Paramount captivated attendees at CineEurope today with an extended look at Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sequel, ‘Gladiator II’. In a pre-recorded introduction, Scott assured the audience that the long-awaited follow-up to his 2000 Oscar-winning epic is “well worth the wait”. The preview, which featured stars Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Joseph Quinn, received enthusiastic approval from the crowd. The film is slated for a global release in November.
Adding to the excitement, Paramount’s President of International Theatrical Distribution, Mark Viane, made a memorable entrance with a humorous pre-recorded video. Dressed as a gladiator with a vest emblazoned with the Paramount logo, Viane, nicknamed “Markimus Vianus,” rallied his team in theatrical attire, declaring, “On my signal, distribute hell!” This playful start set the tone for what he touted as Paramount’s biggest presentation ever at CineEurope.
Among the highlights was an exclusive look at ‘Transformers One’. Attendees were treated to two extended 3D scenes from the animated film set to release in September. Chris Hemsworth, voicing a character in the film, appeared in a video, assuring fans that the movie is “out of this world.” Directed by Josh Cooley, the film explores the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron on Cybertron and was recently met with a standing ovation at Annecy.
Another major focus was on the prequel ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’. Directed by Michael Sarnoski and starring Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou, and Alex Wolff, the film delves into the chaos of the first day the aliens arrive on Earth. Nyong’o, in a video clip, teased that the film would have audiences “on the edge of their seats.”
Attendees also got a preview of the first five minutes of ‘Smile 2’, the sequel to the 2022 horror hit. Directed by Parker Finn, the footage elicited audible screams, hinting at a terrifying continuation within the same universe.
In a festive preview, Paramount offered a sneak peek at ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’, teasing the introduction of the character Shadow.
The showcase continued with footage from the dark comedy ‘Savage House’, featuring Richard E Grant and Claire Foy, and an animation test for the upcoming ‘Smurfs’ film. While Tom Cruise did not make a surprise appearance, he was honored with a retrospective of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise, marking a year since the world premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ in Rome. Fans can anticipate the next installment, ‘M
’, next summer.
Paramount also celebrated its strong start to the year, highlighting successful releases like ‘Mean Girls’, ‘Bob Marley: One Love’, and ‘IF’, promising an exciting year ahead in cinema.
