"How to Train Your Dragon 2" and More: Universal Pictures at CinemaCon 2025
A big overview of the Universal announcements at CinemaCon
CinemaCon 2025, currently running from March 31 to April 3, is one of the major film events of the year. Hollywood's biggest studios are coming together in Las Vegas to present their upcoming highlights. After previous panels by Sony and Lionsgate, among others, it was now Universal's turn.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
One of the biggest announcements made by the film studio was probably the sequel to the live-action film "How to Train Your Dragon". And this despite the fact that the first live-action film adaptation has not even been released in theaters yet. Universal therefore seems to have faith in the vision of director and screenwriter Dean DeBlois. The Canadian has already realized the three "How to Train Your Dragon" animated movies.
The upcoming live-action film was shown on site at CinemaCon. As in the previous movies, it is about the young Viking Hiccup. Despite the long-standing enmity between Vikings and dragons, he befriends the nightshade dragon Toothless.
You can see the beginnings of the story of Toothless, Hiccup and his friends in cinemas from June 13, 2025. Universal also announced a release date for "How to Train Your Dragon 2", with the film set to open in theaters on June 11, 2027.
Jurassic World: Rebirth
Probably the biggest Universal blockbuster of the year is, of course, "Jurassic World: Rebirth". Accordingly, the new installment of the dinosaur saga was also part of the film studio's panel. Lead actress Scarlett Johansson shared that she had long wanted to play in a movie from the popular franchise:
"This time I went to Steven Spielberg directly and told him I'll play any role, even if I was eaten in the first five minutes."
According to statements made at the panel, "Rebirth" will focus a little more on horror elements. A new trailer for the movie was also shown at the event. According to reports, it includes a mutated T-Rex. We hope that the trailer will soon be available to the general public.
Meanwhile, the theatrical release of "Jurassic World 4" is already close: it will hit theaters on July 2, 2025. Until then, you can take another look at the first trailer here:
Wicked 2: For Good
With "Wicked: For Good", another big blockbuster from Universal is also on the schedule for the end of the year. Director Jon M. Chu said that the sequel would revolve around the consequences of the decisions made by the characters in part one. A first trailer has been shown as well, so we can expect to see it in the near future. "Wicked 2" will be released in theaters on November 21, 2025. You can find out more about the sequel in our movie preview:
"M3GAN 2", "SOULM8TE" and "Five Nights at Freddy's 2"
First teasers have also been revealed for some horror movies. These include "M3GAN 2" and the corresponding spin-off "SOULM8TE". From June 27, 2025, viewers will be able to see how the eponymous doll is confronted with the AI Amelia in "M3GAN 2". "SOULM8TE", meanwhile, awaits us in cinemas on January 2, 2026. There was also a trailer for "Five Nights at Freddy's 2". The sequel to the popular horror series will be released on December 5, 2025.
"The Phoenician Scheme", "Bugonia" and "Nobody 2"
The Universal panel also presented a number of prestige productions. There was first footage of Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme". The director has once again put together an impressive cast for his new film. The cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Benicio del Toro, Bryan Cranston and Bill Murray. We will be able to see the star cast on the big screen from May 30, 2025.
Another topic was the upcoming film by "Poor Things" director Yorgos Lanthimos. In "Bugonia", he will once again be working with Hollywood star Emma Stone. The movie will be released in movie theaters on November 7, 2025.
Visitors to the panel also got to see a first trailer for the action sequel "Nobody 2". We expect the trailer to be released soon and look forward to seeing Bob Odenkirk again on August 15, 2025.
