The Avengers Shine at CinemaCon: Beyond Disney’s Product Showcase
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, Disney arrived at the CinemaCon 2026 closing ceremony with one of its most content-rich lineups in recent years. The presentation featured a massive array of projects spanning Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel, Searchlight, and 20th Century Studios. While the company is saving some major surprises for its D23 event this fall, this showcase provided plenty of excitement for the industry and fans alike.
One of the most striking segments focused on the trailer for The Dog Stars. The footage begins with Jacob Elordi cradling a small dog, but the atmosphere shifts abruptly as it is revealed the world has ended. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Allison Janney, this post-apocalyptic tale is set for a late August release.
Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine also made an impression with a 1970s-set sequence. John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell portray characters navigating the Chilean Revolution, engaging in a tense airport dialogue with two young women. Malkovich’s character delivers a cynical monologue about destabilizing democracies, chillingly admitting to Rockwell that he has killed people in countries whose names he cannot even spell.
The highlight for many was the unveiling of Avengers: Doomsday. Alongside the film, Disney introduced a new screening technology called Infinity Vision, set to debut with the re-release of Endgame this September. The Russo Brothers, Kevin Feige, and Robert Downey Jr. took the stage to discuss Downey’s transition to the role of Doctor Doom.
The exclusive footage showcased a high-stakes collision of heroes:
- The Fantastic Four face off against the other Avengers.
- Gambit battles Shang-Chi.
- Mystique shape-shifts into Yelena (Florence Pugh).
- Doctor Doom effortlessly stops an attack from Thor with his bare hand.
The crowd erupted at the sight of Chris Evans returning as Steve Rogers, sporting a notably different look. Evans noted that he only returned because there was a compelling reason, stating that the team simply “needed” Steve Rogers.
Jon Favreau introduced high-octane footage from The Mandalorian and Grogu, featuring Mando and Grogu infiltrating a base and navigating a fleet of AT-ATs in an icy wasteland. The sequence ends with Mando commandeering a walker and causing a massive explosion, punctuated by a humorous reaction from Grogu. It was also revealed that Sigourney Weaver’s character will be the one assigning Mando his next mission.
From the world of Pixar, Toy Story 5 showed two key scenes: Bonnie becoming distracted by a new tablet called “Lilypad,” and the long-awaited return of Woody to the group. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen shared the stage to reflect on their long history with the franchise.
Other highlights included:
- Moana (Live-Action): Dwayne Johnson dedicated his performance as Maui to his grandfather.
- Hext: A new animated feature starring Hailee Steinfeld as a teenage witch named Billie and Rashida Jones as her mother.
- The Devil Wears Prada 2: A clip showed Miranda Priestly dealing with the modern indignity of an HR representative.
- Whalefall: A thriller about a diver trapped inside a whale, arriving in October.
Disney reaffirmed its commitment to the theatrical experience, noting that in the last two years, it has produced six films that crossed the $1 billion mark, reaching a total of $6.5 billion in 2025. The studio also celebrated the global success of the animation Hoppers, which had one of the strongest openings for an original work in recent history.
Despite the packed schedule, some anticipated projects like Ryan Gosling’s Starfighter, Pixar’s Gatto, Frozen 3, and the Bluey movie were notable absentees, likely being saved for the upcoming D23 expo.
