LAS VEGAS -- Amid a week of massive layoffs at Disney, the leadership team of its film arm gathered in Las Vegas on Wednesday to tout its successes and upcoming slate of films to a crowd of theatre owners and exhibitors.
The Walt Disney Company presentation, with exclusive new footage from films like 鈥淚ndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,鈥 鈥淓lemental,鈥 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3鈥 and 鈥淭he Little Mermaid,鈥 is part of the CinemaCon convention. At the weeklong trade conference, major Hollywood studios put on splashy presentations to assure the people who play their movies, from the biggest chains like AMC to single-screen independent theatres, that they have the content to keep audiences buying movie tickets.
Alan Bergman, the co-chair of Disney Entertainment, took the stage inside the Colosseum theatre at Caesars Palace first.
鈥淚 wanted to come and personally thank you for your support,鈥 Bergman said. 鈥淚 know how difficult it鈥檚 been over the past few years and its great that the business is finally coming back.鈥
Disney has been the top-grossing studio globally every year since 2016. Last year the company released four of the 10 top-grossing movies domestically. Those four movies 鈥 鈥淏lack Panther: Wakanda Forever,鈥 鈥淒octor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,鈥 鈥淎vatar: The Way of Water鈥 and 鈥淭hor: Love and Thunder鈥 鈥 accounted for 27 per cent of the domestic box office share. Globally, 鈥淎vatar: The Way of Water鈥 grossed over US$2.3 billion to become the third most successful film of all time.
The company is undergoing layoffs this week, through Thursday, in its second round this year. Disney CEO Bob Iger said in February that the company was going to cut about 7,000 jobs as part of an ambitious companywide cost-savings plan and 鈥渟trategic reorganization.鈥 The job cuts amount to about 3 per cent of the entertainment giant鈥檚 global workforce and are part of a targeted US$5.5 billion cost savings across the Burbank-based company.
In Las Vegas, Tony Chambers, head of theatrical distribution, said Disney has always 鈥 pre-, during and post-pandemic 鈥 鈥渄elivered a fantastic array of stories for your theatres and our upcoming slate is no exception.鈥
This year will mark the first time since 2019 that Disney will have theatrical releases for films from all seven of its production studios: 20th Century, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Disney, Pixar, Disney Animation and Searchlight.
Still to come in 2023 is a theme park-ride movie with Justin Simien鈥檚 鈥淗aunted Mansion鈥 (July 28) starring Danny DeVito and Owen Wilson, a live-action 鈥淟ittle Mermaid鈥 (May 26), a new Indiana Jones film, Marvel releases in 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3鈥 (May 5) and 鈥淭he Marvels,鈥 a Disney Animation musical 鈥淲ish鈥 with Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine, and Pixar original 鈥淓lemental鈥 (June 16).
Several recent Pixar titles were sent straight to Disney+ during the pandemic, including 鈥淪oul,鈥 鈥淟uca,鈥 and 鈥淭urning Red.鈥 On Wednesday, Disney gave 鈥淓lemental,鈥 a theatrical-first release (and a Cannes film festival premiere), a meaty showcase, debuting 20 minutes in 3D from the film about a city where all the elements live together but separately.
Disney鈥檚 CinemaCon presentations often stick to the films, not the celebrities, but this year they had a few surprises in store: Harrison Ford and Melissa McCarthy.
Ford, in a pre-recorded video message, introduced an exciting chase scene from 鈥淚ndiana Jones 5.鈥
鈥淧laying Indiana Jones over the years has meant the world to me,鈥 Ford said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled for everyone to experience out film on the biggest and best screens June 30.鈥
鈥淚ndiana Jones鈥 is also having its world debut at Cannes next month.
McCarthy, who voices Ursula in 鈥淭he Little Mermaid鈥 was in person to introduce a clip of her singing 鈥淧oor Unfortunate Souls.鈥
鈥淯rsula is kind of everything. She鈥檚 dishy. She鈥檚 a conniving broad,鈥 McCarthy said. 鈥淢aybe that鈥檚 why I relate.鈥
Other upcoming releases include Kenneth Branagh鈥檚 鈥淎 Haunting in Venice鈥 (Sept. 15), 鈥淭he Boogeyman鈥 (June 2) and the sci-fi drama 鈥淭he Creator鈥 (Sept. 29), with John David Washington, from 20th Century Studios.
Searchlight has the loving satire 鈥淭heater Camp鈥 (July 14), and Taika Waititi鈥檚 comedic soccer film 鈥淣ext Goal Wins鈥 (Nov. 17), based on the story of a Dutch American coach (played by Michael Fassbender) who is sent to coach the struggling American Samoa national football team. The trailer had the audience laughing and clapping.
Chambers did not mention 鈥淢agazine Dreams,鈥 with Jonathan Majors, which earlier this year was set for release on Dec. 8 year after its successful Sundance debut. Majors, who is also the new main villain of the Marvel world, Kang, was arrested in March on an assault charge. A lawyer for Majors denied any wrongdoing by the actor.
