who is known for directing the musicals In the Heights and Hamilton.
Moana is in theaters July 10, 2026.
The Dog Stars
Next up for Disney was a post-apocalyptic science fiction film from director Ridley Scott.
Based on the novel by Peter Heller, The Dog Stars is set in the aftermath of a catastrophic virus that nearly wiped out all of humanity. The story follows pilot Hig (Jacob Elordi) and ex-marine Bangley (Josh Brolin) as they face invaders and hope for a better life.
The first trailer for The Dog Stars debuted at CinemaCon and was released online concurrently. Check out the trailer below.
The Dog Stars also stars Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce.
The Dog Stars is in theaters August 28, 2026.
Whalefall
Perhaps the most bizarre (and we mean that in a positive way) and intense film showcased during Disney’s CinemaCon presentation was Whalefall, a new thriller from director Brian Duffield.
Based on the novel by Daniel Klaus, Whalefall stars Austin Abrams as a scuba diver who is swallowed alive by a sperm whale and needs to do whatever he can to escape.
The all-important scene of Abrams’ character being swallowed by the whale was presented exclusively to the CinemaCon crowd and had everyone in attendance on the edge of their seats. Backed to a pulse-pounding score, the footage showed Abrams followed by a massive whale, before being pinned against rocks. As he finally tries to swim free and hide among kelp, the whale ominously circles in the darkness of the ocean. Eventually, the whale launches an attack. Abrams is trapped in the mouth of the whale, barely holding on to the animal’s teeth while kicking against his tongues. Eventually, his efforts prove unfruitful as the whale swallows him whole, after which the footage cuts to black.
Whalefall also stars Josn Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, and John Ortiz.
Austin Abrams was seen earlier this week at CinemaCon when Sony revealed the first trailer for Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil.
Whalefall is in theaters October 16, 2026.
Wild Horse Nine
A new trailer for Martin McDonagh’s upcoming black comedy Wild Horse Nine was shown exclusively to the Vegas crowd.
The film takes place shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup and follows CIA officers Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) as they are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island.
A scene from the movie was shown to the CinemaCon crowd. It begins in an airport as two young women sit across from Chris and Lee while waiting to board. Chris questions the women’s support of their country’s left-wing leader and asserts that not everyone likes him. Increasingly, over the course of the conversation, Chris begins to joke (but not really joke) that he is a CIA agent tasked with destabilizing the government. Rockwell’s Lee tries to make it seem like Chris is joking to the girls.
A second scene continues from the airport as Chris and Lee are on a flight. Lee is angry at Chris for being so open about their intentions as CIA agents. Chris, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to give a damn.
While not laugh out loud funny in the way some of McDonagh’s previous movies have been, Wild Horse Nine seems to certainly possess the kind of black comedy that delicately tows the line between offensive and bold that audiences have grown accustomed to expecting from the filmmaker.
Wild Horse Nine is in theaters November 6, 2026.
Hexed
Disney announced that Hailee Steinfeld will voice the lead character Billie in the upcoming animated film Hexed. Rashida Jones will voice her mother.
Hexed follows teenager Billie and her mom as they discover she may have magical powers.
Footage from the film was shown as part of Disney’s CinemaCon presentation and depicted Billie as she is asked various questions by a book and a quill. It was only a brief glimpse of the film, but, from what we saw, it seems like Disney animation are heading in a fun direction with this one.
Hexed is in theaters November 25, 2026.
Gatto
Although Disney did not present footage from the film, Pixar’s Gatto was mentioned during the presentation.
Gatto follows Nero, a cat indebted to a feline mob boss who is forced to make an unexpected friendship that may finally lead him to uncover his purpose.
Gatto is in theaters March 5, 2027.
Ice Age: Boiling Point
Queen Latifah, Ray Romano, and Dennis O’Leary arrived on stage to talk about Ice Age: Boiling Point, the sixth film in the long-running animated franchise.
“Do you know how long ago we started?” Romano asked. “The real Ice Age didn’t last this long.”
The trio presented exclusive footage from the upcoming film. Of course, it was centered around Scrat, the franchise’s iconic squirrel. Scrat now has an adorable baby, who he fights wth over a massive acorn. Scrat manages to pacify his baby by giving them a tiny acorn. Much to Scrat’s dismay, his baby uses the acorn as a dummy.
In the background, a volcano erupts and, before they know it, lava is everywhere. Scrat and his child frantically try to survive, hopping from one block of ice to the next.
Latifah said that the fan-favorite characters find themselves at “a little fork in the road” in the new film. The movie, which serves as a sequel to 2016’s Ice Age: Collision Course, also stars John Leguizamo and Simon Pegg.
Ice Age: Boiling Point is in theaters February 5, 2027.
Avengers: Doomsday
Disney concluded their whopping CinemaCon presentation with a showcase of arguably the most highly anticipated film of the entire conference – Avengers: Doomsday.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and directors Joe and Anthony Russo were at The Dolby Colosseum to speak about the film. But first, Feige noted that Avengers: Endgame will be re-released in the new premium format Infinity Vision with never-before-seen footage and a few surprises.
Diving into Doomsday, Feige revealed that the upcoming MCU movie will “pick up right where Avengers: Endgame left off.” He elaborated that it will also pick up where the X-Men movies left off. In this sense, Feige’s comments dispel a misconception that watching a movie like Avengers: Doomsday requires extensive homework. According to the MCU big boss, all you need to do is watch Endgame and be familiar with the old X-Men movies and you should be fine.
The Russo Brothers, meanwhile, described Doctor Doom as “the greatest Marvel villain of all time. He’s even better than Thanos. Victor Von Doom is one of the most complex villains. He’s always three moves ahead, which makes him virtually unbeatable.”
Doctor Doom himself Robert Downey Jr. then made a triumphant introduction to the CinemaCon crowd, fittingly donning a Doom t-shirt underneath his jacket. Downey remarked, “I couldn’t have imagined reuniting with this amazing team — let alone as a new character.”
Downey, Feige, and the Russos then revealed the first full trailer of Avengers: Doomsday, which included a first look at Downey’s Doctor Doom in his mask. Keep reading for a detailed description of the trailer.
The trailer begins with a shot of the sign for Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters damaged and on the ground. Inside the school, Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier looks out the window at what appears to be an incursion. Tons of glowing yellow and purple lights from the sky signal something very bad is about to happen.
We then hear narration from Downey’s Doctor Doom in a Latverian accent. He ominously says, “Something is coming. Something we may not be able to deter. Before this day is done, we shall be faced with an unthinkable decision.” Downey’s voice suggests that his Doom is the same calculating menace portrayed in comics, such as Secret Wars.
We see a look at the Avengers Tower in New York City. Inside, we see glimpses of the Fantastic Four coming through a door as The New Avengers await. We later see Thor in the room, also giving an ominous speech about what’s to come. “I fought with many warriors in my time,” the Asgardian says. “They were far stronger than all of us put together and they died. They died facing enemies and threats that scared me far less than this one. Everything they sacrificed will be for nothing if we don’t stand together. Put aside your petty squabbles.”
Other notable parts of the trailer include various duels inside the X-Mansion between the Avengers and the X-Men. A particularly memorable moment sees Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi and Channing Tatum’s Gambit face off. Rebecca Romjin’s Mystique, donning her white comic accurate costume, transforms into Florence Pugh’s Yelena and fights with the actual Yelena.
We also see more of the meeting between the Wakandans and the Fantastic Four in a desert. Ben Grimm and M’Baku shake hands. Shuri and Sue Storm nod to one another. Namor is seen flying in the air at one point, and sitting confidently in a throne at another.
Most strikingly, however, is our first look at Doctor Doom. He initially appears in the trailer (armored and with a mask on) making a superhero landing in the courtyard of a mansion (maybe the X-Mansion?). Later on, Thor runs at him with Stormbreaker. Doom effortlessly lifts his hand and stops Thor with ease.
The trailer ends as Thor says, “We need a miracle.” He starts talking to someone who we can’t see at first. “This isn’t possible,” he says. “Hey, pal,” the other person replies. The camera then shows Thor is talking to Steve Rogers. He doesn’t look like the Chris Evans we saw in the teaser a few months back. His appearance is more similar to his Infinity War look, with long hair and a beard. He’s also wearing a black suit, not his Cap suit.
The trailer was so mind-blowing that the CinemaCon crowd demanded that it be played again. But before that, Chris Evans was welcomed on stage, wearing a green jacket. Despite brandishing Doom colors, Evans was not having Doom. He jokingly spoke about how he likes Downey, but that he doesn’t like Doom whatsoever. Feige and the Russos playfully broke Evans and Downey apart as they confronted one another. Someone remarked, “Not this again,” a reference to the two coming head-to-head in Captain America: Civil War. Feige then said, “Leave it for set.”
Simply put, the footage was impressive. Marvel Studios gave themselves a difficult task to follow Avengers: Endgame with a movie that has even greater stakes and an even greater threat, but they seem to have accomplished that difficult feat.
If there’s one word to describe the trailer, it is ‘ominous.’ Downey seemingly doesn’t go showy or too heighted as Victor Von Doom, instead playing him with a more menacing and calculated thoughtfulness. Thor’s speech to the Fantastic Four and Avengers similarly implies the high stakes of the situation. Thor has come up against a number of enemies before, but we haven’t seen him quite as scared or rattled at this. He recognizes the threat of Doom and is eager to let the other heroes know about it.
Everything we saw from Doom looked incredible in the trailer. The armor is gorgeously designed. It looks so much like the Doom armor from the 2015 Secret Wars run in which Doom became God Emperor Doom. However, he is not wearing a white cloak. Instead, he has his trademark dark green one.
Visually, it seems as if the Avengers movies have upgraded massively in bringing on Newton Thomas Sigel as cinematographer. Sigel was the cinematographer on the original two X-Men movies and previously collaborated with the Russos on Cherry. The color grading, establishing shots, and framing all look gorgeous.
Narratively, we suspect that rumblings of Avengers: Doomsday effectively being an Avengers vs. X-Men movie are true, at least in part. Much of the trailer shows the two teams clash. Doom’s limited dialogue also implies that he may be the one masterminding the conflict. “Something is coming,” he says. “Something we may not be able to deter. Before this day is done, we shall be faced with an unthinkable decision.” These don’t feel like the words of a big bad threatening someone. They feel like the words of a covertly ill-intentioned figure giving warning to someone about a threat that, unbeknownst to others, they have engineered.
Speculation is sure to be rampant on social media following the CinemaCon presentation. But we’ll have to wait until winter to find out what happens in the highly anticipated fifth Avengers movie.
Avengers: Doomsday is in theaters December 18, 2026.