Sony Pictures will not have a showcase of their upcoming films at the annual movie theater trade show CinemaCon in Las Vegas this April, TheWrap has learned.
This isn’t the first time that the parent company of Columbia, TriStar, Screen Gems and Playstation Productions has sat out the show. Sony stayed home in 2019 despite having a slate that included films like “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time …in Hollywood,” and Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women.”
While Sony did not elaborate on why it sat out, insiders at the studio told TheWrap that it is focusing on getting its films prepped for theatrical release and that it was not a sign of decreased support for exhibitors. Sony Pictures CEO/Chairman Tom Rothman is known for making passionate, expletive-filled speeches at CinemaCon praising theater owners and taunting those who have predicted the demise of cinemas.
As part of their CinemaCon presentations, studios often prepare trailers for films that will be released towards the end of the year and which won’t be publicly seen until months after theater owners see it in Las Vegas. Directors and stars who attend the show to present the clips sometimes warn attendees that what is being presented is a rough cut and is not representative of the final cut that will be shown in theaters.
Creating these sneak peeks requires accelerated work on the part of filmmakers, VFX sound teams and other post-production workers, something that may not be feasible for certain projects given the production delays caused by last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Sony’s 2024 slate includes the Marvel film “Madame Web” on Feb. 14 and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” on March 22. Other films coming this year include “Bad Boys 4” (June 14), an untitled Apple-produced sci-fi film starring Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson (July 12) and “Venom 3” (Nov. 8).
Sony’s exit from CinemaCon 2024 was first reported by Deadline.
