Celebrating its 100th year, Warner Bros unveiled a packed lineup of new big-screen films at CinemaCon on Tuesday, from a live-action Barbie comedy to Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg’s remake of The Color Purple.
The historic Hollywood studio also used its presentation at the annual Las Vegas gathering to tease a “10-year plan” to relaunch its DC superhero films, which include beloved characters such as Batman and Superman.
David Zaslav, who spearheaded last year’s corporate merger of Warner and Discovery, took to the stage personally to court an audience predominantly made up of theater owners.
“We don’t want to do direct-to-streaming movies,” said Zaslav, whose predecessor was slammed for releasing Warner films directly onto its streaming platform HBO Max – recently rebranded as Max.
Across a two-and-a-half-hour presentation, Zaslav and fellow Warner bosses brought out A-list stars including Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Timothee Chalamet, and Zendaya.
Robbie and Gosling co-star in Barbie, out July 21, which finds the ubiquitous blonde doll living in a dreamlike, pink-hued world, before one day starting to question her too-perfect reality and travelling to real-life Los Angeles.
Director Greta Gerwig drew inspiration from The Wizard of Oz and disco culture for the movie, which sees Barbie questioning her too-perfect reality before travelling to Los Angeles.
Oprah Winfrey introduced her and Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple remake, which features magical realism and dynamic musical numbers. Timothee Chalamet also presented footage from two upcoming films, Wonka and Dune: Part Two.
Warner’s DC Universe of superhero films wrapped up the presentation. Despite being popular, recent DC movies have faced various production issues and casting changes, and have been overshadowed by Marvel films. James Gunn and Peter Safran were recently appointed as new heads of the division.
The studio is set to release The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom this year, and Gunn said they will lead into the DCU slate starting in 2024. Superman: Legacy, directed by Gunn, is already scheduled for July 2025. Safran promised that future DC movies would be vast, interconnected, and filled with promise and possibility. Zaslav, a self-proclaimed DC lover, announced Warner’s new 10-year plan for the titles.
CinemaCon, which takes place at Caesars Palace and runs until Thursday, provides Hollywood studios with an opportunity to showcase their upcoming films to movie theater executives, while also featuring some of the industry’s biggest stars to generate excitement.