The 26 Most Anticipated Movies of 2024, From ‘Dune’ to ‘Wicked’

Release Date: January 12
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Micheal Ward, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, James McAvoy, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Why We’re Hyped: If the trailer for The Book of Clarence, the next film from director Jeymes Samuel, is any indication, it is going to be stylish, weird, funny, and endlessly entertaining. LaKeith Stanfield never delivers a bad performance, and this looks like a role where he can shine: a guy named Clarence living in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus Christ, looking to cash in on the rise of Christianity. You can’t knock the hustle!

Where to watch The Book of Clarence

Release Date: January 12
Where to watch: Hulu
Cast: Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Morales, Mary Holland, Emily Hampshire, Christopher Lloyd, Andy Samberg, and Wayne Brady.
Why We’re Hyped: The Lonely Island rarely misses, and the newest Hulu comedy produced by the former Saturday Night Live trio looks to be no exception. Jake Johnson, best known as a lovable disaster on New Girl, wrote and directed the script, starring himself as a reality show contestant who must outrun deadly assassins trying to kill him, to win a million bucks. Like Palm Springs before it, Self Reliance promises to be bizarre, hilarious, smart, and an all-around good time.

Where to watch Self Reliance

Release Date: March 1
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken
Why We’re Hyped: It’s been a long two-and-half years since filmmaker Denis Villeneuve left us all hanging with exactly one-half of a great movie, aka Dune Part 1. Now the sequel to the film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel is finally here. Based on the trailer, Zendaya is actually in this one! Let’s just hope Austin Butler doesn’t get stuck in character this time.

Where to watch Dune Part 2

Release Date: March 1
Where to watch: Netflix
Cast: Adam Sandler, Paul Dano, Carey Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar, and Isabella Rossellini
Why We’re Hyped: Adam Sandler befriending a spider monster voiced by Paul Dano in space? It’s more likely than you think! This upcoming Netflix sci-fi drama, based on the 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař, stars the Sandman as an astronaut losing his mind at the edge of the galaxy. Sandler’s proven himself to be a skilled dramatic actor, and the premise is just bizarre enough to have us hooked.

Where to watch Spaceman

Release Date: March 8
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brien, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco and Ed Harris.
Why We’re Hyped: There was tragic lack of mainstream lesbian cinema in 2023. But thankfully filmmaker Rose Glass (Saint Maud) is doing her part to make 2024 gay with a romantic thriller starring Kristen Stewart as a gym employee who falls in love with a bisexual bodybuilder (Katy O’Brien). The trailer promises passion, sex, fear, blood, and most importantly, two very queer women. Take my money!

Where to watch Love Lies Bleeding

Release Date: March 8
Where to watch: Netflix
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone and Nick Robinson.
Why We’re Hyped: Fans of Millie Bobby Brown have been waiting for this Netflix release ever since the streamer teased footage of Brown wielding a sword back in January 2023. This action fantasy features the Stranger Things star as a medieval-times woman named Elodie who dutifully agrees to marry a prince (Nick Robinson). But then it turns out the royal family recruited her as a human sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. So now Elodie has to fight a fire-breathing dragon to survive. Who wouldn’t want to watch Eleven kick some dragon butt?

Where to watch Damsel

Release Date: March 29
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.
Why We’re Hyped: All eyes have been on filmmaker Bong Joon-ho ever since Parasite took home the Oscar for Best Picture. This high-concept sci-fi, based on a 2022 novel by Edward Ashton, certainly sounds like a worthy follow-up. Robert Pattinson stars as a “disposable employee,” who repeatedly dies and regenerates, on a space mission to colonize an ice world. It sounds weird, unsettling, disturbing, and human—in other words, a classic Bong film!

Where to watch Mickey 17

Release Date: April 12
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, and Fala Chen.
Why We’re Hyped: The new Japanese movie Godzilla Minus One has critics raving over the characters and plot, but the Americans over at Warner Bros. know they don’t need any of that, as long as they have big monster fights. This team-up between the two big guys, Kong and Godzilla, promises to be just as big, stupid, dumb fun as the other films in WB’s “MonsterVerse.” Plus, ‘Zilla glows pink in this one. How cool is that?

Where to watch Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Release Date: April 26
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist.
Why We’re Hyped: We’ve been waiting for this one. Originally slated to release in fall 2023, but delayed due to the SAG strike, this latest from Italian director Luca Guadagnino looks positively delicious. Zendaya stars as a tennis champion who is courted by two fellow BFFs and players (Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist). Years later, the two men face off on the court, and some old rivalries never die. FilmTok isn’t ready for this one.

Where to watch Challengers

Release Date: April 26
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Cailee Spaeny, Jesse Plemons, and Nick Offerman.
Why We’re Hyped: Alex Garland, the filmmaker behind Ex Machina and Annihilation, is once again on a mission to send a chill down your spine. Given the nature of our current political climate, it’s almost surprising a movie about a new American civil war hasn’t been made yet. In Garland’s hands, it promises to be both disturbing and entertaining, especially with Oscar nominee Kirsten Dunst leading the cast as war reporter.

Where to watch Civil War

Release Date: May 3
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Winton Duke, Aaron Taylor Johnson
Why We’re Hyped: After Ryan Gosling brought down the house in Barbie, I would watch that man read the phonebook. I will also watch him jump off of cliffs and outrun explosions in this new action comedy based on the ’80s TV show of the same name. Gosling stars as a stuntman who volunteers to investigate the disappearance of a movie star, at the request of the movie’s director (Emily Blunt), who also happens to be Gosling’s on-screen ex-wife.

Where to watch The Fall Guy

Release Date: May 24
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth
Why We’re Hyped: Are you ready for the ride of your life? You better be! Because a new Mad Max movie, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, is coming to theaters in 2024. Based on the trailer, this movie is going to kick just as much ass as Charlize Theron did in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. Intended as a prequel and a spin-off to the hit 2015 movie, Furiosa stars Anya Taylor-Joy as a young Imperator Furiosa. Director George Miller is once again back with his specific flavor of organized chaos, so it’s a guaranteed good time.

Where to watch Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Release Date: May 24
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, and William H. Macy
Why We’re Hyped: I’ll be honest, I thought this franchise was as dead as the humans now are in the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. But here we are, seven years after the 2017 movie, with the fourth entry in the reboot series. And this time [Ben Wyatt from Parks and Rec voice] it’s about the apes. Set 300 years after the time of Cesar—the leader of the apes in the reboots—apes now rule the civilized world, while feral humans have retreated to the shadows. I won’t lie: I’m intrigued, even if the title is giving High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

Where to watch Kingdom of the Planet of Apes

Release Date: June 14
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast:  Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, and Maya Hawke.
Why We’re Hyped: 2015’s Inside Out was arguably the last truly great Pixar movie (sorry, Luca lovers). Sequels rarely live up to the originals, but we’re still excited to see the 2024 version of Disney cognitive behavioral therapy. That includes a brand new personified emotion of Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke in an inspired casting decision. Our main character Riley is now a teenager, and Gen Z will surely relate.

Where to watch Inside Out 2

Release Date: June 28
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou
Why We’re Hyped: John Krasinski has already delivered two solid horror movies with the Quiet Place franchise, and we have no reason to believe that this third movie—intended as a spin-off and a prequel—won’t be just as good. Krasinski co-wrote the story with director and screenplay writer Michael Sarnoski, and we’re thrilled to see Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o back in the horror game, after her iconic performance in Us.

Where to watch A Quiet Place: Day One

Release Date: June 28 for Chapter 1, August 16 for Chapter 2
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, and Will Patton.
Why We’re Hyped: If you’re missing Yellowstone somethin’ fierce, it may please you to know that Kevin Costner has written, directed, and starred in a sprawling, two-part Western epic, releasing back-to-back in theaters this summer. Costner has been trying to get this film made since the ’80s, and he has said he envisions a total of four parts. So don’t expect to get the full story from Chapters 1 and 2, but do expect some gorgeous shots of the American West.

Where to watch Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1

Release Date: July 19
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos
Why We’re Hyped: A Twister remake directed by Lee Isaac Chung, aka the filmmaker behind Minari, would not have been on my 2024 Bingo card, but I’ll take it. Disaster films are a guilty pleasure, and I’m more than intrigued by this cast-and-director combo. It’s technically a “standalone sequel” to the 1996 film that we all saw on cable. Let’s watch some people get blown away.

Where to watch Twisters

Release Date: July 26
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Morena Baccarin, Brianna Hildebrand, and Jennifer Garner.
Why We’re Hyped: There’s no doubt that interest in Marvel movies is waning, but we’re willing to bet Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman still have enough star power to get butts into seats for the third Deadpool movie. Who could resist the Merc with a Mouth and Wolverine? Now that’s what I call a team-up.

Where to watch Deadpool 3

Release Date: September 6
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe.
Why We’re Hyped: It’s been over 35 years since Michael Keaton first terrorized children as the quirky, disgusting demon known as Betelgeuse. Now, Keaton is back in his striped suit for a Betelgeuse sequel, with Tim Burton returning as director, and Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara reprising their roles. (Alec Baldwin is conspicuously absent from the cast list.) Add in Jenna Ortega, aka Miss Wednesday Addams herself, for some fresh blood, and you just know this is going to be a fun nostalgia-fest. (Betelgeuse.)

Where to watch Beetlejuice 2

Release Date: September 20
Where to watch: In theaters, on Apple TV+
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Amy Adams
Why We’re Hyped: Can we get George Clooney back in front of the camera, please? In this upcoming action-thriller directed by Jon Watts, Clooney reunites with his Oceans 11 co-star Brad Pitt, as two professional “fixers” who are hired for the same job. Sounds like a good, old-fashioned heist thriller with two of Hollywood’s best.

Where to watch Wolfs

Release Date: October 4
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson
Why We’re Hyped: Whether you loved or hated the 2019 Joker film, it’s hard not to be intrigued by the sequel. Director Todd Philips and star Joaquin Phoenix return, in this retelling of a Batman villain as a mentally ill, poverty-stricken former party clown who turns to a life of crime. Lady Gaga will co-star as Harley Quinn. No word yet on whether the stairs will also reprise their role. Also, it’s a musical? Now this I have to see.

Where to watch Joker: Folie à Deux

Release Date: November 22
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Derek Jacobi.
Why We’re Hyped: Ridley Scott is 86 years old, and still cranking out movies like it’s his job—which, I suppose, it is. Next up for Scott is a sequel to his 2000 war epic Gladiator, starring Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus, the now-grown nephew of Roman emperor Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix in the original). Also starring Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal, we expect to see some great performances and some very shiny abs.

Where to watch Gladiator 2

Release Date: November 27
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.
Why We’re Hyped: It’s been over 20 years since Wicked took Broadway by storm and tormented parents driving minivans of teenage girls all over the world. Now, finally, we’re getting part one of the film adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’s Tony-winning musical. Director Jon M. Chu already knocked one movie musical—In the Heights—out of the park, so we have faith he’ll rise to the occasion again. It’s hard to imagine anyone living up to the original performances of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, but Cynthia Erivo certainly seems like a safe bet. As for Ariana Grande—well, we’ll see!

Where to watch Wicked Part One

Release Date: 2024 TBA
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Julianne Nicholson, Zoe Ziegler, Elias Koteas, Sophie Okonedo, and Will Patton.
Why We’re Hyped: I’ve been eagerly awaiting this new A24 coming-of-age movie for months, and we still don’t have an official release date. Zoe Ziegler stars as a young tween spending her summer before 6th grade hanging out with her mom, Janet (Julianne Nicholson), a tough-as-nails acupuncturist who lives in the woods in the ’90s. This is the debut film from Pulitzer Prize­–winning playwright Annie Baker, and the lucky few critics who’ve seen it at festivals are raving. Hurry up and give it to me!

Where to watch Janet Planet

Release Date: 2024 TBA
Where to watch: Netflix
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Joey King, Liza Koshy, and Kathy Bates.
Why We’re Hyped: After witnessing Zac Efron’s Oscar-worthy performance in The Iron Claw, we’re on the edge of the seat to watch his next project. That said, this rom-com starring Zefron as a movie star who falls in love with the mother (Nicole Kidman) of his young co-star (Joey King), was filmed before The Iron Claw, with its release delayed due to the strike. With a cast like that, can you blame them?

Where to watch A Family Affair

Release Date: 2024 TBA
Where to watch: In theaters
Cast: Mia Goth, Halsey, Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon.
Why We’re Hyped: While a 2024 release has not yet officially been announced, we know that filming has wrapped for the highly anticipated final film in Ti West’s slasher trilogy. This decade’s undisputed scream queen, Mia Goth, returns as Maxine, who moves back to LA following the horrific events of the first film. After all, the show must go on. After the critical acclaim received by X and Pearl, this will be one of the most anticipated films for horror fans in 2024.

Where to watch MaXXXine