After 2023’s double Hollywood strike scrambled production schedules, a variety of movies (and TV shows) were delayed and/or saw their planned release dates changed. That means that in 2024 we’re only getting one new MCU movie – Deadpool 3 – though really, Marvel Studios probably needed a bit of a breather anyway. DC also will only see one new movie released in Joker: Folie à Deux, but that’s more to do with the switch to the new James Gunn Universe than because of the strikes.
Elsewhere, there’s a host of new titles to be excited about this year, including the long-awaited arrival of Dune: Part Two – the success of which has all but guaranteed a third film – Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Abigail (a modern riff on Dracula's Daughter from the guys who made Ready or Not), a new Planet of the Apes movie, the return of Furiosa (w/o Mad Max!), and much more.
Read on for the 2024 movies we’re most excited about, and don’t forget all release dates are subject to change…
Theatrical Releases
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
US Date: March 29
There’ve been a lot of would-be shared universes that have come and gone in the wake of the MCU, but somehow it’s Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse that has persevered among them all, racking up at this point five movies and a TV show. (Perhaps that’s the key? Don’t glut the market with product.) In the confusingly titled Godzilla x Kong, the two monster-bros must team up to face a new giant threat, while the humans of the cast (Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens) work to not annoy us while we wait for the monster fights to happen. You're Next and The Guest's Adam Wingard directs.
Monkey Man
US Date: April 5
Dev Patel directs, stars in, and co-writes the revenge thriller Monkey Man from Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions about a young man who works in an underground fight club exacting revenge on the bad guys who are responsible for his mother's death. Sharlto Copley (District 9, The A-Team) and Bollywood star Pitobash co-star.
Civil War
US Date: April 12
Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation, Dredd) writes and directs this dystopian political thriller about journalists traveling across the United States during a Second American Civil War - between the American government and the separatist "Western Forces," led by Texas and California. Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura star, along with Devs' Nick Offerman, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson.
Sasquatch Sunset
US Date: April 12
Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Christophe Zajac-Denek and Nathan Zellner star in Sasquatch Sunset, which follows a family of Bigfoots. Our reviewer Clint Gage gave the film a 10 out of Sundance, saying it's "an emotional masterpiece of experimental cinema and fart jokes."
Abigail
US Date: April 19
Universal has been trying to get a new take on their Classic Monsters going for a while – remember the Dark Universe franchise that lasted for one movie? Abigail comes from the Radio Silence Productions team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett and Chad Villella (Ready or Not, the recent Scream films) and is reportedly a riff on 1936’s Dracula’s Daughter, featuring “a group of kidnappers who abduct a band of young people, one of whom ends up being the titular character.” Radio Silence favorite Melissa Barrera, from the trio's two Scream films, stars alongside Alisha Weir, Dan Stevens, and Giancarlo Esposito.
Challengers
US Date: April 26
Judging by the Challengers trailer, director Luca Guadagnino weaves a lighter tale than his 2022 film Bones and All. But looks – and trailers – can be deceiving. Challengers is the story of a married couple of tennis pros (Zendaya and Mike Faist). When the struggling husband must compete in a low-end “Challenger” event, he finds himself playing against his ex-best friend – who also happens to be his wife’s ex-boyfriend (Josh O’Connor).
The Fall Guy
US Date: May 3
Former stuntman David Leitch (John Wick, Deadpool 2) joins with former Mouseketeer Ryan Gosling to make a movie about a stuntman which also happens to be based on the 1980s Lee Majors TV show of the same name. Judging by the trailer, The Fall Guy looks to be shooting for that fun mix of action, comedy and romance as Gosling’s character is called off-set to investigate a real-life mystery, all in service of saving his would-be girlfriend (and film director) Emily Blunt’s latest movie.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
US Date: May 10
The last time we met up with those damned, dirty apes was in 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, which effectively ended the story of Andy Serkis’ Caesar. But now director Wes Ball (The Maze Runner trilogy) will continue the story of the apes generations after Caesar. The trailer for the film looks great, but will Kingdom achieve the heights of the Serkis movies? One can only hope. Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand and William H. Macy star.
Back to Black
US Date: May 17
Taking its title, of course, from the second and final studio album by Amy Winehouse, Back to Black stars Marisa Abela as the singer/songwriter in a biopic that traces her early work as a Camden jazz musician to her success as a Grammy-winner. Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) directs.
IF
US Date: May 17
John Krasinski’s directorial follow-up to A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II is IF, which stars Ryan Reynolds, Fiona Shaw, Cailey Fleming, Louis Gossett Jr., and Alan Kim, plus a host of other actors who will be providing their voices (Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Steve Carell, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and more). The film’s title stands for Imaginary Friend, but these aren’t just teddy bears (see Imaginary, opening in March) but rather imaginary friends who have been abandoned once the children who dreamt them up grew to adulthood and moved on. The film will be a mix of live-action, CGI and melted marshmallow monstrosity.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
US Date: May 24
Charlize Theron’s powerhouse character from Fury Road gets a prequel in George Miller’s Furiosa, with Anya Taylor-Joy taking over the role as the young woman who is torn from her tribe and forced into servitude by Immortan Joe and his awfuls. Chris Hemsworth also appears, only ugly, as a warlord of the road called Dementus. The first trailer for the film makes it look perhaps too much like Fury Road, but if anyone has earned our goodwill it’s Miller, so let’s see where this all goes.
The Garfield Movie
US Date: May 24
Might as well make a new Garfield theatrical movie, this time a fully animated one. In which case, might as well have Chris Pratt voice the famously lazy cat from Jim Davis' comic strip. That’s who we have handed vocal duties for all our beloved characters now, right? What We Do in the Shadows’ Harvey Guillén voices Odie the dog, Samuel L. Jackson takes on Vic, Garfield's long-lost cat dad, and Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Cecily Strong, Harvey Guillén, Brett Goldstein and Bowen Yang also are part of the cast.
The Crow
US Date: June 7
A (sacrilegious, to some) Crow reboot has been in the works for the last two decades and now it's finally arrived with IT's Bill Skarsgård in the iconic Eric Draven role (and singer FKA Twigs as the doomed Shelly). Will this version be going for a more direct adaptation, from James O'Barr's famed comic series, or will it follow the blueprint of the 1994 Alex Proyas film? Danny Huston, Isabella Wei, and Laura Birn co-star.
Inside Out 2
US Date: June 14
Amy Poehler returns as Joy for Inside Out 2, but Riley, the girl Joy and her fellow emotions live inside, is now a teenager… which means Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust have to make room for Anxiety (Maya Hawke) and maybe/almost certainly a host of new, disruptive emotions. Kelsey Mann takes over the director's chair for this sequel from Inside Out’s (and Pixar mainstay) Pete Docter.
Bad Boys 4
US Date: June 14
The third film in the Bad Boys series, Bad Boys for Life, was released in 2020 (and did much better than expected), so Bad Boys 4 – which is not the final title of the film – is coming fairly quickly considering the 17-year gap between Bad Boy 2 and Bad Boys 3, and the eight-year gap between the first film and the second. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are of course back again, with Bad Boys for Life and Ms. Marvel directors Adil & Bilall also returning for more fun.
The Bikeriders
US Date: June 21
Inspired by a '60s photo-book, The Bikeriders stars Killing Eve/Free Guy's Jodie Comer along with Austin Butler, Michael Shannon, Norman Reedus, and Tom Hardy. Directed by Midnight Special's Jeff Nichols, the film follows the rise of a fictional Chicago outlaw motorcycle club as it evolves into a violent organized crime syndicate.
A Quiet Place: Day One
US Date: June 28
Director Michael Sarnoski left an impression with 2021's Nic Cage drama Pig, and he’s certainly an interesting choice for this prequel/spin-off to the John Krasinski/Emily Blunt horror series. Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things' Eddie Munson!), Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou star in the film, which will presumably fill in some of the blanks regarding the nasty aliens from the first two installments (though Part II did already give us a flashback to the start of their invasion).
Horizon: An American Saga
US Dates: Chapter 1: June 28, Chapter 2: Aug. 16
Kevin Costner loves himself some epic Westerns (He did win Best Picture, Director and Actor Oscars for Dances With Wolves after all!) and so he’s back with “a two-part theatrical event” that he directed, stars in, produced, and reportedly also financed himself. Truly, the American way! Set both before and after the Civil War, the film is about the expansion of the American West, with Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson and many more familiar faces filling out the cast.
Despicable Me 4
US Date: July 3
It was February of 2022 when Illumination and Universal announced Despicable Me 4’s release date of July 3, 2024, and while not much has been heard about the film since – we don’t even have a trailer – the sixth film in the series (don’t forget the two Minions movies) seems like an inevitability. Reportedly, Steve Carell will be back as former supervillain Gru, joined by Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Miranda Cosgrove and Steve Coogan.
MaXXXine
US Date: July 5
The third film in Ti West's X trilogy, after X and Pearl, once again stars Mia Goth (who is also a producer along with West) as Maxine, the sole survivor of the first film who is now living in the Los Angles of the 1980s and ready to take her p*rn career to the next level.
Longlegs
US Date: July 12
Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat's Daughter, Gretel & Hansel, son of Psycho's Anthony Perkins) directs Nicolas Cage and It Follows/The Guest's Maika Monroe in the story of a rookie FBI agent (Monroe) assigned to an unsolved serial killings case overflowing with evidence of the occult. Longlegs also features Alicia Witt and Blair Underwood.
Twisters
US Date: July 19
You wanna see cows getting sucked up by tornadoes on the big screen, right? Of course you do! (And we also all hope that the cows will be just fine afterward.) And hence, Twisters was born – the 28-years-later sequel to the memorable Bill Paxton/Helen Hunt disaster flick Twister. Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones will star in the film, with Lee Isaac Chung, who was Oscar-nominated for 2020’s Minari, directing. Getting an Oscar nom is one thing, but successfully getting a cow to spin in a tornado while your leads make wisecracks? That will take true talent.
Deadpool & Wolverine
US Date: July 26
Yep, Marvel Studios has just one movie coming out in 2024, and it’s the third entry in a series that didn’t even used to be part of the MCU! That said, Deadpool doesn’t really play by regular universe rules anyway. And if the leaks from this film’s set are to be believed, that will continue to be the case as all manner of non-MCU Marvel characters could show up here. That includes Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, who teams with Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson again after their unfortunate meeting in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Borderlands
US Date: Aug. 9
Director Eli Roth (Hostel, Thanksgiving) brings the intergalactic Mad Max-inspired game franchise to the big screen with Cate Blanchett starring as the super siren, Lilith - alongside Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Tannis, Barbie and Ahsoka's Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Gina Gershon as Mad Moxxi, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, Janina Gavankar as Commander Knoxx, and Jack Black voicing Claptrap. “I didn't want to have to be too slavish [to the game],” Roth told IGN in November. “I didn't just want to film the game. We wanted to tell a great story on its own, but of course it's loaded with Easter eggs for the fans.”
Alien: Romulus
US Date: Aug. 16
How many Alien movies does this make now? Not counting the Alien vs. Predator films (why would you?), Alien: Romulus is the seventh installment. (There’s also a TV series currently in the works.) Directed by Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead 2013, Don’t Breathe), Romulus is set between the first movie and the second, which actually gives the filmmaker a wide time period to play with (since – pushes up glasses – Ripley was in cryogenic sleep for 57 years when Aliens opens). Not much else is known about the film at this point, but Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) will star.
Kraven the Hunter
US Date: Aug. 30
The second film from Sony's Spider-Man Universe to be released in 2024, Kraven the Hunter has been a long time coming, having previously been scheduled for January 2023, and then October. But the latest attempt at turning a Spider-Man villain into an anti-hero is finally arriving this summer, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson playing the title role, a master hunter who also has superpowers. Will the film connect to Spider-Man in any meaningful way? Probably not, judging by how Morbius and the Venom films have gone, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
US Date: Sept. 6
Michael Keaton already came back as Batman, so why not as Betelgeuse? That he’s teaming with original Beetlejuice (and Batman!) director Tim Burton only makes this sequel sound more intriguing. Wednesday creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar wrote the script, and the star of that show, Jenna Ortega, will also appear in the film alongside original cast members Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara. Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci and Justin Theroux will also be hanging with the ghost with the most for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which comes 36 years after the first film.
Transformers One
US Date: Sept. 13
The animated Transformers One is an origin story for everyone's favorite robots in disguise that is being directed by Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4). Chris Hemsworth voices a young Optimus Prime opposite a presumably also young Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry) in a story that depicts how the two went from allies to legendary foes destined for toy shelves everywhere. Also starring are Scarlett Johansson (Elita), Keegan-Michael Key (Bumblebee), Jon Hamm (Sentinel Prime) and Laurence Fishburne (Alpha Trion).
Saw XI
US Date: Sept. 27
The first Saw movie debuted in 2004 and was such a hit that a sequel came every year after through 2010. There was a seven-year break after that (Jigsaw fatigue, don't you know), but there have been three films since then, including Saw X from September 2023. That movie made about $107 million, and so we’re back on the yearly schedule (for now anyway) with Saw XI coming in September 2024. Will the long-dead Jigsaw return again? Probably!
Joker: Folie à Deux
US Date: Oct. 4
Hey, like Marvel Studios, DC also only has one movie coming out this year! (Unlike Marvel Studios, however, this one isn’t a part of their shared universe.) Joaquin Phoenix returns as the Joker along with the previous film’s director Todd Phillips, and this time they have a not-so-secret weapon joining them in Lady Gaga, who will be playing Harley Quinn in the sequel. The original Joker came out in 2019 and was supposed to be a one-off, but it’s funny how that can change after you bring in a billion dollars worldwide and win a couple of Oscars (including Best Actor for Phoenix).
Smile 2
US Date: Oct. 18
2022’s Smile was an unlikely horror hit, moving from a planned streaming debut on Paramount+ to a bona fide $200 million-plus theatrical release. So you can bet your pearly whites that a sequel is coming, and that it’ll be perfectly timed to a Halloween release as well. Parker Finn, who made his feature debut with the first film, returns to direct Smile 2, though few other details are known about the project at this time.
Venom: The Last Dance
US Date: Oct 25
Here’s the third and final film of the year in the awkwardly named Sony's Spider-Man Universe line-up, and it’s also the one that has the best chance at success. Tom Hardy’s first two Venom movies were over the top but fun, and there’s no denying the appeal of this character to fans. Hardy’s back of course as the dual-personality man-monster, joined this time out by Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor, though it remains to be seen what roles they’ll play. You can bet at least one of them will be bonded with a symbiote though.
Wolf Man
US Date: Oct. 25
Leigh Whannell nailed his Universal Monster redo The Invisible Man in 2020, and now he’s got a Wolf Man take in the works with Blumhouse producing. Christopher Abbott (Poor Things) stars, replacing Ryan Gosling in what will presumably be the hairy title role.
The Amateur
US Date: Nov. 8
Rami Malek stars in this thriller from director James Hawes, which is based on the novel of the same name by Robert Littell. The book was previously made into a 1981 film that starred John Savage and Christopher Plummer. The Amateur’s plot deals with a CIA cryptographer whose wife is killed in a terrorist attack, and the lengths he goes to for revenge, including blackmailing his employer.
Paddington in Peru
US Date: Nov. 8
Man, you people really love Paddington. Surprisingly, though, it's been seven years since Paddington 2. The previous film's director, Paul King, was busy making Wonka with Timothée Chalamet, so new helmer Dougal Wilson steps in for his feature debut. In this installment, Paddington and the Brown family do indeed visit Peru, though Emily Mortimer takes over as Mrs. Brown, replacing Sally Hawkins. Ben Whishaw is back as the voice of Paddington, as is Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown. Other cast members include Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas.
Gladiator 2
US Date: Nov. 22
It’s hard to believe this movie is actually happening. Sure, we’ve heard talk about it for years, but the first Gladiator was such a big deal back in 2000 – it even became a running gag on The Sopranos at one point – and the Ridley Scott film ended so definitively, and beautifully, that a sequel always seemed like it ran the risk of becoming too much of a good thing. It still does, as a matter of fact, but Scott is back to direct all the same from a script by David Scarpa, who also wrote Napoleon and All the Money in the World for the helmer. The story focuses on Lucius (Paul Mescal), Connie Nielsen’s son from the first film who is now an adult and, presumably, ready to do some gladiator-ing. Nielsen is back for the sequel and Denzel Washington also stars.
Moana 2
US Date: Nov. 27
Moana 2 is coming this November and it sure came as a shock when it was announced just this past February. Given how massively huge Moana has been for Disney+, the decision was made to convert and rework what was to be a Moana animated series into a solid theatrical sequel. Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will reprise their roles as Moana and demigod Maui, respectively, for an all new roaring adventure.
Wicked
US Date: Nov. 27
With a puff of red smoke, the musical Wicked is teleporting to the big screen in this adaptation from director Jon M. Chu (In the Heights). A retelling of how Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) became the Wicked Witch of the West of Wizard of Oz infamy unfolds here, with Ariana Grande playing Galinda Upland (destined to be the Good Witch). This first film is also known as Wicked: Part One, with Part Two currently scheduled for a November 26, 2025, release.
Untitled Karate Kid Movie
US Date: Dec. 13
For this film, Ralph Macchio, the OG KK, is teaming with Jackie Chan, who starred in the 2010 “reimagining” of The Karate Kid – which I guess is now just part of the bigger Karate Kid Cinematic Universe. The pair will play their characters from their respective films, but conspicuous by its absence in the announcement of this movie was any mention of the gang from the Cobra Kai TV show – especially William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence. Sony says a “global search” is underway to find the new Karate Kid who will presumably be trained by Chan and Macchio here. Just give us a high-school-karate-rumble or we riot… with a high-school-karate-rumble, I guess.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
US Date: Dec. 13
Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Blade Runner: Black Lotus) directs this animated feature, which reportedly takes place about 200 years before The Hobbit. Brian Cox will voice Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, the namesake of what we all recognize as… Helm’s Deep! (Hey, I have that LEGO set.) Confusingly, this film has nothing to do with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power TV show (that takes place in Middle-earth’s second age) other than being based on a small sliver of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work.
Mufasa: The Lion King
US Date: Dec. 20
This prequel to Disney's "live-action" The Lion King comes from Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, The Underground Railroad), and tells of the earlier lives of Mufasa and Scar (Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr.), those lion brothers who are destined for tragedy and betrayal. This is what Jenkins told IGN about the film in 2022: “I think for kids it's really important to understand that people aren't born perfect, they aren't just kings, their experiences shape them. So you can expect to go on this journey and understand how [Mufasa’s] friends, his family, his experiences shaped him and made him the person he is.”
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
US Date: Dec. 20
The Sonic the Hedgehog world dominance continues with the third installment in the Ben Schwartz-starring live-action (with some animation, of course) series. Presumably Colleen O’Shaunnessey and Idris Elba will also be back to voice the Blue Blur’s pals Tails and Knuckles, and Shadow the Hedgehog will also make his debut in the movie. Sonic 3 is directed by Jeff Fowler, making this a Hedgehog hat trick for him.
Nosferatu
US Date: Dec. 25
Robert Eggers, the beautiful madman behind The Witch, The Lighthouse, and most recently The Northman, is turning his attention to the horror of Nosferatu some 102 years after the original F.W. Murnau film was released. Who else but Bill Skarsgård has been cast as Count Orlok, while Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are among the humans forced to deal with the vampire. Funnily enough, Willem Dafoe also appears in the film, having already played a vampiric version of actor Max Schreck (who starred as Orlok in 1922) in the fictionalized making-of Nosferatu film, Shadow of the Vampire.
Streaming Releases
Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver
US Date: April 19, Netflix
Zack Snyder’s latest would-be franchise came from a Star Wars pitch that he had originally taken to Lucasfilm, and he has big cross-media plans for the concept. That of course includes sequels, so Part Two is already slotted for an April 2024 release. Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, and Anthony Hopkins star in the story of a ruthless empire that must be defeated by a mysterious outsider.
Atlas
US Date: May 21, Netflix
Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown, and Mark Strong star in this Netflix sci-fi mystery about a brilliant data analyst (Lopez) with a deep distrust of artificial intelligence who joins a mission to capture a renegade robot. Brad Peyton (San Andreas, Rampage) directs.
Hit Man
US Date: June 7, Netflix
Richard Linklater's latest, Hit Man, tells the story of an undercover Houston cop who poses as a reliable hitman in order to arrest those trying to procure his services. Top Gun: Maverick's Glen Powell stars in, and co-writes with Linklater, this film, which is based on a 2001 Texas Monthly magazine article. Andor's Adria Arjona and Fear the Walking Dead's Austin Amelio co-star.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
US Date: July 3, Netflix
It only took 30 years to get a fourth Beverly Hills movie off the blocks, after a lot of trying, but now Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot are all back as Detroit police lieutenant Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills after his estranged daughter's (Taylour Paige) life is threatened. She and Foley team up with her ex-boyfriend (Joseph Gordon-Levitt ), plus Foley's old pals, to stop the bad guys. Also starring Kevin Bacon.
A Family Affair
US Date: TBA, Netflix
Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King, The Bridges of Madison County) helms this Netflix rom-com featuring an all-star cast, including Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, Kathy Bates, Shirley MacLaine, Joey King, and YouTube sensation Liza Koshy. In A Family Affair, a young woman named Zara (King) works as an assistant for movie star Chris Cole (Efron) — that is until Chris falls in love with her mother (Kidman).
Back in Action
US Date: TBA, Netflix
Back in Action, from Horrible Bosses' Seth Gordon, features Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Glenn Close, Kyle Chandler, and Andrew Scott in a rollicking action-comedy about two former CIA spies, after retiring to start a family, who find themselves dragged back into the world of espionage when their cover is blown.
Carry-On
US Date: TBA, Netflix
Jungle Cruise and Black Adam's Jaume Collet-Serra directs this thriller about a mysterious traveler (Jason Bateman) who blackmails a young TSA agent (Taron Egerton) into letting a dangerous package slip through security and onto a Christmas Day flight. Logan Marshall-Green, Dean Norris, Theo Rossi, and Descendants franchise's Sofia Carson co-star.
Already Released
Night Swim
US Date: Jan. 5
When I was a little kid, I was afraid to go in the pool after an ill-advised attempted viewing of Jaws. That fear lasted for a looong time (years?), so one can only imagine how folks are gonna do with the latest team-up between mega-horror-producers James Wan and Jason Blum. Night Swim stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon in a tale involving a… haunted swimming pool. Sure, laugh now – and then enjoy spending the whole summer sweating in the heat at a safe distance from any refreshing, man-made watering hole.
Mean Girls
US Date: Jan. 12
Don’t worry – it’s a musical! The trailer for the 2024 version of Mean Girls that dropped in November weirdly neglected to indicate that small fact, making it seem like an odd rehash. But indeed this film is based on the Broadway musical incarnation of the 2004 Lindsay Lohan classic. Angourie Rice (who you may recognize from the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies among other things) fills Lohan’s shoes, with Tina Fey back again as screenwriter (and as Ms. Norbury).
The Beekeeper
US Date: Jan. 12
You know how your grandparents fell for that phishing scam that one time? Well, Jason Statham just hates that, and he’s ready to kill a lot of bad people because of it in The Beekeeper. Suicide Squad and Fury director David Ayer teams with the British badass to get revenge for the mom from The Cosby Show (Phylicia Rashad), even if that means cutting a guy's fingers off and then tying him to the back of a truck that then drives off a bridge. That’s what you get for running a call center, dude!
Soul, Turning Red, Luca
US Dates: Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 22
These three Disney Pixar movies never got full theatrical releases in the US due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instead going straight to Disney+. But now they’ll finally make it to the big screen in the first quarter of 2024, and each will be accompanied by a short film as well (“Burrow” for Soul, “Kitbull” for Turning Red, and “For the Birds” for Luca).
Argylle
US Date: Feb. 2 in theaters, Apple TV+ date TBA
How perfect is casting Henry Cavill as "Agent Argylle," a super-spy who is actually just the cartoonish creation of novelist Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard)? Matthew Vaughn certainly knows a thing or two about spy movies, and how to play with the conventions of the genre, having directed a Kingsman or three, and Argylle looks to follow suit as Conway encounters “real” spies like Sam Rockwell’s shaggy assassin. Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson, Dua Lipa, and Ariana DeBose also star.
Lisa Frankenstein
US Date: Feb. 9
Diablo Cody scripted this horror comedy about a teenager (Kathryn Newton) who, you guessed it, reanimates the dead – specifically the corpse of her dreams (via a tanning machine). Directed by Zelda Williams (the late Robin Williams’ daughter), Lisa Frankenstein looks to be one part Jennifer’s Body, one part Heathers, and potentially all parts fun.
Madame Web
US Date: Feb. 14
2024 is going to be a light year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with only one film being released by the studio. But don’t worry, because Sony's Spider-Man Universe, as the studio calls it, is ready to step in with three different Marvel-adjacent movies. The first of the year will be Madame Web, which stars Dakota Johnson as the psychic Cassandra Webb, Sydney Sweeney as Julia Carpenter, Celeste O'Connor as Mattie Franklin, and Isabela Merced as Anya Corazon, all of whom have assumed one Spider-persona or another in the comics. Will Madame Web break the Morbius curse and be, you know, good? Only the spider knows for now…
Drive-Away Dolls
US Date: Feb. 23
The Coen brothers are kinda making their own movies separate from one another lately, and that's OK! For his part, Ethan has this comedy up next, starring Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as a pair of young women who hit the road in search of one of those good old “fresh starts.” Soon enough, they’re mixed up with a variety of weird and criminal types, not to mention co-stars Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp and Matt Damon.
Dune: Part Two
US Date: March 1
The first installment of Denis Villeneuve's Dune was a hit, and though Part Two was delayed because of the Hollywood strikes, it is now scheduled for a March release. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya are back along with most of the first film's cast, while newcomers Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Léa Seydoux are all landing on planet Arrakis for the first time. We’re particularly looking forward to Butler (Elvis) as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the role played by Sting in the 1984 film.
Imaginary
US Date: March 8
Imaginary friends come in all shapes and sizes, and that includes sometimes just being total assholes. Case in point: Chauncey, the teddy bear in Blumhouse’s Imaginary who, judging by the film’s trailer, has it out for the little girl who finds him in the basem*nt of her new home. Never mind that he’s not really imaginary since he’s a corporeal, well, teddy bear and all. Suffice to say that, imaginary or not, he wants to hurt folks. DeWanda Wise and Tom Payne star in the Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2, Fantasy Island) film.
Kung Fu Panda 4
US Date: March 8
DreamWorks Animation’s fourth installment in the Kung Fu Panda series of animated films will be directed by Mike Mitchell (The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Trolls) and Stephanie Ma Stine (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) will serve as co-director. Jack Black returns for the film, which will be released eight years after Part 3, as his character Po faces off against a new villain named the Chameleon (Viola Davis). Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) also joins the voice cast as Han, the leader of the Den of Thieves.
Road House
US Date: March 21, Prime Video
Though Roadhouse reboot director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith) pushed hard for a theatrical release (and then boycotted the SXSW premiere because of it), the latest story of zen bouncer Dalton, previously played by the late Patrick Swayze, is headed to Prime Video. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a former UFC fighter who ends up working at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys, Roadhouse looks to become a "regular Saturday night thing" for a whole new generation. Also starring the UFC's Conor McGregor, The Suicide Squad's Daniela Melchior, and Shrinking's Jessica Williams.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
US Date: March 29
I refuse to make a “who you gonna call” joke here, though I suppose I just did despite my best intentions. Anyway, the franchise of ghostbusting continues with a direct sequel to 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, whether or not that film’s bustin’ made you feel good, as Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and Mckenna Grace return to action after New York City is frozen by a force from beyond. And yes, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and even William Atherton all return from the 1984 film, though for how many minutes of actual running time remains to be seen.
What films are you most looking forward to in 2024? Let’s discuss in the comments!
Note: This story was originally posted on Dec. 31, 2023. It was updated on March 28, 2024, with the latest information available about the upcoming release slate.
