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Sony Pictures Is Reportedly Skipping CinemaCon This Year

Sony Pictures is reportedly sitting out CinemaCon, which takes place April 8-11. This is not a slight against theater owners or an indication that Sony is in trouble.



Article Summary

  • Sony Pictures opts out of CinemaCon 2023, originally set to lead the April 8-11 event.
  • Past years saw Sony make big splashes with presentations and surprise screenings.
  • CinemaCon absentees are not rare; Disney’s 2021 presence was minimal post-COVID impact.
  • Films like upcoming 'Garfield' won't be previewed, but omitting doesn't spell trouble for Sony.

CinemaCon is the annual convention for theater owners put on by NATO [not that NATO], the National Association of Theater Owners. Over the years, it has become a larger and larger convention for people and the press to attend due to the studio presentations and screenings that take place every year. Sometimes, studios bombard attendees with previews for their upcoming slate, while others screen entire films. Sony Pictures is the studio that usually kicks off the convention on the first night. They have both done presentations in the last couple of years and shown a surprise feature presentation, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, months before it was set to premiere in theaters. This year, according to Deadline, it sounds like Sony is staying home and won't attend the convention in April.

CinemaCon 2023 Sony Presentation.
CinemaCon 2023 Presentation.

Sometimes, studios will sit out CinemaCon, which shouldn't be seen as a slight against theaters or a herald of the end times. Disney technically showed up to CinemaCon 2021, but they just screened Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and bounced. The strikes really threw a wrench into everything studios would need to attend something like CinemaCon. You would have to buff up the cuts and VFX for many trailers at once or rush the film's post-production if you're planning on showing something. The strikes mean that most studios don't have complete features sitting on the shelf waiting to be seen, and many productions will be working tight schedules to meet deadlines. You have to prioritize the feature release over a studio presentation.

Sony Pictures has no movies set to come out in April, and the next film on the schedule is Garfield. While the animation on that is likely very close to being done, the voice work can be worked on until very close to the release date. So there really aren't any films that Sony could show anyone save for something they could buy at Sundance this week, but Sundance movies aren't exactly theatrical draws, and you never know what indie movie will make it big. So, while it's a shame, it's also not surprising that Sony is sitting CinemaCon out.


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Kaitlyn BoothAbout Kaitlyn Booth

Kaitlyn is the Editor-in-Chief at Bleeding Cool. Film critic and pop culture writer since 2013. Ace. Leftist. Nerd. Feminist. Writer. Replicant Translator. Cinephillic Virtue Signaler. She/Her. UFCA/GALECA Member. 🍅 Approved. Follow her Threads, Instagram, and Twitter @katiesmovies.
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