Warner Bros. unveils Superman reboot; DiCaprio film at CinemaCon

On Tuesday, embattled Hollywood studio Warner Bros unveiled footage from its make-or-break "Superman" reboot and a lavish new Leonardo DiCaprio film at the CinemaCon event in Las Vegas.

Warner, which has suffered several recent costly flops like "Joker: Folie a Deux," brought stars including DiCaprio on stage to promote its latest high-budget efforts to movie theater owners at the annual summit.

"Superman," hitting US theaters in July, is the studio's attempt to relaunch its line of superhero movies based on the popular DC comics. Still, Disney's rival Marvel films have long overshadowed it.

Director James Gunn said he was determined to reinvigorate a character "who's perceived as old fashioned by many" for modern audiences.

Actor David Corenswet will play Superman, but a key ingredient in the film appears to be the superhero's dog Krypto, who plays a starring role in much of the new footage.

Based on Gunn's badly-behaved rescue pooch, Krypto frequently nips at Superman's heels and destroys his Fortress of Solitude base, rather than helping his master.

The footage indicated a lighter, more humorous approach, contrasting with many of Warner's previous Superman movies, which earned poor reviews and relatively disappointing box office returns due to their ultra-serious tones.

"This movie celebrates kindness and human love," promised Gunn.

Variety's Brent Lang dubbed the film Warner's "last, best chance to make a movie that rivals Marvel."

President of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation Bill Damaschke speaks during the CinemaCon 2025 Warner Bros Pictures presentation at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 1, 2025.Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP

'Fried my brain'

The launch comes as the studio attempts to ignore multiple reports that it is considering parting ways with its movie chiefs, Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca.

The pair have approved several high-budget, original films from award-winning filmmakers, including last month's flop sci-fi "Mickey 17" from Parasite director Bong Joon-ho.

All eyes are now on Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another," starring DiCaprio.

Based on postmodern novelist Thomas Pynchon's "Vineland," the film cost more than $140 million to produce, meaning Warner is banking heavily on DiCaprio's star power to lure audiences.

US actor Leonardo DiCaprio arrives for Warner Bros Pictures photo call during CinemaCon 2025 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 1, 2025.Photo by Michael Tran / AFP

DiCaprio, one of Hollywood's top A-listers for decades, said he wanted to work with "There Will Be Blood" director Anderson for "almost 20 years now."

Extensive yet cryptic new footage showed DiCaprio playing Bob - a man who was once a "revolutionary" but has "fried my brain" by having abused drugs and alcohol for decades - struggling to remember a secret passcode that will help him locate his daughter.

The original novel is set in California during the conservative 1980s backlash to the previous decades' hippie movements.

"I think with this film, he's tapped into something politically and culturally brewing beneath our psyche," said DiCaprio.

"But simultaneously, it's an incredibly epic movie with such scope and scale."

Jeff Goldstein, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Domestic Distribution, speaks during the CinemaCon 2025 Warner Bros Pictures presentation at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 1, 2025. Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP

'Baseline'

Also on Tuesday, Warner and Apple presented footage from "F1," a new racing drama starring Brad Pitt from the director of "Top Gun: Maverick," out in July.

Lionsgate flew in singer The Weeknd for a surprise musical set to delight movie theater owners and promote "Hurry Up Tomorrow," a new psychological thriller film based on his latest album. The film is set to be released in May.

The day began with the US movie theaters' trade organization calling for new films to play exclusively on their big screens for at least 45 days before becoming available on streaming.

Cinema owners say box office profits have been undercut by shorter theatrical-only "windows" brought in during the pandemic, in part because audiences now assume—sometimes correctly—that they can watch new movies at home within weeks.

"There must be a baseline," said Cinema United president Michael O'Leary, calling for "a clear, consistent period of exclusivity" of at least 45 days.