Disney Unveils Terrifying New ‘Alien: Romulus’ Footage, Teases Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts,’ Gives ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Alcohol-Endorsed Boost in CineEurope

Marvel

Disney landed at the CineEurope trade show on Wednesday riding wave of goodwill from across the industry thanks to the outstanding recent success of “Inside Out 2.”

Before their slate presentation to European exhibitors on Wednesday — the final show from the major studios — the Pixar sequel had already shattered records with a global opening weekend haul of $295 million, the biggest opening of the year to date, the biggest ever for an animated movie worldwide and the highest animated opening internationally of all time (at $140.8 million).

But as Disney’s head global theatrical distribution Tony Chambers revealed on stage, the film’s latest figures gave the company — which had been received praise all week from the other studios — even more reason to smile, the worldwide total now sitting at $380 million thanks to Tuesday’s record breaking box office.

While there was time in Barcelona to celebrate a film that has brought some much-needed welcome relief to the industry after several major underperforming releases so far this year, Disney shifted its focus to new features it hoped could reap similar rewards. Chief among them, arguably the studio’s most un-family friendly title in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

With just 34 days until the third instalment in the R-rated Deadpool franchise (and the first since Disney acquired Fox) is released on July 26, an extended scene was shown in which Ryan Reynold’s Wade Wilson is seen living a humdrum quiet life among his friends, including fan favourite Peter, with Rob Delaney reprising his role from the second movie. Adding some firepower to the presentation, Reynolds — in full Deadpool garb — sent a special message to the CineEurope audience (he introduced Chamber as “Tony Bloody Chambers”), while original costumes from the film were shown outside the auditorium, where Reynold’s own Aviation Gin was served (with posters saying “Welcome to the Deadpool Ginematic Universe”).

Landing a few weeks after “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the latest entry into one of the most famous franchise of all time — “Alien: Romulus,” being released Aug. 16 — was given some special attention, with director Fede Álvarez taking to the stage to introduce some extended new footage. Álvarez said the film went back to the “early days” of Alien and to its “horror roots,” with the scenes shown underlining just that.

Further away on the horizon, Disney showed some considerable love for “Moana 2,” due for release on Nov. 29, with a troupe of dancers and the screening of one of the songs from the animated sequel, while Barry Jenkins appeared via video to express his excitement about “Mufasa: The Lion King,” the origin story for 2019’s “The Lion King” due out in December, particular his being able to cast the voices of both Beyonce and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter.

Looking to 2025, an exclusive behind-the-scenes video from the recently wrapped Marvel entry “Thunderbolts,” starring Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan, was show, as was an early look at “The Amateur,” starring Rami Malek as a man who forces to CIA to train him so he can go after the killers of his wife. Meanwhile, footage and behind-the-scenes shots were shown from the live-action “Snow White,” starring Rachel Zegler in the iconic lead role and Gal Gadot as the evil queen.

On the Disney’s Searchlight arm, Brendan Fraser recorded a special CineEurope shout out from Japan and the set of “Rental Family,” which recently wrapped production. The comedy drama, Fraser’s first film since his Oscar win for “The Whale,” sees him play a down-and-out actor living in Tokyo who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental family company.