LAS VEGAS, April 28, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - James Cameron said his long-delayed
sequel to "Avatar," the highest-earning movie of all time, would "push the
limits of what cinema can do," as Disney and Universal presented first looks
at their upcoming movies in Las Vegas Wednesday.

  Attendees at the CinemaCon movie theater industry summit were invited to
don 3D glasses and return to Pandora, with first footage of "Avatar: The Way
of Water" showing Na'vi characters swimming beneath the planet's oceans and
soaring through its skies.

  The movie, which will be released in December, is the first of four planned
sequels to the $2.8 billion-grossing original from 2009.

  "I can assure you it's been well worth the wait," said Disney distribution
chief Tony Chambers, confirming the film's name.

  Cameron addressed CinemaCon via video from New Zealand, where finishing
touches are being put in place on the film.

  He promised giant technological leaps forward from the original, whose main
characters Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) now have a
family.

  "We set out once again to push the limits of what cinema can do," said
Cameron.

  To reacquaint audiences with Pandora nearly 13 years after the smash hit
original, which sparked a 3D wave in Hollywood, the first "Avatar" will be
re-released in theaters in September.

  - 'The next decade' -

  Movie theater bosses are gathering at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for their
annual meeting, where Hollywood studios bring fresh footage and A-list stars
to court the industry.

  Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige kicked off the morning's Disney
presentation, telling attendees that planning for "the next decade" of the
record-grossing superhero films was well underway.

  Attendees also got an extended look at "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of
Madness," which is out next week.

  Footage showed Benedict Cumberbatch's sorcerer battling an extra-
terrestrial floating octopus, encountering a universe-hopping teenage girl,
and attending his ex's wedding.

  It will be followed by two more Marvel films this year -- sequels to "Thor"
and "Black Panther."

  Pixar showed 30 minutes of "Lightyear," an origin story for the beloved
astronaut from "Toy Story," voiced by Chris Evans.

  The movie, out in June, finds Buzz racked with guilt after marooning his
crew of space rangers on a hostile alien planet.

  In his bid to save them, he is forced to travel into the future -- aided by
a cute robotic cat.

  Also on show was "Amsterdam," an "original romantic crime epic" starring
Christian Bale, Robert De Niro, Margot Robbie and Chris Rock among an A-list
ensemble.

  The 1930s period piece about three friends who "find themselves at the
center of one of the most shocking secret plots in American history," which
purports to be based on true events, comes out in November.

  - Universal slate -

  Universal then took the stage at Caesars Palace to show footage from the
upcoming "Jurassic World: Dominion," out in June.

  The film will team the franchise's recent stars Chris Pratt and Bryce
Dallas Howard with those from Steven Spielberg's original almost 30 years
ago, including Jeff Goldblum.

  Goldblum joked that his character's famous line that scientists "didn't
stop to think if they should" bring back the dinosaurs had been "aggressively
ignored throughout the course of the next several movies."

  Billy Eichner presented "Bros," the "first gay rom com ever made by a major
studio," joking that it "only took a century."

  "It's about something that we can all relate to -- how hard it is to simply
find another tolerable human being to go through life with," said Eichner.

  And Carey Mulligan discussed "She Said," based on the true story of
journalists investigating Hollywood sex assault scandals who prompted the
downfall of Harvey Weinstein, out November.

  CinemaCon concludes Thursday.