Looking Ahead: 10 Movies Opening in 2024 That Will Blow You Away
by Alex Billington
December 28, 2023
“Let me fight beside you.” The calm before the storm… 2024 is just around the corner, the New Year ready to welcome us whether we like it or not. In celebration of New Years and the begining of 2024, we’re taking a quick look ahead at some of our Most Anticipated Movies of 2024. Hollywood is in a tumultuous time, coming out of two big strikes in 2023 not to mention myriad other issues related to streaming & storytelling & beyond. So they don’t confirm release dates as far in advance as they used to. The December 2024 line-up is remarkable sparse right now, and plenty of other movies initially set for release in 2024 are just going into production due to the strikes preventing them from filming. The 2024 Release Schedule is always subject to changes and updates, as usual, but for now – these 10 exciting movies below should still arrive in theaters sometime next year. Plenty more to come as Hollywood reveals their surprises waiting in the wings. I tend to focus on sci-fi, since it’s my favorite genre, and 2024 has some sci-fi movies ready to rock theaters.
2024 will be FirstShowing’s 18th year in operation as a movie website. Hopefully it continues to be a good resource for updates and information on upcoming movies, as our goal is to remain a high quality site that is accessible to anyone (no paywalls and no locked content) without resorting to clickbait. It’s in our nature to always look forward to whatever the next highly anticipated “first showing” opening night is, so here we go…
Dune: Part Two (Dir. Denis Villeneuve) – Opening March 1st, 2024
THE BIG ONE!! While this sequel was originally supposed to be a 2023 movie, it will now be one of the best cinematic experiences of 2024 – guaranteed. I’ve got a very good feeling about this one. Most importantly, Denis Villeneuve seems confident as well. In a few interviews, he’s already been talking about how this is a “better” movie with more action, more of the sci-fi storytelling he has been waiting to get into after making the first half. I often still think about how Dune: Part One is one of the best sci-fi movies in a long time, and this is going to be even better. Sandworm armies! Emperor Shaddam IV! The rise of the Muad’Dib! If you haven’t read the book, you have no idea what we’re in for… The cast should be enough to get anyone excited: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Léa Seydoux. [Watch the trailer]
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Dir. George Miller) – Opening May 24th, 2024
Let’s go, George Miller! Bring on Furiosa! When this opens, it will be 9 years since Mad Max: Fury Road opened and instantly found its place high on the list of best action movies ever made. Much like Fury Road, Furiosa was plagued with production problems and setbacks. They finally shot it in 2022 down in Australia, and it has been getting ready for release ever since. Warner Bros held onto it and set it for 2024 instead of 2024, which might be the right move. This prequel is also based on a screenplay that was written years ago before Miller even made Fury Road, and apparently the crew have been anxiously awaiting this one. As it will be the real deal. A glimpse of footage from the first teaser confirms this is going to rock. Furiosa stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Imperator Furiosa, Chris Hemsworth as Dementus, with Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, Nathan Jones as Rictus Erectus, Angus Sampson as The Organic Mechanic. Can’t! Wait! [Watch the teaser]
Megalopolis (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola) – No Release Date Set Yet
Yep – 2024 is the year of Francis Ford Coppola. While he did make a few experimental indie films in the late 00s (Youth Without Youth, Tetro, Twixt), this is his first major production since 1997’s The Rainmaker. The early rumor is that this is expected to premiere at Cannes 2024, making it this year’s Killers of the Flower Moon – a beloved American filmmaker bringing his ambitious, expensive new project to debut at the festival. Coppola had to finance most of this himself, as the budget is rumored to be over $100M. The sci-fi spectacle is set in NYC and apparently deals a lot with what’s happening in the world now. “In New York, a woman is divided between loyalties to her father, who has a classical view of society, and her architect lover, who is more progressive & ready for the future.” Plus the massive ensemble cast is to die for: Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Dustin Hoffman, D.B. Sweeney, and Giancarlo Esposito. I am so curious about it.
Joker: Folie à Deux (Dir. Todd Phillips) – Opening October 4th, 2024
Arthur Fleck is back for more mayhem. More clown masks. More jokes. More of… everything. Co-writer / director Todd Phillips got actor Joaquin Phoenix back to make this highly anticipated sequel, and it’s now set to open in October, same as the first Joker movie in 2019. Instead of calling it Joker 2, the new title is Joker: Folie à Deux, because it’ll be introducing Joker’s partner-in-crime: Lady Gaga as Dr. Harleen Quinzel aka the DC villain Harley Quinn. The main cast also includes Zazie Beets returning, with Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey. Cinematographer Lawrence Sher returns, along with composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. Will this be less controversial, more entertaining? Doubtful. I expect it to be even more controversial, but that sounds good to me, as the obnoxious stir the first movie caused was annoying but also brought more people to it and helped cement it as a major moment in cinema.
Alien: Romulus (Dir. Fede Alvarez) – Opening August 16th, 2024
Another Alien movie is ready! This new one isn’t directed by Ridley Scott (he’s finishing up Gladiator 2 also scheduled for release in 2024). While the title Alien: Romulus isn’t official or confirmed yet, this is the working title they’ve been using. This standalone movie is set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), though not many other confirmed details are known about the plot yet. Perhaps another spaceship thriller where a crew is overrun by a xenomorph? Acclaimed Uruguayan horror filmmaker Fede Álvarez (of Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) is writing & directing. In March 2022, it was announced that Álvarez would be making the film after pitching his own story, “unconnected” to the previous films in the franchise. Filming is finished, with an August opening in theaters. Starring Cailee Spaeny (from Priscilla), Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, and Archie Renaux. Expect to see a teaser trailer sometime in the first months of 2024.
LOTR: The War of the Rohirrim (Dir. Kenji Kamiyama) – Opening December 13th, 2024
Yes, there’s a brand new LOTR movie in 2024! The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated movie produced by Warner Bros Animation. It’s directed by Kenji Kamiyama, a Japanese anime director best known for the “Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C.” series, Star Wars: Visions short “The Ninth Jedi”, and the Blade Runner: Black Lotus series most recently. Set 261 years before the events of The Two Towers, The War of the Rohirrim movie tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, a legendary King of Rohan who must defend against an army of Dunlendings. He becomes the namesake for the stronghold of Helm’s Deep. How awesome does that sound?! Sola Entertainment is behind the animation, using hand-drawn animation in a style reminiscent of traditional anime, with visual inspiration from the original trilogy. WB seems confident this might be a huge hit, scheduling it for a theatrical release in December when the original trilogy opened.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Dir. Wes Ball) – Opening May 24th, 2024
Apes together strong! Another Planet of the Apes movie, not too long after the last trilogy finished (with the brilliant War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017). The ambitious, talented VFX director Wes Ball takes over (after The Maze Runner trilogy), and continues the storyline about a descendant of Caesar far in the future when Apes have been ruling the planet for generations. The story in this next one seems to be similar to the original 1968 Planet of the Apes, where it’s about one ape befriending a human being and fighting back against other vicious ape tribes that do not want peace or prosperity. With most of the money being spent on VFX and production work, the cast is lead mostly by unknown or up-and-coming actors: Owen Teague as Noa, a young chimpanzee, Freya Allan as Mae, a feral young woman, Kevin Durand as Proximus Caesar, Lydia Peckham as Soona, a female chimpanzee, along with William H. Macy. [Watch the teaser trailer]
Twisters (Dir. Lee Isaac Chung) – Opening July 19th, 2024
They finally made a sequel to Twister! Yes, the 90s tornado movie starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. After years in development with different filmmakers, Twisters finally went into production last year with Minari director Lee Isaac Chung. They started filming for a month, but then the actors’ strike shut down production. They only recently began shooting again and it’s likely they’ll push the release date back, as it will be tough to finish all of the post-production work and VFX by July (the May 2024 date seen on the fan-made art above was the original plan – no longer the case). You never know! This new Twisters stars Glen Powell, Kiernan Shipka, Maura Tierney, and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Powell states that it’s not really a sequel: “It’s a completely original story. There are no characters from the original movie back… It’s just its own standalone story in the modern day.” As a big fan of the original Twister, I have high hopes for this one.
Deadpool 3 (Dir. Shawn Levy) – Opening July 26th, 2024
Another movie that had to pause production due to the actors’ strike in 2023. They filmed for a few months, then had to wait, and have JUST begun shooting again recently. It may be pushed back, but it’s also pretty clear Disney/20th Century wants this to be a big 2024 movie no matter what. Aside from Ryan Reynolds convincing Hugh Jackman to come back to play Wolverine again (with his vintage yellow costume), what I’m most excited about is the multiverse concept. Based on early set photos, Deadpool 3 looks to be riffing on the 20th Century Fox comic book movie era, with the old logo lying broken in the background of a set they’ve been filming on, and various characters from their movies appearing in this comedy crossover event. The rest of whatever happens we’ll wait to be surprised by whenever this lands in theaters. Whatever the case, even if you didn’t care for the other two Deadpool films, this is shaping up to be a clever comedic blast.
Mickey 17 (Dir. Bong Joon-ho) – Opening March 29th, 2024
A new Bong Joon-ho sci-fi movie!! Enough said. This is both written and directed by Bong Joon-ho, adapted from the high-concept sci-fi novel titled “Mickey7” written by Edward Ashton (described as “The Martian meets Multiplicity“). To be frank, I’m nervous abut Warner Bros handling this movie, as the Hollywood studio system could mess up Bong’s flow (Snowpiercer had a rough time). Nonetheless, I remain hopeful & excited to see what he’s cooking up, especially returning to science fiction with a story that’s intellectually intriguing. Robert Pattinson stars as Mickey Barnes, an “Expendable”: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. There can’t be more than two at the same time, but after he goes missing he comes back to discover another, and refuses to let his replacement clone take his place. Will Bong Joon-ho make some adjustments to the plot? We’ll have to wait and find out… [Watch the teaser]
Others not listed that we’re also looking forward to in 2024: Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s Bob Marley: One Love (out soon), Gil Kenan’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (really hope it’s good), Adam Wingard’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers (held over from 2023), Alex Garland’s Civil War (will it be any good?), David Leitch’s The Fall Guy, Pixar’s Inside Out 2 (looking good), Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga (x2), Shyamalan’s Trap, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2, DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot, Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man, Barry Levinson’s Alto Knights, Len Wiseman’s Ballerina Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King, Lynne Ramsay’s Polaris, and Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu. Plus of course the sequel Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse if they get it finished (it was set for March until the strikes, now it doesn’t have any release date – I hope they’ll take their time to do it right).
Keep an eye out for more updates on 2024 releases, and stay tuned for the latest trailers and reviews. Our mission with FirstShowing is to always keep everyone informed & excited about upcoming movies, year after year. Stay passionate, stay open-minded, stay interested. You never know which movies will surprise us (in good ways or bad ways), you never know which will end up really blowing us away. Maybe none of these 10 will? Maybe all of them will? It’s time to find out as we slide right into the New Year of movies that await us.
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