This year’s installment of CinemaCon has brought some pretty exciting twists, turns, and announcements. So, if any studio presentation should get the closing spot in the line up, the one where the real big guns are brought out, it has to be Disney. With Josh D’Amaro’s recent promotion to CEO forging a new path for this legendary entertainment brand, past, present, and future are all in conversation. Join us now, as THS runs down everything you need to know about Disney’s CinemaCon 2026 presentation!
Disney Makes Waves By Allowing Photos And Videos During The Show
Apparently the House of Mouse is a-ok with attendees capturing their mammoth presentation with their own devices. In a move that stunned fans, Disney advised attendees of CinemaCon 2026 that they can photograph and record the contents of their panel. Please, hold your applause, folks who agree that CinemaCon needs its own livestream.
RealD Is About To Make 3D Easier For Viewers With Glasses
Leave it to Disney’s CinemaCon 2026 panel to have RealD confirming that clip-on 3D lenses will now be a thing! All of those years of slipping the full monty over your prescription spectacles will be a thing of the past – and it’s about time.
Disney’s Pedigree Of Success, In A Nutshell
Alan Bergman, the Chairman of Disney Entertainment, Studios at The Walt Disney Company, also attended today’s event. Talking shop, Bergman flashed out some impressive stats, including how The Walt Disney Studios have been the #1 studio for 9 of the last 10 years. He also further highlighted recent animated successes, jokingly renaming the Zootopia sequel as Zootopia 1.9B (after the film’s record setting worldwide grosses.) Also, Hoppers has now crossed $350 million at the worldwide box office.
I Almost Forgot How Stacked Disney’s Upcoming Film Slate Actually Is
As a reminder of what’s to come, Alan Bergman was also on hand to debut an image that shows Disney’s immediate lineup of theatrical titles. Spanning into next March, here’s the roster in full:
- The Devil Wears Prada 2 (5/1/26)
- The Mandalorian and Grogu (5/22/26)
- Toy Story 5 (6/19/26)
- Moana (Live-Action) (7/10/26)
- Super Troopers 3 (8/9/26)
- The Dog Stars (8/28/26)
- Whalefall (10/16/26)
- Wild Horse Nine (11/6/26)
- Hexed (11/25/26)
- Avengers: Doomsday (12/18/26)
- Ice Age Boiling Point (2/5/27)
- Disney/Pixar’s Gatto (3/5/27)
A new clip from The Devil Wears Prada 2 accompanied this table of contents, where Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly is in the midst of a potential HR violation. I can’t imagine that going well for anyone but the audience. Speaking of the folks in the seats, the edge was apparently where most attendees lived as the latest in the Star Wars galaxy took the stage.
The Mandalorian And Grogu Lives Up To Disney’s Cinematic Commitment
With director Jon Favreau presenting in the room, The Mandalorian’s big screen debut is about to go really big; with 49 minutes of “large format sequences.” Several series hallmarks from this Disney+ series’ pedigree are still part of the picture, as actual sets, creatures, and miniatures were used in the filming . Plus, series composer/Academy Award winner Ludwig Göransson will be providing The Mandalorian and Grogu’s musical score.
Debuting a new trailer, as well as the opening sequence for the May 22nd release, the new Star Wars movie seems to be stumping for tradition. In light of Alan Bergman’s earlier statement of Disney’s pride to keep their titles in theaters longer than other studios, it’s quite a brilliant move (We’ll see how that stacks up to Universal’s recent theatrical window commitment.)
As for Mando’s 17-minute opening cinematic gambit, our own Hunter Bolding tweeted that “Mando really likes lighting people on fire.” So there’s that to look forward to. And let’s just say that a legacy Star Wars droid also makes an impression by showing up…
Woody’s Toy Story 5 Return Got A Moment In The Spotlight
After a polite reminder that Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars Starfighter will hit theaters next May, the Toys came out to play! Two exclusive clips from Toy Story 5 showed up, with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen on hand to help celebrate. Disney’s CinemaCon 2026 panel took time to hype the fourth sequel to the film that kickstarted the Disney/Pixar partnership, with Woody’s heroic return as the big clip on offer.
Moana’s Emotional Place In Dwayne Johnson’s Life
Next up at Disney’s CinemaCon 2026 presentation is a look at the live-action Moana remake, set for release on July 10th. Dwayne Johnson once again invoked his personal connection to the role of Maui – seeing as his look was inspired by grandfather Peter Maivia. Moana lead Catherine Laga’aia also came out on stage, helping to commemorate the themes of the Disney hit being given the flesh and blood treatment.
20th Century Studios’ The Dog Stars And Whalefall Adaptations Also Got First Looks
Moving into the 20th Century Studios realm, Disney’s CinemaCon 2026 showcase brought two new adaptations to the table. Ridley Scott’s interpretation of The Dog Stars, starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, got a first look; as did Brolin’s other picture with the studio Whalefall. The latter comes from author Daniel Kraus’ novel about a scuba diver (Austin Abrams) who’s literally in the belly of the beast.
With only an hour to escape the whale that killed his father (Brolin), our hero is in one of the most outrageous life or death scenarios. The book has been compared to The Martian, which brings this section of the show together rather nicely – especially when the first footage shows said whale battling a giant squid.
Wild Horse Nine Gets The F Into The Room
If you loved Wild Horse Nine’s beautifully profane trailer, you probably should have been in the room at Disney’s CinemaCon 2026 panel. As part of the Searchlight Pictures pit stop in the presentation, director Martin McDonagh’s latest boasted an exclusive clip. THS’ Hunter Bolding summed it up best when he tweeted, “John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell both have an excellent delivery of ‘shut the fuck up’.”
Hexed Mixes Magic, Parenting, And Adventure – As Only Disney Could
Moving on to the world of animation, Walt Disney Studio’s latest film Hexed took the stage. Starring Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones, the November 25th title got its own first look at CinemaCon 2026. Sporting a new logo since last August’s announcement, Hexed introduces us to a hidden world of magic – as mother and her child start to explore their “differences” from their peers.
There Was A Peek Behind The Curtain For Disney Animation’s Early 2027 Titles
In rapid succession, the Disney CinemaCon panel showed off the title card for Disney/Pixar’s Gatto, which is set to open next March, as well as an image promoting next February’s Ice Age: Boiling Point. Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, and Ray Romano appeared to hyped the crowd for the sixth sequel to 20th Century Studios and Blue Sky’s prehistoric comedy classic.
What effect 2022’s Disney+ original The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild will have on this sequel’s continuity is left to be determined. However, there will be a Baby Scrat – which was revealed before showing Boiling Point’s opening sequence.
Avengers: Endgame Will Return In Infinity Vision
Another no-brainer for today’s festivities is Avengers: Doomsday. Disney’s big Christmas 2026 release, the return of so many MCU veterans is quite possibly the stone that ties together the studio’s gauntlet of titles for the year. So naturally, it got saved for the end of CinemaCon 2026; and there was quite a bit of information revealed.
Disney’s newly announced premium Infinity Vision certification will be included with Doomsday’s December release. But, we’ll get to see it a couple months sooner. That’s thanks to Avengers: Endgame heading back to theaters this September, with Infinity Vision enhancements being offered. And then, with The Russo Brothers and Robert Downey Jr. on stage, “the trailer of Doom” was released to Disney’s CinemaCon 2026 audience.
Avengers: Doomsday Picks Up Where Endgame Left Off…Literally
So what should we all expect from the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer? Well, according to those who saw it in the room, it could be summed up in one word: “incredible.” Expanding to some greater detail, Steve Rogers and Mjolnir are apparently still besties, Shang Chi is officially an Avenger, and there’s a 1v1 match between Thor and Doctor Doom. So, you know, just true fan things reigning once again in the MCU!
Oh, and if you’re curious, you do not have to rewatch anything from Spider-Man: No Way Home to Spider-Man: Brand New Day. As it turns out, Doomsday is a direct sequel to Endgame, with all of the pictures released in the ensuing 7 year gap merely “enhancing” the experience. Good thing there’s a little over 8 months left on that countdown to come up with ways to tear this development apart, like a false Reed Richards at the hands of Wanda Maximoff.
Overall, Disney’s CinemaCon 2026 panel is the ending that the Hollywood trade show deserved. In a year where theatrical window commitment was king, the entertainment giant’s repeated dedication to providing an audience experience worth showing up for cannot be understated. So now it’s up to exhibitors to book early and often, and for fans to show up.
That Hashtag Show
