LAS VEGAS (AP) 鈥� Universal started out its CinemaCon presentation with the big one: New footage from Christopher Nolan鈥檚 鈥淥ppenheimer.鈥�
鈥淚 know of no more dramatic tale, with higher stakes, twists and turns, paradoxes,鈥� Nolan told a room full of theater owners Wednesday in Las Vegas. 鈥淚n learning about that story, I wanted to be in that room and see what that must have been like.鈥�
鈥淥ppenheimer,鈥� due in cinemas on July 21, is about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant, charismatic physicist who, along with his peers at Los Alamos, developed the atomic bomb and changed the world. Cillian Murphy, a frequent Nolan collaborator going back to 鈥淏atman Begins,鈥� plays the title role in a starry cast that includes Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and many more.
鈥淟ike it or not, he is the most important person who ever lived. He made the world we live in for better or worse. His story has to be seen to be believed," Nolan said. "His story is both dream and nightmare.鈥�
Nolan shot the movie on large format IMAX in both color and black and white, but "not too much black and white, don鈥檛 worry,鈥� he said.
鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� marks the first time Nolan has partnered with Universal, after he parted ways with his longtime studio Warner Bros. amid the shop鈥檚 divisive pivot to streaming for its 2022 releases.
The filmmaker has always been a passionate defender and advocate for movie theaters, and 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� will be no different, with 70mm IMAX, 35mm, Dolby Vision and other premium large-format screen versions available around the world.
Nolan also said he could neither confirm nor deny that a full-length trailer will play in front of 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,鈥� which opens May 5.
The Universal team, including filmed entertainment group chairman Donna Langley, assembled in Las Vegas for the annual conference just days after news broke that Jeff Shell, the chief executive of NBCUniversal and one of the media industry鈥檚 renowned executives, was leaving the company after an investigation into inappropriate conduct.
Shell oversaw a vast portfolio of assets including the motion picture company. Previously he was chairman of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment. As of Wednesday, parent company Comcast had not yet named a successor.
The film studio team has been basking in the recent box office success of Illumination鈥檚 鈥淭he Super Mario Bros. Movie,鈥� which has already made over $900 million at the global box office. It will be the first movie to pass $1 billion in 2023, a landmark it will hit this coming week, Langley said.
鈥淢ario鈥� also came on the heels of hits like 鈥淐ocaine Bear鈥� and 鈥淢3GAN,鈥� which Universal鈥檚 domestic distribution chief Jim Orr noted also dominated cultural conversation from memes to late night fodder.
鈥淲e bet on audiences,鈥� Orr said. 鈥淲e believe the best days are in front of us not behind us.鈥�
In their 2023 slate, Orr said, 鈥淭he comedy is crazier, the horror more terrifying, the drama more powerful. And 鈥楩ast X鈥� is faster and more furious than anything you鈥檝e seen before. 鈥�
Will Ferrell walked out on stage carrying a dog named Sophie to talk about his very R-rated comedy 鈥淪trays鈥� (June 9), in which he and Jamie Foxx play foul mouth pups. Sophie, Ferrell said, plays his character Reggie in the film.
鈥淪he鈥檚 not that cute, you don鈥檛 have to keep cutting to her,鈥� Ferrell said. 鈥淗ey camera operator, let鈥檚 try to keep it even. One shot of her, one shot of me.鈥�
鈥淚 have three Emmys and a Mark Twain Prize and you regularly (expletive) on the sidewalk,鈥� he added.
Ferrell later apologized to Sophie. The bit had the crowd in stitches.
Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick also brought energy to the room to talk about 鈥淭rolls Band Together," which is coming on Nov. 17.
鈥淗ey A-Ken. Ak-Attack," Timberlake said. 鈥淚'm high."
A moment later he clarified he wasn't. Kendrick said in this film their characters have moved out of 鈥渢he friend zone.鈥�
鈥淕et ready to rock and trooooollll,鈥� Kendrick shouted, quipping to her straight-man counterpart that 鈥渏oy is a choice.鈥�
DreamWorks Animation teased 鈥淩uby Gillman Teenage Kraken,鈥� due on June 30, about a part Kraken trying to survive high school who is voiced by Lana Condor.
鈥淲e feel it has the potential to become the girl power movie of the summer,鈥� said Margie Cohn, the president of DreamWorks Animation.
Jason Blum and David Gordon Green, who partnered on the 鈥淗alloween鈥� revivals, also showed a first look at the new, modern day 鈥淓xorcist鈥� movie, 鈥淭he Exorcist Believer,鈥� in which two children become possessed. It鈥檚 the first in a planned trilogy, that brings back Ellen Burstyn and opens in theaters on Oct. 13.
Universal closed with some big ones too. First up was 鈥淔ast X,鈥� with Jordan Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese and Sung Kang there to, briefly, recap the first nine films before calling Vin Diesel to the stage and exiting stage left.
鈥淚 like this room better than the Oscars,鈥� Diesel said to cheers. 鈥淎nd you know I really mean that.鈥�
Then stunt performers from Eighty Seven North provided the opening act for Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling to tease 鈥淔all Guy鈥� before they closed with a first look at 鈥淲icked," which Langley promised will 鈥渄azzle your screens.鈥�
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
