NBCUniversal Announces New Films, Trailers and More at CinemaCon 2025

The 2025 Universal CinemaCon presentation kicked off with a 43 piece orchestra performing live led by Emmy-winning Music Director Rickey Minor from films like E.T., Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, How to Train Your Dragon, Psycho, Jaws, the Fast & Furious movies, Despicable Me, Shrek, Oppenheimer and last year’s Conclave and Wicked. 

Afterwards, Chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios Donna Langley began the event, remarking how since 2021, Universal is one of only two studios to have crossed the $4.5 billion global box office benchmark, has had more top five hits at the global box office than any other studio, and has consistently delivered the highest wide release volume among all major studios post pandemic. 

Then Chairman of Global Distribution for Entertainment & Studios, Pete Levinsohn took to the stage, adding that in 2024, Universal had 4 films in the top 10 highest-grossing list, and 7 films that opened at number one in the box office. In 2024, hits like Wicked, Despicable Me 4, Twisters, Kung Fu Panda 4, Conclave and Nosferatu were seen by millions across the globe, and the upcoming years are packed with just as much movie magic.

Take a look below at highlights from the 2025 Universal CinemaCon presentation.
 

^{Alex Berliner/AB Images for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group}

Jurassic World Rebirth 

A new era is born. This summer, three years after the Jurassic World trilogy concluded with each film surpassing $1 billion at the global box office, the enduring Jurassic series evolves in an ingenious new direction with Jurassic World Rebirth. 

Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures across land, sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.

Universal’s action-packed monster movie Jurassic World Rebirth last month topped a ranking compiled by digital outlet Fandango of moviegoers’ most-anticipated releases of summer 2025. Jurassic World Rebirth is produced by Amblin Entertainment. The film is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Denis L. Stewart and Jim Spencer. 

Universal opens Jurassic World Rebirth globally July 2.

^{Alex Berliner/AB Images for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group}

Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie

DreamWorks Animation elevates its global smash streaming series into its first ever cinematic adventure with Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie. President Margie Cohn unveiled Kristen Wiig and Gloria Estefan have joined the cast of live-action/animated adventure comedy.

In the new film, Gabby (Laila Lockhart Kraner, reprising her role from the series) heads out on a road trip with her Grandma Gigi (four-time Grammy Award winner Gloria Estefan) to the urban wonderland of Cat Francisco. But when Gabby’s dollhouse, her most prized possession, ends up in the hands of an eccentric cat lady named Vera (Oscar^® nominee Kristen Wiig), Gabby sets off on an adventure through the real world to get the Gabby Cats back together and save the dollhouse before it’s too late.

Universal Pictures will release DreamWorks Animation’s Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie on Sept. 26, 2025.

^{Alex Berliner/AB Images for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group}

Bad Guys 2

Stars Craig Robinson and Awkwafina came out onstage to show the next trailer for the upcoming film which shows the Bad Guys’ failure to win the trust of the society they constantly robbed from. 

In the new action-packed chapter from DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed comedy smash about a crackerjack crew of animal outlaws, our now-reformed Bad Guys are trying (very, very hard) to be good, but instead find themselves hijacked into a high-stakes, globe-trotting heist, masterminded by a new team of criminals they never saw coming: The Bad Girls. 

The Bad Guys 2 comes out August 1.

^{Alex Berliner/AB Images for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group}

How To Train Your Dragon 2 Announcement

After a screening at CinemaCon of the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, a sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, was revealed as it is set to hit theaters on June 11, 2027. 

Director Dean DeBlois, who helmed the original animated trilogy, will return to write and direct the remake, with Gerard Butler and Nico Parker among the cast. The story continues Hiccup’s journey five years later as he and his friends face a villain aiming to dominate the world with a dragon army.

How to Train Your Dragon will release on June 13, 2025, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 is scheduled to release on June 11, 2027. 

^{Alex Berliner/AB Images for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group}

Him

The Monkeypaw-produced film premiered the first trailer for the Justin Tipping-directed sports horror movie. The movie starring Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox and Tim Heidecker follows a promising young football player who joins an isolated compound to train under a dynasty team’s aging quarterback. 

The fright flick Him, produced by horror-movie mastermind Jordan Peele, comes to theaters everywhere beginning September 19.

^{Still from Nobody (Universal Pictures)}

Nobody 2

At CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Universal Pictures revealed a first look at a new action film starring Bob Odenkirk, directed by Timo Tjahjanto and produced by 87North. Odenkirk reprises his role as a seemingly ordinary family man who is actually a former government assassin. The cast includes John Ortiz, Connie Nielsen, Sharon Stone, Christopher Lloyd, and Colin Hanks. The screenplay is written by Derek Kolstad, Aaron Rabin, Umair Aleem, and Odenkirk himself.

Universal will introduce audiences to Nobody 2 on August 15, 2025.

^{Alex Berliner/AB Images for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group}

Focus Features' Bugonia, The Phoenician Scheme, and More

At CinemaCon 2025, Focus Features gave the audience first looks at three of their upcoming films: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, and the highly anticipated Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.

Bugonia, a loose remake of the 2003 Korean sci-fi satire Save the Green Planet, reunites Lanthimos with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. Stone plays a pharma executive kidnapped by a conspiracy theorist (Plemons) who believes she’s an alien. Written by Will Tracy and produced by Ari Aster, the film is set for a November release.

Bugonia will open in theaters on November 7, 2025.

The Phoenician Scheme, an espionage thriller by Wes Anderson, is led by Benicio del Toro and features a star-studded cast including Scarlett Johansson, Michael Cera, and Tom Hanks. The stylish, action-packed trailer teased spies, revolutionaries, and quirky humor, and is slated for a May 30 release.

The Phoenician Scheme will open in theaters on May 30, 2025.

Focus Features unveiled a first look at Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale at CinemaCon, highlighting its signature upstairs-downstairs drama with a more reflective tone. Set in 1930, the teaser shows Lady Mary enjoying London’s high society, while Lord and Lady Grantham roam the estate with a sense of finality. 

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will open in theaters on September 12, 2025.

^{Alex Berliner/AB Images for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group}

The Black Phone 2

Jason Blum hit the stage with actress Madeleine McGraw to introduce the first trailer to The Black Phone 2. Following the blockbuster success of Blumhouse’s 2022 horror phenomenon, which earned more than $160 million worldwide and global critical acclaim, Universal Pictures announces the launch of a sinister new franchise with the release of The Black Phone 2.

Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies and Miguel Mora return for the film’s sequel, that will be directed by Scott Derrickson and is written by C. Robert Cargill and Derrickson. 

The film will be produced by Jason Blum for Blumhouse, Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill. Joe Hill and Ryan Turek are executive producer. Universal and Blumhouse will present the Crooked Highway Production. 

Universal will release The Black Phone 2 from Blumhouse on Oct. 17.

^{Alex Berliner/AB Images for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group}

SOULM8TE

M3GAN spinoff SOULM8TE revealed its first footage, courtesy of producers James Wan and James Blum. The trailer, which has not yet been publicly shared, featured Lily Sullivan as an AI-powered companion hired by a grieving man (David Rysdahl). 

The steamy slasher is set for release on January 2, 2026.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 Teaser Release

Welcome back! Are you ready to start the show? Anyone can survive five nights. This time, there will be no second chances.

Blumhouse’s box-office horror phenomenon Five Nights at Freddy’s, the highest-grossing horror film of 2023, begins a blood-chilling new chapter of animatronic terror.

Based on Scott Cawthon’s blockbuster game series, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is directed by acclaimed returning filmmaker Emma Tammi (The Wind, Blood Moon).

The first film, which opened to a record-shattering $80 million and went on to earn almost $300 million worldwide, followed Mike, a troubled young man who reluctantly takes a job as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, hoping it will help him retain custody of his young sister. That fateful decision instead drags him into the black heart of a supernatural nightmare. 

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 will release on December 5, 2025.

M3GAN 2.0 Trailer Release and Live Performance

Oops! she did it again! The murderous doll who captivated pop culture in 2023 is back. And this time she’s not alone. To celebrate the beloved slasher bot, a live dance performance featured dozens of real-life M3GANs.

^{Alex Berliner/AB Images for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group}

The original creative team behind that phenomenon—led by horror titans James Wan for Atomic Monster, Jason Blum for Blumhouse and director Gerard Johnstone—reboot an all-new wild chapter in A.I. mayhem with M3GAN 2.0.

Two years after M3GAN, a marvel of artificial intelligence, went rogue and embarked on a murderous (and impeccably choreographed) rampage and was subsequently destroyed, M3GAN’s creator Gemma (Allison Williams) has become a high-profile author and advocate for government oversight of A.I. Meanwhile, Gemma’s niece Cady (Violet McGraw), now 14, has become a teenager, rebelling against Gemma’s overprotective rules. 

The first M3GAN film shattered box office records, opening to $30.4 million domestically to become the biggest opening weekend for a PG-13 horror film since A Quiet Place Part II. The film went on to gross more than $180 million worldwide.  

M3GAN 2.0 will release June 27, 2025.

^{Alex Berliner/AB Images for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group}

Wicked: For Good

After the 43-piece orchestra played beloved melodies from Wicked, Universal wrapped up its CinemaCon 2025 presentation with an emotional first look at Wicked: For Good, the second part of Jon M. Chu’s hit musical adaptation. Stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo appeared onstage with Chu and producer Marc Platt to introduce the trailer..

Following the massive success of Wicked, which grossed $747M globally and won two Oscars, the sequel continues the story of Glinda (Grande) and Elphaba (Erivo), diving deeper into their bond and the conflict surrounding the Wizard.

Returning cast members include Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero), Ethan Slater (Boq), Marissa Bode (Nessarose), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), and Goldblum as the Wizard. 

Wicked: For Good will release nationwide on November 21, and continues the story of Glinda and Elphaba in Oz.