In a modern movie landscape dominated by mega franchises, 2024 is looking mighty odd indeed. Yes, we’ve got films coming from DC, Marvel, Transformers, Lord of the Rings, and a few others, but almost all of them are slightly off-brand. The Transformers and Lord of the Rings movies are animated. The biggest Marvel and DC movies are R-rated. There’s no Star Wars. No Avatar. No Avengers. It’s very, very different from previous years, which have been largely dominated by hugely recognizable IP and sequels.
So what does 2024 hold? Slightly less recognizable IP and sequels, including Mad Max, Karate Kid, Twister, Alien, Ghostbusters, and Planet of the Apes. All are very popular names to be sure, but each feels oddly fresh because they originate in nostalgia. Old is the new new, it seems.
And yet, when compiling a 2024 movie preview, it’s very difficult to get an actual full picture of the year. While many movie studios have planned out what is being released for the rest of the calendar year (and beyond), many others are not as prepared. Release dates change. Titles are canceled. New movies we’ve never even heard of get announced. So, if you look back at this list next year, it will be quite different from the year itself. For now though, this is what 2024 holds for us in terms of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and all-around genre films.
What movies are coming out in January 2024?
I.S.S. (January 19)
We’ve seen this one already, so can tell you: Oscar winner Ariana DeBose leads a cast that’s way better than the (admittedly intriguing) material. I.S.S. follows U.S. and Russian astronauts on the International Space Station who are forced into conflict when their countries engage in nuclear war back on Earth. Great premise, great cast, underwhelming movie.
Hundreds of Beavers (January 26, limited)
This silent, black and white festival darling is a comedy about a man trapped in the wilderness who has to fight for his life against giant beavers.
What films are coming out in February 2024?
Argylle (February 2)
Director Matthew Vaughn has made a name for himself making off-the-wall spy films like Kingsman, but Argylle is something new entirely. Or so we think. The film, following an spy author whose work is happening in real life, has been marketed with an odd mystery at its center. The only mystery we’re worried about is whether it’ll be as good as most of Vaughn’s previous films.
She Is Conann (February 2, limited)
A queer, surrealist take on the legend of Conan the Barbarian.
Skin Deep (February 2, limited)
Relationship therapy takes on a whole new meaning when a couple is given the ability to exchange their bodies with other people.
Lisa Frankenstein (February 9)
Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody is back with a gender-swapped take on the Frankenstein story where a woman (Kathryn Newton) creates a man (Cole Sprouse) from a corpse. It looks weird and fun, like most of Cody’s work, and is directed by Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late Robin Williams.
Out of Darkness (February 9, limited)
In the distant past, a group of people struggling for survival find themselves up against a mysterious creature.
Madame Web (February 14)
With its odd trailer and meme-worthy dialogue (“He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died”), it’s hard to take this very serious Spider-Man spinoff seriously. But its cast—Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Adam Scott—has us holding out hope it’ll be a fun addition to the world.
River (February 16 on AsianCrush)
Though it won’t be a theatrical release, this hilarious, heartfelt, and brilliant time-travel comedy is guaranteed to be on our best of 2024 list. It’s coming to the streaming service AsianCrush and is not to be missed.
No Way Up (February 16, limited)
You’ve heard of Snakes on a Plane? What about “Sharks on a Plane?” Sounds unhinged, right! Well, it’s not. This movie is actually about a plane that gets submerged in the ocean and the survivors aboard must battle sharks, which feels a bit too grounded to be as fun as we’d expect.
Stopmotion (February 23, on Shudder May 24)
A lonely stop-motion animator attempts to make a new film, but the characters from it begin to come to life.
History of Evil (February 23 on Shudder)
In this part dystopian sci-fi, part haunted house film, a family on the run from an evil militia ends up in a safe house that’s not so safe.
Spaceman (February 23, on Netflix March 1)
Adam Sandler stars as an astronaut shot into deep space who meets a spider-looking alien (Paul Dano) who helps him deal with the pain of missing his wife (Carey Mulligan). It looks very un-Sandler, and we’re here for it.
What films are coming out in March 2024?
Dune: Part Two (March 1)
One of our most highly anticipated films of the year will finally see director Denis Villeneuve adapt the much more exciting second half of Frank Herbert’s Dune for the big screen.
Imaginary (March 8)
This new horror movie from Blumhouse about a young girl battling with a killer teddy bear has big-time Child’s Play vibes. We say that as a good thing.
Kung Fu Panda 4 (March 8)
We’ve gotten to the point in the Kung Fu Panda franchise where Po, Jack Black’s title character, is now looking for a successor to his throne. Wild.
The American Society of Magical Negros (March 15, limited)
Justice Smith stars as a new recruit into a special, secret society of Black people whose purpose is to make the lives of white people better.
Road House (March 21, Prime Video)
Jake Gyllenhaal stars, and Doug Liman directs, this modern remake of the classic 1980s Patrick Swayze movie of the same name. It’s not really an io9 movie, but if it’s half as campy as the original, it might as well be.
Late Night with the Devil (March 22, on Shudder April 19)
David Dastmalchian stars in this period piece in which a segment on a late-night show unleashes evil into the homes of anyone who’s watching.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (March 22)
The fourth official Ghostbusters movie picks up where Afterlife left off, with Egon’s family returning to New York alongside the original Ghostbusters. Director Gil Kenan promises a much sillier take on the franchise, which has us interested, but Ghostbusters has been so tough to get right, we’re only cautiously optimistic.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (March 29)
The Empire strikes back, huh? Two “Empire” movies in two weeks. This one is the sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong which will see the two creatures team up to fight something that’s seemingly even more dangerous and destructive. And guess what? Whatever it is, we are all about it.
What films are releasing in April 2024?
The First Omen (April 5)
The famous killer kid movie The Omen gets the prequel no one asked for. But maybe it’ll be good?
The People’s Joker (April 5, limited)
The controversial queer superhero parody from director and star Vera Drew is finally coming to select theaters.
Civil War (April 12)
With films like Ex Machina and Annihilation, Alex Garland has never been one to shy away from complex stories. Well, his latest takes that to a whole new level as he imagines a not-so-distant future where the United States is once again wrapped up in a civil war.
Abigail (April 19)
Radio Silence, the filmmakers behind the most recent two Scream movies, are back with a new spin on the vampire genre as a group of criminals who think they are kidnapping a young girl, are actually her dinner.
Infested (April 26 on Shudder)
Infested is Attack the Block with spiders. A group of people get trapped in a high rise with ludicrously evil killer spiders. We’ve seen it and it rules.
What films are coming out in May 2024?
The Fall Guy (May 3)
This isn’t technically an io9 movie, but we are just so excited to see this Ryan Gosling/Emily Blunt Hollywood-centric action adaptation from David Leitch—whose other credits include John Wick, Bullet Train, and Deadpool 2—we had to put it on the list.
Horrorscope (May 10)
Think Final Destination, but with horoscopes.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (May 10)
With the previous Apes trilogy coming to a close a few years back, director Wes Ball is here to once again pick up the story. Set decades after the most recent films, but still well before the events of the 1967 original, apes now rule, but some humans do survive.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (May 17)
Director Renny Harlin (Deep Blue Sea, Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger) directs the first of three new films set in the universe created by 2008’s The Strangers. Here, a couple who gets stranded on a road trip is hunted by three people in masks.
If (May 17)
Office star and Quiet Place director John Krasinksi is back with his most ambitious project yet: a big-budget family film about a man (Ryan Reynolds) trying to save an unseen world where the imaginary friends of kids actually exist.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24)
May 24 will be a lovely, lovely day indeed as legendary filmmaker George Miller returns to the world of Mad Max with this prequel to his masterpiece, Mad Max: Fury Road. This time the story focuses on that film’s best character, Furiosa, as we learn how and why she became the badass she is.
The Garfield Movie (May 24)
Animated cat voiced by Chris Pratt eats lasagna, hilarity ensues.
What films are coming out in June 2024?
Ballerina (June 7)
Will we ever see a new John Wick movie? That’s unclear. What we will see is this John Wick spinoff starring Ana De Armas as a contract killer in the same world.
The Watchers (June 7)
Directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of You Know Who, the film follows a woman who ends up in a mysterious cabin with even more mysterious strangers. All of whom are being stalked by supernatural creatures.
Inside Out 2 (June 14)
Not that Pete Docter’s excellent 2015 film needed a sequel, but if ever a Pixar movie warranted one, it was Inside Out. That film focused on the emotions inside an 11-year-old girl who, at the end of the film, begins to hit puberty. That means all new emotions, all new adventures, and hopefully another classic from the excellent animation studio.
A Quiet Place: Day One (June 28)
Lupita Nyong’o stars in this latest addition to the Quiet Place franchise. As the title suggests, this film shows the first day of the alien invasion which has already been seen across two films. But now, we see it from another perspective and with new characters.
What films are coming out in July 2024?
Despicable Me 4 (July 3)
Yes, they are still making these.
Longlegs (July 12, limited)
Oz Perkins, son of Psycho star Anthony Perkins, returns with his latest film, an occult serial killer thriller starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage.
Twisters (July 19)
Outside of the cast and crew, little is known about this long-overdue follow-up to the iconic 1996 film. But if it gives us a lot of people chasing down and encountering tornadoes, we honestly don’t care what it’s about. We’re there on opening day.
Deadpool 3 (July 26)
The lone Marvel Studios movie of 2024 is one of its most anticipated in a long, long time. It’s the first time Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool will make the jump to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and he’s bringing along Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine for the ride. The potential here in terms of full-out superhero madness is infinite, and we cannot wait.
What films are coming out in August 2024?
Harold and the Purple Crayon (August 2)
The popular children’s book about a young boy who goes on an adventure with his crayon gets the big-screen treatment.
Trap (August 2)
The latest film from M. Night Shyamalan is shrouded in mystery, but we know it stars Josh Hartnett, and we know Shyamalan’s movies are always worth watching—so we’re hoping he’s got a good idea here.
Borderlands (August 9)
Eli Roth finished Borderlands so long ago that he shot, edited, and released Thanksgiving in between. Of course, there’s much more to the story but whatever the end result is, the long-awaited video game adaptation is finally coming to theaters.
Untitled Alien Event Movie (August 16)
Rumored to be called Alien: Romulus, this new movie by director Fede Alvarez is bringing the popular sci-fi horror franchise back to the big screen. It seems this will be more in line with the original films too, as opposed to the more recent ones.
Kraven the Hunter (August 30)
The second of three Spider-Man adjacent films from Sony this year features Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular villain. The trailer looks unhinged in a good way, so we’re hoping Spidey has another new foe to tangle with in the future.
What movies are coming out in September 2024?
Beetlejuice 2 (September 6)
We still can’t believe this one is real. Almost 40 years after the original, Tim Burton and Michael Keaton reunite in a new tale about the ghost with the most. Winona Ryder also returns but now she has a daughter played by Wednesday Addams herself, Jenna Ortega. This is either going to be excellent or one of the year’s biggest disappointments.
Transformers One (September 13)
While Transformers has been a live-action thing at the movies for almost 20 years now, its origins are animated. Its best movie was animated. And now, an animated Transformers movie is coming back to theaters. This one tells the origins of your favorite characters like Optimus Prime and Megatron. We are so excited for this one, it’s almost scary.
Speak No Evil (September 13)
James McAvoy stars in this Blumhouse remake of a Danish film of the same title about a family that goes on a vacation with a couple who may or may not be insane.
The Wild Robot (September 20)
Imagine Cast Away, but with a robot instead of Tom Hanks. It’s by DreamWorks Animation.
Saw XI (September 27)
After one of the franchise’s biggest, most surprising hits yet, the Saw franchise is back in full effect. Rumor is this 11th installment will follow the 10th film with the original Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) in another prequel.
What movies are coming out in October 2024?
Joker: Folie á Deux (October 4)
Before Todd Philips and Joaquin Phoenix released the first Joker, never in a million years did anyone think there would be a sequel. But, the film was such a financial and critical success, here we are. The DC supervillain is back, Lady Gaga is Harley Quinn, and it’s a musical. We’re as confused and intrigued as you are.
Smile 2 (October 18)
One of the things that made the original Smile so scary, and successful, is that whatever the killing curse was, it couldn’t be stopped. And so while the main characters got out of it (sort of) in the first one, huge box office and mythological potential mean the sequel is on the way.
Terrifier 3 (October 25)
One of 2023’s biggest surprises was the mega-success of the ultra-violent horror sequel, Terrifier 2. No wonder its sequel almost immediately went into the works, bringing back the horrifying killer, Art the Clown.
Wolf Man (October 25)
Leigh Whannell already proved he could make a pretty great Invisible Man movie and now he’s onto another Universal monster. Ryan Gosling was originally set to star but has now bowed out in favor of Christopher Abbott. That’s fine though. The real star is whatever the makeup ends up looking like.
What movies are coming out in November 2024?
Venom 3 (November 8)
The third of three alternate Spider-Man movies hitting in 2024 is the return of Tom Hardy as Venom. When we last saw him, he was in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he’s since returned to his own world. Will that play into this one? We’ll find out later this year.
Red One (November 15)
Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans star in this new attempt at a Christmas franchise, in which Johnson apparently plays some sort of Santa Claus protector.
Gladiator 2 (November 22)
Again, Gladiator isn’t really an io9 movie—but the fact that Ridley Scott is returning to his Oscar-winning world to follow the son of Joaquin Phoenix’s character in the first film (played here by Paul Mescal), with a cast that also includes Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, and others, certainly warrants a mention.
Wicked Part One (November 27)
One of the most successful Broadway musicals in recent memory gets the big-screen treatment, and Universal is so confident in it, it broke the story into two parts. Whether or not that will end up being the right move remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt this witchy take on the origins of The Wizard of Oz is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Untitled Disney Animated Film (November 27)
Normally, if a movie hasn’t been officially announced by now, we don’t think it’ll happen. But Disney has kept this film on its release schedule for months, so we’re guessing something is coming.
What movies are coming in December 2024?
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (December 13)
How did Helm’s Deep become Helm’s Deep? Well, this animated prequel to The Lord of the Rings follows King Helm Hammerhand of Rohan who wins an epic battle at the outpost, thereby changing history. Yes, that means this is an animated Lord of the Rings war film.
Untitled Karate Kid Movie (December 13)
Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, the stars of the original, and remake of, The Karate Kid, team up for this new take on the classic 1980s franchise, which once again became popular thanks to Netflix’s Cobra Kai. How the two karate masters, as well as the TV show, all play into this, alongside new characters, remains a mystery.
Mufasa: The Lion King (December 20)
Made in the same photo-realistic style as Jon Favreau’s remake, Mufasa tells the story of how Simba’s dad became the Lion King he already is in the first movie. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) directs.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (December 20)
The live-action adventures of everyone’s favorite speedy hedgehog continue, along with some new friends.
Nosferatu (December 25)
The Witch and The Northman director Robert Eggers’ next project is a stylized monster movie starring Bill Skarsgård as the titular vampire. Eggers’ movies are always excellent but far from mainstream, so this film’s Christmas Day landing has our expectations at the highest of levels.
What other movies are coming in 2024?
Note: These are films that are expected to be released this year but do not currently have release dates. From the list of hundreds of films that fit this description, here are some especially noteworthy ones.
Mickey 17
Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up to the Oscar-winner Parasite stars Robert Pattinson as a clone who becomes self-aware. This was originally going to come out earlier in the year but got moved back, hopefully because it’s so good it should be out closer to awards season.
MaXXXine
Ti West’s third part of his Mia Goth series sees Maxine, previously seen in X and Pearl, make it to Hollywood to become a movie star. But, if you’ve seen the first two movies, it’s certainly not going to be that straightforward.
The Crow
Decades after the original film, and numerous false starts, The Crow has finally been remade. Bill Skarsgård is the titular character, a musician who is resurrected to get revenge on this killer.
Megalopolis
Legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola spent tens of millions of dollars of his own money to make this film about a future where an architect tries to rebuild New York City after a disaster. Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Aubrey Plaza, Forest Whitaker, and many others star.
Here
Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks reunite for this ambitious film based on a 2010 graphic novel that depicts a single room across generations.