Before Paramount Pictures officially stepped up to the podium at CinemaCon 2026, the studio fired the first shot of the day with the best pre-show promotional piece of the entire convention — and it wasn’t even close. Directed by Jon M. Chu (Wicked, Crazy Rich Asians) and narrated by Tom Cruise, the short film was a love letter to the Paramount lot itself: the real, working studio in Hollywood, still breathing, still producing, still standing. Cruise’s voice rolled through the theater like a recruiting ad for cinema itself, and for a few minutes, you could almost forget that the movie industry is held together with tape, debt refinancing, and algorithmic desperation. It was a hell of an opener. It set a bar that, well, the rest of the day would do its best to clear.

David Ellison Takes the Stage: Long Live the Movies (Please)

Skydance and Paramount chief David Ellison then took the stage with a promise that sounded both inspiring and a little desperate, depending on your disposition. “Long live the movies,” he declared, announcing that the Paramount lot “is alive again.” The studio is targeting a minimum of 30 films between its two entities, with 15 theatrical releases slated for 2026 alone — nearly double the eight they managed in 2025. Every film will get a minimum 45-day exclusive theatrical window starting immediately, with SVOD access opening at 90 days.

Ellison introduced his new co-captains: Dana Goldberg (Co-Chair of Paramount Pictures and Chair of Paramount TV) and Josh Greenstein (Co-Chair and Vice Chair of Platforms), who will run the day-to-day of Paramount Pictures. Goldberg and Greenstein emphasized that the driving force of the new Paramount is “the creative community” and “big swings.” They name-checked a Call of Duty film, collaborations with Peter Berg and Taylor Sheridan, the return of Star Trek, a new Top Gun sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sonic, Paranormal Activity, a new Longlegs, and — praise be — new R-rated comedies. Whether all of it materializes is another matter entirely.

Chris Gore and I stumbled out of that presentation room exhausted, having just sat through the Disney presentation minutes before. Said Chris after Paramount wrapped: “We are both really anxious” — and that about sums it up. Four days of CinemaCon does something to you. But there’s no question Paramount came swinging.

Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)

Synopsis: Pop superstar’s sold-out world tour captured in groundbreaking 3D with James Cameron’s new camera technology.

James Cameron and Billie Eilish appeared together to present what Cameron insisted is “not a concert movie for streaming.” Cameron’s production company developed an entirely new generation of 3D camera technology for the project — including an 800mm long-lens system that can reach from the back of an arena, and an ultra-compact gimbal camera roughly half the size of a cigarette pack, placed directly on stage with Eilish. The result, Cameron promised, is an intimacy that no concert film has ever achieved. Opens exclusively in Dolby 3D and RealD 3D theaters May 8, 2026, with early access screenings April 29.

Scary Movie (2026)

Synopsis: The original Wayans Brothers crew and Anna Faris are back to spoof modern horror — will offend absolutely everyone.

Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, and Regina Hall showed up in Vegas to remind the audience that yes, this franchise still exists, and yes, they’re going harder than ever. Directed by Michael Tiddes from a script by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, and Craig Wayans, the footage apparently included Ghostface in a Get Out-style hypnotism sequence, a Smile homage, and vampires from Sinners. Nothing sacred, no prisoners taken. Paramount wants R-rated comedies? Fine, they’ve got one. Opens June 5, 2026.

Jackass: Best and Last

Synopsis: Johnny Knoxville and the crew go out in a blaze of broken bones, claiming this is the final Jackass ever.

Johnny Knoxville appeared to present a trailer for what is being billed as the last Jackass film ever made — and also the best. That’s a big claim. They’ve been making increasingly insane stunts for over two decades, and the promise here is that they saved the most reckless, stupid, glorious material for the finale. We’ve heard “last time” before. But Knoxville looked like a man who had genuinely run out of body parts to destroy.

Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie

Synopsis: The Paw Patrol pups face dinosaurs, with McKenna Grace, Snoop Dogg, and the Backstreet Boys somehow involved.

McKenna Grace returns alongside the inexhaustible Snoop Dogg and — this is not a drill — the Backstreet Boys. The animated family juggernaut keeps printing money, and Paramount knows it. Spinmaster’s cash cow marches on, now with prehistoric terror. Children will love it. Their parents will survive it.

Angry Birds

Synopsis: The mobile game birds return to the big screen in another animated chapter of the franchise.

Street Fighter (2026)

Synopsis: Ken, Ryu, and a massive ensemble of fighters brawl in the long-awaited live-action Street Fighter adaptation.

Bruce Buffer — the man, the legend, the voice of the UFC — introduced the Street Fighter trailer, which is either a perfect piece of casting synergy or proof that Hollywood will do anything. The ensemble is genuinely stacked: Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Eric André as Don Sauvage, Roman Reigns as Akuma, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki, Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog, and Jason Momoa as Blanka. Rayna Vallandingham rounds out the cast as Juli.

Whether the movie is actually good is a question for October 16, 2026. But they loaded this thing with so many recognizable faces — wrestlers, comedians, rappers, action stars — that even if it’s a disaster, it’ll be a memorable one. The 1994 film cursed this franchise. It’s taken thirty years to try again. No pressure.

Mr. Irrelevant

Synopsis: David Corenswet plays John Tuggle, the last pick in the 1983 NFL Draft who defied all expectations against the odds.

After playing Superman, David Corenswet apparently wants to spend Christmas making audiences cry. Mr. Irrelevant tells the true story of John Tuggle, the 332nd and final pick of the 1983 NFL Draft — dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” — who beat the odds to play for the New York Giants, only to die of cancer at just 26. Directed by Jonathan Levine, the film also stars Michael Shannon and Isabel May. Phil Simms, Tuggle’s former Giants teammate, was on hand at the presentation. It opens December 25, 2026 — competing directly with Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part III, which is either courageous or suicidal. Probably both.

Heart of the Beast

Synopsis: Brad Pitt and his combat dog fight to survive the Alaskan wilderness after a catastrophic military plane crash.

David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch) reunites with Brad Pitt for this survival thriller, which follows a former Army Special Forces soldier and his retired combat dog stranded in the Alaskan wilderness. Bears, wolves, the unforgiving cold — and presumably, very hard feelings. Also starring J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe. Produced by Pitt and Damien Chazelle. If Pitt and a dog can’t sell a movie, Hollywood is truly cooked. Releasing fall 2026.

K*Pop Superstar: The Movie

Synopsis: A Korean-American girl competes ruthlessly to break into the cutthroat K-pop industry and become a star.

Paramount is betting that the global K-pop phenomenon has enough mainstream American appeal to power a theatrical release. Based on the notes, this one’s about a Korean-American girl fighting to make it in one of the most brutally competitive entertainment industries on the planet. Details were sparse at the presentation, but the IP is red hot, and the concept sells itself.

Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol

Synopsis: Ti West directs a horrifying Dickens adaptation with Johnny Depp as a genuinely terrifying Ebenezer Scrooge.

Let’s be honest: the pairing of Ti West and A Christmas Carol is either the most inspired pitch in recent memory or a sign that Hollywood has run out of untouched properties. Johnny Depp — making his biggest studio return in nearly a decade — plays Ebenezer Scrooge, and by all accounts, he is unrecognizable under the makeup. West, whose X/Pearl/MaXXXine horror trilogy made him one of the most interesting directors working today, brings his first major studio film to Paramount. The cast is also stacked: Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley, Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber, Charlie Murphy, Tramell Tillman, and Ian McKellen. Depp himself called the opportunity “an extraordinary privilege,” describing A Christmas Carol as a story he’s been “obsessed with since I was a little child.” Opens November 13, 2026.

Children of Blood and Bone

Synopsis: A young woman fights to reclaim stolen magic in an epic African fantasy kingdom, in an all-star adaptation.

Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King) took the stage alongside a jaw-dropping ensemble to debut the first footage from her adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling novel. Thuso Mbedu stars as Zeléie, a young woman who can command the undead on a quest to reclaim magic violently stolen from her people. The cast assembled for this thing is almost comically stacked: Viola Davis as Mama Agba, Cynthia Erivo as Admiral Kaea, Idris Elba as Lekan, Chiwetel Ejiofor as King Saran, Lashana Lynch as Jumoke, Tosin Cole, Regina King, Amandla Stenberg, and Damson Idris. If Children of Blood and Bone is half as good as its cast, it might be the film of the year. It opens January 15, 2027.

The Bottom Line

Paramount showed up to CinemaCon 2026 with more ambition than the studio has displayed in years. Whether that ambition is backed by the kind of studio discipline and creative excellence required to actually deliver on it is still an open question. Legacy IP is the cornerstone of their strategy — they said so themselves. The ghost of franchises past looms over every announcement: Street Fighter, Scary Movie, Jackass, Paw Patrol, Top Gun, Star Trek, Sonic, TMNT. Nostalgia is the engine, and Ellison’s money is the fuel.

But then there’s Children of Blood and Bone, Mr. Irrelevant, Heart of the Beast, and Ebenezer — films that feel like genuine creative swings. If the new Paramount can actually execute, rather than just promise, then maybe “Long live the movies” means something. Chris Gore and I had a long drive home from Las Vegas to think about it. The jury is out. The clock is ticking.

CinemaCon 2026 took place April 14–17 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Film Threat was there.