USA TODAY — Can Tom Cruise succeed in his mission to crush CinemaCon 2018?
The 55-year-old superstar will have to show the annual Las Vegas convention of theater owners (April 23 to 26) that he's fighting-fit and ready to propel the box office for Mission: Impossible — Fallout (in theaters July 27).
Cruise has been a standout past performer at CinemaCon, for which the major film studios jet their mega-stars into Sin City to schmooze exhibitors while showing off their upcoming movie slates.
In 2015, Cruise wowed with tales and footage from his spectacular Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation stunt, which involved strapping himself to the side of an airplane. But the apparently mortal star broke his ankle last August during a roof-jumping stunt in Fallout, forcing production to shut down temporarily.
Cruise will be looking to impress as he takes the stage Wednesday for Paramount to show Fallout footage with co-stars including Henry Cavill. He'll also be honored as Pioneer of the Year, the first actor to take the award.
Director Christopher McQuarrie has posted photos of a certain topic of discussion, Cruise's 25,000-foot HALO jump (high altitude, low opening).
A post shared by Christopher McQuarrie (@christophermcquarrie) on
Five other burning questions we have ahead of CinemaCon:
How will theater owners deal with MoviePass?
The subscription-based ticket service is catching on with moviegoers, though exhibitors have expressed suspicion and outright hostility about the viability of the industry disruptor's business model.
The app will be part of the discussion and venting at CinemaCom, even if MoviePass executives won't have an official event or presence.
The dialogue looks to be similar to 2016's convention, where Sean Parker's Screening Room and its controversial plans (now sidelined) to offer just-released movies for home viewing raised theater owners' ire.
Will 'Solo' reach 'Incredibles' status?
After missed opportunities at past public showcases, such as Disney fan event D23 Expo last July, it's high time to draw and fire on Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25).
Director Ron Howard, who finished Solo after Christopher Miller and Phil Lord were sacked, needs to be part of the fireworks for a Star Wars film that finds itself in the rare position of being the third most-anticipated blockbuster of the season, according to a recent Fandango.com poll for USA TODAY.
Disney's Tuesday presentation will also feature Pixar's Incredibles 2 (June 15), a sequel already registering heroically with fans.
Which superhero will dominate?
With the convention falling right before Avengers: Infinity War hits screens, the line of hopeful super-contenders seeking theater domination is long, including 20th Century Fox's Deadpool 2 (May 18) and Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6).
Sony is expected to provide an extended look at its animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Dec. 14) and bring out Tom Hardy for Venom (Oct. 5). Aquaman (Dec. 21) star Jason Momoa will look to make a splash for Warner Bros.
Will 'Bumblebee' fly?
Michael Bay's Transformers films have always excelled with mega-mass appeal at CinemaCon. This year will feature the first look at spinoff Bumblebee (Dec. 21), with stars John Cena and Hailee Steinfeld hitting the stage to roll it out.
They'll be heavily outnumbered by the cast of Ocean's 8 (June 8), which will descend with stars Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling and Anne Hathaway.
Which movie will get the last laugh for the summer?
CinemaCon will boost a slate of summer comedies, including the rising force of Crazy Rich Asians (Aug. 17), with stars Constance Wu and Henry Golding. Jon Hamm, Ed Helms and Jeremy Renner will team up for Tag (June 15), and Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon will unload laughs promoting The Spy Who Dumped Me (Aug. 3).
