Ryan Gosling, Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry and other Hollywood stars turned on the charm of Las Vegas on Wednesday to show Amazon.com (Amzn.o), opening a new tab expanded push into the film industry.
Gosling appeared on the annual Cinema Convention of theater owners after the debut of a trailer for his upcoming science fiction -pos Project Hail Mary, Based on a popular novel by Andy Weir.
In the film, Gosling portrays a teacher-facing astronaut who embarks on a long-shot mission to save the planet and meet a stranger named Rocky.
“That’s why we go to the movies,” Gosling said.
“I’m not only saying it because I’m in it, but also because I’m a producer on the movie,” he said to laughter. “And that’s true too.”
Project Hail Mary is ready for release next March as Amazon picks up the pace of movie releases.
The online dealer, who also runs Prime Video Streaming Service, has released a handful of movies in cinemas every year in the last decade. The company now promises to increase it to at least 15 annually in 2027. It has already planned 14 releases for 2026.
Amazon bought the MGM study and its huge film library in 2022. Wednesday’s presentation was Amazon’s first at Cinemacon.
“We are obliged to do this in the long term,” said Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “When Amazon commits to something, we tend to make it big.”
Theater owners welcomed Amazon to their annual collection, hoping that the company will fill a void back when Walt Disney (DIS.N) opens the new tab, which is subject to Fox Movie Studio in 2019. Box Office Returns in the US and Canada remain below pre-pandemic levels.
Under Amazon’s pitch heighted Chris Pratt with the audience from a chair used as a plug in the film MercyThe story of a murder suspect trying to prove his innocence. Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri proclaimed “after the hunt”, a thriller about a scandal on a university campus. Hemsworth and Halle Berry teased their Heist movie Crime 101.
Affleck took the stage to promote Auditor 2, Corrective director Gavin O’Connor when he said the original film debuted nine years ago.
“It’s been eight years, five months, two weeks, five days and 10 hours,” Affleck said, reflecting his character precision.
O’Connor praised Amazon for his promise to send movies first to theaters rather than just for streaming.
“Streamers are now the portguards,” O’Connor said in an interview with Reuters. “If they don’t put movies out in theaters, these things can go away – no joke.”
“They have to keep the flame going,” he added.
Amazon recently took creative control over James Bond franchise. The company delivered no clues about who it will throw to play the famous British spy.
“We are obliged to honor the legacy of this iconic character as we bring a fresh, exciting new chapter to the audience all over the world,” said Courtenay Valenti, Amazon MGM’s film head.
