Universal Pictures and Focus Features took over The Dolby Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on the third day of CinemaCon 2026 to preview their upcoming slates coming to a theater near you. With huge wins from the past year such as the live-action How to Train Your Dragon, Wicked: For Good, and Jurassic World Rebirth on their books, they’re probably looking to celebrate in a big way in Sin City. And since Universal being one of the oldest and most prestigious studios left standing in Hollywood, there’s no doubt that they have some major things up their sleeves for this presentation.
In The Dogg House
The panel kicks off with an appearance by Snoop Dogg. Along with a mini concert for the crowd, he announces that a musical biopic about his life is currently in the works. In the same vein as Straight Outta Compton, he promises that the movie will be rated R, so all the puppies in the Dogg Pound should ask their parents for permission. Filming will rightfully take place around Los Angeles and the LBC this summer and Jonathan Daviss of Netflix’s Outer Banks will star as the iconic rapper.
Snoop then brings out NBCUniversal Chairperson Donna Langley to hype up the studio’s commitment to longer exclusive runs and an appealing slate of programming for everyone.
A Movie of Epic Proportions
The presentation continues with a sizzle reel of Christopher Nolan’s best films before discussing his latest one, an epic adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey. The legendary filmmaker gets a standing ovation from the crowd and he says that he’s just glad that he doesn’t have to follow Steven Spielberg. Nolan goes on to share some memories about watching IMAX films at his local museums, filming The Dark Knight in IMAX, and debuting that footage at CinemaCon. So it’s only right to come to CinemaCon and announce that his next film will be shot entirely on IMAX, meaning that every format released will be the IMAX version of The Odyssey. While it was “an absolute nightmare to film” with this ambitious approach, he stated that “it was meant to be difficult. It’s the point of the story.”
While he didn’t bring out the cast because “the stage would collapse if they were all here,” Nolan did tout that Matt Damon’s Odysseus, Anne Hathaway’s Penelope, and Tom Holland’s Telemachus are at the heart of the movie. In the footage that he shared with the crowd (which is quite dark, yet breathtaking), an older Odysseus tells Calypso about the Trojan Horse. Set to a drum-heavy score, the legendary hero stealthily takes out his enemies.
Illuminating Animation
Jack Black is the next person to take the stage. After celebrating the success of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, he brings out Illumination founder and CEO Christopher Meledandri. Considering that Despicable Me is one of the acclaimed animation studios’ biggest franchises to date, it’s no surprise that the upcoming Minions and Monsters is the next film to get the spotlight. We catch up with the lovable henchmen in the 1920s as they look for a new villain to serve. Then, their search brings them to the golden age of Hollywood.
In the footage shown during the presentation, the audience gets an extended look at a sequence set in the Wild West, complete with bandits, lawmen, and a train heist. Also, lots of Minions and homages to classic silent films. As far as non-Minion cast goes, Christophe Waltz will voice a director, while Jeff Bridges plays a studio executive. In another scene, the Minions become movie stars in the silent era, but fall from grace when sound is introduced. That’s what leads them to create their own movie and hilarity ensues.
Speed Round
A montage of Universal’s greatest love stories leads up to their latest romantic comedy One Night Only starring Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner as they navigate the one night a year where single people can have sex. Then, since horror has become an integral part of the Universal legacy, they spotlight the upcoming supernatural horror film Other Mommy starring Jessica Chastain. And the vibes then switch from Halloween to Christmas as Violent Night 2 takes focus. Stranger Things and Thunderbolts* star David Harbour reprises his role as Santa Claus in another ultraviolent yuletide romp where he ends up on the naughty list and loses some of his powers. But this time, he’s joined by Kristen Bell as Mrs. Claus to pick up some slack and swing around a sword with the hammer-wielding Father Christmas.
What The Fock?
The next guest on stage is Ben Stiller. While he has been achieving acclaim lately for his work behind the camera on Severance, he returns to his comedic onscreen roots with Focker-In-Law. He also welcomes Robert De Niro to the stage while calling this movie a full-circle moment. His character Greg becomes the De Niro this time around, and Ariana Grande is the new Ben Stiller (despite her having more Oscar nominations than him). The new trailer (which can be seen above) reveals that Grande’s character is an FBI hostage negotiator who Jack Byrnes deems worthy of the Circle of Trust almost immediately, which obviously sets off Greg.
Time to Focus
Focus Features is next up. Jane Austen fans will be happy to know that a new Sense and Sensibility is on the way to fulfill the void of romance and longing. Then, gears quickly switch to Robert Eggers’ Werwulf. As expected, the audience can look forward to a stunning and terrifying werewolf movie. And then gears quickly switch again as Colman Domingo takes the stage to present Disclosure Day.
Yes, it’s Steven Spielberg time! The man himself joins Domingo to discuss his upcoming UFO film, but the quintessential filmmaker basks in the glorious ovation he receives from the crowd at his first-ever CinemaCon. It’s also announced that he is being presented with the MPA America250 Award for his contributions to his craft. During his speech, he promises to return to the event and teases that he may have a western in his sights in the near future. Spielberg also advocates for the social experiences that we gain by seeing movies in a theater versus at home and encourages other studios to expand the exclusive theatrical window just like Universal Pictures. He hopes to even return to the days of the 120-day window for wide releases.
Back to Disclosure Day, Domingo shares what a beautiful and joyful set Spielberg keeps. The filmmaker mentions that he’s always been curious about “what’s happening in the night sky.” Through this new film starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, and Wyatt Russell, he gets to explore that exact topic once again around half a century after Close Encounters of the Third Kind. And of course, he says that the best way to see his 35th feature film is in a theater (with a seatbelt, if possible).
Since you can’t really top Steven Spielberg, that concludes the Universal Pictures and Focus Features presentation at CinemaCon 2026. For the latest on this year’s convention and other movie news, be sure to stay tuned to That Hashtag Show.
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