CinemaCon is a place where studios use their pitches to movie theater owners as a box office victory trick, and the Warner Bros. distribution team is a place where the studios use their pitches to movie theater owners as a box office victory trick. received a smash hit Tuesday when he thanked exhibitors for helping make “Barbie” the studio’s biggest hit. . history.
“I think it’s fair to say it was a busy and exciting 12 months,” said Jeff Goldstein, the studio’s head of national distribution. “You helped bring pink fever into the world. Not everyone believed in “Barbie,” but you did. Through their joint marketing efforts and social media engagement, they have helped create a cultural moment never seen before.
Looking ahead, the studio showed how it plans to build on its momentum, unveiling the list of the most level-headed managers assembled by studio bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, adding George Miller, Tim Burton, Night Shyamalan and Bong Joon. Ho.
“The entire Warner Bros. Discovery team. . . he knows that everything we do is based on quality storytelling, and we are very fortunate to collaborate with so many filmmakers who are doing the most sensible of their craft,” said Abdy.
This lineup has combined over the course of a rollercoaster year for Warner, filled with cultural hits and studio albums, as well as big-budget and backlash from the public.
On the one hand, the DC Extfinished Universe came to an ignominious end with videos like “Shazam!: Fury of the Gods” and “The Flash” becoming high-profile flops. CEO David Zaslav has become one of the greats of the public. Enemies of Hollywood artwork force strikes by WGA and SAG-AFTRA, especially after the studio’s resolution to cancel all releases of films like “Batgirl” and “Coyote vs. S. S. T Acme,” as the latter, as exclusively reported by TheWrap, failed to locate a new distributor after potential bidders objected to Warner’s maximum sale price.
At the same time, Warner Bros. has taken a big bite out of the box over the past nine months. Since then, “Barbie” has become the highest-grossing film of the year with an international total of $1. 43 billion, six of the seven highest. The highest-grossing films released in the past nine months have been Warner titles, with Universal’s “Oppenheimer” being the only exception. Two of Warner’s films starring Timothée Chalamet — “Wonka” and “Dune: Part Two” — have become Hollywood’s only two. films released since beyond last summer that grossed more than $500 million internationally.
The studio is now turning to big-name filmmakers to build on the momentum through Greta Gerwig and Denis Villeneuve.
Warner Bros. has released previews of a 2024 lineup that it hopes will maintain its recent momentum, highlighted in the first trailer for Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie a Deux. “Unlike last year’s DC movies and James Gunn’s upcoming “Superman,” this is a sequel that has no connection to any other film from its direct 2019 predecessor, which has become the first R-rated film to gross $1 billion before adjusting for inflation.
Now, Phillips and his main stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are radically deviating from the first “Joker. “Instead of being influenced by Martin Scorsese films like “Taxi Driver” and “King of Comedy,” “Folie à Deux,” as noted in its trailer, puts a dark spin on old musicals like Fred Astaire’s “The Band Wagon. “Whether Phoenix and Lady Gaga’s Joker enthusiasts will be willing to follow him on this left turn will be whether he’ll be close to good luck. of his predecessor.
George Miller was also on hand to show clips from his upcoming “Mad Max: Fury Road” prequel, “Furiosa,” starring Anya Taylor-Joy. While it won six Oscars and has become one of the most acclaimed action films of the 21st century, “Fury Road” made only a modest fortune at the Warner box office with $379 million in revenue compared to a $150 million budget in 2015. With Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth replacing “Fury Road” stars Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, the hope for Warner is that the promise of more explosive chaos will be enough to keep enthusiasts coming back.
Goldstein and his foreign counterpart Andrew Cripps introduced the series dressed as Beetlejuice, and were then joined by Tim Burton and the film’s cast to showcase “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” a sequel that hopes to not only capitalize on Gen X nostalgia, but also appeal to younger moviegoers through Jenna Ortega. who was one of the main protagonists of the revitalization of the series “Scream” at Paramount.
Other films featured through the studio include “Trap” and “The Watchers,” two horror films directed by Mr. Night Shyamalan and his daughter, Ishana. Kevin Costner also gave the impression of being under loud applause as he introduced his thrilling two. “Horizon,” a Western epic that follows the stories of others who have sought a new life in the American West.
“Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho also appeared with Robert Pattinson to introduce the hilarious sci-fi movie “Mickey 17,” a film that Warner Bros. It debuted in early 2025 with the hope that word of mouth would spread at some point. point. An era in which the giant list of versions is less populated. But the most emotional moment came when Peter Safran, co-CEO of DC Studios, showed a trailer for “Super/Man,” a documentary about life and accomplishments. by Christopher Reeve, for which Warner Bros. paid $15 million after its premiere at Sundance. The film focuses on Reeves’ activist career after a twist of fate on horseback left him absolutely paralyzed, and how the love of his family circle encouraged him to speak out from the disability community.