Warner Bros. CinemaCon 2026 Recap: First Looks at Digger, Supergirl, Practical Magic 2, and More
Warner Bros.' CinemaCon 2026 presentation covered releases across Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Animation, and DC Films, with a look ahead to 2027 and beyond. Hosted by Patton Oswalt, the showcase opened with Co-Chairs and CEOs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca celebrating the studio's $4 billion-plus global box office in 2025 and announcing a new label, Clockwork, whose first film is Ti Amo from Sean Baker. Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, then teased a wide-ranging 2027 sizzle reel before the main slate got underway. Here is a recap of Warner Bros.' 2026 CinemaCon presentation, organized by release date.
Mortal Kombat 2 — May 8th
New Line Cinema's latest installment in the fighting franchise was showcased with a scene in which Johnny Cage is forced into a one-on-one fight with Baraka. The sequence delivered on the brutal spectacle fans expect from the series.
Supergirl — June 26th
DC Films chairman Peter Safran introduced director Craig Gillespie, who was joined on stage by stars Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa, the latter arriving on a stylized motorcycle. Momoa, playing the comic character Lobo, called landing the role a dream come true since he collected Lobo comics as a kid. Gillespie described the scope of the film, which takes Kara to six different planets and required Alcock to learn five alien languages created specifically for the production. Alcock underwent an hour of stunt training every morning for four months during production. CinemaCon attendees were the first in the world to see an exclusive sequence from the film, in which Kara and a companion are robbed by tech pirates aboard a space transport. Kara steps outside the ship to charge up from the yellow sun before making the pirates pay for what they've done.
Evil Dead Burn — July 10th
New Line Cinema's latest entry in the Evil Dead franchise was introduced as a follow-up to the successful Evil Dead Rise. Early footage showed a frightened family visited by an undead figure who drinks candle wax before committing a brutal murder involving a dishwasher.
The End of Oak Street — August 14th
Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor star in this thriller from writer-director David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), produced by Bad Robot. Their suburban home is mysteriously transported to an entirely different location, forcing the family to survive against dinosaurs. A trailer debuted at the presentation.
Practical Magic 2 — September 11th
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman made a dramatic entrance through a magical doorway on stage to promote the long-awaited sequel. The original exterior house from the first film was fully rebuilt on location for the production — a practical, fully functional first floor rather than a facade — with Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest also returning. Sally is now single with two grown daughters, and the plot involves the daughters and the family's past catching up with them. A teaser trailer was shown.
Clayface — October 23rd
Peter Safran introduced this DC horror film from director James Watkins as a character-driven thriller that "does not wear a cape." Tom Rhys Harries stars in the title role. CinemaCon attendees were the first anywhere in the world to see a teaser, which depicted a bandaged figure in bed before ending with the character lying in a bathtub, literally wiping his own face off.
Digger — October 26th
Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Tom Cruise took the stage together for the first time to introduce their long-awaited collaboration, nine years in the making. Iñárritu began developing the idea nearly a decade ago, and he and Cruise began talking about the project seven years back — with Cruise famously riding up to their first meeting on a motorcycle between takes on Top Gun: Maverick. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a ruthless CEO who discovers he is unintentionally destroying the world and takes matters into his own hands. John Goodman plays the President of the United States, with a cast that also includes Riz Ahmed and Jesse Plemons. CinemaCon attendees were the first in the world to see footage, which features Cruise in a fat suit and gray hair. Shot on film in VistaVision, Iñárritu emphasized that the film was designed exclusively to be seen in theaters. The tagline: "A Comedy of Catastrophic Proportions."
The Cat in the Hat — November 6th
Warner Bros. Animation unveiled a new trailer for this reimagining of the Dr. Seuss classic, voiced by Bill Hader. In this expanded take, the Cat is part of a world of joy-bringers, and his latest assignment is to cheer up two siblings struggling with a move to a new town — though his chaotic tendencies may cost him his magical hat. Thing 1 and Thing 2 joined Patton Oswalt on stage for the reveal, and audience members discovered Thing wigs in bags placed on their seats before the show, which they were instructed to put on as the trailer launched.
The Great Beyond — November 13th
J.J. Abrams returned to the director's chair for this fully original blockbuster, his first feature in several years. Glenn Powell stars alongside Jenna Ortega, Emma Mackey, and Samuel L. Jackson. Abrams described the film as a blend of thriller, mystery, love story, and science fiction, with a core about reconnecting with the sense of wonder and possibility we have as children. CinemaCon attendees were the first outside the editing room to see any footage from the film. The teaser opened with an H.G. Wells quote typed on a vintage PC: "There is, though I do not know how there is or how it may be, another world out of sight and sound."
Dune: Part Three — December 18th
Denis Villeneuve was joined on stage by Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Jason Momoa for the first look at the conclusion of his Dune trilogy. Villeneuve described the installment as one he originally planned to make years from now, but felt he owed it to fans to complete sooner. Set 17 years after Part Two, the story follows Paul dealing with the consequences of his choices — having become the dark emperor he once feared — while a broken love story between him and Chani plays out. Momoa returns as Hayt, a body regenerated from Duncan Idaho's cells. New cast members include Robert Pattinson as the enigmatic Cytail, and Anya Taylor-Joy in an expanded role as Paul's sister Alia. Attendees were shown the first seven minutes of the film, depicting frightened troops being deployed to a warzone, finding rain before being attacked by a tower that rises from the sand.
A Look Ahead at 2027
Jeff Goldstein's sizzle reel offered first glimpses at a wide range of 2027 titles: Jack Black teased Minecraft 2; Sam Esmail previewed Panic Carefully, which will be presented entirely in the 1.43 IMAX ratio; an Ocean's prequel starring Margot Robbie from writer/director Bradley Cooper was announced; M. Night Shyamalan teased Remain, co-written with Nicholas Sparks; Cynthia Erivo introduced an animated musical called Bad Fairies; Melissa McCarthy stars in the family holiday comedy Margie Claus; Keanu Reeves sent a video from the Dominican Republic where he is filming a shark thriller called Shiver directed by Tim Miller; and a Nancy Myers film starring Karen Calkin, Aaron Doherty, Owen Wilson, and Jude Law was teased for Christmas 2027. Proof-of-concept footage also debuted for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Golum, Evil Dead Wrath, and Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.
Peter Safran closed the DC portion of the presentation by confirming that cameras roll the following week on the next Superman film. James Gunn, David Corenswet, and Nicholas Hoult sent a video greeting from the set.
The Elephant in the Room
The presentation closed on an unusually subdued note. Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca invited the studio's top executives to join them on stage, but the moment felt less like a victory lap than an uncertain farewell. Despite the studio's record-breaking 2025 box office, CEO David Zaslav was noticeably absent after having taken the stage in 2023 to passionately advocate for theatrical exhibition. Without directly acknowledging the widely reported news of the pending Paramount buyout of Warner Bros., the gathering carried an air of the unknown — a team celebrating achievements while their future ownership hangs unresolved. A slide of titles from "2027 and Beyond" offered plenty of promise, but left the lingering question of whether this same group of executives will be the ones to see them through.
Stay tuned to LaughingPlace.com this week for more news out of CinemaCon.