As the 2024 North American Film Industry/CinemaCon comes to an end, Hollywood's giants are unveiling their plans for new films at the annual event of the global film industry in an attempt to restore confidence in the post-pandemic market.
As predicted, the box office in 2024 is already down 3% from last year, mainly due to the impact of last year's actor and screenwriter strike, and the number of films released is about 20 fewer than last year. According to data released by Gower Street Analytics, a specialist in box office statistics and predictive analytics, the final box office in North America this year is likely to be 5% lower than last year as a whole. At this year's CinemaCon, the major studios still brought a lot of news and promotional content about new films, trying to reassure theaters that they have works that can attract audiences.
Disney: The sequel's glamour and the dilemma of innovation
Disney has faced box office challenges in 2023, but in 2024 they seem poised to reclaim the market with a series of blockbuster sequels and bold innovations.
The presentations of "Mind Squad 2" and "Deadpool and Wolverine", "Rise of the Planet of the Apes: New World", "Moanako 2", "The Lion King: Mufasa", and "Alien: Death Ship" are not only a testament to Disney's strength in sequel production, but also their ambitions in attracting adult audiences.
However, Disney's biggest challenge is how to maintain the charm of the classics while injecting fresh elements to avoid aesthetic fatigue among audiences.
Industry insiders predict that Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman's "Deadpool and Wolverine" should be able to quell fears of superhero fatigue, and it could become the biggest release of the year.
In addition, on the Marvel side, the Marvel movie "Captain America: Brave New World" directed by Julius Jonah ("Clover's Paradox" and "Luce") starring Anthony Mackay was also unveiled at this CinemaCon.
The title of the film translates as "Captain America: Brave New World". The cast also includes: Harrison Ford, Liv Taylor, Carl Lupoli, Danny Ramirez, Tim Blake Nelson, Siyla Haas, and more.
Marvel CEO Kevin Feige said at the recommendation conference that "Captain America 4" will be a very down-to-earth action thriller, similar in style to "Captain America 2". Anthony McKay also said that this film is not "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 2", but a film that is 10 times larger than this. In addition, in a previous interview, he also revealed that there is no "Winter Soldier" in the film. However, the film will be released in North America on February 14 next year.
Paramount: The power of the sequel and the uncertainty of the future
Paramount Pictures' "Gladiator 2" and "Transformers: Origins" are the highlights of their showcase, and these sequels not only continue the vitality of the classic IP, but also show Paramount's new attempts in visual effects and storytelling.
Ridley Scott will launch the sequel to Gladiator, Gladiator 2, which will be released on November 22 this year. The cast is quite luxurious, including Paul Mescal, Connie Nelson, and more. It is reported that the production budget is as high as 300 million US dollars, and it is worth looking forward to whether it can gain fame and fortune again.
The film tells the story of the aristocrat Lucius, played by Paul Mesca, who enters the gladiatorial arena after giving up his privileges and fights to the death for the entertainment of the Roman people.
According to Ridley Scott's presentation at CinemaCon, Gladiator 2 captures the epic style of the first film, as well as the magnificent action sequences. In this introductory trailer, Paul Mesca can be seen facing a rhinoceros rushing towards him, a horde of brutal baboons, and the character played by Pedro Pascal, plus various explosions and political battles, as well as an emperor who is even more crazy and vicious than Joaquin Phoenix's version.
The animated film Transformers: Origins features a newly designed 3D animation and Cybertron storyline that tells the story of young Optimus Prime and Megatron's friendship before they become their respective leaders. "Transformers: Origins" returns to the era of Transformers Origins and tells the story of the origin of heroes, and will be released in North America on September 13. In addition, Chris Hemsworth will voice Optimus Prime in Transformers: Origins, and Brian Terry Henry will voice Megatron.
Universal Pictures: The continued development of classic IPs and the challenge of new film lists
Universal Pictures has showcased their deep skills in the development of classic IPs through titles such as "Wicked Witch" and "Despicable Me 4". The success of these films depends not only on their appeal in terms of story and characters, but also on Universal's strategy in marketing and brand partnerships.
However, the challenge for Universal Pictures is that it needs new blockbusters in addition to these classic series to fill the gap that is coming and appeal to a wider audience.
The movie "Wicked Witch of Magic" stars "Sister A" Ariana Grande, Cynthia Elliver, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh and others. The film is a creative deconstruction and reinvention of the well-known story of The Wizard of Oz. The story takes place between two witches, Afba, who is green and ostracized, and Glinda, who is cute and ambitious, after a series of ideals and disillusionments, betrayal and forgiveness, form a deep friendship, and harvest their own experiences and growth.
Director Zhu Haowei, who previously directed "Dance Out of My Life", will direct the film. In addition, the movie version of "Wicked Witch" is divided into two parts, which are scheduled to be released in North America on December 25, 2024 and December 25, 2025 respectively.
As for "Despicable Me 4", it is already one of the most profitable IPs of Universal's lighting entertainment.
Warner Bros. balances innovation and risk
Warner Bros. productions such as Joker 2 and Mad Max: The Berserk Goddess show their balance between innovation and risk. These films are not only visually and narratively breakthroughs, but also explore new markets and audiences.
However, Warner Bros. needed to avoid over-reliance on high-cost productions and pre-existing IP while maintaining the quality of their films to ensure they remained ahead of the curve in the competitive film market.
It is worth mentioning that Warner Bros. has exceeded $1 billion at the global annual box office in 2024, becoming the first film company to reach this milestone this year, in just 15 weeks, which also set a new box office speed record for Warner Bros., surpassing the 17 weeks in 2018. As of April 14, its cumulative global box office has exceeded $1 billion. The studio's highest-grossing production so far this year is Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures' Dune 2, which grossed more than $600 million worldwide. The ongoing release of Godzilla vs. Kong 2: Rise of an Empire has grossed more than $400 million worldwide.
According to reports, the film style of "Joker 2" will lean towards "early jukebox musicals", which will include a reinterpretation of 15 "very famous" pieces of music, and will also include one or two original music.
Lionsgate: The Renaissance of Action Movies and the Exploration of Originality
Lionsgate showcased their revival in the field of action films and their exploration of original storytelling with titles such as Ballerina and Michael.
"Ballerina Killer" is a spin-off of "Fast and Furious", which was postponed for a year, starring Ana de Armas. Focusing on a young woman who has been trained to be a killer since she was a child, her family has been killed, and she wants to hunt down and kill for revenge.
"Michael" is a biopic of Michael Jackson, and Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas in "Stranger Things", will play the teenage MJ in the film. "007" and "Genius Catcher" screenwriter John Logan wrote.
Lionsgate's previous series of movies "Rogue 3" was also officially announced, and the first starring staff returned, with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse "Daniel" Jesse Eisenberg, "Merritt" Woody Harrelson, "Henry" Ella Fischer, "Jack" Dave Franco and "Bradley" Morgan Freeman, and a new generation of magicians will also appear. The film has been directed by Ruben Fleischer (Uncharted, Venom, Zombieland) and a new screenplay by Michael Leslie (Assassin's Creed, Macbeth). The film has been greenlit and is expected to start filming this year.
The trailers for these films show Lionsgate's attempt to break the mold and give audiences a different viewing experience. But Lionsgate needed to find a balance between originality and commercial success, avoiding the trap of repetition and imitation.
Since its inception in 2011, CinemaCon has become one of the world's most influential film industry gatherings, attracting film professionals from around the world to Las Vegas each year to discuss the future and challenges of the industry.
The 2024 Film Industry Conference is not only a display of movie trailers, but also a contest about the future direction and market strategy of films. Hollywood's movie giants need to innovate and adapt to market changes while maintaining brand appeal to ensure they stay ahead of the competitive film market. The return of audiences and the recovery of the film market will depend on whether these studios succeed in breathing life into new films and how they respond to the challenges ahead.
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