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| Author | DCM |
| Categories | cinema |
CinemaCon, the annual gathering of the world’s cinema exhibitors in Las Vegas, drew to a close on Thursday, with the major film studios previewing their upcoming titles to the people who will be screening them to hopefully huge audiences. DCM’s CEO Simon Rees was in attendance to see what we can expect over the next 12 months.
Each of the studios has a session where they present exclusive footage from their slate and often get the biggest stars on stage to raise the sense of occasion. Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Dwayne Johnson ‘The Rock’, Channing Tatum and Mark Wahlberg were just some of the stars who took to the stage in support of their films.
In terms of the film slate, there’s plenty to look forward to with footage from the big comic titles, Seth Macfarlane’s A Million Ways to Die In the West, Dumb and Dumber, with Bad Neighbours in particular getting plenty of laughs. Universal also gave a sneak peak to two of their big 2015 comedies, Pitch Perfect 2 and Ted 2. Pitch Perfect is the fourth most legally downloaded film of all time, so hopes are high for the sequel.
Superhero blockbusters are also in great shape, with Captain America: The Winter Soldier in cinemas this weekend and X-Men: Days of Future Past looking spectacular in May. Guardians of the Galaxy looks a surefire hit for Disney and there are also unexpected superhero type films to look forward to sich as Luc Besson’s, Lucy, which sees Scarlett Johansson play a drug mule who gains special powers after she accidentally swallows her cargo.
Other high profile blockbusters showcased included Fast & Furious 7, which won’t disappoint any of the fans of the action franchise. Colin Firth fans will also be interested to see him in a role that’s a departure for him as he gets into action mode, in Matthew Vaughn’s (X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass) The Secret Service.
After a terrific 12 months for animation, with four animated titles in the top 10 films in the UK last year, family films are set for another great year, with Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent looking perfect for fans of Snow White and the Huntsman. Planes: Fire and Rescue looks hilarious and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is an adaptation of the popular children’s book with a great comic cast including Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner.
You may have heard that 2015 is all set to be an unbelievable year for cinema and this was emphasised at CinemaCon, with some mouthwatering titles spoken about, including Avengers: Age of Ultron, Star Wars Episode 7, awards contenders Into The Woods and Unbroken and perhaps most intriguingly, a new offering from Pixar called Inside Out. An extended scene was previewed and the film is set inside the head of a little girl with her emotions manifested as different characters. It looks inspired and made me laugh out loud.
However, the cinematic highlight was an interview on stage with genius director, Christopher Nolan. There was no extra footage from his upcoming film Interstellar but he spoke about IMAX technology, the power of seeing his films on the big screen and the amazing cast he got to work with, including Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine. It’s sure to be one of the stand-out films of the year and it was a treat to see the great man speak.
With CinemaCon finished, it’s straight back to London and with the second London-based Advertising Week Europe beginning on Monday. There’s plenty going on, not least DCM’s very special screening of action epic, The Raid 2 at BAFTA . Garnering rave reviews at film festivals across the world, this incredible sequel reunites the awesome firepower of the first instalment, the stunningly talented Welsh Director Gareth Evans and his astonishing Kung Fu leading man, Iko Uwais. Both will be on hand to introduce this unmissable event movie on Tuesday night.
This film illustrates the huge range of quality titles we have on offer this year covering every foreseeable audience and genre. As a massive sci-fi fan, I’m particularly excited about Interstellar but am looking forward to escaping to different worlds via the big screen throughout 2014 and beyond.