The China Mail - Sony Pictures offers sneak peek of 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' at CinemaCon

Tom Rothman, president and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, unveiled two posters for the latest Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, set to hit American theaters on July 31.

The release comes four years after "Spider-Man: No Way Home" became the studio's highest-grossing film with approximately $1.9 billion in global box office receipts.

"It feels like nothing we've ever made," Rothman said at the Colosseum Theater in Las Vegas, before introducing lead actor Holland, who joined virtually.

"It's the most emotional Spider-Man movie we've ever made, and in some ways, the most grown up," said Holland, who plays the arachnid superhero.

In a short clip shown at CinemaCon, where film studios bring in their stars and offer a sneak peek at their upcoming slate, Holland's Peter Parker faces the consequences of the decisions he made in the previous film, which ended on a cliffhanger.

Not only do his friends have no idea he exists, but his girlfriend MJ -- played by Zendaya -- has a new love interest.

Expectations for the film are high, with its trailer gaining millions of views since its release last month.

The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, will star Mark Ruffalo, Jon Bernthal and Sadie Sink.

Sony Pictures Entertainment also unveiled a first glimpse at "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse", the animated spin-off due to hit theaters in June 2027.

It closed its presentation with a clip from the third installment of "Jumanji".

Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black and Kevin Hart said that "Jumanji: Open World", set for release in December this year, will feature tributes to the late actor Robin Williams, who starred in the first film of the popular franchise.

- Box office optimism -

Sony Pictures Entertainment's presentation marked the start of CinemaCon, which this year focuses on optimism over the year's strong start at the box office.

Rothman celebrated the progress, but noted that sales have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels.

"We all have urgent work to do," Rothman said. "For our part, that means delivering a variety of great films to all kinds of audiences. But you, my friends, have an urgent part to play."

"Affordability is by far the hardest. Going to the movies must become affordable again," he added.

CinemaCon will also provide an opportunity to reflect on how to sustain the momentum in the industry, in a year that could bring significant changes -- such as the expected takeover of legendary studio Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skysdance.

"When you have consolidation of legacy studios, as we learned with Disney and Fox, the amount of movies produced goes down, prices go up, and we think that is bad for theaters," Michael O'Leary, CEO of Cinema United, which organizes the gathering, told AFP last week.

CinemaCon, which takes place from April 13-16, will host presentations in the coming days from Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Neon, Walt Disney Studios and Amazon MGM Studios.

The event is also set to attract a host of stars, with Zendaya, Matt Damon, Timothee Chalamet, Tom Cruise and Christopher Nolan all expected to attend.

B.Carter--ThChM