Hollywood Week: CinemaCon Lights up the Vegas Strip as Hollywood Arrives, Val Kilmer Dies
- Details
- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Saturday, 05 April 2025 12:23
- Written by Janet Walker
CinemaCon, the annual convention for Cinema United, formerly the National Organization of Theater Owners, lit up the Las Vegas Strip as Hollywood studios and celebrities arrived for the presentation of theatrical releases for the upcoming tentpole seasons.
CinemaCon Lights up the Vegas Strip
Hollywood made theater owners happy this week as they rolled out their upcoming theatrical releases, for the summer, fall and holidays, which gauging on past box office history should make 2025 a profitable year for many struggling theater chains, who have seen many challenges as streaming continues to transform the movie viewing experience.
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The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Sony, Angel Studios, Neon, Universal Pictures/Focus Features and Amazon/MGM all presented teasers to their upcoming impressive slates.
Highlights of what are expected to be box office gold included "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment from Director James Cameron, and the late producer Jon Landau, introduced by Walt Disney Chairman Alan Berg, gave theater owners three minutes of what is expected to rival previous Avatar releases who announced the dates for "Avatar 4," Christmas 2029, and "Avatar 5," Christmas 2031.
Disney also introduced "Tron: Ares," with stars Jared Leto and Jeff Bridges introducing the sequel to the 2010 "Tron: Legacy." The 2025 release slate also included from the MCV "Thunderbolts," "The Fantastic 4 First Steps." Animation favorites "Zootopia 2," "Lilo & Stitch," and "Elio," as well as "Freakier Friday," a follow-up to the 2003 film starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, both who reprise their original roles. Also slated for the 2025 release are the Bruce Springsteen biopic, "Deliver Me From Nowhere," starring Jeremy Allen White as The Boss. Also included "The Amateur," "Predator Badlands," "Ella McCay," and the dark comedy/drama, "The Roses."
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Paramount, which will complete its sale to David Ellison and Skydance, presented to theater owners three of the studio's upcoming slate including the second installment of "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning" with the film's star and producer, Tom Cruise, and Director/Writer/Producer Christopher McQuarrie in attendance to present. Also on Paramount's slate Channing Tatum, star of "Roofman."
From the star studded cast of "The Running Man," Glen Powell, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin, along with Director/Producer Edgar Wright, and Producer's Simon Kinberg and Nira Park were in attendance marketing the film's release. Mark Hamill and Tom Kenny were on hand to present "The Spongebob Movie: Search For Squarepants."
Universal Pictures Chairperson Donna Langley treated guests to an introduction of "Jurassic World Rebirth," starring Mahershala Ali and Scarlett Johansson, who were both on hand to promote the film, which is expected to match previous installments. Near the end of the presentation, which included "Wicked: For Good," "Bugonia," "The Phonecian Scheme," several horror films from Blumhouse's Jason Blum, the upcoming 2026 release of Christopher Nolan "Odyssey" received raves.
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Val Kilmer, Writer, Director, Producer, Actor Dies
Val Kilmer, writer, director, producer, and most well known as an actor, and cancer survivor, died this week after a short bout with pneumonia. He was 65.
Kilmer, who for most remembered him from his stand out roles, in the 1986 testosterone heavy, "Top Gun," film starring opposite Tom Cruise as the Tom "Iceman" Kanazsky. Kilmer, who was a star before the film, became a film star after. He continued to appear in a series of films in the through the remainder of the 1980s and three years later was cast as Jim Morrison, in "The Doors," which became the defining film and Kilmer, the definition in life of the iconic Jim Morrison. His ability to capture the character enticed Hollywood and he was dependable as an actor, although often pugnacious. He worked throughout the 1990s, in films that are still streaming today, included "Tombstone," "Heat," "Batman Forever." He also made headlines for his two year and very visible relationship with Cher, from 1982 to 1984.
He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, and the treatment damaged his vocal cords making it impossible for him to speak without the use of an automated voice. He continued to work appearing in the 2022 release of "Top Gun: Maverick" film, as Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kanazsky, whose character experienced the same trauma. He slowly shifted his focus and became known for his artistic expression, which he had kept hidden for decades.
Kilmer died on April 1, 2025, and is survived by his two children, Mercedes and Jack.
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Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.
