TAGGED AS: blockbusters, movies
Mean Girls
(2024)
Directed by: Arturo Perez Jr., Samantha Jayne
Starring: Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auliʻi Cravalho, Bebe Wood, Jaquel Spivey, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jenna Fischer, Jon Hamm, Ashley Park
Opening on: January 12, 2024
Though it may look like a remake of the 2004 comedy, this new interpretation isn’t quite that. Written by Tina Fey (who also wrote the original and makes an appearance in this film), this is an adaptation of the stage musical Mean Girls, which was itself an adaptation of the original film. Angourie Rice plays new girl Cady Heron, while Reneé Rapp takes on the role of head Mean Girl Regina George.
Argylle
(2024)
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, John Cena, Dua Lipa, Bryan Cranston, Sofia Boutella, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson
Opening on: February 2, 2024
Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn returns to the world of cheeky spies with this action comedy about a novelist (Bryce Dallas Howard) who draws the attention of an underground crime syndicate when the plots of her espionage novels uncannily mirror their activities. It’s up to an undercover spy (Sam Rockwell) to save her and her cat.
Lisa Frankenstein
(2024)
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Carla Gugino
Opening on: February 9, 2024
Juno and Jennifer’s Body writer Diablo Cody is also behind the script for this ’90s twist on the classic Mary Shelley horror story. Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) stars as a misunderstood teen named Lisa whose crush is the young man from the Victorian era who happens to be buried in the cemetery behind her family’s home. That young man is mysteriously brought back to life, and the two embark on unlikely romance.
Bob Marley: One Love
(2024)
Directed by: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton, Tosin Cole
Opening on: February 14, 2024
Coming off an appearance in last year’s Barbie, One Night in Miami star Kingsley Ben-Adir headlines this biopic about the legendary reggae superstar directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, whose last biographical film, King Richard, earned six Oscar nominations and a Best Actor win for Will Smith. The film looks to be a fairly complete look at the singer’s life, including his rise to fame and his death.
Madame Web
(2024)
Directed by: S.J. Clarkson
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Emma Roberts, Mike Epps, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mamet
Opening on: February 14, 2024
Sony’s “Spider-Man Movie Franchise (Without Spider-Man)” has had highs (Venom) and lows (Morbius), but Madame Web, which stars Dakota Johnson as the clairvoyant Spidey side character, might be worth sticking around for, even if Peter Parker himself never shows up. Sydney Sweeney, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mamet co-star.
Drive-Away Dolls
(2024)
Directed by: Ethan Coen
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp, Matt Damon
Opening on: February 23, 2024
After Joel Coen went solo for the first time with 2019’s Macbeth, Ethan Coen is now following suit with his own solo directorial effort. This road comedy follows a pair of friends played by Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan whose road trip to Tallahassee is disrupted when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals.
Stopmotion
(2023)
Directed by: Robert Morgan
Starring: Aisling Franciosi, Stella Gonet, Tom York, Therica Wilson-Read
Opening on: February 23, 2024
For anyone bemoaning the lack of original horror films — which, by the way, we think you can find if you look for them — we have this gem that originally premiered at last year’s Fantastic Fest. Directed by Robert Morgan, who co-wrote the script with Robin King, the film centers on a stop-motion animator who suddenly becomes obsessed with her latest film when a neighbor suggests the addition of a monstrous new character.
Dune: Part Two
(2024)
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård
Opening on: March 1, 2024
The first installment’s day-and-date release on HBO Max initially put this sequel into question, but WB thankfully saw fit to give Denis Villeneuve the green light. Part Two sees big names like Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, Austin Butler, and Christopher Walken join the cast as Villeneuve tells the second half of Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel.
Imaginary
(2024)
Directed by: Jeff Wadlow
Starring: DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun, Veronica Falcon, Betty Buckley
Opening on: March 8, 2024
This original horror film from Blumhouse centers on a woman (DeWanda Wise) who moves back into her childhood home with her family, only to discover her stepdaughter (Pyper Braun) has become attached to a stuffed bear she found in the basement that compels her to engage in increasingly dangerous games.
Kung Fu Panda 4
(2024)
Directed by: Mike Mitchell
Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, and David Cross
Opening on: March 8, 2024
DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda series is quietly incredible, taking what could have been a silly premise (Jack Black voices a fat panda who does martial arts) and turning it into something funny, heartfelt, and full of impressive fight scenes. At CinemaCon 2023, we learned that Mike Mitchell (Trolls, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part) would be directing the film, and that the story would follow Po as he faces off against a chameleon foe and searches for a new Dragon Warrior.
Road House
(2024)
Directed by: Doug Liman
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, Conor McGregor, Lukas Gage, Arturo Castro
Opening on: March 21, 2024 on Prime Video
The 1989 Patrick Swayze action drama Road House is an undeniable cult classic, but director Doug Liman and Jake Gyllenhaal are putting their own spin on it. Gyllenhaal stars in the updated version as Elwood Dalton, a former UFC fighter who takes up a job at a roadhouse (of course) in coastal Florida and gets mixed up with all the wrong people. Will any throats be ripped? Only time will tell.
Arthur the King
(2024)
Directed by: Simon Cellan Jones
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu, Juliet Rylance, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ali Suliman
Opening on: March 22, 2024
Mark Wahlberg stars in this remarkable based-on-true-events story about a man who befriends a stray dog during his journey to win the Adventure Racing World Championship, a treacherous 435-mile endurance race through the Dominican Republic.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
(2024)
Directed by: Gil Kenan
Starring: Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt
Opening on: March 22, 2024
We don’t have a lot of confirmed details about this sequel, except that director Jason Reitman has been replaced by Gil Kenan (Monster House, Poltergeist 2015), who co-wrote Afterlife. We also know that stars Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, and Paul Rudd are returning, joined by names like Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt. And lastly, we also know that the film’s setting will indeed be New York and the firehouse from the original films, which was teased at the end of Afterlife.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
(2024)
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Starring: Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle, Fala Chen, Alex Ferns, and Rachel House
Opening on: March 29, 2024
The two greatest kaiju of all time are back for round two in the follow-up to the Monsterverse’s 2021 showdown. However, the synopsis suggests that they might be allies from the start rather than enemies this time around, as Godzilla and Kong will face “a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world.” Dan Stevens has been cast as the lead of the film, alongside returning GvK actors Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kaylee Hottle. Adam Wingard, who directed the previous bout, will be behind the camera for this one, too.
The First Omen
(2024)
Directed by: Arkasha Stevenson
Starring: Nell Tiger Free, Sônia Braga, Ralph Ineson, Bill Nighy, Maria Caballero, Nicole Sorace, Tawfeek Barhom, Ishtar Currie-Wilson, Charles Dance
Opening on: April 5, 2024
Nell Tiger Free stars in this prequel to the iconic 1976 horror film The Omen, expanding on the mythology of the film by telling the story of cursed child Damien’s birth. Free plays a young woman sent to serve as a nun in Rome who slowly uncovers a dark conspiracy to birth the antichrist.
Monkey Man
(2024)
Directed by: Dev Patel
Starring: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar
Opening on: April 5, 2024
If the poster for Monkey Man makes it look a bit like a horror film, you might be surprised to learn that it’s actually a John Wick-styled action thriller set in Mumbai. Not only that, but it marks Dev Patel’s feature directorial debut (he also co-wrote it), and he stars in the film as an underground bare knuckle fighter who embarks on a vengeful rampage through the city’s corrupt underbelly.
Civil War
(2024)
Directed by: Alex Garland
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jesse Plemons, Nick Offerman
Opening on: April 12, 2024
Alex Garland’s (Ex Machina, Annihilation) fourth film sees the United States plunged into, well, a civil war. The film’s official description calls it a “race to the White House in a near-future America balanced on the razor’s edge,” and the trailer showcases a number of provocative images, so get ready for this one to be controversial, even if we can all agree that Nick Offerman would make a great president.
Abigail
(2024)
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Angus Cloud, Kevin Durand, Alisha Weir
Opening on: April 19, 2024
If you enjoyed 2019’s Ready or Not or the recent Scream films, then this one might be for you, because the directorial duo behind those films is also at the helm of Abigail. Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens are among the cast who play a ragtag group of criminals who are tasked with watching over a kidnapped 12-year-old ballerina, the daughter of an underworld kingpin, for one night. The twist? That little girl is a vampire.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
(2024)
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Henry Golding, Alan Ritchson, Cary Elwes, Til Schweiger, Alex Pettyfer
Opening on: April 19, 2024
The next Guy Ritchie joint sees the director reuniting with his The Man from U.N.C.L.E. star Henry Cavill (and, incidentally, The Gentlemen star Henry Golding), who leads an ensemble cast in a spy action comedy inspired by true events. The story centers on a secret military organization created by Winston Churchill in World War II to battle the Nazis — think Inglourious Basterds, but real. Ritchie has taken the serious route with a couple of his recent films, but this looks like a return to his snarkier fare.
Boy Kills World
(2023)
Directed by: Moritz Mohr
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Andrew Koji, Famke Janssen, Sharlto Copley, H. Jon Benjamin
Opening on: April 26, 2024
If you can’t wait for The Crow later in the year, you can still catch Bill Skarsgård kicking ass and taking names — albeit silently — in this action thriller about a deaf man named Boy who trains to become a vengeful killer when his family is murdered. It’s worth noting here that H. Jon Benjamin provides the voice for Boy’s inner monologue.
Challengers
(2024)
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist
Opening on: April 26, 2024
Zendaya headlines the latest film from Luca Guadagnino, which centers on the relationships between a tennis prodigy-turned-coach (Zendaya), the struggling former champion who is her husband (Mike Faist), and his former best friend (Josh O’Connor) — who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend.
