The Albany Gazette - Top takeaways from CinemaCon: the year's hottest movies

Tom Cruise, Michael B. Jordan, Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks, Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet led the parade of A-listers onto the stage at the Colosseum theater in Caesars Palace, along with directors Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan.

Attendees caught a glimpse of new trailers, clips and teasers. Here are the highlights from the convention:

- 'The Odyssey' -

Nolan debuted epic footage from "The Odyssey," his hotly anticipated take on Homer's epic tale -- and his first movie since his Oscar-winning "Oppenheimer."

The clips featured a look at Matt Damon as Odysseus and Charlize Theron as Calypso, as well as the scene when the iconic Trojan Horse is revealed -- which generated major buzz among industry observers.

"Why 'The Odyssey'? 'The Odyssey' is a story that has fascinated generation after generation for 3,000 years," Nolan told the audience at the Universal Pictures event.

"It's not A story. It's THE story," the filmmaker added, explaining that it was a long-time dream to make this adaptation.

Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson also star in the film, which is set for release on July 17.

- 'Disclosure Day' -

Spielberg presented an extended new look at "Disclosure Day," his return to sci-fi and extraterrestrials, a genre he first explored nearly 50 years ago.

Though the Oscar-winning director said he had never seen an unidentified flying object himself, he made "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) because the phenomenon offered him "a really great story to tell."

"I made 'Disclosure Day' with a lot more certainty that there's more truth than fiction in the movie that you are going to see on June 12."

Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor and Colman Domingo star in a film that forces humanity to contend with evidence that aliens do exist.

Spielberg, who presented the Universal Pictures movie with Domingo, said he'd been extremely selective in what he wanted to reveal at the event.

"This movie is an experience, and all you need to get from the beginning to the end is a seatbelt," he said.

- 'Avengers: Doomsday' -

Disney's Marvel Studios unveiled the first trailer for "Avengers: Doomsday," which will hit US theaters on December 18.

The clip, which earned thunderous applause from the crowd, offered the first look at Robert Downey Jr. as villain Doctor Doom -- a new franchise character for the actor, whose Iron Man died in "Avengers: Endgame."

It also featured scenes with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), whose Captain America had chosen to remain in the past in "Endgame," passing on his shield. It's not clear yet how Cap has returned.

Downey and Evans were on hand to reveal the footage, along with director Joe and Anthony Russo.

"I said I would only come back if there was a real reason," Evans told the crowd.

"And in 'Doomsday', there is a very real reason that these heroes need Steve Rogers."

- 'Dune: Part Three' -

Warner Bros showed the opening minutes of Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Three," which is also set to open on December 18.

"DunesDay" could be the biggest day in movie theaters since "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" debuted simultaneously, creating the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon.

Villeneuve called the final chapter in his sci-fi trilogy -- which takes place 17 years after the end of the last film -- a "thriller -- action-packed, more intense and definitely more emotional."

Chalamet and Zendaya were on hand, along with Jason Momoa, for the presentation.

Zendaya reflected on the changes that the characters had been through, saying it had been "an unkind few years, and I think there's so much left still to fight for."

- 'Digger' -

Cruise and Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu offered a first look at the comedy "Digger," with the actor virtually unrecognizable as a pot-bellied oil man who ruined the planet and now wants to repair it.

"The movie is wild, it's funny," said Cruise, who received a standing ovation from the packed room at the Warner Bros event.

Inarritu said the role "could possibly be the most challenging" for Cruise, who has been nominated for three Oscars for his acting performances.

"We know that he's fearless -- the stunts, the planes, the jumps -- but I have to say embodying this character, this is another kind of fearless," he said.

(K.Lee--TAG)