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CinemaCon: New baby helps Mila Kunis prepare for 'Bad Moms Christmas'

Bryan Alexander
USA TODAY
Kristen Bell (from left), Mila Kunis and Kathryn Hahn reject perfection in the original 'Bad Moms.'

LAS VEGAS — Almost four months after giving birth to her second child, Mila Kunis is ready to be a bad mom again.

The actress said she's "weeks" away from shooting A Bad Moms Christmas, the follow-up to last year's hit comedy Bad Moms. Kunis spoke Tuesday at CinemaCon, the annual convention for theater owners, during a STX Entertainment presentation.

Having new son Dimitri (born Nov. 30) with husband Ashton Kutcher has certainly reminded Kunis of the joys and problems of motherhood.

CinemaCon: Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell make really, really 'Bad Moms'

"It’s different. There’s two now," she said. "You forget what sleepless nights are like. I remember, guys, talk to me."

Bad Moms was a major hit for up-and-coming STX, making more than $113 million on a $20 million production budget.

The film starred Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn as overworked, stressed-out moms who rebel from trying to be perfect mothers and blow off steam. Kunis said the film struck a chord.

Mila Kunis reprises her role as a stressed-out mom in the sequel 'A Bad Moms Christmas.'

“It’s so strange. People are so appreciative of the voice that it gave. And not just women or mothers,” Kunis said. “Even men come up to me to say, ‘This movie is so great. I finally understand my mom and my wife so much more.’ People really responded to it because it’s honest.”

The studio is wasting no time pulling the second installment together. The Yuletide-themed sequel will be shot this summer in Atlanta ("Ah, the magic of Hollywood," Kunis cracked). It'll be fast-tracked in editing for a Nov. 3 release.

STX chairman Adam Fogelson, who called Christmas "the Super Bowl for mothers," might have made a slight verbal miscue from the stage, asking Kunis how she celebrated the holiday growing up.

Aaron Sorkin and Jessica Chastain attend CinemaCon 2017 to talk up 'Molly's Game.'

"It's a funny question to ask a Russian refugee who's a Jew what Christmas is like," Kunis replied, before adding that her family celebrated all holidays once they moved to America. "Christmas was just another reason to get the whole family together and be debaucherous."

Other highlights from the STX slate presented Tuesday:

Molly's Game: Fogelson showed an impressive clip from Molly's Game, starring Jessica Chastain as the real-life Molly Bloom, known for establishing (and being busted for) her high-stakes poker games with some of the most famous and powerful people in the world. Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay and makes his directorial debut.

"It isn’t often you come across a story that’s cool with a lot of heart. The character of Molly is a thoroughly original movie heroine," said Sorkin from the stage. "It’s a lot of fun to tell people a story they think they know. People know the tabloid version of this; there’s much more to it than that."

Mark Wahlberg, left, and director Peter Berg announced their fourth collaboration, 'Mile 22,' at CinemaCon 2017.

Mile 22:  Director Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg announced a new collaboration, Mile 22. While they were sparse on details, the duo have high hopes for the action movie, with Wahlberg saying he hopes to pull off an eventual trilogy.

"I still don’t have the movie that defines me, my body of work," said Wahlberg. "I am really hoping this is going to be the thing."

The duo have worked together on three dramatic true stories: 2013's hit Lone Survivor, followed by underperforming Deepwater Horizon and Patriots Day in 2016.

"Mark and I have done three films that have been pretty heavy, to put it mildly," said Berg. "So we are coming at you with a big action movie."

CinemaCon: The Rock shows off 'Jumanji,' trash talks Leonardo DiCaprio

Ryan Gosling hits dark notes in 'Blade Runner 2049' clip at CinemaCon

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: Cara Delevingne and director Luc Besson showed footage from the sci-fi film in theaters July 21. Delevingne plays special operative Laureline alongside Valerian (Dane DeHaan), protecting the futuristic world of Alpha in the film adaptation of the classic story, which inspired such films as Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy. Besson describes the character as the "first woman superhero really kicking (butt)."

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