ShoWest Recap

ShoWest, one of several Nielsen Business Media's Film Group events, is a movie theater industry trade show or exposition established by NATO in 1975, usually held in March. This year the show is running from March 30th till April 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada. Excerpt summarizing the event taken from ShoWest's website

"ShoWest is the most prestigious and longest running convention and trade show for the cinema exhibition and distribution community. Cinema Exhibition professionals come to ShoWest for exciting film screenings of major studio and independent feature films slated for Summer release as well as product reel presentations, exciting special events with Hollywood’s hottest stars, educational seminars and to find the latest products, services and technologies at the largest trade show of its kind."

According to Rick Lyman, of The New York Times, it is "the largest and most important gathering of theatre operators" in the world, at which "the theatrical distribution business takes stock of its problems, which have been legion, and assesses its future, always through the rosiest glasses available."

Probably the biggest news, we are getting a Spider-Man 4 in the summer of 2011. Joining Spider-Man in 2011 will be a couple more sequels, Men In Black 3, which was a surprise but really shouldn't be as the Men In Black series has made over $800 million worldwide. No details were given if Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith will return. Another film in development is a third film in the Ghostbusters series.

3-D news filled a good chunk of the day 2, with Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Up, King of the Elves, Mars Needs Moms, G-Force and Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol all getting the buzzed about. Pixar also announced Cars 2, debuting June 24th, 2011. Up and G-Force had 3-D trailers viewing at ShoWest.

Walt Disney Studios previewed its two upcoming 2D films, The Princess and the Frog and Old Dogs. Disney's long-awaited return to 2D hand-drawn animation will be The Princess and the Frog, which promises a lot of the things that long-time fans of Disney animated films have long cherished: comedy, romance, talking animals and musical numbers (provided by Randy Newman). Old Dogs is a live action and starring John Travolta and Robin Williams, two well-to-do executives whose burgeoning careers are suddenly sidelined when they're forced to take care of the formers three illegitimate kids with a woman he hasn't seen in years. Both films are due Thanksgiving weekend.

Not much is known about Neil Blomkamp's District 9, produced by Peter Jackson, which comes out on August 14. Not much about the plot has been revealed but we are told it is similar to Children of Men crossed with Men In Black.

G.I. Joe footage was shown as well, although I am hearing not much more than an extended trailer. We can expect to see the footage in front of either Star Trek or Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Many other films showed extended trailers or clips. Year One, The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3, Angels and Demons, The Ugly Truth, Julia & Julia and many more.