After announcing their departure from this year's E3 event, Sony has confirmed that they'll be bowing out of 2019's CinemaCon experience as well. Now, before we all fly off the handle with speculation as to why the studio would choose to be absent from one of the biggest film events of the year, I think it's important to remember that other notable studios (such as Disney and Universal) had also opted not to participate in year's past. It's a thing that happens, particularly if a studio's attention is focused elsewhere while major projects are looming on the horizon. For Sony, it's become a matter of wanting to go a different way with regard to promoting their stellar slate of upcoming films. Typically, CinemaCon delivers an onslaught of audio/visual goodness for those in attendance, though it's also been proven, time and again, that some materials can be lost among the deluge. This time out, rather than delivering their trailers and Con-specific promotional material in one fell swoop, Sony is choosing to drop footage for their flagship projects throughout the year.
So, what does Sony have lined up for 2019, you ask? Well, let's make a list, shall we? We'll kick things off with MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, before moving on to Marvel's SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME. As we continue to make our way down a very impressive list, we find films the likes of Quentin Tarantino's ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, the long-awaited ZOMBIELAND 2, Elizabeth Banks' CHARLIE'S ANGELS reboot, Tom Hanks' Mister Rogers film, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, Greta Gerwig's LITTLE WOMEN, and of course, Dwayne Johnson's JUMANJI sequel.
While there's no doubt that Sony will be missed at this year's show, attending the event is one less thing that the studio will have to focus on, as they prep the rollout of their materials throughout 2019.
In related news, Deadline has also heard tale that 20th Century Fox is considering dropping out of CinemaCon 2019 as well, on account of the looming Disney merger and other matters. It goes without saying that CinemaCon is an expensive show to participate in, and with the studio's future remaining in flux at this time, taking a knee for the upcoming celebration could be viewed as a smart move.
Pssst … Netflix, Amazon Studios, Annapurna and Focus Features, this is your chance. Capitalize on Sony's absence and wow the bejesus out of those in attendance. Make them sing songs about your victory over Sony. However, keep in mind that the Culver City crew, like Roz from MONSTERS INC., is always watching.