Reel to Real: CinemaCon Offers Hope, AI Movie Rankles

Howdy, folks!

Every studio head and exhibitor across the country gathered in Las Vegas last weekend for CinemaCon, the annual gathering of theater owners, and there was… what’s this? Optimism?

While our CinemaCon crew of Sharon Waxman, Jeremy Fuster and Casey Loving reported that the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger loomed large — including the prospect that it will result in fewer movies in theaters — for the most part, the key decision-makers in town had a strut in their step.

That’s partly to do with the box office hitting the highest levels since the pandemic in 2026, and the exciting slate of movies on the docket like “Dune: Part III,” “Avengers: Doomsday” and “The Devil Wears Prada 2” that are guaranteed to get butts in seats.

But there is also, as Fuster reported, a strong willingness to experiment by theater owners. YouTubers are bringing floods of fans to theaters for their theatrical debuts, like this year’s “Iron Lung.” Large formats like IMAX are becoming as trendy as a brand like A24 for moviegoers. Even Netflix’s Ted Sarandos sparked hope when he privately met with theater owners last week, signaling a possibility that more Netflix films could be headed to theaters.

There are hurdles to be crossed for sure, but the mood across town mirrors one of the biggest box office hits of the year so far: the optimism and “we’ll get through this” perseverance abundant in “Project Hail Mary.”

Amaze amaze amaze.

Now on to the rest of this week’s Reel to Real column.

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