What do moviegoers want to see right now? For decades, studios have had very specific answers to this question, but considering that 2023’s box office was dominated by two films called Barbie and Oppenheimer, it seems like those preconceived notions might be changing. When we look at the films already scheduled for 2024, there certainly seems to be a lot of familiarity that might be old hat.
But look again at a few of the auteur pieces that have already been slated. Even the blockbuster class looks surprisingly ambitious, with new works from the likes of George Miller, Denis Villeneuve, and Bong Joon-ho. There are also familiar favorites, such as a new Deadpool flick, and curious question marks–like Robert Eggers remaking the greatest vampire movie of all time more than a hundred years later. 2024 should be an interesting year at the movies. So here are a few to watch out for.
Society of the Snow
January 4 (Netflix)
J.A. Bayona, the director of The Orphanage and The Impossible heads up this true story of the Uruguayan Rugby team who’s chartered flight crashed over the Andes in 1972, forcing the survivors to go to extreme measures to stay alive. It’s based on a book of the same name by Pablo Vierci and features Uruguayan and Argentine actors, many of whom are unknowns who spent time with the real life survivors of the disaster in preparation. This is a story that’s already come to the big screen in the 1993 movie Alive (and to a lesser extent, riffed on in Yellowjackets). The movie premiered at Venice and will be released in Spain before it hits Netflix.
Mean Girls
January 12
Twenty years after the first film, Tina Fey is expanding her Mean Girls universe with a movie adaptation of the Broadway musical that she wrote the book for, which in turn was based on the 2004 film that she also wrote and starred in. The film version, however, stars Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys) as Cady Heron, the new girl in school who catches the eye of Regina George (Reneé Rapp, who is reprising her role from the stage) and the Plastics. After Cady is convinced by social outcasts Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey) to use her anonymity to try and take down the plastics from the inside, she discovers that maybe popularity isn’t such a bad thing. Why settle for taking down Regina George when you can become her instead?
Origin
January 19
After a limited release in December, Ava DuVernay’s new film sees its wide theatrical release in the New Year. The film marks DuVernay’s return to the thorny American issues that made her earlier work like Selma and the documentary 13th so captivating. Origin is, indeed, based on a nonfiction book by isabel wilkerson that seeks to track the origin of how American racism stratified an unspoken caste system in the 20th century to rival those found in nations like India. The film stars Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, and Blair Underwood, among others.
Argylle
February 2
Imagine for a moment that you’re a world-famous author, one who is beloved for writing a series of books about a boy wizard who lived. Now imagine a real wizard showed up in your kitchen and said, “Let’s go on a real magical adventure!” That is the kernel of an idea Matthew Vaughn had for Argylle, a new espionage film from the director of Kingsman, only here the main character is an introverted author (Bryce Dallas Howard) who lives vicariously through her studly literary spy that looks suspiciously like Henry Cavill in her head. But when a real spy (Sam Rockwell) shows up at her doorstep, she finds herself immersed in a world of international intrigue, double crosses, and a kitty!
Lisa Frankenstein
February 9
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Diablo Cody (writer of the cult classic Jennifer’s Body) has partnered with first-time director Zelda Williams to create what is sure to be another campy horror hit. Set in 1989, Lisa Frankenstein follows Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton), a lonely, misunderstood Goth girl who reanimates the body of a dead Victorian boy (Cole Sprouse) with the power of a malfunctioning tanning bed and a lightning storm. Now that she’s finally manifested (or rather created) the man of her dreams, the two embark on a journey of love, acceptance, and maybe even a little murder.
Madame Web
February 14
Madame Web isn’t the easiest comic character to adapt for the big screen, but that isn’t stopping Sony from trying. The next entry in their live-action Spider-Verse, Madame Web, is an origin story of sorts for Cassandra “Cassie” Webb (Dakota Johnson), a New York City Paramedic who discovers that she has clairvoyant abilities and that her destiny seems to be tied to three young women and the mysterious man hunting them down. Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Adam Scott, Emma Roberts, and Tahar Rahim star in the film alongside Johnson.
Drive-Away Dolls
February 23
Not only is Drive-Away Dolls Ethan Coen’s first directorial feature without his brother Joel, but it’s also meant to be the first of a trilogy of “lesbian B-movies” that Coen is writing with his wife Tricia Cooke. This comedy begins with a need to escape. Friends Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) decide to embark on a journey to Tallahassee, Florida as free-spirited Jamie bemoans yet another breakup and Marian feels a need to loosen up and step outside of her comfort zone. But despite their need for a drama-free getaway, a mixup with a rental car gets the women involved with an inept but determined group of criminals who are desperate to get back a very important briefcase. In addition to its leading lesbians, Drive-Away Dolls has a stacked cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Beanie Feldstein, Matt Damon, and Colman Domingo.
Dune: Part Two
March 1
In a better world, we would have already made our return trip to Arrakis to see how Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides leads the Fremen against the evil Harkonnens while becoming a religious figure and inaugurate a galaxy-wide jihad. Instead David Zaslav channeled his inner Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV and bumped the movie back to next March, forcing us to wait even longer to see Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. The film concludes the story began in 2021’s Dune, bringing back Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya, while adding to the cast Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Christopher Walken as the Emperor, and Florence Pugh as his daughter Princess Irulan.
Imaginary
March 8
Another day, another concept Blumhouse movie, and this time it’s basically Ted but evil. Or possibly M3GAN but a demon bear. The film sees a woman return to her childhood home where she finds the imaginary friend she had as a child wasn’t imaginary and is incredibly annoyed she abandoned him. Now Chauncy the bear “befriends” a new little girl, and he quickly shows himself to be a very bad influence. Truth or Dare’s Jeff Wadlow directs with Jurassic World Dominion’s DeWanda Wise starring.
Arthur the King
March 22
Mark Wahlberg is in a dog movie. Admit it, you’re smiling already. This particular dog movie also just so happens to be based on a true story, which in real-life involved a Swedish adventure racer who alongside a team would traverse hundreds of miles of wilderness, rivers, and mountainous terrain in an extreme form of extreme sports. And yet, to his chagrin, he met a dog who could do all that, too, right by his side. Yeah, you know how this one is going to go. Get the Kleenex ready.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
March 29
It’s another Ghostbusters movie! Following on from Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the Spengler family leave Summerville and head to New York City to assist the remaining original Ghostbusters with a research project, but in doing so unearth an ancient evil attached to an artifact which could usher in a new ice age. Eek! Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace return as the Spenglers/baby Ghostbusters, along with Paul Rudd’s Gary Grooberson, Celeste O’Connor’s Lucky Domingo, and Logan Kim as Podcast. OGB’s Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and William Atherton are also back, and are joined by new faces Kumail Nanjiani and Brit comedian James Acaster. Hijinx guaranteed.
Mickey 17
March 29
Mickey 17, an adaptation of Edward Ashton’s sci-fi novel Mickey7, isn’t the first English language movie from Korean director Bong Joon-ho. However, unlike Snowpiercer or Okja, Mickey 17 comes after Bong’s Best Picture and Best Director wins for 2019’s Parasite, thus upping the expectation. Robert Pattinson stars as Mickey Barnes, a clone sent to help colonize a distant world who begins to recall his past lives. Joining Pattinson are Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo, and Toni Collette. We don’t know yet how director Bong will use those big Hollywood names in Mickey 17, but if he gets anywhere close to making Chris Evans talk about eating a baby, as he did in Snowpiercer, then we’re in for a crazy anti-capitalist good time!
The First Omen
April 5
Ever wondered what Omens were like before THE Omen? Now’s your chance to find out with this prequel that’s the feature directorial debut of Arkasha Stevenson, who proved her horror chops on TV show Channel Zero. The movie follows an American woman sent to work in a church in Rome who uncovers a plot to spawn the Antichrist. Servant’s Nell Tiger Free stars alongside Bill Nighy and Ralph Ineson.