The "Jumanji" franchise is back. Seven years after "Jumanji: The Next Level," Sony has officially revealed the next installment's title — "Jumanji: Open World" — along with the first footage, debuted at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart introduced the trailer on stage, with Johnson dedicating the film to Robin Williams, star of the original 1995 classic.
The footage, as described by The Wrap, picks up on the tease from "The Next Level" by bringing the game's jungle world crashing into reality. Danny DeVito's character summons the real-world protagonists to a bar, where they discover Johnson's Dr. Smolder Bravestone and the other game avatars stuck in "demo mode" and loose in the real world. Karen Gillan's Ruby Roundhouse makes a dramatic entrance, and the trailer builds to Alex Wolff's Spencer declaring they're going back into the game "one last time." Director Jake Kasdan returns, along with co-writers Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The film was originally slated for December 11 but has shifted to a Christmas Day 2026 release.
The "Jumanji" reveal was the centerpiece of a broader Sony presentation that also delivered first-ever looks at "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" from Marvel Studios and the animated trilogy finale "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse." Comedian Nate Bargatze opened the event with a stand-up set before promoting his debut feature film, "The Breadwinner," alongside co-star Mandy Moore.
But the evening's most pointed moment came from Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman, who delivered a dose of tough love to theater owners. "Get off the ad crack!" he urged, calling out exhibitors who run up to 30 minutes of pre-film advertising — a practice he argued drives frequent moviegoers to show up late and alienates casual ones. He laid out a three-word prescription: longer theatrical windows, shorter pre-shows, and cheaper tickets. "It's the number one economic issue" keeping audiences away since the pandemic, he said.
Rothman's remarks echoed long-standing industry concerns about the theatrical experience, but carried extra weight coming from a studio chief known for his vocal support of cinemas. "I'm not heckling. I'm rooting for you!" he told the crowd. With a loaded slate that includes two Spider-Man films and a blockbuster "Jumanji" sequel, Sony clearly has skin in the game when it comes to getting audiences back into seats.
