- Carey takes Australia to 270 in 2nd ODI against England after collapse
- Hungary Danube waters reach decade high after Storm Boris
- Bagnaia cuts Martin's MotoGP lead with Emilia-Romagna sprint win
- Jackson double fires Chelsea to victory at woeful West Ham
- Fiji beat Japan to lift Pacific Nations Cup
- Kasatkina to face Haddad Maia in Korea Open final
- S.Africa snowfall closes roads, strands motorists overnight
- Lawyers of women alleging Al-Fayed sex abuse receive over 150 new enquiries
- President Museveni's son backs Ugandan strongman for 7th term
- Norris quickest as Verstappen bounces back in Singapore practice
- Wallabies lament All Blacks' fast start
- Germany's Oktoberfest opens under tight security after attacks
- Environmental protesters block French cruise liner port
- No place like home: Biden hosts 'Quad' leaders
- Zelensky says no UK, US go-ahead to use long-range missiles
- New Zealand edge Australia 31-28 in Bledisloe Cup thriller
- Japan orders evacuations as heavy rains trigger floods in quake-hit area
- New Zealand pilot freed in Indonesia after 19 months in rebel captivity
- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli air strike kills top commanders
- Leading climate activist released from Vietnam jail
- Ethiopians struggle with bitter pill of currency reform
- Sri Lanka votes in first poll since economic collapse
- Feminist author warns of abortion disaster if Trump wins US election
- US city of Flint still reeling from water crisis, 10 years on
- Arsenal's mean defence faces acid test to shut out Man City again
- Late surge lifts Thailand's Jeeno to LPGA Queen City lead
- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
- Alcaraz defeated on Laver Cup debut
- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
- Nice hand 'ashamed' Saint-Etienne 8-0 Ligue 1 mauling
- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
Disney shows 'Indy,' 'Little Mermaid' as legal battle looms
Disney may be embroiled in legal battles and layoffs, but the Hollywood studio stuck strictly to the script Wednesday as it unveiled footage from new films including "Indiana Jones" and "The Little Mermaid" at CinemaCon.
Addressing movie theater bosses at the annual Las Vegas trade summit, executives made no mention of Disney's lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, filed earlier on Wednesday, nor of the thousands of jobs currently being axed.
Instead Tony Chambers, head of theatrical distribution, offered a "whip-cracking tour" of new titles, noting this will be the first year since pre-pandemic that every Disney division -- from Lucasfilm to Marvel -- has movies back in theaters.
Speaking via video to introduce footage of a thrilling car chase, Harrison Ford said "playing Indiana Jones all these years has meant the world to me."
"These films are full of adventure, heart and -- for some reason -- snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" he joked, referencing the swashbuckling archaeologist's famous phobia.
"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," the franchise's fifth movie which premieres at the Cannes film festival next month before hitting theaters June 30, stars 80-year-old Ford, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as his goddaughter Helena.
Footage shown at CinemaCon saw the pair racing in an auto-rickshaw through the labyrinthine streets of Tangiers, Morocco in hot pursuit of a villainous Mads Mikkelsen and the mysterious dial.
The duo bicker throughout the high-speed chase, with Indy telling Helena her father would be disappointed that she is "engaged to a mobster," and she hitting back that he is an "ageing graverobber."
The movie, billed as the franchise's finale, is directed by James Mangold, who oversaw the Oscar-winning racing drama "Ford v Ferrari" ("Le Mans '66").
CinemaCon offers studios the chance to dazzle movie theater owners with their upcoming movies and stars, but Disney's pared-back presentation only featured one actress in-person.
Melissa McCarthy introduced a teaser scene from "The Little Mermaid," Disney's latest live-action remake, out May 26, in which she plays Ursula.
Dubbing the sea witch "one of Disney's most delicious and iconic villains," McCarthy presented footage of musical number "Poor Unfortunate Souls," in which Ursula manipulates Ariel into a risky deal to live as a human for three days.
"She's dishy, she's a conniving broad. Maybe that's why I relate, I don't know," joked McCarthy.
- 'Very timely' -
Disney announced that a "very timely" sci-fi thriller in which humans battle artificial intelligence in the distant, post-apocalyptic future has been renamed "The Creator," and will be released in September.
Other movies on show included Pixar's "Elemental," Kenneth Branagh's latest Poirot adventure "A Haunting in Venice," and new theme park ride adaptation "Haunted Mansion," starring Owen Wilson.
In the Marvel superhero series, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" releases in May, and "The Marvels" in November.
Sports comedy "Next Goal Wins," also set for November, follows the true story of American Samoa's disastrously poor international soccer team.
And finally that month, "Wish" will mark Disney's 100th year with "an original animated musical adventure that draws inspirations from the classics."
It stars Ariana DeBose as a young woman in a magical kingdom "just off the Iberian Peninsula," where "wishes actually do come true."
The presentation comes as Disney has laid off thousands of workers this week, under previously announced plans to seek savings by axing 7,000 roles, as streaming subscribers decline.
The studio is suing DeSantis for his administration's takeover of its theme park district, calling it "a targeted campaign of government retaliation."
CinemaCon runs until Thursday.
R.J.Fidalgo--PC