Disney kicked off its CineEurope presentation in Barcelona today with 12 minutes of footage from July’s Marvel fourquel Thor: Love And Thunder, and throughout the show teased trailers and looks at its other upcoming titles including four never-before-seen scenes from James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way Of Water.
Ahead of the Thor footage, Disney’s Head of Global Theatrical Distribution Tony Chambers stressed the importance of immersive storytelling and the studio’s “robust, diverse slate” which kicked off about 60 minutes of footage that was then introduced by EMEA Head of Theatrical Distribution Nick Rush and EMEA Head of Studio Marketing Lee Jury.
There were pre-recorded messages from the likes of Marvel boss Kevin Feige who noted that even after 14 years it “feels like we’re just getting started.” Thor star Chris Hemsworth lamented not being in Barcelona for the sangria which “always tastes better” in the Spanish town as he introed the Love And Thunder scenes.
For Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones 5, Harrison Ford sent a video noting it’s been 13 years since the last film and that it was “time to put the fedora back on and crack the whip.”
We also saw clips of Haunted Mansion, Pixar’s Elemental and Strange World, and New Regency’s David O Russell-directed ensemble Amsterdam.
Sam Mendes sent a video to talk about Searchlight’s Empire Of Light. The 1917 director said that after that film he had written this new one during lockdown and called it an “extremely personal story” about music and movies and finding love in unlikely places.
Repping Searchlight, international chief Rebecca Kearey introduced a trailer for whodunnit See How They Run starring Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan as well as a teaser for Martin McDonough’s The Banshees Of Inisherin with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Searchlight also showed off the opening scene of Chevalier about the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner who rises to heights in French society as a composer.
Thor director Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins was treated to an eight-minute preview. The film is about the American Samoa soccer team, who suffered the worst loss in World Cup history, losing to Australia 31-0 in 2001, but gets a new coach in the form of Michael Fassbender.
Disney closed its show with an in-person visit from Avatar producer Jon Landau who flew into Barcelona from New Zealand to tout the upcoming sequel. He said Avatar: The Way Of Water was in the final stages of post-production and that it was important to be in Barcelona “to show our support for the exhibition community.”
Before showing off four scenes from the film, Landau noted that the strengths of James Cameron’s scripts are in their universal themes; “There is nothing more relatable than family,” he said before tossing to a message from Cameron.
Cameron from New Zealand said the Avatar team was “pushing the limits even further… every shot is designed for the biggest screen and highest resolution possible… I believe the audience wants this.” He added, “We as an industry are not going away.”