Most Anticipated Films of 2024

Goodbye 2023! It’s time to prep for a sequel-heavy new year. Allison and I have compiled a list of the twenty-five films we are most looking forward to seeing. As with last year, a few of these are holdovers from 2023 that have still yet to be released, mainly due to the strikes that crippled Hollywood for many months. Check out our picks after the jump!

Here are our 25 most anticipated movies for 2024, in alphabetical order.

BEETLEJUICE 2

Release date: September 6th

Tim Burton’s 1988 masterpiece Beetlejuice remains one of my top ten films of all time, so to say I have been following nearly every iteration of this belated sequel quite closely would almost be an understatement. Since the inception of Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian in 1990, a follow-up has evaded completion at every turn. With Burton returning, Danny Elfman scoring, the addition of Jenna Ortega, plus Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Michael Keaton back, I have to assume that whatever was holding this back finally fell into place. Here’s to hoping for a sequence even halfway as iconic as “Day-O.”

THE BIKERIDERS

Release date: June 21st

Freshly minted by Focus Features after being pulled from the Disney slate, this Austin Butler-led motorcycle club saga could be an awards contender in the new year. Murky morality and Sons of Anarchy-style dramatics are hopefully in store. It also happens to be the first movie on this list starring West Side Story darling Mike Faist.

BORDERLANDS

Release date: August 9th

Any Eli Roth movie has been a must-see for me since his debut with Cabin Fever. Riding the career-high reviews of slasher instant-classic Thanksgiving, Roth shifts into video game adaptation mode. The impressive cast includes Jamie Lee Curtin, Gina Gershon, Cate Blanchett, and more!

CHALLENGERS

Release date: April 26th

Whatever weird love triangle is happening here between Mike Faist, Zendaya, and Josh O’Connor, I am into it. Tragically bumped from 2023 due to the actor’s strikes, the new feature from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino feels destined for greatness. And great horniness.

DEADPOOL 3

Release date: July 26th

The last time we saw Wolverine, it was in 2017’s gritty Logan. Spoiler alert for a six-year-old movie: Hugh Jackman’s iteration of the character was put to rest for good. Inexplicably, he now has been resurrected for another go-round, this time opposite Ryan Reynolds and his goofy Deadpool persona. Who cares if it makes any narrative sense—Deadpool 3 features one of the most exciting onscreen team-ups in years.

DUNE: PART TWO

Release date: March 1st

The first film was a flawless, visually stunning sci-fi epic that really leaves the viewer hanging in anticipation. With Part Two comes a much larger role for Zendaya’s Chani, along with the additions of Austin Butler and Florence Pugh to the series. I would have been there day one at just the uttering of “Timothee Chalamet.” Will this sprout another meme like the hand-in-the-box from Dune? Only time will tell…

THE FALL GUY

Release date: May 3rd

Director David Leitch put stunt-driven action back on the map in a big way by helping kickstart the John Wick franchise, on which he still remains a producer. Now in some meta twist of fate, Leitch helms a big blockbuster buoyed by a retired stuntman played by Ryan Gosling. The potential for a bombastic blast of fun is muted only slightly by the fact that The Fall Guy has earned a PG-13 rating.

FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA

Release date: May 24th

A follow-up to Mad Max: Fury Road has been in the works for quite some time. Finally, George Miller returns to cinema in a major way. Led by Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, Furiosa promises more vibrant action sequences and mind-blowing visuals to boot.

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

Release date: March 29th

With the new status quo firmly established by the previous film, Frozen Empire can blend the old guard with the new seamlessly, and without having to worry about spoiling the return of legacy characters. Now, we can just settle in as audience members to embrace whatever craziness a new Ghostbusters has in store. The new premise seems eerie and dark, and the trailer delivered on 80s vibes in a major way.

IF

Release date: May 17th

John Krasinski directing his first non-horror feature, littered with imaginary friends (and Ryan Reynolds!) sounds so delightfully charming that it could just be imaginary itself.

IMAGINARY

Release date: March 8th

Blumhouse sets their sights on an evil teddy bear in Imaginary. The burgeoning studio churns out their content at an impressive pace, yet every film whether good or bad does at least feel fully-formed. Only director Jeff Wadlow gives pause—his Truth or Dare and Cry Wolf are both pretty dynamic, but Fantasy Island was laughably bad. Let’s aim for more of the former, and less of the latter.

INSIDE OUT 2

Release date: June 14th

The first Inside Out is arguably the best Pixar film of all time; keeping their trend with only building sequels if they are worth telling, Inside Out 2 looks to be a natural evolution of what came before. Icky behind-the-scenes voice actor issues aside, everything about this production already leaves the tear ducts welling in anticipation.

JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX

Release date: October 4th

Making Joker into a musical may seem a curious decision, but Deux adds Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. I have full confidence that her literal insanity will be folded neatly into the plot. Imagining what her interactions with Joaquin’s Joker look like promises a bevy of possibilities. Will Deux be as dark and disturbing as the previous film? Only time will tell. Just don’t compare Gaga to Margot Robbie’s Quinn—this is an entirely different take.

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Release date: May 24th

The previous Planet of the Apes trilogy was so brilliantly executed that anything following it has some seriously ape-sized footprints to fill. However, I could not envision a better directorial fit than Maze Runner maven Wes Ball. What he accomplished with that trilogy of movies was impressive, and Planet of the Apes has a much bigger scope than anything in the Glade.

MAXXXINE

Release date: TBA 2024

Pearl and X were cream of the crop in 2022’s horror scene. Leave it to Ti West and A24 to surprise us with a third entry in the Pearl saga! At this point, I would watch Mia Goth recite the phone book, but West surely has creativity and bizarro charm up his sleeve. As different as Pearl and X feel, count on Maxxxine to be equally singular in vision and execution. Assumedly, Maxine heads to Hollywood where she is bound to get a taste of what it means to really become a star. A 90s-set whodunnit slasher? Count me in.

NOSFERATU

Release date: December 25th

Bill Skarsgård should probably just play every horror movie villain at this point. Though he already cut his teeth with vampirism in Netflix’s Hemlock Grove, Nosferatu will be a whole different kind of transformation. Does writer/director Robert Eggers just majorly have a thing for the Skarsgård family?

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE

Release date: June 28th

A prequel exploring the origin of the creatures could be a major narrative misstep, yet the promise of more time in this world coupled with John Krasinski returning to write should quell any misgivings. Will Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, and Djimon Hounsou be able to fill the shoes left by Krasinski and Blunt? The first two films fit together exceptionally well, so Day One will have to find the right balance in order to not stick out like a sore thumb.

SAW XI

Release date: September 27th

Are we truly back to the glory days of Saw, wherein we are gifted a gory treat every year just in time for Halloween? After Saw X debuted to the best reviews of the entire franchise, the series appears to have been rejuvenated for new and old fans alike. Being one of the most consistent entities in the horror landscape, for Saw XI, the sky’s the limit. Will we stay firmly in territory that allows mainstays to reappear, or will we finally discover what happened to Detective Hoffman at the end of Saw 3D?

SMILE 2

Release date: October 18th

For smash hit Smile, a sequel was inevitable. Most recently, Aladdin‘s Naomi Scott was announced as the new lead. I am still holding out for the return of Kyle Gallner, who was still very much alive at the close of the first movie. If Smile 2 can maintain even a fraction of the tension and horrific moments, we may have a seriously worthy follow-up on our hands.

SPEAK NO EVIL

Release date: August 9th

The original Speak No Evil, a bleak Danish feature, was released not long ago in 2022. Just two years later, its remake will debut. Will American audiences be responsive to the mean and nasty atmosphere? At least they will have James McAvoy to look at.

THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1

Release date: TBA 2024

Many consider 2018’s The Strangers: Prey at Night to be an even more effective horror show than the original, myself included. That entry leaned into an 80s vibe, with lengthy chases and one of the best horror set pieces unfolding in the waters of a swimming pool. Interestingly enough, this new film was announced as the first in a trilogy. Will the formula still work when presented as something of a remake/reimagining of the original?

TERRIFIER 3

Release date: October 25th

Terrifier 2, one of the nastiest films ever made to actual get something of a proper theatrical release, blew away box office expectations on its way to a record-breaking $15 million on a budget of just $250,000. Despite debuting as a one-off character in an anthology horror film, Art the Clown has become a horror icon in his own right. For Terrifier 3, the action shifts to a snowy Christmastime setting. Art the Clown as some kind of killer Santa? Yes please.

TWISTERS

Release date: July 19th

A belated reboot to 1996’s epic Twister, sans any of the original stars, seems a little odd. Considering how well the original still holds up to this day, what could a new version possibly add? At the very least, it will have major eye candy in stars Glen Powell, David Corenswet, Anthony Ramos, and Brandon Perea. Presumably, it will also have ecological commentary and updated tornado-hunting tech. “I think we’re goin’ in!”

WICKED: PART ONE

Release date: November 27th

Anyone who has ever seen Wicked on Broadway will tell you, it is truly one of the best musicals of our time. That said, did it really need to be split up into multiple movies? The wait between titles will probably be excruciating, but with a cast and production value this good, just try to resist Elphaba’s spell.

WOLF MAN

Release date: October 25th

Despite Ryan “Ken” Gosling being replaced by Possessor star Christopher Abbott at the eleventh hour, Wolf Man forges ahead. Helmed by Leigh Whannell (Saw, Insidious, The Invisible Man), a new take on well-worn property can pretty much go in any direction. As long as the basics are kept and the transformation impresses, Wolf Man howls with must-see energy.

Are there any exciting films in 2024 that missed our list? Let us know in the comments below! For the record, Jordan Peele’s untitled December feature would be near the top if it was not unnamed.