CinemaCon 2023: Warner Bros. Teases ‘Barbie’, ‘Dune: Half Two’

Margot Robbie will star as Barbie in an upcoming Mattel and Warner Bros. film.

Mattels | Warner Bros.

LAS VEGAS – Let’s Go Barbie.

Warner Bros. Discovery put the upcoming film at the center of its studio presentation at CinemaCon on Tuesday, with executives – including Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic sales, and Andrew Cripps, president of international sales – and Hollywood stars Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling all dressed up were different shades of pink.

And all this to the tune of “Barbie Girl”.

Warner Bros. offers a wide range of drama, comedy, horror and action movies in 2023. CEO David Zaslav told attendees at the annual cinema conference that the studio will release 16 films in 2023 and hopes to release more than 20 releases per year in the future.

But Tuesday was all about Barbie.

The company showed extended clips from the film, which elicited roars of laughter from the audience. Director Gerwig promised big laughs and big hearts from the film, which arrives July 21.

Warner Bros. also rolled trailers and clips from Wonka, Meg 2: The Trench, The Nun 2 and The Color Purple, as well as an early look at Dune: Part Two, which was shot entirely with IMAX -Cameras.

Director Denis Villeneuve promised more action and political intrigues in the second part. Released in 2021, Dune grossed nearly $400 million at the global box office and picked up six Academy Awards during the 2022 Academy Awards.

Warner Bros. capped off its presentation with words from Peter Safran, one half of the new duo of creative leaders at DC Studios.

Safran shared footage from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Blue Beetle, and The Flash. The company is showing “The Flash,” directed by Ezra Miller, to CinemaCon attendees Tuesday.

Zaslav says he’s seen “The Flash” three times and told the CinemaCon audience, “It’s the best superhero movie I’ve ever seen.”

He also assured media and insiders that Warner Bros. Discovery is committed to long-term theatrical releases, saying the company is “in no rush to bring movies to Max,” the company’s forthcoming flagship streaming service.