By Movieguide® Staff
Paramount Pictures closed out the first three days of CinemaCon 2026 with one of the most anticipated presentations of the week, with announcements about the future of major franchises including TOP GUN.
The studio’s panel kicked off Thursday morning at Caesars Palace with a jaw-dropping 5-minute short film directed by WICKED’s Jon M. Chu and narrated by Tom Cruise, featuring a parade of A-list cameos including Timothée Chalamet, James Cameron, Will Smith, the Duffer Brothers, and more. The presentation ended with Cruise perched atop the iconic Paramount water tower.
It was a statement of intent: the mountain is back.
David Ellison Takes the Stage — and That’s a Big Deal
The most talked-about moment came directly after, as Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison walked onto the stage. His appearance was far from guaranteed. There had been serious “will-he-or-won’t-he” speculation buzzing through the halls of Caesars Palace all week — and for good reason. Ellison’s company is in the middle of a pending $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that has stirred enormous anxiety among theater owners, guild members, and filmmakers alike.
Yet there he stood, telling the room of global exhibitors he wanted to look them “directly in the eye.” That kind of personal accountability is rare in Hollywood. When a CEO steps out of the shadows to make promises face-to-face, it carries real weight, and Ellison clearly understood that.
Ellison made several bold statements: Paramount committed to a minimum 45-day exclusive theatrical window, effective immediately. He also promised a 90-day streaming video-on-demand window before titles migrate to Paramount+.
“You can count on our complete commitment. And we’ll show you we mean it,” he said, giving theater owners the assurances and answers they’ve been clamoring for.
The head of Cinema United, the organization that hosts CinemaCon, has publicly slammed the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. Guilds and thousands of creatives signed an open letter in opposition. The fear is that fewer movies get made after big mergers — and that fear has historical basis. The Disney-Fox merger saw a 70% drop in combined box office output between 2016 and 2025. By showing up personally and making concrete pledges, Ellison signaled that he takes those concerns seriously.
He also addressed the Warner Bros. merger head-on by promising a minimum of 30 theatrical releases per year across both studios once the deal closes.
“At Paramount, we’ve already demonstrated, since launching the new company just eight months ago, our ability to increase output with 15 films currently dated for 2026, up from eight in 2025,” Ellison said.
A Slate Built for the Big Screen
Beyond Ellison’s headline-making appearance, Paramount unveiled a robust slate that covers franchises, originals, and some very big names.
TOP GUN 3 is now officially confirmed. Paramount announced that a script is currently being written, with Tom Cruise expected to reprise his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and producer Jerry Bruckheimer returning. TOP GUN: MAVERICK earned $1.49 billion worldwide and a Movieguide® Award nomination.
CALL OF DUTY is heading to theaters on June 30, 2028. Director Peter Berg (LONE SURVIVOR, 13 HOURS) and YELLOWSTONE creator Taylor Sheridan co-wrote the script.
Berg, who expressed that he feels “deeply connected to the special operations community,” wants to bring full authenticity and sweeping scope to one of the most popular video game franchises in history.
Producer Rob Kostich said they only wanted to make the film with “the right leadership, someone who cares about the IP as much as we do, and in David Ellison we found that partnership.”
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 4 is currently in production, with new footage shown teasing a role reversal for Jim Carrey’s Dr. Eggman and the arrival of Amy Rose. A new TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES animated feature is also in the works, bringing back Shredder and Krang to face our heroes in a half-shell.
CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, and Regina King, closed out the presentation to enormous excitement. Adapted from Tomi Adeyemi’s best-selling YA novel, the film is set in a mythical Africa where magic has been outlawed and arrives in theaters January 15, 2027.
Billie Eilish and James Cameron appeared together to promote BILLIE EILISH: HIT ME HARD AND SOFT – The Tour Live in 3D, a concert film that brings Eilish’s sold-out world tour to the big screen in IMAX 3D.
EBENEZER: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, directed by Ti West and starring Johnny Depp as Scrooge, drew one of the more complicated reactions of the day.
Depp’s appearance on the CinemaCon stage marked one of his most prominent public moments since his highly publicized legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. The crowd’s reaction was mixed — some cheers, some murmuring.
Depp called it “an extraordinary privilege to step into a story” he has loved since childhood. Footage showed the film blends comedic elements with serious, grounded storytelling and atmospheric horror-tinged visuals. It arrives in theaters November 13, 2026.
Damien Chazelle is directing an as-yet-untitled film starring Cillian Murphy and Daniel Craig. Paramount also teased HEART OF THE BEAST, a survival thriller from director David Ayer starring Brad Pitt alongside a dog companion, as well as A QUIET PLACE PART 3 and a new LONGLEGS-universe project.
Content Concerns
We at Movieguide® always want to keep our 82 million families informed, and a few titles on Paramount’s slate give us pause. SCARY MOVIE 6 reunites Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Anna Faris for what promises to be an R-rated horror-parody romp. The new trailer, which parodies GET OUT, SINNERS, and WEAPONS, leans heavily on crude humor and profanity — not family fare. JACKASS 5 is similarly described by star Johnny Knoxville as the hardest the team has ever gone. Parents should proceed with great caution on both of those titles.
The Bottom Line
Paramount’s CinemaCon 2026 presentation was a genuine statement of corporate confidence — and David Ellison’s willingness to show up personally and make direct promises to theater owners gave the entire event a sense of real stakes. Hollywood is watching whether a combined Paramount-Warner Bros. can deliver on its bold commitments to theaters and audiences alike. If today was any indication, at least the man at the helm is willing to stand up and be counted.
We will be watching — and reviewing — every one of these films as they arrive in theaters. Stay tuned to Movieguide.org for full reviews and content breakdowns.
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
Share:
– Content: +1