Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and Chris Meledandri Lead NBCUniversal's 2026 CinemaCon Showcase

At CinemaCon, NBCUniversal showcased its upcoming slate while reinforcing its commitment to a theatrical-first strategy. "We've always been a theatrical-first studio, period," Donna Langley, chair of NBCUniversal Entertainment, told theater owners.

Domestic distribution president Jim Orr echoed that sentiment: "I believe I do know why the world's greatest filmmakers have always made their movies here, no matter the decade or era at Universal. They know that we're as committed to the massive, communal, immersive theatrical experience as they are."

Langley and her colleagues underscored that commitment with a showcase of key upcoming theatrical titles and trailers across the slate, setting the stage for a robust pipeline of films from the industry's top filmmakers.

Snoop Dogg biopic

Snoop Dogg kicked off the NBCUniversal presentation, teasing an upcoming biopic about his life and continuing his longstanding partnership with the company, where he has become a fan-favorite special correspondent across NBC and Peacock's Olympic coverage. He was joined onstage by Jonathan Daviss, who is set to portray him in the as-yet-untitled film from Craig Brewer.

Donna Langley joined them onstage, describing the project as "the spiritual cousin" to the 2015 N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton. The film will mark the first project under Death Row Pictures' overall deal with NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios and is slated to begin production in Los Angeles this summer.

The Odyssey

Attendees at the Colosseum rose to applaud Christopher Nolan as he took the stage to unveil a new look at The Odyssey, his much-anticipated adaptation of the ancient Greek epic.

"It's not a story – it's the story," said Nolan, calling it "a story that has fascinated generations for 3,000 years."

The Odyssey will be the first film shot entirely with IMAX cameras, a milestone Nolan described as his "longest-held ambition," bringing an epic scale to every moment from intimate dialogue scenes to sweeping action sequences.

The new footage features an exchange between Matt Damon's Odysseus and Charlize Theron's Calypso, a sea nymph who uses magic to entrap him on her island. Also featured are large-scale scenes of the Trojan Horse, the famous stratagem whereby Odysseus tricked the Trojans and won the war, with thousands of Greek soldiers straining against cables to haul it out of the sea and across the sands toward the gates of Troy.

The film is Nolan's first feature since partnering with Universal to make 2023's Oppenheimer, the acclaimed biopic that garnered 13 Academy Award nominations and seven wins, including Best Picture and Best Director.

In addition to Damon and Theron, the star-studded cast includes Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, Cosmo Jarvis, Michael Vlamis, and Iddo Goldberg. Also in the ensemble are Mia Goth, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton, Ryan Hurst, and Travis Scott. Anne Hathaway plays Odysseus' wife Penelope and Tom Holland plays their son Telemachus.

Nolan directed from his own script and produced alongside his longtime collaborator and wife, Emma Thomas. The film opens in IMAX on July 17.

Minions & Monsters

Illumination Founder and CEO Chris Meledandri was joined by Jack Black, star of the studio’s recent hit The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, to debut a first look at Illumination’s Minions & Monsters. The film is the newest chapter in the blockbuster Despicable Me franchise, which, together with the Minions films, has generated over $5.6 billion at the global box office.

The film is the story of how the Minions conquer Hollywood, become movie stars, lose everything, unleash monsters onto the world, and then band together to try and save the planet from their own mayhem. In the extended footage presented in Las Vegas, the Minions accidentally ruin a movie scene to the ire of its director voiced by Christoph Waltz. The studio head (voiced by Jeff Bridges) loves them, and they become stars – but filming onscreen dialogue presents a challenge. The voice cast also includes Allison Janney, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, and Trey Parker.

The film is directed by Academy Award nominee Pierre Coffin who directed the first three Despicable Me films and the first Minions movie, and who has also voiced the minions' inimitable multi-lingual gibberish since the characters were created in 2010.

Minions & Monsters returns to the Fourth of July corridor, opening July 1, a familiar summer release window for the franchise.

One Night Only

Universal Pictures offered a first look at One Night Only, a new romantic comedy from Anyone But You director Will Gluck, starring Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner. Before debuting the trailer, the presentation opened with a sizzle reel of iconic Universal rom-coms reminding the assembled theater owners that "Once upon a time, people fell in love on the big screen."

Set in a world where premarital sex is permitted for one night each year, the film follows two strangers who meet on that night. The ensemble cast also includes Molly Ringwald, LeVar Burton, Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, and Este Haim, and opens August 7.

Focker-in-Law

Universal revealed the first trailer for Focker-in-Law, the latest installment in the Meet the Parents franchise and the first once since 2010. Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller took the stage, leaning into their signature franchise dynamic with an in-character comedic back-and-forth as they introduced the footage.

The film delivers a next-generation twist, with Ariana Grande joining as a sharp, self-assured new addition to the family – bringing a modern edge to the franchise's signature clash of personalities. As Greg Focker steps into a more overbearing parental role, the story flips the original dynamic, setting up a new round of high-stakes awkward family encounters. Focker-In-Law is set for a Thanksgiving 2026 theatrical release.

Disclosure Day

Steven Spielberg took the stage at CinemaCon for the first time in his career to promote his upcoming Universal release, Disclosure Day. The new film marks his first foray into extraterrestrial sci-fi in more than two decades – the new title will join classics from the director's oeuvre like E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and War of the Worlds. A longtime creative partner of Universal Pictures, Spielberg's latest contributes to a decades-spanning relationship that has helped define the modern blockbuster.

If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people. We are coming close to … Disclosure Day.

Created and directed by Steven Spielberg, the film stars SAG winner and Oscar^® nominee Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place), Emmy and Golden Globe winner Josh O’Connor (Challengers, The Crown), Oscar^® winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Kingsman franchise), Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters, The Perfect Couple) and two-time Oscar^®nominee Colman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin).

During the presentation, Charlie Rivkin honored Spielberg with the MPA's inaugural America 250 Award, calling it "an honor and a thrill for all of us to celebrate a true icon … Sci-fi, comedy, adventure, history, musicals. For fans of every genre, Steven Spielberg defines what Americans think of when we think of movies."

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility's screenplay is by Diana Reid and it stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, George MacKay, Herbert Nordrum, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Fiona Shaw, Stacy Martin, and Tom Brooke. Producing are Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films alongside India Flint of November Pictures and Jo Wallett of Kiddo Films.

Werwulf

Werwulf is Robert Eggers' first new horror film following Nosferatu, which earned over $187M globally amid critical acclaim and multiple award nominations. While no official logline has as yet been released, producers are billing the new film as Eggers' most terrifying yet. The project reunites Eggers with past collaborators Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Ralph Ineson. Focus Features financed and produced the film alongside Eggers and Sjón, with Chris and Eleanor Columbus executive producing as well as Working Title's Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, and Garrett Bird.

Werwulf is slated for a Christmas Day theatrical release.

Forgotten Island Full First Look

Plus, DreamWorks Animation's full first look screening of Forgotten Island took place before the Universal presentation, a new original film about two lifelong best friends facing separation. Written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado and produced by Mark Swift – the team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – the film tells an emotional story about friendship and change.

Grammy and Academy Award® winner H.E.R. and Liza Soberano star as Jo and Raissa, high school graduates who have been inseparable since childhood but are about to head down different paths. During their final night together, they discover a mysterious portal that transports them to Nakali, a fantastical island filled with magical and mythological creatures from Filipino folklore.

The voice cast also includes Dave Franco, Lea Salonga, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, and Ronny Chieng. 

Forgotten Island will be released September 25. 

Together, the showcase highlighted NBCUniversal's commitment to pairing world-class filmmakers with a robust theatrical slate, delivering the kind of scale, storytelling, and shared experiences that will continue to define the big screen for decades to come.