LAS VEGAS – Paramount kicked off its first CinemaCon presentation in the Skydance era, and despite over 2,000 Hollywood creatives signing a petition effectively against his efforts, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison made his way to the stage to take on the haters. Luckily for him, his remarks were preceeded by a Jon M. Chu directed short film highlighting the history of the venerable studio and promising a hopeful future. Although one full of problematic stars. Narrated by Tom Cruise, the intro included Timothee Chalamet, The Duffer Bros, Jerry Bruckheimer, Teyana Taylor, former studio chairwoman Sherry Lansing, Mark Wahlberg, Miles Teller, Will Smith and ended with Cruise sitting atop the lot water tower. It was the sort of piece that would get the industry excited if Ellison wasn’t in the middle of one of the most divisive mergers in Hollywood history.
Ellison told theater owners he came to Vegas because he “wanted to look everyone in the eye and say, ‘Once we combine with Warner Bros., we are going to make a minimum of 30 films a year.'” He also added that every film will receive a full theatrical release with a minimum 45-day window and SVOD in 90 days. There is a massive skepticism that anyone can pull this off in 2026, but there was polite applause. And to be fair, the SVOD hold to 90 days promise deserves more attention.
After Ellison departed, Paramount film division toppers, Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, hyped a ton of movies in developement. Projects the previous regime had hyped for years including new “Star Trek,” “Transformers,” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” films as well as “A Quiet Place III,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 4,” and a new “Call of Duty” from director Peter Berg. Some of these projects are in pre-production, others are filming, the others are in a long development process.
Here are some quick thoughts on Paramount’s very thin 2026 slate so far:
“Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft”
Eilish and co-director James Cameron were on hand to introduce the 3D footage for the room. Cameron says there were numerous technical advancements made for the production, but the footage did not seem markedly different from other 3D productions? And as massive fans of Eilish it felt like the film won’t pop? Eilish is a singular performer who can dominate an arena or 100,000 fans at Coachella all by herself, but, in this context, we’re concerned.
“Scary Movie”
Marlan Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Ana Faris came out to introduce a new trailer which is undeniably funny. Fans have wanted a new installment in this series for over a decade and it’s pretty apparaent this is going to be Paramount’s bigget hit in 2027 and, most importantly, it looks like Regina Hall is once again gonna steal the movie. At one moment Faris has a gun in her hand and Hall riffs to her, “I was gonna says ‘Ballerina’ it, but no one saw that s**t.” The new trailer is full of jokes in that vein and if even half of them hit? Smash.
“jackass: best and last”
Johnny Knoxville was admittedly emotional as he introduced what he called the last trailer for the last “jackass’ movie. Then again, they have been doing this for “25 years and we haven’t lost a thing.” New setups this time around include an escape room from hell and the first robot prostate exam.
“Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie”
Yeah, unless you have preschool kids, no one really cares, right? They make money though. A nice deal inherited from the previous regime.
“The Angry Birds 3”
Despite an impressive voice cast, this looks like a direct to streaming release. Then again, the second one was a “disappoinment” despite a $147 million global gross off a $65 million production budget. Potentially easy distribution money for Paramount.
“Street Fighter”
As you can see by the new trailer, Legendary spent. Stars Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Calliana Liang. Eric Andre Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and 50 Cent were all on hand. Could this make more money than WB’s hyped “Mortal Kombat II”? Wait, don’t answer that.
“Mr Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story”
Phil Simms did Paramount a solid by introducing this biopic about his former teammate. In production on the new “Man of Tomorrow” flick, David Corenswet, sent pre-recorded remarks on how, as a longtime Eagles fan, he was concerned about playing a New York Giant. Then he saw video of Philly fans celebrating Tuggle on the field because he was the sort of underdog they all root for. Will it do any box office? Remains to be seen, but Michael Shannon as the skinniest Giants coach Bill Parcells you could ever imagine is had to forget.
“Heart of the Beast”
David Ayer reteams with Brad Pitt for this action survival story. A retired special forces soldier crashes in the wilderness and only has his dog to help him survive. Flashbacks to his PTSD incidents from the war, but the trailer is mostly pushing the adventure. This was a rough, untimed (we hope) trailer, but the the studio says the film is releasing this fall. Somehow felt smaller than you’d expect for a Pitt action flick.
“Kpop Superstar – The Movie”
Remember “Step Up”? Those vibes as an Amerian girl heads to Korea to try and fulfill her Kpop superstar dreams. Maybe it surprises, but feels more like a streaming play.
“Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol”
Is it a horror movie? Is it a family film? Is it something in-between? We’re confused on what director Ti West is going for by the preview shown. Johnny Depp, who made an “un-cancelled” comeback on the CinemaCon stage to some applause, is committed in the role, but how is this different then the countless other “Scrooge” adaptations?
“Children of Blood and Bone”
Closing out the morning presentation, stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Regina King, Amanda Stenberg, Damson Idris, Thuso Mbedu, all joined director Gina Prince-Bythewood on stage as African dancers and drummers enveloped them. Based on a popular fantasy book series, this could be a surprise at the U.S. box office. Aesthetically, however, it’s giving Russo Brothers’ Marvel movies. Always trust in Prince-Bythewood ,though.
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Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of Hollywood's most respected awards journalists, covering the Oscars and Emmys beat with the access and institutional knowledge that comes from decades reporting at the center of the industry. Based in West Hollywood, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, HitFix, and Vox, among others.
