Soon a Top Gun 3, a new Godzilla, and a first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday… The latest announcements from CinemaCon in Las Vegas

The CinemaCon in Las Vegas came to a close on Thursday, April 16 in Las Vegas (Nevada), in the southwest of the United States, after delivering its annual dose of announcements and exclusive presentations to theater operators. Let’s take a look.

A third “Top Gun” in the works

Paramount Pictures announced that the third installment of Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise as pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, is in the works. Top Gun 3 is “officially in development” with an advanced script, stated Josh Greenstein, co-director of Paramount Films, in Las Vegas on Thursday. The first film in 1986 launched Tom Cruise to stardom. Its sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, which premiered in Cannes and was a huge success in France, grossed $1.5 billion worldwide in 2022 as Hollywood was recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. The 63-year-old actor was not present at the Paramount presentation, but appeared in a video at the event, perched on the famous studio water tower in Hollywood, proclaiming, “The future looks bright from up here.”

Paramount Skydance’s CEO, David Ellison, announced a 45-day exhibition window for the group’s films before streaming, amidst tensions related to its merger with Warner Bros. He promised, “Once we merge with Warner Bros, we will produce a minimum of 30 films per year,” before declaring, “Long live films.” Paramount Skydance had previously announced the acquisition of competitor Warner Bros for $111 billion in February, ending a long battle with Netflix. With this acquisition, Hollywood fears a decrease in film production investment, which could have cascading effects in an industry that employs tens of thousands of people, especially in California.

The first trailer for the upcoming “Avengers”

Disney unveiled the first trailer for the new Marvel film, Avengers: Doomsday, at the closing day of CinemaCon in Las Vegas. The trailer, shown twice to an enthusiastic audience at the Caesars Palace Colosseum, offered a glimpse of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, a Marvel comics villain. The 61-year-old actor returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the death of Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame in 2019.

The trailer also teased a battle between Gambit and Shang-Chi, played by Channing Tatum and Simu Liu respectively, and the return of Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier from X-Men, with the warning, “Something is coming, something we may not be able to stop.” Towards the end of the trailer, Chris Evans reprises his role as Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, appearing before a surprised Thor (Chris Hemsworth), as Thor’s Mjolnir hammer flies into Rogers’ hands.

Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. reunited on stage at CinemaCon to present the trailer alongside the film’s directors, the Russo brothers. “I had said that I would only return if there was a real reason,” Chris Evans told the crowd, and in Doomsday, “there is a very real reason why these heroes need Steve Rogers.” Avengers: Doomsday follows the events of Avengers: Endgame and brings together a myriad of Marvel characters, old and new, including the X-Men.

The film will premiere in the United States on December 18, the same day as Dune: Part Three by Canadian director Denis Villeneuve. Theater operators hope that these two blockbusters will boost the box office, allowing the year to end on a high note despite declining revenues.

Steven Spielberg reunites with aliens

On Wednesday, April 15, renowned director Steven Spielberg offered a glimpse of his upcoming film Disclosure Day, in which he reconnects with characters close to his heart: aliens. This marks Spielberg’s return to the theme he first explored in 1977 with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, followed by E.T. (1982) and his version of War of the Worlds (2005).

Tom Cruise unrecognizable in “Digger” by Iñárritu

On Tuesday, April 14, Tom Cruise and Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu unveiled a first look at their debut film collaboration, the comedy Digger, at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. The four-time Oscar-nominated actor appeared unrecognizable in this excerpt shown to theater operators. He portrays an older, eccentric character, seen caressing a white cat in a mansion filled with stuffed animals. “This film is crazy, funny,” declared the American actor, applauded by the audience.

For Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, this role represents “perhaps the greatest challenge” of Tom Cruise’s career, as he makes his first non-franchise film since 2017. “We know he’s not afraid of anything, the stunts, the planes, the jumps, but I must say that embodying this character requires a different kind of courage,” continued the South American filmmaker. The film is expected to be released in France on September 30, 2026.

A frightening return of “Godzilla”

Also on Tuesday, Godzilla, Japan’s most famous monster, made a smashing entrance at CinemaCon, where theater operators were given a sneak peek of Godzilla Minus Zero, in which the creature spreads terror on the streets of New York. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki and produced by Toho studio, this film is the sequel to Godzilla Minus One, released in 2023, which grossed $116 million and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. “Godzilla’s colossal size and the terror he evokes, along with men’s struggle for survival, will push the audience to their limits,” predicted the director. The film will be released in the United States in November.

Neon, the independent distributor known for Parasite and Annora, also presented their upcoming releases at CinemaCon. The company announced the release of a South Korean sci-fi thriller, Hope, starring Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Michael Fassbender, and Alicia Vikander.

Excerpts from “Spider-Man” and “Jumanji”

Finally, on the opening day of CinemaCon on Monday, April 13, Tom Rothman, president of Sony Pictures, revealed a clip and two posters for the next installment of the web-slinger, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, set to premiere in French theaters on July 29. Four years after the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the studio’s most profitable film with nearly $1.9 billion in global revenue, this new chapter promises to be unlike anything done before, as Rothman assured at the Colosseum Theater in Las Vegas. “It’s our most emotional Spider-Man film, and in many ways, the most adult,” added Tom Holland, the actor playing Spider-Man, who participated remotely in the event. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film is highly anticipated by the public, evident from the views amassed by its trailer since its release last month.

In addition to a first look at Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, an animated film expected in theaters in the summer of 2027, Sony Pictures shared a clip of Jumanji: Open World. This third installment of the legendary franchise, scheduled for December 2026, will pay tribute to Robin Williams, the star of the first film, as announced by the trio of actors Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart.

The 2026 edition of CinemaCon exuded optimism after a strong start at the box office.