January has come and gone, bringing us one legitimate Best Picture contender (1917), one surprise hit (who knew Bad Boys for Life would actually be good?), and a handful of duds, which is pretty much par for the course at this time of year. As we enter the month that celebrates romance, Black history, and American presidents, the movie slate doesn’t look like it’s going to set the world on fire, but there’s still a few notable titles to consider. We’ve got the latest DC Comics movie, for starters, and a Cannes Film Festival winner, a video game-based adventure, a children’s movie based on a classic novel, and a horror remake. But what did RT users and our fans on social media vote to the top of the list? See below for the most anticipated movies opening in February.
3,681 Want-to-See Votes
#1 pick by our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter fans
Opens February 7
Margot Robbie sheds the Suicide Squad for her own marquee film — sort of — as she takes center stage as Harley Quinn in this DC Comics adaptation. Here, she and her cohort of fierce lady friends (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Rosie Perez) take on a Gotham City crime lord (Ewan McGregor) who’s out to get a young girl named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco). This movie racked up the most Want-to-See votes by far and rocketed to the top of all of our social polls as the most anticipated film of the month, and early word on social media has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ll see if the film retains that heat when it opens the first week of February.
1,650 Want-to-See Votes
#2 pick by our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter fans
Opens February 14
Remember when the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog premiered and the internet did a collective spit-take at the inexplicably malformed character design? Remember when the studio then backtracked and redesigned Sonic to match the original character more closely? Whether or not it was all a clever marketing ploy (all press is good press, right?) to convince nostalgic moviegoers that the people behind the film were on their side, it’s resulted in a fairly healthy anticipation for the film, which finds the blue speedster — an alien from another planet — teaming up with his newfound human bestie (James Marsden) to take on a gleefully unhinged Jim Carrey in the form of the original game’s classic nemesis, Dr. Robotnik. This one also unanimously took second place in all of our social polls and earned the second-most Want-to-See votes on RT.
1,252 Want-to-See Votes
#3 pick by our Twitter fans, #4 pick by our Facebook fans, #5 pick by our Instagram fans
Opens February 14
Sure, the top two vote-getters in February are broadly marketed Hollywood fare, but if there was any doubt that RT users are a diverse group who flock to all sorts of films, this should help alleviate some of it. Earning a spot in the top five in all of our social polls, as well as the third-most Want-to-See votes, is this French romantic drama from celebrated director Céline Sciamma that took home both the Queer Palm and the award for Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival last year. The story follows an artist who is hired to secretly paint the portrait of a reluctant bride-to-be; as the two spend more time together, a growing attraction becomes apparent and threatens to upend both their lives.
1,009 Want-to-See Votes
#3 pick by our Facebook and Instagram fans, #4 pick by our Twitter fans
Opens February 28
H.G. Wells’ seminal science-fiction novel has been adapted or borrowed from on several occasions since its publication in 1897, most notably in 1933 as part of Universal Pictures’ stable of monster movies. Now, with the studio’s desire to update their classic horror pictures (formerly as part of a “Dark Universe”), we’re getting a new version starring Elisabeth Moss as a woman who may or may not be imagining the unseen presence of her abusive ex, a brilliant scientist who apparently committed suicide but might have actually discovered a way to turn himself invisible instead. Encouraged by a fairly effective trailer, initially skeptical moviegoers have turned the corner to cautious optimism, making the film February’s fourth-most anticipated title.
1,116 Want-to-See Votes
#4 pick by our Instagram fans, #5 pick by our Facebook fans
Opens February 21
Speaking of celebrated literature brought to the big screen, our last entry on the list adapts a Jack London masterpiece with the help of modern technology. While previous iterations of The Call of the Wild were content to work with live St. Bernards, this film stars a computer-animated Buck alongside Harrison Ford as John Thornton, who encounters the canine hero after he’s been dognapped from his domestic life in California and sold as a beast of labor in the Alaskan Yukon. This one made into the top five of our Facebook and Instagram polls, and it earned the fourth most Want-to-See votes of all movies this month.
Thumnail image by Warner Bros. Pictures
