It was a star-studded night at CinemaCon. The Ellison-shaped elephant in the room went unaddressed at Warner Bros.’ splashy CinemaCon presentation on Tuesday evening in Las Vegas. As the studio’s top brass and a slew of A-list guests teed up exclusive footage and a host of major announcements, there was zero mention of Paramount’s impending takeover.
Beloved actor Patton Oswalt hosted the showcase, kicking things off with one question: “Is there a better studio with bigger movie stars than Warner Bros. right now?” And as a subsequent sizzle real touted Warner Bros.’ recent hot streak, another question lingered in the Dolby Colosseum: “If things are this great, why sell?”
The closest anyone on stage came to addressing the uncertain future was President of Global Theatrical Distribution Jeffrey Goldstein (clad in a gold lamé suit), who quipped, “A lot has happened since I stood here on the stage last year and, indeed, a lot will happen before I’m back here again next year.”
Motion Picture Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy presented a chipper front as they lauded the studio’s continued success, unveiling a new specialty film label called Clockwork, which will release Sean Baker’s “Ti Amo!” globally in 2027.
“We have no intention of slowing down,” DeLuca said. “In fact, we’re accelerating. Our slate grew from 11 releases in 2025, to 14 now in 2026, and with 2027, we’re looking at 18.”
Paramount has affirmed its commitment to continuing licensing content and to release at least 30 movies per year in theaters, but at least 2,000 Hollywood industry professionals are unconvinced of the merger’s merits, with an open letter opposing the deal making the rounds this week.
But there were A-list supporters in droves on stage, with celebrity guests including “Practical Magic 2” stars Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, “Digger” star Tom Cruise, “Supergirl” herself Milly Alcock, “The Great Beyond” director JJ Abrams and “Dune” crew Timothee Chalamet, Jason Momoa and Zendaya (co-star Florence Pugh, a signatory of the open letter, was notably absent). Other stars doing promo via video message included Jack Black, Melissa McCarthy, Cynthia Erivo, Margot Robbie and Nancy Meyers.
