The Walt Disney Company delivered one of the biggest presentations at CinemaCon this year, offering theatre owners an early look at several highly anticipated films including Avengers: Doomsday, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Toy Story 5. The showcase highlighted Disney’s strategy to strengthen theatrical momentum with major franchise releases over the coming months.
One of the biggest talking points from the presentation was the reveal that Robert Downey Jr. will return to the Marvel universe in a surprising new role as Victor Von Doom, also known as Doctor Doom. The film is expected to unite characters from the Avengers and the X-Men in a single storyline for the first time, marking a significant crossover moment within Marvel Studios productions.
Fans also learned that Chris Evans is returning as Captain America, with the actor saying he agreed to come back only because the new storyline provided a compelling reason. According to Marvel leadership, the film will continue narrative threads established in Avengers: Endgame and is scheduled for release on December 18.
Meanwhile, Jon Favreau presented the opening sequence from the first new Star Wars theatrical release in several years, showing the Mandalorian and Grogu tracking scattered warlords after the fall of the Galactic Empire. The preview also hinted at a new mission involving Jabba the Hutt’s heir Rotta, expanding the storyline beyond earlier streaming series events.
Pixar and Disney Animation also generated excitement with updates on upcoming family releases. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen appeared together to promote Toy Story 5, while Dwayne Johnson introduced the live action adaptation of Moana, reprising his role as Maui alongside newcomer Catherine Laga’aia. Disney also pointed to strong recent box office performance from titles such as Lilo & Stitch, Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash as evidence of its continued influence in global theatrical releases.
