Amazon MGM Studios is winning the star power contest at this year’s CineEurope, thanks to the surprise appearance onstage of Michael B Jordan as the climax of the company’s inaugural slate presentation at the Barcelona trade convention.
Helen Moss, head of international theatrical distribution, and Charlie Coleman, head of international theatrical marketing, presented trailers and footage from eight new films, including The Thomas Crown Affair, which is directed and produced by Jordan and in which he also stars with Kenneth Branagh, Adria Arjona and Lily Gladstone.
A warmly welcomed Jordan spoke about his passion and vision for the project, which saw previous versions in 1968 and 1999, starring Steve McQueen and Pierce Brosnan, respectively.
The slate presentation began with clear communication of the studio’s intent. “Amazon MGM Studios is not dipping its toe in the water,” said Coleman. “This is a wholehearted pledge to the theatrical business.”
Amazon MGM Studios has been putting teams in place in key territories — Spain, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Australia— and gearing up for handling its own global distribution, after a successful partnership with Sony for titles such as The Sheep Detectives and Project Hail Mary. Global box office so far this year for the film’s theatrical releases exceeds $1bn.
Moss repeated a pledge made in April at CinemaCon — the studio’s commitment to delivering 15 films a year, the majority with an international footprint. “And I’m delighted to say we’re well on track to hit this number in 2027 and beyond,” she added.
Varied slate
The slate presentation kicked off with the latest Colleen Hoover novel adaptation Verity, directed by Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway as a writer hired to ghostwrite novels for a bestselling author unable to write after an accident. The film is positioned within the buoyant genre of female-led event films.
David Leitch’s How To Rob A Bank puts a contemporary spin on the heist thriller: the bank robbers livestream their audacious activities on social media. Extended footage showcased a cast including Nicholas Hoult, Pete Davidson, John C Reilly, Zoe Kravitz and Christian Slater.
Jason Statham leaned into deadpan comedy for a filmed introduction to The Beekeeper 2, which promises high-frequency action and bee stings.
Biblical tales are emerging as a key trend at this year’s CineEurope — on Monday via Lionsgate’s The Resurrection Of The Christ and faith-driven studio Angel’s slate which includes Zero AD. And continuing on Tuesday with Amazon MGM’s footage for The Chosen: Resurrection, the latest instalment from Dallas Jenkins’ biblical saga.
Franchise reboot Highlander stars Henry Cavill as the immortal 16th-century Scottish warrior colliding with the present-day. The film is shooting, and footage was interspersed with commentary from director Chad Stahelski. Cavill and fellow cast members Marisa Abela and Dave Bautista.
Rounding out the slate presentation were belated comedy sequel Space Balls: The New One and Bassam Tariq’s Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother — the latter starring Mahershala Ali as a devoutly religious hitman. Tariq’s film is one of several from Amazon MGM company Orion, which also has Gareth Evans’ A Colt Is My Passport, Raine Allen-Miller’s The Roots Manoeuvre and Kim Jee-woon’s The Hole.
Laika and Mubi both presented showcases earlier on Tuesday. Laika showed about 20 minutes in total of its upcoming stop-motion animation Wildwood, adapted from the 2011 novel written by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis. The film is directed by Laika CEO Travis Knight.
The showing of significant chunks of films has been a notable trend at this year’s CineEurope, and one largely welcomed by attendees. On Monday, similar-length opening segments of The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping, Resident Evil and Spider-Man: Brand New Day were screened.
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