The Walt Disney Studios returned to CinemaCon in Las Vegas last week. There, they joined the other major movie studios to once again showcase their upcoming films to movie theater owners in hopes to partner and deliver their shows to the masses.

Compared to previous years, however, Disney showed off in a way that only they could: bringing back their biggest franchises and biggest star power.

For the remaining months of 2026 and into 2027, Disney’s slate of movies that they touted included: The Devil Wears Prada 2, Toy Story 5, Ice Age: Boiling Point, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Moana (live-action), Super Troopers 3, and Avengers: Doomsday. 

While the presentation also included original titles that will be debuting like Hexed from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Whalefall from Searchlight Pictures, a lot of the enthusiasm from  movie theater owners in the CinemaCon audience was centered on those returning franchises.

It also helped that many of the stars of those big generational franchise films made an appearance on the CinemaCon stage in Las Vegas, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

And the proof is not just in the audience reaction to the first-look footage and new trailers shown, but the box office numbers as well. Disney fronted their presentation with executives touting that the studio has been No. 1 at the global box office for nine of the past 10 years, bringing in close to $6.6 billion globally at the box office in 2025—over $2 billion more than its nearest studio competitors.

All together, Disney is the home to 7 billion-dollar grossing titles—four times as many as any other studio—and that Disney keeps its films in theaters far longer than other studios.

In other words, movies like Avengers, Toy Story, Frozen, and Star Wars are films that audiences of all ages, ethnicities, and genders come and see.

While moviegoing still is in fierce competition for people’s attention with the likes of streaming and creator-made videos on YouTube, Disney made it clear at CinemaCon that going to the movies is still a wanted viable entertainment option for everyone. 

Moreover, they believe that the nostalgia for their billion-dollar films will bring people back to theaters, with sequels bringing them back for more.

The word is still out on whether or not this very expensive production budget bet on nostalgia with big movies with big talent will pay off.

Signs seem to point to ‘yes’ with titles like Zootopia 2, Avatar: Fire and Ash, and Lilo and Stitch (live-action) have already brought people into the theaters to watch and experience more timeless stories.

Said Alan Bergman, chairman of Disney Entertainment, Studios, at CinemaCon, “At all seven of our studios, it’s about high-quality storytelling with heart and humor that resonates around the world and stands the test of time—and there’s nobody that does it like Disney.”