Sony Pictures Kicks Off CinemaCon 2026 with Spider-Man, Jumanji, and a Slate Full of Swings

Sony Pictures kicked off CinemaCon 2026 with a packed opening night presentation that ranged from family comedies to some of the most anticipated franchise films in the studio's history. Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman opened the show with a pointed speech urging exhibitors to enforce longer theatrical windows, shorten pre-show advertising, and make tickets more affordable — framing it as an "Olympic moment" for the industry. He also took a gentle jab at the competition, noting that Sony's Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer had surpassed one billion views in under a week.

For ease of use, this recap goes in order of film theatrical release date rather than the order in which they appeared in Sony's presentation.

The Breadwinner - May 29, 2026

Comedian Nate Bargatze took the stage alongside co-star Mandy Moore to introduce this PG-rated family comedy, which Bargatze also wrote. A clip was shown in which Mandy's character departs for a work trip to South Korea, leaving Bargatze's character to handle their three daughters, only to reveal on the school run that he doesn't know where any of them go to school. The chaos ends with a collision with a mailbox and garbage cans, sending the middle child's science project volcano erupting all over the family. Bargatze's self-deprecating stage presence and Moore's charm made for an entertaining introduction to what looks like a crowd-pleasing summer comedy.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day - July 31, 2026

Tom Holland couldn't attend in person, but appeared via hologram to interact live with Tom Rothman on stage. Holland described the film as the most emotional and most grown-up Spider-Man yet. A clip was shown in which Peter Parker, whose identity has been wiped from everyone's memory following the events of No Way Home, is going by the name "Maynard" and has become a “friendly” neighbor to Ned and MJ. In a fun bit of dramatic irony, Peter lingers at their apartment housewarming party and discovers that MJ is now in a relationship with Flash Thompson. The footage was funny, a little heartbreaking, and suggested that director Destin Daniel Cretton is leaning into the emotional consequences of the previous film in a meaningful way. With over a billion trailer views in its first week, the anticipation for this one is hard to overstate.

Insidious: Out of the Further - August 21, 2026

Sony's horror franchise continues with a new installment introduced by President of Releasing, Adam Bergman. The trailer, which debuted at CinemaCon before launching online, follows a dentist who discovers she has the rare ability to pull demons from the Further into the mortal realm. She appears to be a single mother, and the footage had a deeply unsettling tone that felt like a fresh angle on the mythology. Bergman described it as the most terrifying entry in the franchise yet, a claim the trailer made a strong case for.

Resident Evil - September 18, 2026

Zach Cregger, hot off Barbarian and Weapons, took the stage to introduce his adaptation of the beloved survival horror video game franchise. He spoke about his deep personal connection to the games and his intention to honor their pacing, atmosphere, and dread. Unlike his previous films, he promised a more straightforward narrative — one protagonist, one journey from point A to point B. The trailer debuted, centering on a male protagonist leaving a desperate voicemail for his love interest as he enters a world overrun by the undead. If his track record is any indication, this could be the video game adaptation that finally silences skeptics.

Klara and the Sun - October 23, 2026

Nicole Brown of TriStar Pictures introduced Taika Waititi's adaptation of Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro's novel. The film stars Jenna Ortega as Klara, an artificial friend chosen by a girl named Josie, with Amy Adams playing Josie's mother and Natasha Lyonne as a manager of artificial friends. The footage showcased Waititi's trademark quirky sensibility, but with a bright, bold visual language that drew comparisons to Tim Burton's colorful early work. 

The Social Reckoning - October 29, 2026

Aaron Sorkin returns to the world of tech with this companion piece to The Social Network, this time inspired by the true story of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. Sorkin wrote and directed the film, which stars Mikey Madison as Haugen alongside Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg, with Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, and Billy Magnussen rounding out the core cast. A first look was shown, highlighting the film's suspenseful, thriller-driven tone — a departure from the more conversational style of its predecessor. If The Social Network was about building the machine, The Social Reckoning appears to be about what happens when someone tries to dismantle it.

Jumanji: Open World - December 25, 2026

Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black closed out the presentation with what felt like a full trailer for the third film in their Jumanji trilogy, which just wrapped production in Hawaii. In this installment, the game characters find themselves loose in the real world with their own distinct personalities — Johnson's character speaks with a Spanish accent — before the adventure pulls them back into the game. Johnson delivered the emotional centerpiece of the presentation when he revealed that one of the dice from Robin Williams' original Jumanji makes a meaningful cameo in the film, dedicating the moment to Williams' memory. Black called it the most fun he's ever had making a movie. The three stars' genuine chemistry was on full display, both on stage and in the footage shown.

The Nightingale - February 12, 2027

Currently in production, this adaptation of Kristin Hannah's beloved novel about two sisters in German-occupied France during World War II sent a video greeting from the set featuring its stars and producers, Elle and Dakota Fanning — their first time acting together on screen. The project has spent years on bestseller lists and sold over ten million copies worldwide, and the Fanning sisters seem like inspired casting for the central roles.

The Legend of Zelda - May 7, 2027

Sony just wrapped production on the live-action adaptation of Nintendo's beloved franchise, produced by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto alongside Avi Arad and directed by Wes Ball. No footage was shown, but Sanford Panitch spoke about the film with a confidence that bordered on audacious, suggesting it could surpass The Super Mario Bros. Movie at the box office. That seems like a stretch, but the fan anticipation alone makes it one of the most-watched releases on the horizon.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse - June 18, 2027

Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Bob Persichetti, and Justin K. Thompson took the stage together to introduce an early scene from the conclusion of the Spider-Verse trilogy. The footage picked up immediately where Across the Spider-Verse left off, with Miles Morales trapped in an alternate dimension and at the mercy of that universe's Uncle Aaron. A tense exchange followed between Miles and that universe's Prowler — his counterpart — in which Miles explained the concept of a "canon event" before breaking free. The four filmmakers spoke passionately about throwing out the rulebook with each installment, and this one appears to be the most ambitious yet. Notably, the film is being made for Premium Large Format in a 1:43 aspect ratio — the first Sony animated feature designed with PLF exhibition in mind. Some additional footage was shown with artful pillarboxing, though it remains unclear how the film will be formatted for standard screens.

Helldivers - November 10, 2027

Director Justin Lin introduced his adaptation of the massively popular co-op shooter, which stars Jason Momoa as a soldier battling aliens for the fate of humanity. Lin spoke about the game's blend of satire and humanity, and how those qualities translate naturally to the big screen. Filming begins soon in New Zealand. With over 250 million active players weekly, the built-in audience for this one is enormous.

Buds - December 2027

Sony Pictures Animation president Kristine Belson introduced the studio's next original film, Buds, with a teaser image and logo. The image — a leaf fist-bumping a human child's hand — speaks to the film's premise: a sentient potted plant that breaks the most sacred rule of the plant kingdom by talking to a human. It's a slim first look, but Sony Animation's track record with original concepts (KPop Demon Hunters, Goat) gives plenty of reason to be curious about where this one goes.

Bloodborne - 2027 (release date TBD)

In a surprise announcement, Sony revealed that PlayStation's acclaimed gothic action RPG Bloodborne is being developed as an R-rated animated feature, produced by PlayStation Productions, Lyrical Animation, and content creator Seán "JackSepticEye" McLoughlin, who brings over 48 million online fans with him to the project. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the commitment to an R rating signals an intention to honor the game's famously dark and brutal world.

Grandgear - February 18, 2028

Takashi Yamazaki, the Oscar-winning director of Godzilla Minus One, makes his English-language debut with this J.J. Abrams-produced spectacle. Filming hasn't begun yet, but proof-of-concept footage was shown of a giant mecha squaring off against a kaiju. Yamazaki is the only director other than the legendary Stanley Kubrick to win an Academy Award for Visual Effects — a piece of trivia Panitch was understandably eager to share.

More Theatrical Anime

Bergman highlighted the success of Crunchyroll’s big screen releases of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle last year. While no specific titles were discussed, he reaffirmed Sony’s commitment to helping anime continue its world domination on the big screen.

And that's a wrap on Sony! Stay tuned to LaughingPlace.com this week for more news out of CinemaCon.