Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros president of global theatrical distribution, was awarded distributor of the year at CineEurope on Tuesday evening. He
Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros president of global theatrical distribution, was awarded distributor of the year at CineEurope on Tuesday evening. He accepted the award before leading the studio’s slate presentation at the annual trade convention for the cinema industry.
But the question on the lips of attendees: will this be the last from Warner Bros at CineEurope? If Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros clears all the hurdles, will the two studios continue to maintain separate identities? After all, 20th Century Fox was subsumed into Disney following its acquisition in 2019.
There was no hint at all of the proposed acquisition in the Warner Bros slate presentation – or in the equivalent session presented by Paramount on Wednesday.
And both companies presented notably full slates — leaving attendees wondering how this prolific production pace could be kept up in any merged entity.
“At Warner Bros, our focus remains the same,” said Goldstein. “Building a lineup of films designed for everything audiences want to experience in cinemas. From horror and family to drama and sci-fi, our slate spans iconic franchises and introduces bold original stories. Films that remind us that cinemas are built to be destinations where audiences can gather, react and feel something bigger than themselves.”
DC titles and original stories
A pair of Goldstein’s colleagues —Toby Tennant, SVP theatrical distribution EMEA, and Danielle Bekas, EVP theatrical marketing EMEA —introduced the DC Studios slate. From director James Gunn, who also serves as DC Studios’ co-chairman and CEO, Man Of Tomorrow will see Superman (David Corenswet) and Lex Luther (Nicholas Hoult) come together to overcome a novel threat. Warner Bros showed a sizzle for the film, and also one for James Watkins-directed DC title Clayface, which stars Tom Rhys Harries as an actor whose face is disfigured… but the experimental cure comes with its own downsides.
Next came footage from three original stories: The End Of Oak Street, Remain and Panic Carefully. The End Of Oak Street is produced by JJ Abrams, and written and directed by It Follows’ David Robert Mitchell, and stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as parents of a family whose neighbourhood is caught up in a cosmic rupture.
A filmed segment featuring M Night Shyamalan explained the unusual collaboration between the filmmaker and Nicholas Sparks with Remain — a story that they jointly evolved together, and which is taking both book and film form. Shyamalan called his film — which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor — a thrilling supernatural love story. Genre fusions of various flavours are a notable trend on studio slates presented at CineEurope this year, and Remain is set for release next Valentine’s weekend.
Panic Carefully is written and directed by Sam Esmail (TV’s Mr Robot), and is a cat-and-mouse thriller starring Julia Roberts and Eddie Redmayne.
Animation slate
The studio allocated a significant amount of time in the presentation to its animation slate, initially introduced by Goldstein, who then handed over to Bill Damaschke, president and chief imaginative officer of Warner Bros Pictures Animation.
The presentation showcased footage from three animated titles — Dr Seuss adaptation The Cat In The Hat, Margie Claus and Bad Fairies — and also spotlighted Hello Kitty, sci-fi fantasy adventure The Lunar Chronicles, coming-of-age tale The Dynamic Duo and another Dr Seuss title Oh, The Places You’ll Go. These seven animations will all land from delayed 2026, through 2027 and into 2028.
A filmed segment from Margie Claus star Melissa McCarthy and screenwriter Ben Falcone explained the film’s concept: when Santa goes missing during the holiday season, it’s up to Mrs Claus to save Christmas. Kirk DeMicco (who is Oscar-nominated for The Croods) directs.
For Bad Fairies, produced by Locksmith Animation and putting a subversive, rebellious spin on the world of magical creatures, Warner Bros showed a complete song sequence. Megan Dong directs this musical animation; Cynthia Erivo leads the voice cast; and songs are written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (hit stage musical Six).
Among footage presented for The Cat In The Hat, directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, the opening segment of the film was shown.
Next came Dana Nussbaum, co-head of global theatrical marketing, who introduced footage on a trio of sequels: Practical Magic 2, reuniting Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock; Godzilla X Kong: Supernova; and A Minecraft Movie Squared.
Nostalgic fandom — evident on social media — is a factor in the decision to bring another Practical Magic to the screen. The sequel is directed by Denmark’s Susanne Bier, who directed Bullock in Bird Box and Kidman in series The Perfect Couple.
Dune and Digger
Warner Bros saved two major titles for the end of its CineEurope presentation: Alejandro Inarritu’s Digger, starring Tom Cruise, and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three.
For Digger, the studio began with a reel celebrating Cruise’s most iconic roles, across a screen career spanning more than four decades. Satirical black comedy Digger stars the Hollywood legend as a powerful businessman whose extractive corporation unleashes a natural disaster with far-reaching consequences.
Finally, came Dune: Part Three. “Since The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King 23 years ago,” said Goldstein, “few conclusions to a trilogy have been more anticipated than Dune: Part Three. And there are even fewer films for which consumers regard the most premium presentation available as an imperative.”
A filmed message from Villeneuve segued into the action-packed first seven minutes of the film — a sequence likely to be remembered as one of CineEurope 2026’s highlights.
COMMENTS