[Updated 11/9/2023]

Just as Hollywood seemed to be recovering from its pandemic woes, the industry had to contend with both a WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which caused production delays and shifted big release dates. But we’ve finally moved past that, and 2024 is nigh upon us, bringing with it exciting superhero movies, a highly anticipated musical adaptation, George Miller’s return to Mad Max, a third Avatar, and much, much, more. See below for the movies we’re most looking forward to in 2024, and check back regularly as we make more updates to the list!

JANUARY

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.

FEBRUARY

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.

MARCH

The Fall Guy (2024)

Directed by: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt
Opening on: March 1, 2024

Is there a better action director than David Leitch these days? Leitch, a former stuntman who previously helmed John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Hobbs & Shaw, is tackling a film adaptation of an ‘80s TV show about a stuntman who moonlights as a bounty hunter. Sounds right up his alley. Ryan Gosling will play the lead alongside Emily Blunt.

(Photo by ©20th Century Fox)

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.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård
Opening on: March 15, 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.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Directed by: Gil Kenan
Starring: Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt
Opening on: March 29, 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.

Mickey 17 (2024)

Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, Steven Yeun
Opening on: March 29, 2024

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho follows up his Academy Award-winning film Parasite with this adaptation of the sci-fi novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. Robert Pattinson stars as a disposable employee — one whose body is regenerated with previous memories intact every time he dies — on a mission to colonize a distant world.

APRIL

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: April 12, 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.

(Photo by ©MGM)

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.

MAY

IF (2024)

Directed by: John Krasinski
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, Cailey Fleming, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Steve Carell, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Maya Rudolph, Awkwafina
Opening on: May 17, 2024

John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds — both of whom also star in this film, by the way — developed this fantasy comedy also written by Krasinski about a young girl who learns she has the ability to see Imaginary Friends (hence the title IF) that have been abandoned. Reynolds and Krasinski are joined by massive voice cast (presumably for those imaginary friends) that includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Matt Damon, Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Awkwafina, and more.

Furiosa (2024)

Directed by: George Miller
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Nathan Jones, and Angus Sampson
Opening on: May 24, 2024

Anya Taylor-Joy will play a younger version of the war rig-driving badass Imperator Furiosa in this prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, one of the best films of the century so far. George Miller will, naturally, direct once more, and Chris Hemsworth will co-star in the movie, which tells the tale of Furiosa’s kidnapping and her rise through Immortan Joe’s ranks.

Garfield (2024)

Directed by: Mark Dindal
Starring: Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Cecily Strong, Hannah Waddingham, and Ving Rhames
Opening on: May 24, 2024

After Chris Pratt voiced Mario, he wept, for there were no more animated characters to conquer. Just kidding! He’ll be voicing everybody’s favorite lasagna-loving, Monday-hating cat, Garfield, in a new movie adaptation of the long-running comic strip. Samuel L. Jackson will voice Vic, Garfield’s father. Sure! Okay!

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Directed by: Wes Ball
Starring: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Peter Macon, Eka Darville, and Kevin Durand
Opening on: May 24, 2024

Caesar, the chimpanzee who led the apes to world domination, died at the end of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, the third film in the reboot trilogy of the classic sci-fi franchise. However, there’s more monkey business to be had. (Yes, apes and monkeys are different, but let us have this.) Wes Ball, who helmed the Maze Runner films, directs the fourth film in the series, which takes place many years after the events of War.

JUNE

Ballerina (2024)

Directed by: Len Wiseman
Starring: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne
Opening on: June 7, 2024

The first spin-off film of the John Wick universe stars Ana de Armas as one of the female assassins trained by the Ruska Roma, the criminal organization headed by Anjelica Huston’s “Director” and glimpsed in John Wick: Chatper 3 – Parabellum. Details are thin so far, but we know it will be another revenge tale, and we know that it will be set specifically between the events of Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, so Keanu Reeves and his Continental cohort will also appear.

Bad Boys 4 (2024)

Directed by: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence
Opening on: June 14, 2024

If the third film in the Bad Boys franchise had gotten a different title, then this fourth installment could have easily been named Bad Boys 4 Life. But that’s not how reality works, so for now, we’ll just call this one Bad Boys 4, which will see detectives Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) reunite for another explosive action-adventure.

Inside Out 2 (2024)

Directed by: Kelsey Mann
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black
Opening on: June 14, 2024

The wonderful Pixar film Inside Out showed us what things are like inside of an emotional young girl’s head. How do you raise the stakes for the sequel? Go inside a teenager’s head, of course. Inside Out 2 will revisit Riley now that she’s in college, and it will fittingly introduce a host of new emotions. There are reports that, aside from Amy Poehler, not all of the original voice cast, whose ranks included Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling, will return for the sequel.

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Directed by: Michael Sarnoski
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Denis O’Hare
Opening on: June 28, 2024

With the thrilling exception of the second movie’s opening scene, the action in the A Quiet Place franchise has taken place after the super-hearing, super-deadly aliens have already invaded and destroyed society as we know it. As the title here implies, the third film in the series will show the first days of the alien attack, well before anybody knows what’s going on or what to expect from these monsters, and it will be directed by Michael Sarnoski, who gave us one of Nicolas Cage’s best performances ever in 2021’s Pig. While most of the cast announced so far are new, we will see the return of Djimon Hounsou’s character from Part II.

JULY

(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)

Despicable Me 4 (2024)

Directed by: Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage
Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, and Steve Coogan
Opening on: July 3, 2024

Don’t forget which master the Minions serve. Coming two years after the last installment in the franchise, the spin-off Minions: The Rise of Gru, Despicable Me is going back to the mainline series, though there are no specific details at this point about what trouble Gru and the Minions will get into this time around.

Twisters (2024)

Directed by: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney
Opening on: July 19, 2024

Originally planned as a remake of the 1996 disaster movie Twister, Twisters eventually took form as a sequel, though it’s being called a “new chapter” and it isn’t clear if it will have any connection to its predecessor. Minari director Lee Isaac Chung makes the leap from indie drama to summer blockbuster, with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos set to star.

Deadpool 3 (2024)

Directed by: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Leslie Uggams
Opening on: July 26, 2024

The Merc With a Mouth is back — and so is Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine? The first Deadpool movie since Disney bought Fox will certainly be a sight to behold, as the Ryan Reynolds-led franchise is beloved for its R-rated humor. How that will blend with the MCU’s decidedly PG-13 tone is a mystery, as is how and why Jackman is unsheathing Wolverine’s claws after the acclaimed swan song that was Logan.

AUGUST

Borderlands (2024)

Directed by: Eli Roth
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Ariana Greenblatt, Jamie Lee Curtis, Edgar Ramirez, Haley Bennett, Florian Munteanu
Opening on: August 9, 2024

Get ready for some outer space shenanigans as Eli Roth takes the helm for this adaptation of the popular and wacky video game series. The cast includes big names like Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black, and the film was written by Craig Mazin, who recently helped make a hit out of another acclaimed video game franchise, The Last of Us.

(Photo by 20th Century Fox)

Untitled Alien Movie (2024)
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Isabela Merced, Cailee Spaeny, Archie Renaux, David Jonsson, Spike Feam, Aileen Wu
Opening in: August 16, 2024

The new film comes from Don’t Breathe director Fede Álvarez and will follow “a group of young people on a distant world, who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.”

Kraven the Hunter (2024)

Directed by: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Opening on: August 30, 2024

Originally set to appear sometime in the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man franchise before it was discontinued by Sony, the classic Spidey villain finally makes the jump to the big screen. The film will be directed by J.C. Chandor (All Is Lost, Triple Frontier), with Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who portrayed Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron) set to play the character.

SEPTEMBER

Beetlejuice 2 (2024)

Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Belluci, Willem Dafoe
Opening on: September 6, 2024

Tim Burton reteams with Michael Keaton to return to one of his early iconic characters in this sequel to 1988’s Beetlejuice. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are also both on board to reprise their characters Lydia and Delia Deetz, while Jenna Ortega joins the cast as Lydia’s daughter.

Transformers One (2024)

Directed by: Josh Cooley
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Jon Hamm, Laurence Fishburne, Keegan-Michael Key
Opening on: September 13, 2024

The Transformers franchise returns to its roots with an animated prequel that explores the origins of the titular robots’ home world of Cybertron and the rivalry between Optimus Prime and Megatron. It will be separate from the ongoing narrative of the live-action films, and it will be helmed by Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley, with Chris Hemsworth as the voice of Optimus Prime and Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron.

OCTOBER

(Photo by Niko Tavernise/©Warner Bros.)

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Zazie Beetz, Catherine Keener, and Jacob Lofland
Opening on: October 4, 2024

Director Todd Phillips helms this follow-up to the wildly successful R-rated take on the iconic Batman villain that earned Joaquin Phoenix the Oscar for Best Actor. In Folie à Deux, he’ll be joined by Lady Gaga, who is playing his love interest (it’s complicated) Harley Quinn, and the film will reportedly be a musical. Yes, you read that right.

(Photo by ©Bloody Disgusting)

Terrifier 3 (2024)
Directed by: TBD
Starring: David Howard Thornton
Opening on: October 25, 2024

We don’t know much about the third installment of the cult favorite horror franchise Terrifier, but we do know that David Howard Thornton will return to play Art the Clown and that the film will be set on Christmas Eve. The budget is also reportedly much larger than the previous two films, so fans can look forward to upgraded production value.

NOVEMBER

Venom 3 (2024)

Directed by: Kelly Marcel
Starring: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Opening on: November 8, 2024

Tom Hardy returns for this third installment of the Spider-Man-adjacent antihero franchise, centering on a San Francisco reporter possessed by an alien symbiote. Writer Kelly Marcel steps in behind the camera for this one, whose plot we really don’t know much about yet.

Gladiator 2 (2024)

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, Joseph Quinn, Derek Jacobi
Opening on: November 22, 2024

Ridley Scott returns to direct this sequel to the historical epic Gladiator. The story will reportedly revolve around a grown-up Lucius (played by Paul Mescal), who has become emperor, and will see the return of Connie Nielsen as Lucilla.

Wicked Part 1 (2024)

Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jonathan Bailey
Opening on: November 27, 2024

The legendary Broadway musical that tells the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West from a different perspective is getting a two-part film adaptation. Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) will take audiences to Oz, while Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will play Elphaba and Glinda, respectively.

DECEMBER

The Karate Kid (2024)
Directed by: TBA
Starring: TBA
Opening on: December 13, 2024

The popular Netflix series Cobra Kai has helped keep the iconic ‘80s martial arts franchise alive and kicking in the popular consciousness, and in 2024 Sony will head back to the IP dojo with a remake of the original flick. Few additional details have been revealed, though it is confirmed that the movie will have no connection to the Netflix show.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)

Directed by: Kenji Kamiyama
Starring: Brian Cox, Miranda Otto
Opening on: December 13, 2024

Warner Bros. latest film in the Lord of the Rings universe is this animated prequel that follows the exploits of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary king of Rohan, home of the horsemen known as the Rohirrim that played a big part in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Brian Cox will lend his voice to the central character, who reigned 183 years before the events of The Two Towers, while the latter film’s Miranda Otto reprises her role as Eowyn, who will serve as a framing device for the story.

Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)

Directed by: Barry Jenkins
Starring: Aaron Pierre, Kevin Harrison Jr., Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and John Kani
Opening on: December 20, 2024

The “live-action” Lion King (which was 100 percent computer-generated and not actually live action, to be clear) is getting a prequel that will explore the backstory of Simba’s father, Mufasa. James Earl Jones, who voiced Mufasa in the original Lion King and the remake, will not voice this younger version of Mufasa, and instead Aaron Pierre will play the character. Kelvin Harrison Jr. will play Scar, who goes by Taka when the events of the film take place.

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

Directed by: Jeff Fowler
Starring: Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, James Marsden, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey
Opening on: December 20, 2024

The Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise is speeding right along with a third installment that will presumably bring back Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails, and Idris Elba as Knuckles. Jim Carrey, who played the villainous Dr. Robotnik in the first two movies, might sit this one out as he’s been talking about retiring from acting. But, there will be at least one foe giving Sonic a run for his money, as Sonic 2 teased a new villain, Shadow the Hedgehog, in its post-credits scene.

TBD

(Photo by Sony Pictures)

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2024)

Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Issa Rae, and Jason Schwartzman
Opening on: TBD (previously March 29, 2024)

The 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one of the best superhero movies and one of the best animated movies to grace theaters in recent years, so it’s only natural that there would be a sequel. However, there were simply too many Spider-Men for just one movie, and the sequel was split into two films. 2023’s Across the Spider-Verse premiered to rave reviews and a monster opening weekend but ended on a cliffhanger for Miles Morales and his friends, which Beyond the Spider-Verse will look to conclude. The film was originally dated for a March opening in 2024, but was removed from the schedule amid industry strikes in 2023.