Once again, Sony Pictures opened CinemaCon 2026 with plenty of fanfare, with anticipation for Spider-Man films and the sequel to The Social Network.

The big headline may not be the films, but Sony chairman Tom Rothman started off with an important message to theater owners around the world.

In his opening remarks, he admitted that the theater box office had improved since the pandemic, but not yet to expected levels. He challenged the owners to do three things to bring audiences back: longer theatrical windows, shorter advertising periods before the films, and cheaper ticket prices.

Rothman said that “affordability is the number one issue for theater owners.”

Alas, his remarks may be very popular with general audiences- the auditorium was silent in response to his remarks.

The Breadwinner

One of the top stand-up comedians in America right now is Nat Bargatze.

In his on-screen feature film debut in The Breadwinner, Nat Bargatze appeared on stage to admit he was nervous about the role. So, he lightened the mood by cracking jokes about his theater experiences.

“This may be my first movie,” he said. “If you help me, then it won’t be my last.”

And with a surprise to the audience, Mandy Moore appeared on stage to mock his acting abilities.

She admitted that The Breadwinner is “Truly funny family comedy.”

The film has plenty of similarities to the 1983 film Mr. Mom with Michael Keaton, with a father taking care of the children while the wife is away on a business trip.

Two clips were shown from the film: interactions with the children in the kitchen, the news that their mother is leaving for Korea, and a car ride to drop off the kids at school.

The Breadwinner is in theaters on May 29, 20026.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

It’s been years since Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, and a “blip” like this seems like aneternity.

Sony Pictures swung for the fences on their first at-bat because they knew what the audiences wanted, so they previewed two new posters for the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

It was highly anticipated that Tom Holland would appear in Las Vegas, the young actor appeared on stage in a 2D projection to introduce a sneak peek clip from the film.

Holland remarked that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the “most emotional Spider-man” film and the “most grown-up.”

The film clip has Peter Parker visiting a housewarming party for his best friends MJ and Ned. However, due to Spider-Man: No Way Home’s ending, they do not have any memories of their friendship. Parker gets all emotional on reuniting with them as a stranger in their lives.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected in theaters on July 31, 2026.

Resident Evil

Fresh off the box office victory of Weapons last year, Zach Cregger follows up with a third horror film of his career, with a new take on Resident Evil.

The synopsis revealed after the Sony presentation reads:

Austin Abrams (Weapons) plays Bryan, a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in a nonstop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos.

Director Cregger appeared on stage to speak about his version of Resident Evil.

“[Resident Evil] is the gold standard of survival horror,” he stated and praised its eerie storytelling and pacing.

He admitted, “I’ve played a shitload of Resident Evil in the past decade.”

The film focuses on one particular character trying to survive in this horror setting. So it’s not anything near the adaptation of the video games or a reboot of the series.

The trailer shown to the audience has Bryan encountering the dead on a farm, seeking help, and possibly ending up in Raccoon City, where all hell broke loose. There is nothing in the trailer to reveal fan-favorite characters from the previous films and video games.

Resident Evil is expected this fall on September 18, 2026.

The Social Reckoning

It’s been more than 15 years since The Social Network, and social media has evolved far beyond its infancy.

So, it’s quite surprising Aaron Sorkin wanted to revisit to tell more stories about Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.

Sorkin appeared on stage to introduce the trailer to The Social Reckoning and said the sequel is more of a thriller than its predecessor.

On this second go-around, Jesse Eisenberg declined to portray Mark Zuckerberg again, and it went to the versatile thespian Jeremy Strong.

The film revolves around a Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen (played by Mikey Madison), and journalist Jeff Horwitz (played by Jeremy Allen White) as they try to bring down a social media empire that has knowledge of the social media addiction amongst teens.

The Social Reckoning is in theaters on October 9, 2026.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse

In 2023, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse gave us one of the biggest cliffhangers in animated films. I even recalled watching in a regular theater where the audience yelled, screamed, and threw popcorn at the screen after that cliffhanger.

And it is an incredibly long wait till 2027 for its conclusion.

Admittedly, the Spider-Verse animated films are one of the most ambitious and challenging projects from Sony Animation.

At the CinemaCon Sony Pictures presentation, the two directors Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson reunited with writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to introduce the clip and trailer for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

“There’s no rulebook,” stated Phil Lord. “We’ve gone to places we’ve never been before.”

In the long-clip scene, Miles Morales (Spider-Man) confronts The Prowler, who is also Miles Morales from a different universe. And he tries to warn him of the death of their father.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is in theaters on June 18, 2027.

Jumanji: Open World

Sony’s presentation at CinemaCon concludes with Jumanji 3 and its official title as Jumanji: Open World.

The film immediately takes off from the conclusion of 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level as someone opens a portal from Jumanji into the real world—bringing all these video game characters to life.

On the presentation stage, three of the four main actors, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black, appeared and teased about their working relationship.

Johnson revealed there will be an Easter Egg with the original die from Jumanji that’ll reflect back to Robin Williams, who started the franchise off with the original Jumanji in 1995.

The trio admitted the film is challenging—not in comedy or action—but because they all embody three different characters.

“We show what this franchise means to people,” said Jack Black. “It means a lot!”

Jumanji: Open World is in theaters on Christmas Day, 2026.

Source: LRM Online