CinemaCon, the movie industry's annual preview of the films that will light up theater screens in the year ahead, has just finished.
For the last four days, executives, journalists, producers, representatives from streaming services and all the big movie theater chains have gathered in Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas for a look at all the movies we can look forward to in the months to come.
Unlike in 2021, where the issue most discussed was the fate of movie theaters as the Covid-19 pandemic continued to plague the world, the 2022 convention was a more traditional, starry affair.
The roster of A-listers who turned up to show off their new projects was long. Over the course of four days, the likes of Keanu Reeves, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and, in an appearance that has been remarkable for other reasons, Olivia Wilde, all came onstage to chat to attendees.
A lot of news came out and we've rounded it all up for you below:
Mission: Impossible 7 has a title
And that title is Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1, which is one hell of a mouthful.
Star Tom Cruise didn't make it to CinemaCon, on account of being in South America, where he is currently filming the eighth instalment of Mission: Impossible, which, presumably will be called Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 2?
He did give a pre-recorded message to attendees before the film's trailer was shown, which sees Cruise's Ethan Hunt being given a dressing down by Henry Czerny's Eugene Kittridge, the former boss of the Impossible Missions Force, who hasn't appeared in the franchise since 1996.
Reports of the trailer talked up its action and spectacle, with Cruise's taste for the biggest of stunts on show once again.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1, which ended up with a Covid-19 bloated budget of a colossal $290 million, is due in theaters on July 14 in 2023, with the second part due in the summer of 2024.
Top Gun: Maverick blew critics away
We've been waiting a long time for the sequel to iconic action blockbuster Top Gun. Never mind the many years it actually took for the sequel to the 1986 movie to come together, the film's first release date was actually to be in July of 2019, but first production delays, then the pandemic, have pushed it back and back and back.
The film is finally out of the cutting room though and critics were blown away, as you'll be able to see from some of the reactions below:
A first taste of the Borderlands movie was unveiled
Another project with a long, long development history, with work on the big screen adaptation of Gearbox's hit video game Borderlands started back in 2015, the movie industry got a first taste of what it can expect from Eli Roth's take on the franchise.
Only a minute or so was shown, but the Hollywood Reporter called the footage "electric" and with star Cate Blanchett being shown in a way "she’s never been seen before, in a fire-engine-red wig, toting a gun and fighting her way through a vibrantly colored cityscape."
The footage showed Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis and man mountain Florian Munteanu in action as delegates got a look at very different kind of Pandora.
Speaking of which...
At long last, the Avatar sequel approaches...
James Cameron has taken his sweet time on his Avatar sequel , but the trailer and the film's title, Avatar: The Way Of The Water, were officially debuted ahead of a Christmas 2022 release.
The audience were asked to don 3D glasses to view the footage, which Deadline described as even more "jaw-dropping in its deep-blue visuals than the 2009 film" and "truly a whole new world".
We also learned that the trailer will debut in theaters alongside Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when it hits theaters next week, with the online release following a week later.
As well as that, Disney are planning to re-release the original Avatar on September 23 around the globe with remastered audio and sound.
Don't Worry Darling proves controversial, on and off the stage
Don't Worry Darling, the new drama starring Harry Styles and Black Widow 's Florence Pugh, has been billed as hot and heavy by those who saw the film's first footage.
The drama stars Pugh as Alice, a 1950's housewife living with her husband Jack in a utopian experimental community. Initially happy, she begins to worry that his glamorous company, The Victory Project may be hiding disturbing secrets...
The trailer focused on the steamy onscreen antics between Pugh and Styles with a few hints about the film's more dystopian aspects. It's due to be in theaters in September.
But what really proved controversial was what happened to director Olivia Wilde, who presented the film to delegates, while she talked. Wilde was handed a manilla envelope during her talk, which she held onto, but did not open during the presentation, leaving reporters to speculate on whether it was part of the presentation or not.
As it subsequently turned out, the envelope contained legal documents from lawyers representing Wilde's former partner, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis.
Variety have published a detailed report on the controversy , which has rather overshadowed Wilde's presentation and CinemaCon in general to a degree. Sudeikis has denied knowledge of the stunt and CinemaCon are now reviewing their security procedures. All very unsavory.
The Hunger Games is back, but with who?
Lionsgate confirmed that the prequel to their billion dollar Hunger Games franchise The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is on the way, offering up a release date of November 17 in 2023.
The prequel is set many years before the adventures of Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen and centers on young Coriolanus Snow, who would go on to become the tyrannical president of Pan-Am.
The film is in production now and Lionsgate offered up a clip, but did not show any footage from the movie or reveal the cast of the film, which remains a mystery...
John Wick 4 steps things up...
Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski dropped into Las Vegas to tee up the fourth instalment of John Wick and showed delegates a first trailer.
Reports are of another frenzied, balletic marvel and you should all be excited by a new presence – this time, Wick is bringing nunchucks...
Damien Chazelle returns to La La Land
The director of La La Land and Whiplash offered up a first look at Babylon, his lavish 1920s-set drama, which looks at Hollywood's move from silent movies to talking pictures.
Delegates were treated to a first look at Brad Pitt as silent film star John Gilbert and Margot Robbie as 1920s icon Clara Bow.
Comparisons to Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood and The Great Gatsby were offered up, which will no doubt please Chazelle greatly.
It's out on Christmas Day.
And in other news...
CinemaCon proved to be a busy time for Margot Robbie, who, as well as launching Babylon, also introduced David O'Russell's starry new drama Amsterdam and offered up a first look at Barbie, her team-up with Ladybird's Greta Gerwig for a new take on the ever-popular childrens' dolls.
Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige debuted an extended preview of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and showcased some footage of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever . He also revealed to delegates that he was about to head off on a retreat to plan the next decade of Marvel movies and TV shows . We hope it's somewhere nice.
There were some sequels announced too, Warner Bros announced a return for Robert Pattinson's The Batman , Sony confirmed Venom 3 and Universal revealed its musical Wicked will be split into two parts.
As well as that, Lionsgate showed off some explosive footage from the fourth Expendables movie, which is neatly now named Expend4bles.
Finally, Paramount displayed a brief look at its much-vaunted Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Not a trailer as yet, but a hint at the production's size and scale.
The Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro looks to stand apart from the Apple Watch by going niche
Perhaps it’s because I spend all day writing about them, but very few new smartwatches excite me. Huawei though is about to announce a new wearable that does – at least a little, and while I definitely won’t be buying it, that’s okay, because it’s not for me.
The company has announced that it will be unveiling the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro on April 28, and its teasers for the watch are all focused on one thing – the wearable’s water resistance.
According to Huawei, its upcoming wearable has all sorts of certifications and water resistance ratings, including IP68, 5ATM, and an EN13319 diving certification. Indeed, its diving credentials are the most notable part of all this water resistance, as the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro is apparently suitable for deep-water free diving to depths of up to 30 meters.
That’s an upgrade on the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro , which was only rated for shallow-water activities. It’s also an upgrade on the vast majority of other smartwatches, which tend to have reasonable water resistance, so you can take them in the shower or in many cases even a pool, but which in general aren’t suitable for use deep underwater.
I don’t want it, but someone will
As someone who hasn’t even set foot in a swimming pool in the best part of a decade this feature doesn’t interest me at all, but it will be of interest to divers, and likely also to surfers, sailors, and anyone else who just wants a little bit more reassurance that their smartwatch can save an encounter with the ocean.
That’s still probably a very small percentage of people, but it’s a percentage of people who probably wouldn’t have looked twice at the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro without this feature, so it’s probably a smart approach for Huawei to take. In fact, I’d argue most smartwatch makers could learn from this, as too few smartwatches stand out.
With few exceptions, they all have basically the same sets of features – notifications, music controls, timers, and in some cases access to apps and voice-activated assistants like Google Assistant or Siri.
Some high-end models such as the Apple Watch 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 add additional features into the mix, such as an ECG, and these models inevitably stand out more. But even then, they’re rarely alone in offering those features, and their makers won’t add significant new features with every new model.
So we end up with a few vaguely interesting (if slow to evolve) smartwatches at the top end, and then a sea of largely interchangeable devices below that. But if more of that sea aimed to fill a niche, like the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro does, then they’d have a USP, and stand out to at least some people.
Huawei’s hurdle
While any company could learn from Huawei’s approach here, it’s especially sensible in the case of Huawei itself, as the company’s smartwatches arguably have an extra hurdle to pass in order to stand out.
Huawei's wearables often impress, with the Huawei Watch GT 3 and the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro for example both scoring four stars in TechRadar’s reviews, but like other Huawei devices they aren’t available in the US, which already limits their potential audience.
On top of that, they don’t run Wear OS or watchOS – the two main smartwatch operating systems, which can mean they're limited in terms of apps and familiarity.
So Huawei really needs something to catch a potential buyer’s eye, and in the case of the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro that something is diving credentials. But even if you don’t dive, don’t write this smartwatch off yet, as there may yet be other USPs. We’ll find out on April 28.
These new city e-bikes gives you a whole lot of power for surprisingly little cash
US company Aventon has upgraded two of its most popular city e-bikes with improved batteries and new features – without a huge price hike.
Not so long ago, you'd be hard pressed to find a good quality electric bike for under $1,500 / £1,000 / AU$2,000, but that's changing quickly as components prices drop and manufacturing processes become streamlined. If you're in the market for an e-bike and don't have several grand burning a hole in your pocket, you've now got plenty of options to choose from – including the new Aventon Pace 350 and Pace 500 .
As Electrek reports, both new bikes have redesigned frames, with an integrated battery that locks into the downtube, but can be removed for easy charging. There are also new head and tail lights (the latter of which is built directly into the bike's frame), and a new LCD ride computer on the handlebar. This can be connected to Aventon's smartphone app, allowing you to customize your bike's settings, plot routes, and track your rides.
These are class two e-bikes , meaning they can be ridden without pedalling, and have a swift maximum speed of 20mph with the motor engaged. Aventon cites a typical range of 24 miles for the Pace 350 if you ride using the motor alone, and 30 miles of the Pace 500.
The biggest drawback of these two new bikes is the weight, as is often the case with road e-bikes; the new Pace 350 is 49lb (22.1kg), while the Pace 500 is 52lb (23.6kg). That's slightly lighter than our current top-rated e-bike, the Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 , but definitely too hefty for many riders to shoulder easily and carry up a flight of stairs.
More cheap e-bikes to consider
The 2022 Aventon Pace 350 is on sale now for $1,399 (about £1,000 / AU$1,900), while the updated Pace 500 is $1,699 (about £1,300 / AU$2,300) – both of which are very reasonable for e-bikes with these specs. They aren't the only options in that price bracket though, and there are plenty of other choice if these powerful but chunky road bikes don't quite fit the bill.
For example, if you want something that's easier to carry and store, the Mycle Compact is an excellent class one folding e-bike that packs down small and can be yours for a remarkably affordable £799 (about $1,000 / AU$1,500).
Looking for a city e-bike, but need something lighter and sleeker than the Aventons? The Halfords Carrera Impel starts at £1,099 (about $1,500 / AU$2,000), though only in the UK. Riders elsewhere in the world should take a look at the Rad Power Bikes RadMission 1 , which sells for $1,199 (about £910 / AU$1,600).