Gabbie: I know this place isn’t as warm as I hoped. But I’m gonna light a vanilla candle, and it’s gonna be a game-changer.
[see ghosts]
Gabbie: And we’re out!
Gabbie: I know this place isn’t as warm as I hoped. But I’m gonna light a vanilla candle, and it’s gonna be a game-changer.
[see ghosts]
Gabbie: And we’re out!
Barbie will be in theaters beginning July 21. If you’re wondering how and where you can watch it this weekend, take a look at the info below. See our review of Barbie for more info about the movie.
The Barbie movie (2023) looks to be one of the strangest movies released this year, as Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling fill the plastic shoes of Barbie and Ken for an adventure that somehow transports them from Barbieland to the real world. But when will you be able to watch Barbie via streaming services?
Two of the summer’s biggest movies, Barbie and Oppenheimer, hit theaters this weekend, setting Greta Gerwig’s colorful comedy against Christopher Nolan’s triumphant/tragic drama. Whether you’re planning to just see Barbie or booking tickets for a ‘Barbenheimer’ double feature, we’ve got you covered with this compilation of all the available info on Barbie’s theatrical and eventual streaming release.
We’re very lucky to live in a time when we can look forward to major new Blockbusters from great filmmakers that promise more than just Tom Cruise riding a motorbike out of a plane, and also have the option of watching Tom Cruise ride a motorbike out of a plane. And the good news is that you don’t have to choose — like Cruise himself, you can plan to see both Barbie and Oppenheimer, and munch your popcorn comfortably in the knowledge that you have not chosen to bolster the opening-weekend box office of Christopher Nolan’s sweeping period piece over Greta Gerwig’s feminist fever dream (or vice versa). And if you really want Movies to be the real winner on the day? Why, you’re going to see them both. On the day.
According to the Warner Bros. announcement at CinemaCon alongside a sneak peek of Robbie in character, the live-action film will land in theaters on July 21, 2023.
In its July release date, Barbie will be competing against another buzzy film with a massive ensemble cast with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. A nationwide event titled “Barbie Blowout Party” will allow some audience members to see the comedy a few days early, on July 19, 2023.
Yes, Barbie will initially be released exclusively in movie theaters. Tickets for the highly anticipated film went on sale on June 21, 2023, and a promotional video was released to coincide with the announcement.
Barbie will be available in most theaters beginning July 21. To find when and where you can watch the movie near you, check the local showtime listings at the main theater sites below:
Barbie should eventually be released on Max, rather than Netflix or Disney+, given it’s a Warner Bros. movie. A streaming release date has not yet been announced. Warner’s last two movies to hit Max — Evil Dead Rise and Shazam! Fury of the Gods — were added to the service 63 days and 67 days, respectively, after their theatrical debuts. Should Warner Bros. follow suit here, Barbie could hit Max as early as late September.
Barbie will initially only be released exclusively in movie theaters. However, once the film’s theatrical window has ended it will be available to stream exclusively on Warner Bro’s newly rebranded streaming service Max, following in the footsteps of other recent Warner Bros releases including Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Magic Mike’s Last Dance.
Viewers can use various devices to access Angel Studios’ streaming platform, including: Roku, Android TV, Google TV, Apple TV, and Fire TV; Chrome OS, macOS, and Windows PC; and Android Phones and Tablets, Fire Tablets, iPhones, and iPads.
There are currently no platforms that have the rights to Watch Barbie Online. MAPPA has decided to air the movie only in theaters because it has been a huge success. The studio, on the other hand, does not wish to divert revenue. Streaming the movie would only slash the profits, not increase them.
As a result, no streaming services are authorized to offer Barbie for free. The film would, however, very definitely be acquired by services like Funimation, Netflix, and Crunchyroll. As a last consideration, which of these outlets will likely distribute the film worldwide?
As of now, the only way to watch Barbie is to head out to a movie theater when it premieres on June 16, 2023. You can find a local showing on Fandango.
Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait for it to become available to rent or purchase on digital platforms like Amazon, Vudu, YouTube or Apple, or become available to stream on MAX.
As we all know, HBO Max is no stranger to acquiring brand-new films not too long after they were released in theaters. Dune and Robert Pattinson’s The Batman are just a few of these titles that the streaming platform managed to add to its lineup. Because of this, it’s safe to assume Barbie will also be a film HBO Max quickly secures once it officially leaves theaters.
What’s more, with other Warner Brothers Pictures films like Tenet and Aquaman on the site, it’s expected that the production company will continue this partnership with HBO Max. As far as other streaming platforms are concerned, we certainly wouldn’t put it past this star-studded film to debut on sites, too.
Netflix and Hulu are always probable options, as are Amazon Prime Video and YouTube Movies. Apple TV+ is also a likely option, but you’ll definitely have to take our predictions with a grain of salt as it’s also just as likely that Barbie won’t stream on any of these sites. (Who knows? Maybe Warner Bros. will release their own streaming site by 2023!)
There are currently no official plans to release the Barbie movie on Netflix after its July 21 release date, though this could change in the future. There are several Barbie movies already available to watch on Netflix including Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, Barbie Dolphin Magic, and Barbie Mermaid Power (via GameRevolution). While the 2023 Barbie movie is a bigger deal than these previous releases, this established partnership could continue in the future.
The Barbie movie could eventually be available to watch on Prime Video, though it will likely be a paid digital release rather than being included with an Amazon Prime subscription.
This means that rather than watching the movie as part of an existing subscription fee, you may have to pay money to rent out the movie digitally on Amazon. However, neither Warner Bros. nor Amazon has discussed whether or not this will be the case.
No, Barbie will not be on Disney+ since it’s not a Universal Pictures movie. Last year, the company released its films in theaters and on the streamer on the same day. However, they now allow a 45-day window between the theatrical release and the streaming release.
Viewers are saying that they want to view the new animation movie Barbie on Hulu. Unfortunately, this is not possible since Hulu currently does not offer any of the free episodes of this series streaming at this time. It will be exclusive to the MTV channel, which you get by subscribing to cable or satellite TV services. You will not be able to watch it on Hulu or any other free streaming service.
A home video physical release of Barbie will also likely be arriving in early Fall 2023, coming complete with all sorts of behind-the-scenes treasures that fans will want to sink their teeth into. The film will likely become available to buy on VOD a week or two before a streaming and home video release.
Most Viewed, Most Favorite, Top Rating, Top IMDb movies online. Here we can download and watch 123movies movies offline. 123Movies website is the best alternative to Barbie (2023) free online. We will recommend 123Movies is the best Solarmovie alternatives.
There are a few ways to watch Barbie online in the U.S. You can use a streaming service such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. You can also rent or buy the movie on iTunes or Google Play. You can also watch it on-demand or on a streaming app available on your TV or streaming device if you have cable.
Barbie was written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. It was directed by Greta Gerwig and stars the following actors:
Barbie is a film adaptation of Mattel’s famed line of fashion dolls. Here’s the official plot synopsis from Warner Bros.: Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.
And so you probably already know the basic plot: Barbie (Margot Robbie), the most popular of all the Barbies in Barbieland, begins experiencing an existential crisis. She must travel to the human world in order to understand herself and discover her true purpose.
Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same. The decision to read hereinafter is purely a matter of choice and shall be construed as an express undertaking/guarantee in favour of Hindustan Times of being absolved from any/ all potential legal action, or enforceable claims. Hindustan Times does not encourage/ promote piracy by any means. The links given here are not taking the users to pirated streaming contents.
Ridley Scott returns to the historical action epic genre in this first trailer for his sweeping Napoleon, which reunites the director with his Oscar-winning Gladiator star Joaquin Phoenix.
Napoleon is described as capturing “Napoleon Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby), showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.”
“I’m the first to admit when I make a mistake,” intones Bonaparte (Phoenix) at one point in the trailer, “I simply never do.”
Related Stories
The trailer shows multiple sweeping battlefield scenes chronicling the French military commander and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars, eventually becoming the Emperor of France in 1804.
In addition to Phoenix as the original short king, the film stars Ben Miles, Matthew Needham, Tahar Rahim, Youssef Kerkour and Phil Cornwell, among others.
The project also released a poster with the marketing tagline: “He came from nothing. He conquered everything.”
Hollywood has been eyeing a definitive Napoleon biopic for decades. Stanley Kubrick famously developed a project in 1969, but financial backers pulled out after another project titled Waterloo flopped. In 2021, Scott told Deadline, “Napoleon is a man I’ve always been fascinated by. He came out of nowhere to rule everything — but all the while he was waging a romantic war with his adulterous wife Josephine. He conquered the world to try to win her love, and when he couldn’t, he conquered it to destroy her, and destroyed himself in the process.” He added, “No actor could ever embody Napoleon like Joaquin. He created one of movie history’s most complex Emperors in Gladiator, and we’ll create another with his Napoleon.”
The film’s original title was, oddly enough, Kitbag, which was reportedly based on the obscure expression, “There is a general’s staff hidden in every soldier’s kitbag” — a reference to how there’s the potential for greatness in every fighting man.
Napoleon is from Sony Pictures and Apple Original Films. Napoleon will be released in theaters Nov. 22 by Sony Pictures and then will stream on Apple TV+ at a later date.
Mission: Impossible 8 is coming to cinemas next year (hopefully) which is lucky as Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One left all fans with questions.
The new movie – officially titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, of course – will bring back Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt for potentially his final mission, although writer/director Chris McQuarrie isn’t so sure this is the end.
What we do know if that whether or not this is the end of the series, Mission: Impossible 8 will wrap up the epic two-part story started in Dead Reckoning Part One. Will Ethan and the IMF team save the world? We reckon it’s likely.
As we wait to find out how the story ends, here’s everything you need to know about the next Mission: Impossible movie. Be warned, major spoilers are ahead.
After a few shifts, Mission: Impossible 8 is set to be released in cinemas on June 28, 2024, assuming there are no delays.
Dead Reckoning Part Two has moved every time that the previous movie did, but at least the next movie has already started filming. A production break was taken for promotion on the current Mission: Impossible movie and filming was set to restart in late summer.
However, given that the actors have joined the writers on strike, it means that filming won’t be able to resume until the strikes end. Depending on how long that takes, it could affect the release date.
Let’s hope not though.
Tom Cruise will, of course, be back as Ethan Hunt, but Mission: Impossible 7 wasn’t without its casualties so here’s a final warning for spoilers after the photo.
Ethan’s long-running IMF cohorts Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) will be back, but Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust was killed by Gabriel (Esai Morales) so won’t be returning.
There’s always a possibility that Ilsa isn’t actually dead, but she seemed like a goner to us so if Ferguson does return, it might only be in flashbacks.
Hayley Atwell will be back as Grace, who at the end of Mission: Impossible 7, accepts the choice to join the IMF, while Vanessa Kirby’s Alanna Mitsopolis, aka the White Widow, will continue causing havoc for Ethan.
It looked as though Pom Klementieff’s Paris would not survive after being stabbed by Gabriel, but she’s still breathing at the end after saving Ethan and Grace so expect her to return and be on the side of the goodies next time.
Henry Czerny’s Kittridge, Shea Whigham’s Jasper Briggs and Greg Tarzan Davis’s Degas will all be back as well. Cary Elwes won’t return though as Denlinger as Gabriel killed him after finding out where the Sevastapol was buried (more on that in a bit).
We’re welcoming back an old face in Mission: Impossible 8 too, as Rolf Saxon reprises his role as CIA analyst William Donloe from the first movie. He was transferred to Alaska which, fortunately, is near where the Sevastapol sub is buried under the ice.
Newcomers to the series in the next movie are Mark Gatiss, Charles Parnell, Janet McTeer, Hannah Waddingham and Lucy Tulugarjuk, but we don’t yet know who they’re playing and how big a role any of them will have.
We do know though that Mindhunter star Holt McCallany is playing Secretary of Defense Bernstein in the next instalment, while Nick Offerman is playing somebody called Sydney, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
We don’t have an official synopsis yet for Mission: Impossible 8, but we can gather at least how the next movie will begin.
While Gabriel is the villain of Dead Reckoning, it’s fair to say he’s not the true antagonist as it’s actually an all-powerful AI, often called the “entity”. Whoever controls the entity can basically control the world as it has the power to distort digital data and has already hacked into the world’s intelligence network.
The entity was the creation of the US government and they tested it out on a Russian sub called the Sevastopol, merely to see if it could show them where the stealth sub was. Unsurprisingly, the entity went rogue and destroyed the sub.
It’s on the Sevastapol that the entity’s source code is stored and the only way to access it is with a cruciform key. Luckily, Ethan has said key and at the end of Mission: Impossible 7, he’s told by Paris that he needs to find the Sevastopol.
Ethan doesn’t know where it is, but intends to find it to destroy the entity which can only be done at its source. Aiming to stop him will be Gabriel who is doing the entity’s bidding and, obviously, the entity doesn’t want to be destroyed.
This battle between Ethan and Gabriel will form the basis of Mission: Impossible 8 as Ethan knows that Gabriel knows where the Sevastopol is. We imagine there will be a lot more spycraft going on too, but this is where the next movie will start at least.
It explains why Donloe comes back into the series as he’s stationed in Alaska, near where the sub is buried in the Bering Sea. Ethan better hope that he doesn’t hold a grudge though as it was his fault Donloe is in Alaska in the first place…
Even though Mission: Impossible 8 has started filming, we don’t have any footage yet and might not get any until later this year assuming that production has started back up.
• Mission: Impossible 7 review
• How long is Mission: Impossible 7?
• Does Mission: Impossible 7 have a post-credit scene?
• Who was Kittridge, again?
• Is Jeremy Renner in Mission: Impossible 7?
• How to watch Mission: Impossible 7 right now
• Mission: Impossible 7 resolves mystery about White Widow
• Mission: Impossible 7 ending explained
• Mission: Impossible 7 fails Ilsa Faust
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two is released in cinemas on June 28, 2024.
Indy is back for his fifth and final adventure in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. This time around, Indy must hunt down a mysterious dial that he believes could change the course of humanity. Joining Harrison Ford in the cast are Antonio Banderas and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose performance was praised by critics at the movie’s Cannes premiere.
But before heading to theaters to catch the new film on June 30th, there are tons of other great adventure movies out there that are loaded with the spirit and vibe of Indiana Jones. From treasure hunting to jungle excursions, treacherous encounters with wildlife, and charismatic casts, these five films are the perfect way to get in the mood for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
In The Lost City, Sandra Bullock plays Loretta Sage, a romance novelist who writes of daring adventures and passionate love affairs. Channing Tatum plays Alan Caprison, the hunky (but moronic) model she uses for her book covers. Sage ends up getting kidnapped by a sinister billionaire who realizes all of her books are based on real events and places, and that Sage isn’t just a writer, but also a gifted researcher. She’s brought to a remote jungle and forced to help excavate hidden treasure.
The Lost City works so well because of its unexpected dichotomy. It’s a treasure-hunting adventure film, but Bullock’s character is so not an adventurer, giving the movie a Scream-style edge, where it’s both poking fun at the genre while also being a solid entry in it. Plus, the dynamic (and bubbling romance) between Bullock and Tatum works surprisingly well. While The Lost City could have been just another generic rom-com, its jungle setting and story about searching for treasure while also trying to escape an insane billionaire make the movie a lot of fun.
Keeping with Indy’s jungle-trekking, treasure-hunting themes, 1995’s Congo is perfect for anyone who wants a bit of adventure with a giant dose of campy insanity. While the basic premise of the film is that a group is searching the jungles of the Congo for rare diamonds, the real highlight is that these diamonds are located inside a volcano that’s inhabited by giant, aggressive, albino gorillas. Also, there’s a friendly gorilla in the movie named Amy who knows sign language and has a special wristband that allows her to talk.
If you’re still reading after that last paragraph, then good for you, you’re in for another treat: The movie’s villain is none other than Tim Curry who spends the entire movie doing a horrendously bad Romanian accent. Congo is not a great movie, nor is it a good movie. Instead, it’s the kind of guilty pleasure you hate yourself for liking. It’s cheesy and laughable, but with its totally bananas premise that combines the zany antics of Tim Curry with blood-thirsty gorillas…you can’t stop yourself from being intrigued.
Oddly enough, the movie was a surprise box office sensation, raking in over $150 million. Even wilder, despite a sea of terrible reviews, it actually managed to earn a few good ones, including one from Roger Ebert who said, “The result is not a movie that is very good, exactly, but it’s entertaining and funny. False sophisticates will scorn it. Real sophisticates will relish it.”
Jungle Cruise was a surprisingly fun film considering its inspiration was a slow-moving boat ride at Disneyland from the 1960s. But thanks to excellent performances by Emily Blunt, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti (The Rock is in it too), the movie turned out to have a lot of character, great chemistry, and a true summer Blockbuster feel.
In the film, which is set in the early 1900s, a team of scientists searches for a mysterious tree that legends say exists deep within the Amazon rainforest and is rumored to have healing properties. To get there, they must face off against jungle tribes, poisonous animals, and even the undead. Plus, a rival team with sinister intentions is also searching for the tree, adding another level of danger to the jungle’s already-perilous environment. The movie was well-received and holds an impressive 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It raked in almost $221 million at the box office, paving the way for a sequel that was greenlit just weeks after the movie premiered.
2003’s The Rundown follows a bounty hunter (Black Adam‘s The Rock) who is sent to the jungles of Brazil to hunt down Travis (Sean William Scott), the runaway treasure-hunting son of a maniacal millionaire crime boss (Christopher Walken). It turns out that Travis has found a valuable artifact and the duo is forced to escape basically everyone they encounter.
The Rundown is a solid adventure film and Sean William Scott actually does a good job in the movie and isn’t the annoying doofus he often portrayed during that period. Plus, nobody can play an over-the-top cheesy villain better than Christopher Walken (who often stole every scene he was in).
Another really interesting thing about The Rundown is that it came out during an era when the jungle adventure genre was basically nonexistent. Released between Anaconda (1997) and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (2008), The Rundown was reviving a genre that had seemingly vanished for an entire decade, making it stand out amongst other 2000s action movies.
It should come as no surprise that Uncharted is a great film to watch for Indy fans considering the game it’s based on was directly inspired by Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. What is surprising, however, is that, unlike most movies adapted from video games, Uncharted was actually good. Starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, the movie (and games) are about an adventurer who goes out in search of hidden treasure and his long-lost brother.
From mysterious caverns to airplane action sequences, and even a giant fight between two pirate ships that are both dangling mid-air and being transported by helicopters – Uncharted truly is a wild ride and feels like an Indiana Jones adventure brought to life for the modern era. Holland’s excellent performance in the movie also really helped give Uncharted a dose of character and heart.
When speaking to Digital Trends before the movie’s premiere, director Ruben Fleischer said that Holland was already a huge fan of the game, which made his portrayal of Nathan Drake authentic. The director said, “It was super helpful to have Tom Holland on set because he’s a huge fan of the game itself. If he were to pick up a piece of paper in the space, he’d make sure to turn it over and back just like Nathan Drake would do.” Fleischer added, “That’s a detail that even I wouldn’t have thought to have done, but as a huge fan of the game, he wanted to make sure every moment felt like an Uncharted moment.”
(Photo by Macall Polay/©Warner Bros.)
Rotten Tomatoes is collecting every new Certified Fresh movie into one list, creating our guide to the best movies of 2021. Among them you’ll find Blockbusters (Shang-Chi), documentaries (Lily Topples the World), awards contenders (The Green Knight), the cutting-edge in horror (The Night House).
Movies achieve Certified Fresh status by maintaining a steady Tomatometer score of at least 75% after a minimum number of reviews, with that number depending on how the movie was released. For wide releases (of which there were significantly fewer this year, as you can imagine), the minimum number of reviews is 80. For streaming or limited release movies, that number is 40. And finally, it’s 20 reviews for movies premiering on television. Across all release types, each movie needs at least five of its reviews to be published by Top Critics. Once a movie goes Certified Fresh, the only way to lose it is by dropping below 70%.
After the world-altering year of 2020, critics and audiences and studio heads alike are navigating 2021 with its evolving distribution models and industry standards. So far, streaming continues to deliver the goods straight to the people while theaters have now reopened in earnest, and are delivering some big hits (Free Guy, Black Widow, and yes, Shang-Chi).
Read on for the best movies of 2021, ranked by Tomatometer! (And check out the current best movies of 2022, or explore other years with our guides on 2020, 2019, and 2018.) —Alex Vo
One year into the new decade, the movie prospects keep getting better. The releases slated for 2021 are so exciting they’ll make you salivate with anticipation, and we can’t wait to see them – especially now that it looks like we can see them. For starters we’ll be getting another Asian Blockbuster in director Destin Daniel Cretton’s Marvel entry, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The Fast Family will be back for another action-packed installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise (can you believe we’re at 9 movies already?!). Venom: Let There Be Carnage arrives (on October 1, after multiple shuffles around the calendar), as do horror sequels A Quiet Place 2 and Halloween Kills, and quasi-sequel Candyman. One big change in 2021: The way we watch the movies is changing big time. Warner Bros., for example, is releasing almost their entire slate of 2021 movies on HBO Max as well as in theaters in an unprecedented move that could signal bigger changes in the industry.
The list is long and it’ll probably get longer, so start marking your calendars now. [Updated 9/10/2021]
Jan-Mar | Apr-June | July-Sep | Oct-Dec
The Best Movies of 2020 | The Most Anticipated Movies of 2022
The Dig (2021) 88%
Directed by: Simon Stone
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin
Opening on: January 15, 2021 (limited), followed by Netflix premiere on January 29, 2021
Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan star in this Netflix original film based on true events and set in 1939. Mulligan plays a wealthy widow who hires an archaeologist (Fiennes) to excavate the burial mounds on her estate, leading to the discovery of a wealth of medieval Anglo-Saxon artifacts.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020) 67%
Directed by: Tim Hill
Starring: Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence
Opening on: February 2021 on VOD and CBS All Access (formerly August 7, 2020)
The long-running, wildly popular animated series gets another big screen outing as the whole Spongebob Squarepants gang are back for another adventure. This time out, Spongebob and Patrick embark on a rescue mission to recover Gary, who has been taken by Poseidon, and find themselves in the mystical land of Atlantic City.
Malcolm Marie (2021) 57%
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington, Zendaya
Opening on: February 5, 2021 on Netflix
If you feel like you’ve been wasting time during quarantine, wait until you hear about writer/director Sam Levinson, who wrote an entire movie script in six days, then called up John David Washington and Zendaya to be in that movie, and then filmed it, all during lockdown. The story follows a filmmaker and his girlfriend as they return from a movie premiere and, over the course of the evening, begin to hash out their relationship.
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) 97%
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jess Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Martin Sheen, Lil Rel Howery
Opening on: February 12, 2021, with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Shaka King co-writes and directs this based-on-true-events drama focused on William O’Neal, the FBI informant who infiltrated the Illinois Black Panther Party in an effort to keep track of Fred Hampton.
To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021) 79%
Directed by: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Jordan Fisher, Janel Parrish, Emilija Baranac
Opening on: February 12, 2021 on Netflix
One of three Netflix original franchises to see a third installment in 2021 (the other two being The Kissing Booth and The Princess Switch), To All the Boys concludes with Always and Forever, as Lara Jean (Lana Condor) nears the end of high school and takes a pair of “life-changing trips” that lead her to ponder life with her family — and Peter (Noah Centineo) — after graduation.
I Care a Lot (2020) 78%
Directed by: J Blakeson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Eiza Gonzalez, Dianne Wiest, Peter Dinklage, Chris Messina, Isaiah Whitlock Jr.
Opening on: February 19, 2021 on Netflix
Rosamund Pike stars in this comedy as a con woman who takes swindles the elderly out of their money until she comes into contact with a woman who is more cunning than she appears.
Nomadland (2020) 93%
Directed by: Chloé Zhao
Starring: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn
Opening on: February 19, 2021 (following one-week virtual release on December 4, 2020)
Writer-director Chloé Zhao impressed the folks at Disney so much with her 2017 breakout film The Rider that they handed her the keys to Eternals, but before that film opens (presumably) in February, Zhao will release this drama based on the nonfiction book by Jessica Bruder. The film stars Frances McDormand as a woman who loses everything in the Great Recession and decides to see if #VanLife is all it’s cracked up to be.
The Father (2020) 98%
Directed by: Florian Zeller
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman
Opening on: February 26, 2021 (formerly December 18, 2020)
Two Oscar winners headline this drama based on the 2012 French play Le Père by the film’s director and co-writer, Florian Zeller. The story focuses on an aging man (Anthony Hopkins) struggling with memory loss whose daughter (Olivia Colman) moves into his flat to help care for him.
Tom Jerry (2021) 30%
Directed by: Tim Story
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Ken Jeong, Colin Jost, Rob Delaney
Opening on: February 26, 2021 (formerly March 5, 2021), with simultaneous release on HBO Max
The classic animated television series gets a big-screen update in the form of a live-action/animated hybrid in which mischievous mouse Jerry moves into a hotel on the eve of a big wedding and forces the wedding planner to bring Tom into the picture to get rid of him. When an even bigger threat emerges, Tom and Jerry are forced to work together to save the day.
Coming 2 America (2021) 49%
Directed by: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Wesley Snipes, James Earl Jones
Opening on: March 5, 2021 on Amazon Prime (formerly December 18, 2020)
After over three decades, it looks like Prince Akeem — ahem, King Akeem and Semmi are returning Stateside from there homeland of Zamunda. Much of the original cast are returning, including James Earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer and John Amos as Cleo McDowell, as Akeem learns that he has a long-lost son he never knew about who might be the heir to the throne.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) 93%
Directed by: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Paul Briggs, John Ripa
Starring: Awkwafina, Kelly Marie Tran, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Sandra Oh
Opening on: March 5, 2021 (formerly March 12, 2021)
In this animated film from Disney, Kelly Marie Tran lends her voice to the title character, a young warrior in a fantastical land who embarks on a quest to find the last dragon. Awkwafina, who’s been on a roll as of late, will provide the voice of said dragon, whose help Raya needs to bring peace to her land.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) 71%
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Amy Adams, Ray Fisher, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons
Opening on: March 18, 2021 on HBO Max
Brought to life by a rabid fan campaign, this re-cut four-hour-long version of the DC superhero team-up purports to be original director Zack Snyder’s true vision for the film, with additional footage shot and incorporated, along with new elements that were absent from the 2017 theatrical release that director Joss Whedon took over when Snyder left the project for personal reasons.
Nobody (2021) 84%
Directed by: Derek Kolstad
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Christopher Lloyd
Opening on: March 26, 2021 (formerly April 2, 2021)
Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk plays a man suffering from PTSD who unwittingly draws the ire of a Russian drug lord when he murders a pair of thieves who have been terrorizing his neighborhood.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) 75%
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry
Opening on: March 31, 2021, with simultaneous release on HBO Max
It’s the showdown we’ve been waiting for since 2014’s Godzilla. Director Adam Wingard – who has proven he knows how to bring the thrills with The Guest and You’re Next – helms this climactic entry in Warner Bros.’ MonsterVerse series, which continued in 2019 with Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Who will win when the giant ape takes on the king?
Concrete Cowboy (2020) 81%
Directed by: Ricky Staub
Starring: Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome, Lorraine Toussaint, Method Man
Opening on: April 2, 2021 on Netflix
Based on the novel Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri, this drama stars Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things) as a Detroit teen who moves to Philadelphia to live with his estranged father (Idris Elba) and learns about the urban cowboy subculture.
Mortal Kombat (2021) 54%
Directed by: Simon McQuoid
Starring: Joe Taslim, Ludi Lin, Mechad Brooks, Lewis Tan, Elissa Cadwell, Ng Chin Han, Max Huang, Josh Lawson, Jessica McNamee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Sisi Stringer
Opening on: April 23, 2021 (formerly January 15, 2021), with simultaneous release on HBO Max
If you’ve been waiting for the inevitable Mortal Kombat reboot, 2021 has got you covered. With Lewis Tan, Mechad Brooks, and Joe Taslim attached to star, the newest franchise installment is bound to be everything you could want in a fantasy martial arts action film. James Wan will be producing, so there’s bound to be some of the magic that made the Saw franchise so successful.
In The Earth (2021) 80%
Directed by: Ben Wheatley
Starring: Joel Fry, Reece Shearsmith, Hayley Squires, Ellora Torchia
Opening on: April 30, 2021 (formerly April 16, 2021)
The latest thriller from Ben Wheatley (Kill List, High Rise) is a slice of supernatural horror centered on a scientist who ventures into a forest on an equipment run for research to cure a mysterious virus whose journey slowly transforms into a surreal nightmare.
Limbo (2020) 93%
Directed by: Ben Sharrock
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Kais Nashif
Opening on: April 30, 2021
This comedy-drama from writer-director Ben Sharrock puts a wry spin on the refugee experience as it follows a group of new immigrants to Scotland waiting to hear back on the status of their asylum claims. The film was originally set to screen at Cannes before the festival was cancelled, and it has already earned four British Independent Film Awards nominations and two nods from the BAFTAs.
Wrath of Man (2021) 67%
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Jason Statham, Scott Eastwood, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Post Malone
Opening on: May 7, 2021 (formerly April 23, 2021)
Director Guy Ritchie teams up with Jason Statham for their fourth collaboration together in a twist on the heist movies that made them famous. Based on the 2004 French film Cash Truck, Wrath of Man centers on an employee (Statham) at an armored truck company who takes part in a heist but has ulterior motives.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) 37%
Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman
Starring: Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols
Opening on: May 14, 2021 (formerly May 21, 2021)
The Saw franchise officially gets revived in this new thriller, with Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III, and IV) back behind the camera. This time, two cops played by Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson investigate a series of gruesome murders and find themselves at the mercy of a killer reminiscent of the past (Jigsaw copycat, anyone?).
The Woman in the Window (2021) 25%
Directed by: Joe Wright
Starring: Amy Adams, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, Anthony Mackie, Brian Tyree Henry
Opening on: May 14, 2021 (formerly May 15, 2020)
In Joe Wright’s adaptation of the novel of the same name that takes the premise of Rear Window to new places, Amy Adams stars as child psychologist Anna Fox, an agoraphobic woman who develops a friendship with a neighbor who lives in the building across the street (played by Julianne Moore), only to witness her friend being murdered by her husband. Except, maybe that’s not actually what happened, and maybe Anna’s medication is playing tricks on her mind.
Army Of The Dead (2021) 67%
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana De La Reguera, Theo Rossi
Opening on: May 21, 2021 on Netflix
Before he set about rejiggering Justice League for HBO Max, Zack Snyder returned to his undead roots to helm this zombie thriller about a group of mercenaries who head into the heart of Las Vegas after a zombie outbreak in order to pull off a daring casino heist.
Cruella (2021) 75%
Directed by: Alex Timbers and Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Joel Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Emma Thompson
Opening on: May 28, 2021 with Premier Access on Disney+
Emma Stone will star in Disney’s latest live-action remake of an old classic. In the vein of Maleficient, Cruella will focus on the enigmatic villain of 101 Dalmatians in her youth and show how she became obsessed with Dalmatian fur. With Emma Thompson and Mark Strong rounding out the cast, it’s bound to be worth the wait.
A Quiet Place Part II (2021) 91%
Directed by: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou
Opening on: May 28, 2021 (formerly September 17, 2021)
Director John Krasinski returns to helm this sequel, which he also wrote, starring his real-life wife Emily Blunt, as it follows up with the Abbott family after the events of the first film. Judging from the first trailer, we’ll also get some flashbacks to the beginning of the… invasion? Infestation? Whatever you want to call it, it looks like Krasinski has done a bang-up job ratcheting up the tension, and audiences should be in for another great ride.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) 55%
Directed by: Michael Chaves
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, Julian Hilliard
Opening on: June 4, 2021, with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return to reprise their roles as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in this third chapter of the original Conjuring franchise, focusing on a real case they investigated in which a murder suspect invoked demonic possession as a defense for his crimes. Michael Chaves, who directed 2019’s Conjuring-adjacent spinoff The Curse of La Llorona, takes the reins as director, while James Wan remains attached to the film as a producers.
In the Heights (2021) 94%
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Anthony Ramos, Leslie Grace, Corey Hawkins, Jimmy Smits, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco
Opening on: June 11, 2021, with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu adapts Lin-Manuel Miranda’s breakout musical, In the Heights. The show, which kicked off the Hamilton creator’s career, won four Tony Awards in 2008, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Chu demonstrated real skill with spectacle in Crazy Rich Asians, and the new movie shares similar themes of reclaiming one’s heritage – it follows the stories of several characters in New York’s heavily Latino neighborhood, Washington Heights, over three days.
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021) 67%
Directed by: Will Gluck
Starring: James Corden, Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, David Oyelowo, Elizabeth Debicki
Opening on: June 11, 2021 (formerly July 2, 2021)
First the garden, then the world. The plot for this sequel to the surprise hit loosely based on the work of Beatrix Potter is still under lock and key, but we’re sure it will involve James Corden’s cheeky rabbit causing all sorts of PG-rated trouble. We do not expect any blackberries to be involved, however.
The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021) 26%
Directed by: Patrick Hughes
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Richard E. Grant, Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Frank Grillo
Opening on: June 16, 2021 (formerly August 20, 2021)
2017’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard didn’t exactly wow the critics, but it was a moderate hit at the box office, so why not give it another go? As indicated by the title, it’s Salma Hayek’s Sonia who now enlists the help of Michael (Ryan Reynolds) in order to rescue her husband — and Michael’s old rival — Darius (Samuel L. Jackson).
Luca (2021) 91%
Directed by: Enrico Casarosa
Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Maya Rudolph, Jack Dylan Grazer, Jim Gaffigan
Opening on: June 18, 2021 on Disney+
The latest offering from Pixar (after 2020’s Soul) will be a deeply personal coming-of-age tale with a twist from director Enrico Casarosa. The story will focus on the title character, a sea monster who lives off the coast of the Italian Riviera who strikes up a friendship with another sea monster; together they discover that they take human form when dry and decide to visit the nearby seaside town for an adventure.
F9 The Fast Saga (2021) 59%
Directed by: Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron, Tyrese Gibson, John Cena, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Lucas Black
Opening on: June 25, 2021 (formerly May 28, 2021)
It’s full-throttle and pedal to the metal for the Toretto crime/adventure/anti-terrorism/what-even-are-they family yet again. Director Justin Lin was the man to turn the franchise around, delivering the series’ first Fresh entry on his third try with 2011’s Fast Five (Certified Fresh at 73%); since then, every Fast movie has landed on the red end of the Tomatometer. The new entry will bring the family back together to face off against a new villain played by John Cena… who happens to be Dom Toretto’s brother. Also, Han is back? What? The film was originally slated to open in May of 2020, but was pushed back almost a year to occupy the slot that had originally been reserved for Fast Furious 10.
Zola (2020) 88%
Directed by: Janicza Bravo
Starring: Taylour Paige, Riley Keough
Opening on: June 30, 2021
Based on a notoriously stranger-than-fiction series of viral tweets (and a subsequent Rolling Stone article) from 2015, this adventure comedy follows a Detroit waitress who embarked on a road trip to Florida with a stripper and ended up spending the craziest two days of her life with her.
The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021) 46%
Directed by: Tom McGrath
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Amy Sedaris, Lisa Kudrow, James Marsden, Jeff Goldblum, Jimmy Kimmel, Eva Longoria
Opening on: July 2, 2021 (formerly September 17, 2021) in theaters and streaming on Peacock
The Boss Baby might be Rotten, but its monster box office take shows the audience is hungry for more. This time, though, the story takes place years after the first film, when the original Boss Baby Ted — voiced by Alec Baldwin — and his older brother Tim have both grown up. Tim now has a smarty-pants infant of his own (Amy Sedaris), who embarks on a secret mission involving her big sister.
The Forever Purge (2021) 49%
Directed by: Everardo Gout
Starring: Ana de la Reguera, Josh Lucas, Tenoch Huerta, Will Patton
Opening on: July 2, 2021
Set after 2016’s Purge: Election Year, in which the Purge was officially abolished, this next chapter in the franchise goes smaller than its predecessors. Forever follows a Mexican couple who become stranded on a ranch and besieged by strangers who miss the good ol’ days of lawless anarchy.
Black Widow (2021) 79%
Directed by: Cate Shortland
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz
Opening on: July 9, 2021 (formerly November 6, 2020) with Premier Access on Disney+
The first Marvel property to kick off its Phase 4 (on the big screen, at least) will be this prequel focusing on Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff. The story takes place after the events of Captain America: Civil War and follows Natasha as she deals with dangerous people from her past as a double agent. David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, and Florence Pugh co-star, and who knows? Maybe Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye will make an appearance.
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021) 51%
Directed by: Adam Robitel
Starring: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Isabelle Fuhrman, Holland Roden
Opening on: July 16, 2021 (formerly January 7, 2022)
Taylor Russell and Logan Miller return to reprise their roles from the first Escape Room, a Saw-inspired horror-thriller that became something of a surprise hit when it premiered in January of 2019. Though we don’t know exactly what the second film will be about, the first one ended on a pretty suggestive cliffhanger, so we can expect Ben (Miller) and Zoey (Russell) to take part in a new round of deadly games. Originally slated to debut in 2020, and then in 2021, the film was ultimately pushed even further back to 2022.
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) 25%
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
Starring: LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green
Opening on: July 16, 2021, with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Speaking of old stories for new audiences, LeBron James‘ long-awaited Space Jam sequel will finally arrive in 2021. In this updated take on the original, Bron and his son (Cedric Joe) are transported to a digital world by an evil AI (voiced by Don Cheadle), who forces the basketball icon to team up with the Looney Toons and play a game of hoops against his digital Goon Squad.
Old (2021) 50%
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Alex Wolff
Opening on: July 23, 2021 (formerly February 26, 2021)
M. Night Shyamalan‘s newest project seems like a fairly straightforward idea, so it’ll be interesting to see where he takes it. In Old, a family on vacation discovers that the isolated beach where they’re relaxing is causing them to age rapidly. This is the first of two films the horror auteur is slated to direct for Universal in the coming years.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021) 35%
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Henry Golding, Samara Weaving, Iko Uwais
Opening on: July 23, 2021 (formerly October 22, 2021)
Snake Eyes, the mute ninja/commando previously portrayed by Ray Park in the live-action G.I. Joe film franchise, gets an origin story. The character’s past has always been shrouded in mystery, save for the fact that he was once close friends with enemy ninja Storm Shadow and the fact that an explosion not only severely disfigured his face but also fried his vocal cords. Now we get to see how it all came to be.
The Green Knight (2021) 89%
Director: David Lowery
Starring: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Sarita Choudhury
Opening on: July 30, 2021
Based on the 14th century Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, this medieval fantasy adventure written and directed by David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, The Old Man the Gun) appears to be splashed with a touch of horror, at least judging from the cryptic trailer. It was originally slated for a 2020 release before it moved to 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Jungle Cruise (2021) 62%
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti
Opening on: July 30, 2021
Following the path that Pirates of the Caribbean charted so successfully, this new film (franchise?) is based on the Disney theme park attraction of the same name. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt star, respectively, as a riverboat captain and a scientist on a hunt for a magical cure in this Depression-era action adventure. Comedian Jack Whitehall also joins in the fun, playing Blunt’s character’s brother. Collet-Serra has had a string of action-thriller hits working with Liam Neeson (Commuter, Non-Stop, Unknown), so there’s a chance this one could be slightly darker than anticipated.
Stillwater (2021) 75%
Directed by: Tom McCarthy
Starring: Matt Damon, Abigail Breslin, Camille Cottin
Opening on: July 30, 2021 (formerly November 6, 2020)
Matt Damon stars in this thriller about an Oklahoma oil-rig worker who travels to Marseille, France to unravel a mystery and clear his daughter’s name when when she is imprisoned for a crime she says she didn’t commit. The film co-stars Abigail Breslin and is directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy, who won a pair of Oscars for 2015’s Spotlight, so there’s considerable pedigree behind this project, and there’s no reason not to be optimistic about it.
Vivo (2021) 86%
Directed by: Kirk DeMicco
Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Zoe Saldana, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicole Byer, Leslie David Baker
Opening on: July 30, 2021 in select theaters and August 6, 2021 on Netflix
Hot on the heels of the Oscar-nominated Moana and 2020’s In The Heights movie adaptation, Broadway legend Lin-Manuel Miranda will return to his musical roots with a new animated musical from Sony. Kirk DeMicco will direct, with Miranda voicing the titular musical kinkajou, and the film will stream on Netflix.
The Suicide Squad (2021) 90%
Directed by: James Gunn
Starring: Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, John Cena, Peter Capaldi, Sylvester Stallone
Opening on: August 6, 2021, with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Director James Gunn looks to erase the memory of 2016’s Suicide Squad with this soft quasi-reboot. A handful of the cast members from the first film return, while Idris Elba, John Cena, Peter Capaldi, and more join in on the fun, as Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) gathers the Squad for a secret mission involving a giant starfish.
Free Guy (2021) 80%
Directed by: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Taika Waititi, Jody Comer, Joe Keery, Lel Rel Howery
Opening on: August 13, 2021 (formerly May 21, 2021)
Ryan Reynolds brings his sarcastic wit and boyishly good-looking everyman charm to this self-referential, special effects-driven comedy. He stars as Guy, a nondescript bank teller non-player character (NPC) in a violent, open-world video game who suddenly becomes self-aware and decides to take his destiny into his own hands. Expect a lot of ironic, self-referential humor and over-the-top action shenanigans, which, when Ryan Reynolds is involved, is essentially its own genre these days.
Respect (2021) 68%
Directed by: Liesl Tommy
Starring: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Marc Maron, Audra McDonald, Mary J. Blige
Opening on: August 13, 2021 (formerly January 15, 2021)
Jennifer Hudson has some big shoes to fill, as she steps into the role of Aretha Franklin in Liesl Tommy’s biopic of the legendary singer in Respect. It was originally slated for a January release before, like a lot of other films, it was delayed by coronavirus-related shutdowns.
Reminiscence (2021) 36%
Directed by: Lisa Joy
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandie Newton, Daniel Wu, Cliff Curtis
Opening on: August 20, 2021, with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Hugh Jackman stars in this sci-fi drama set in a flooded, near-future Miami about a man who offers people the chance to relive any memory. As he begins to fall for one of his clients, he discovers she may or may not be involved in a series of violent crimes and dives into her past to learn the truth. This is the feature debut of Lisa Joy, who previously worked on TV series like Pushing Daisies, Burn Notice, and most recently Westworld.
Candyman (2021) 84%
Directed by: Nia DaCosta
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tony Todd, Teyonah Parris
Opening on: August 27,2021 (formerly October 16, 2020)
Longtime fan and contemporary horror maestro Jordan Peele is producing this sequel to — not a remake of — the classic 1992 horror film about the murdered son of a slave whose ghost haunts the Chicago neighborhood where the Cabrini Green housing projects once stood. The update is set after the gentrification of Cabrini Green, as an artist learns about the history of his neighborhood and begins to explore it in his work, unknowingly opening a door he may not be able to close.
Cinderella (2021)
Directed by: Kay Cannon
Starring: Camila Cabello, Billy Porter, Idina Menzel
Opening on: September 3 on Amazon Prime (formerly July 16, 2021)
If there’s anyone who can do justice to Whitney Houston‘s turn as the Fairy Godmother, it’s none other than Broadway legend and Pose star Billy Porter. Sure, we might not need another Cinderella story, but what could be better than vocal legends like Idina Menzel and newcomers like Camila Cabello bringing a classic story to life?
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina
Opening on: September 3, 2021 (formerly July 9, 2021)
After bringing the true story of Bryan Stevenson to screen in this 2019’s Just Mercy, Destin Daniel Cretton will be joining the big leagues for his next project. Shang-Chi will be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Asian-led film. Kim’s Conveince‘s Simu Liu is set to star, alongside Awkwafina and legendary actor Tony Leung, as the Marvel hero comes to grips with the legacy of his lineage.
The Card Counter (2020)
Directed by: Paul Schrader
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan, Willem Dafoe
Opening on: September 10, 2021
Writer-director Paul Schrader, who recently earned an Oscar nomination for First Reformed, helms this thriller about a man (Oscar Isaac) who reverts back to his old, dangerous ways when he meets a young man (Tye Sheridan) out for revenge on a military colonel (Willem Dafoe).
Malignant (2021)
Directed by: James Wan
Starring: Annabelle Wallis, George Young, Jake Abel, McKenna Grace
Opening on: September 10, 2021 (formerly August 14, 2020)
James Wan’s next project stars Annabelle Wallis as a woman who begins to have terrifying visions of gruesome murders, only to discover not just that the killings are real and she is witnessing them in real time, but also that the killer has ties to her mysterious past.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
Directed by: Michael Showalter
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Vincent D’Onofrio, Cherry Jones, Sam Jaeger
Opening on: September 17, 2021
Director Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) takes a more dramatic turn with this film based on the documentary of the same name that chronicles the rise and fall of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, with Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield set to play the infamous couple.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
Directed by: Andy Serkis
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson, Naomie Harris, Stephen Graham
Opening on: October 1, 2021 (formerly October 15, 2021)
Andy Serkis takes the reins for this follow-up to 2018’s Spider-Man-adjacent Sony hit Venom. Tom Hardy returns to reprise his role as journalist Eddie Brock, who entered into a mutually beneficial partnership with the alien symbiote who possessed his body in the first film, and he’ll face off against a new villain in the form of Woody Harrelson’s Carnage, who was teased in the post-credits scene of the first film.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)
Directed by: Derek Drymon, Jennifer Kluska
Starring: Kathryn Hahn, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key
Opening on: October 1, 2021 (formerly July 23, 2021) exclusively on Amazon Prime
The final chapter in the Hotel Transylvania series will not, in fact, include Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula, but will focus on Dracula’s human son-in-law Johnny (Andy Samberg), who is inadvertently transformed into a monster just as all his monster cohorts are turned into humans.
The Guilty
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Riley Keough
Opening on: October 1, 2021 on Netflix
Jake Gyllenhaal, Riley Keough, and Peter Sarsgaard star in Antoine Fuqua’s remake of the 2018 Danish thriller of the same name about a police emergency dispatcher who becomes invested in a 9-1-1 call from a woman in the middle of an abduction.
The Many Saints of Newark (2021)
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Starring: Michael Gandolfini, Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, Billy Magnussen, Ray Liotta, Corey Stoll, Alessandro Nivola
Opening on: October 1, 2021, with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Whether you feel that the end of The Sopranos — you know, that controversial fade to black — was fitting and poignant or anti-climactic and unsatisfying, you probably jumped at the news that a Sopranos movie was in the works. With the late James Gandolfini no longer around, however, the only way to go was a prequel, and who better to portray a young Tony Soprano than Gandolfini’s son himself, Michael? Alan Taylor directs this look back at the early years of the iconic TV mobster, with Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, and Ray Liotta in supporting roles.
No Time to Die (2021)
Directed by: Cary Fukunaga
Starring: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Rami Malek, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch
Opening on: October 8, 2021 (formerly April 2, 2021)
True Detective director Cary Fukunaga takes the reins for the 25th James Bond film, with Daniel Craig returning for his fifth and (presumably) final turn as 007. He’s joined by series regulars Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear, and Ben Whishaw, as well as returning characters played by Lea Seydoux and Jeffrey Wright. Recent Best Actor-winner Rami Malek is reported to play the villain, while it’s presumed Captain Marvel‘s Lashana Lynch will play a newer 007 who may have to relinquish her famous code number back to Bond when he comes out of retirement.
Halloween Kills (2021)
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Anthony Michael Hall
Opening on: October 15, 2021, with simultaneous release on Peacock
The duo of director David Gordon Green and writer Danny McBride proved successful in the 2018 sequel-that-nullified-all-the-other-sequels, Halloween, so they recently announced two more films to close out a new trilogy. The second installment, which sees the return of the newly badass Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her grown-up daughter (Judy Greer), will hit theaters just before, well, Halloween.
The Last Duel (2021)
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer
Opening on: October 15, 2021 (formerly January 8, 2021)
It’s been two years since Ridley Scott did the unthinkable and reshot All The Money In The World weeks before its release date. But this time around, he’ll be racing against history with this Edwardian tale of knights and maidens. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will reunite, with Killing Eve‘s breakout star Jodie Comer filling out the cast.
Dune (2021)
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Zendaya
Opening on: October 22, 2021
Acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve takes on the massive challenge of re-adapting Frank Herbert’s sprawling sci-fi epic more than 30 years after David Lynch attempted the same and, according to many fans, fell short. At the very least, Villeneuve has assembled an impressive cast (just look at those names!) so it’s now up to him and his co-writers to fashion an engaging script from the daunting source material.
The French Dispatch (2021)
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Benicio Del Toro, Saoirse Ronan, Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Owen Wilson
Opening on: October 22, 2021 (formerly October 16, 2020)
Reportedly inspired by director Wes Anderson’s love of The New Yorker magazine, the latest is a comedic drama that brings to life a handful of stories from the French bureau of a fictional newspaper headquartered in Kansas. The film’s press release calls it a “love letter to journalists,” and it brings together several of Anderson’s regular collaborators in a massive, star-studded cast.
Last Night in Soho (2021)
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp
Opening on: October 22, 2021 (formerly April 23, 2021)
Any time Edgar Wright has a new movie coming out, it’s something to look forward to. But throw in the fact that he’s assembled a cast that includes up-and-coming young stars like Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie, as well as legendary vets like Diana Rigg and Terence Stamp? And the fact that it’s a horror film inspired by both Don’t Look Now and Repulsion? Yes, please, and thank you.
Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021)
Directed by: Jean-Philippe Vine, Sarah Smith
Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Olivia Colman, Ed Helms
Opening on: October 22, 2021 (formerly April 23, 2021)
Originally slated for a late 2020 release, Ron’s Gone Wrong was pushed back a few months after 20th Century Fox was acquired by Disney. The animated adventure is set in a world where every child’s best friend is a digitally connected device and follows one young boy who discovers his own robot pal doesn’t quite work the way it should.
Antlers (2021)
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Starring: Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene
Opening on: October 29, 2021 (formerly February 19, 2021)
Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons star in this supernatural thriller about a small-town teacher and her sheriff brother who find themselves in a waking nightmare when they discover one of her students is harboring a terrifying secret in his attic.
The Harder They Fall (2021)
Directed by: Jeymes Samuel
Starring: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo, Regina King
Opening on: November 3, 2021 on Netflix
Fans of Idris Elba riding a horse should be overjoyed to know that, in addition to Concrete Cowboy, he’s also in a more traditional Western. Here, he stars alongside a powerhouse cast that includes Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo, and Regina King in a good, old-fashioned revenge tale about a man looking to hunt down the villain who murdered his parents.
Eternals (2021)
Directed by: Chloé Zhao
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Brian Tyree Henry
Opening on: November 5, 2021 (formerly February 12, 2021)
The second film of Marvel’s Phase 4 goes cosmic again with the Eternals. Much of the cast was announced in bits and pieces, with a big reveal at Comic-Con 2019 and a key addition made in August. In brief, the Eternals are powerful immortals who helped shape humanity and history on Earth, and the cast includes a lot of big names, from Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek to Kumail Nanjiani and a couple of Game of Thrones kings, Richard Madden and Kit Harington. Plus, director Chloé Zhao is no slouch herself; she had one of 2018’s best-reviewed films in The Rider. We’ll just have to see how well she makes the transition to big-budget, special effects-driven Blockbusters.
Finch (2021)
Directed by: Miguel Sapochnik
Starring: Tom Hanks
Opening on: November 5, 2021 on Apple TV+ (formerly August 20, 2021)
Tom Hanks is back, breaking our hearts again. Here he plays a sickly inventor — and the last human left on a post-apocalyptic earth — who creates a robot to protect the life of his dog when he dies and keep them both company while he’s alive. Will said robot be as lovable as, say, Wilson? Time will tell. Director Miguel Sapochnik boasts an epic resume, particularly in TV – if you need any convincing on this one, just know he directed Game of Thrones’ “Battle of the Bastards” episode.
Red Notice (2021)
Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds
Opening on: November 12 on Netflix
Director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Central Intelligence, Skyscraper) teams up with Dwayne Johnson for a third time in this action-comedy about a top FBI agent who is forced to team up with two rival criminals (Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds) to take down one of the world’s most wanted.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd
Opening on: November 19, 2021 (formerly June 11, 2021)
Jason Reitman will direct a sequel to the original Ghostbusters franchise, unrelated to the all-female reboot directed by Paul Feig in 2016. We still don’t know much about what the story will be, but as casting news trickled in, we did learn that Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace will play a brother and sister, with Carrie Coon as their single mother, and Paul Rudd is in the film as what appears to be a schoolteacher. Originally slated to open on July 10, 2020, the film was pushed back due to concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak.
Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)
Directed by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens, Bradley Whitford
Opening on: November 19, 2021 on Netflix
Between In the Heights and Encanto, Lin-Manuel Miranda was already going to have a big 2021, but he decided to go ahead and drop his feature directorial debut as well. This musical drama stars Andrew Garfield as an aspiring theater composer nearing 30 and hoping for his big break who begins to reexamine his life and his relationships.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
Directed by: Johannes Roberts
Starring: Kaya Scodelario, Robbie Amell, Tom Hopper, Hannah John-Kamen, Neal McDonough
Opening on: November 24, 2021
Nothing says Thanksgiving like a little zombie horror, right? Sony’s reboot of the massively popular Resident Evil franchise looks to hew closer to the original video games than the Paul W.S. Anderson movies starring Milla Jovovich did. The new film, directed by horror vet Johannes Roberts (The Strangers: Prey at Night, 47 Meters Down), will serve as an origin story focusing on characters and landmarks that will be very familiar to fans of the games.
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Directed by: Jane Campion
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie
Opening on: December 1, 2021 on Netflix
It’s been a while since Jane Campion helmed a feature film, and as if to prove they’re not just interested in sci-fi thrillers and action films, Netflix scooped up her latest as part of their 2021 release plan. Based on the Thomas Savage novel of the same name, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons as two brothers who own a Montana ranch at the turn of the 20th century and find themselves engaged in a bitter rivalry when one of them marries a local widow.
West Side Story (2021)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Rita Moreno, Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler
Opening on: December 10, 2021 (formerly December 18, 2020)
Steven Spielberg’s new adaptation of the famous Broadway musical of the same name, which is itself an alternative take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is finally seeing the light of day in late 2020. Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler star in the as Tony and Maria, two teens in 1950s New York City who belong to rival gangs but fall in love with each other and must deal with the consequences.
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Rooney Mara
Opening on: December 17, 2021 (formerly December 3, 2021)
Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro always has a dozen or so plates spinning, but his next project is this adaptation of the novel of the same name by William Lindsay Graham. Starring Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett, the story revolves around a manipulative carnival hustler who “hooks up with a female psychiatrist who is even more dangerous than he is.” It doesn’t have a specific release date yet, but a recent Tweet by Searchlight Pictures announced it would be released in December of 2021.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jamie Foxx, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alfred Molina
Opening on: December 17, 2021 (formerly November 5, 2021)
There’s a lot to break down in the upcoming third Sony/MCU Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker, with some pretty big potential implications for both studios and their respective franchises. Suffice it to say, there will be some heady, game-changing plot elements at play, and if you want to know more than that, you can always read our breakdown of everything we know about the movie so far.
The King’s Man (2021)
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Harris Dickinson, Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Gemma Arterton, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Daniel Brühl, Stanley Tucci, Djimon Hounsou
Opening on: December 22, 2021 (formerly August 20, 2021)
While both a third installment of the Kingsman franchise and a Statesman spin-off are still on the way, audiences will first get a taste of how the whole thing came to exist in the first place with this prequel, set in the early 1900s. Ralph Fiennes leads an all-star cast in an origin story that will show how a group of ex-soldiers formed the spy agency.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Directed by: Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Opening on: December 22, 2021 (formerly April 1, 2022), with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Somehow, some way, Neo and Trinity are set to return to the world of The Matrix, as Lana Wachowski is set to bring us another sci-fi action-adventure set in the world digital world she helped create way back in 1999. We won’t get Agent Smith or Morpheus this time around, but people like Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, and Priyanka Chopra are joining the cast, so that’s exciting. The film was already delayed once to 2022 after it was originally slated to open in May of 2021, and now it’s been moved back up again to a very competitive Christmas weekend.
Sing 2 (2021)
Directed by: TBD
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, John C. Reilly, Idina Menzel, Resse Witherspoon, Nick Kroll, Scarlett Johansson
Opening on: December 22, 2021
Originally slated for Christmas 2020, Universal’s Sing 2 will release summer 2021 instead. The animated feature about a koala talent agent will see most of the principal cast return, with the addition of Idina Menzel and Selena Gomez. Chances are it’ll be another big family-friendly hit.
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
Directed by: Simon Curtis
Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Michelle Dockery, Matthew Goode, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Dominic West, Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye
Opening on: December 22, 2021
Fans of the popular ITV/PBS series rejoiced when the Crawley family and the staff of their famous estate made the leap to the big screen in 2019, and we’re getting a second trip just in time for Christmas, 2021. The original cast is returning, with new additions like Dominic West, Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, and Nathalie Baye, while Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn) will take on directorial duties. No word yet on what exactly the story of the new film will be.
Don’t Look Up (2020)
Directed by: Adam McKay
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande
Opening on: December 24, 2021 on Netflix
Adam McKay (The Big Short, Vice) directs a massive ensemble cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence in this satirical take on the disaster movie, following a pair of low-level astronomers who discover an approaching comet will destroy the planet and embark on a media tour to try to get the world to take them seriously.
Sherlock Holmes 3
Directed by: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams
Opening on: TBD (formerly December 22, 2021)
With Robert Downey Jr. free from the MCU, it’s finally time for the long awaited Sherlock Holmes sequel. By 2021, it’ll have been a decade since RDJ and Jude Law last brought their mischievous friendship to Victorian England. Rachel McAdams is set to return as Irene Adler, with a script from Chris Brancato, best known for his work in television on Hannibal and Narcos, and Bohemian Rhapsody director Dexter Fletcher is at the helm, though he did report back in October of 2020 that the film was on the “back burner,” so it likely won’t hold to its 2021 release plans.
Escape from Spiderhead
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett, Mark Paguio, Tess Haubrich
Opening on: TBD on Netflix
Working from a script by Deadpool writing duo Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, Joseph Kosinski (TRON: Legacy, Top Gun: Maverick) directs this action film about a pair of near-future convicts who agree to a series of experimental drug tests in exchange for shorter prison sentences. The film was initially thought to be getting a 2022 release, but as of now, we haven’t gotten concrete word on that.
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022)
Directed by: Chris Bailey, Mark Koetsier
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Cera, Michelle Yeoh, George Takei, Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Honsou
Opening on: 2021
Originally slated for release in 2017, the star-studded animated feature was scheduled to finally see the light of day in 2021, though we don’t know if that will come to fruition. Inspired by Mel Brooks‘ classic western Blazing Saddles, the cast includes Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson and Ricky Gervais.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
Starring: TBD
Opening on: TBD on Netflix
This has been one of Guillermo del Toro’s long-in-development passion projects, and it will also be his first foray into animation. The stop motion-animated adaptation of the classic tale will reportedly be a tad darker than we may be accustomed to, with del Toro calling it a “brutalist fable.” Like The Power of the Dog, this was picked up by Netflix and given a 2021 release date; whether or not the streaming giant will put it in theaters remains to be seen.
Jan-Mar | Apr-June | July-Sep | Oct-Dec
The Best Movies of 2019 | The Most Anticipated Movies of 2020
Thumbnail image by Jaap Buitendijk/©Focus Features.
The Best Movies category awards the best-reviewed film regardless of their release, whether they went straight to streaming or swung onto the silver screen. Spider-Man: No Way Home became the mega-cultural event that would entice moviegoers back into theaters, and it lived up to the hype for critics, as well. It was a music-filled year with In the Heights, West Side Story, and Summer of Soul. On the heavy side, some big tomatoes for Pig and a career-best Nicolas Cage, Jane Campion’s first-in-11-years The Power of the Dog, and A Quiet Place Part II, everyone’s collective exhalation through horror. Meanwhile, Raya and the Last Dragon, The Mitchells vs the Machines, and Coda brought representative, progressive ingredients to family storytelling.
The order reflects Tomatometer scores (as of December 31, 2021) after adjustment from our ranking formula, which compensates for variation in the number of reviews when comparing movies or TV shows.
After an exceptionally terrifying year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. vaccinations are on the rise, cases are in decline, and movie theaters are re-opening for new releases. For the first time in a long time, it’s movie time.
Of course, the film industry remains warped. While Warner Bros. will resume its typical theatrical release schedule in 2022, the ongoing experiment in day-and-date releases will see several tentpole films, including The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Space Jam, A New Legacy, and The Suicide Squad, hit both theaters and HBO Max. Marvel’s first big theatrical release in a year and a half, Black Widow, will also bow on Disney Plus Premier Access alongside its wide release in multiplexes.
Barring even those complicated streaming/PVOD releases, this summer promises a ton of exciting new movies to Actually See in Theaters, when one feels safe and comfortable enough to venture out and do so. From long-awaited action sequels like F9 to avant-garde fantasy epics like The Green Knight, there’ll be a lot to catch. Here’s the current 2021 summer movie calendar, along with where you’ll be able to watch each release.
Guy Ritchie returns to the heist action thriller genre — but strips away most of his razzle dazzle technique — in his new film Wrath of Man. Ritchie regular Jason Statham (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Snatch), stars as Harry “H” Hill, a cold and mysterious stranger hired as a security driver for a cash truck company in Los Angeles. After thwarting an attempted robbery, H’s past is slowly revealed, and an elaborate plot for vengeance against a conglomerate of criminals comes into focus.
In theaters on May 7
Andrew Garfield plays an Extremely Online sociopath in this satire of viral celebrity culture from Gia Coppola (Palo Alto). The Amazing Spider-Man alum stars as Mouse, a charismatic and masterfully manipulative “influencer” who takes a young and impressionable woman named Frankie (Maya Hawke) under his wing to school her in the art of crafting content. Things quickly take a turn for the worse when Frankie realizes that Mouse’s intentions are far from sincere and euphoria of overnight fame spirals into an unseemly obsession.
In theaters on May 7
Based on Walter Dean Myers’ novel, Monster follows Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a 17-year-old honor student whose life and future quickly unravel when he is charged with felony murder. From producer Nasir Jones and longtime music video director Anthony Mandler, the film follows Steve’s dramatic journey as he navigates a contentious legal battle that could lead to him potentially spending the rest of his life in prison.
Available on Netflix on May 7
Actor David Oyelowo (Selma) makes his directorial debut with The Water Man. Lonnie Chavis (This Is Us) stars as Gunner, a young boy who sets out on a journey to save his sick mother (Rosario Dawson) by searching for a mythic figure who possesses the key to immortality. Joining forces with a mysterious local girl named Jo (Amiah Miller), the pair descend into the depths of a strange remote forest known as Wild Horse. As days go in the wake of their sudden disappearance, it falls to Gunner’s father (Oyelowo) to embark on his own journey to rescue them.
In theaters on May 7
Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson star in the latest installment/soft reboot of the long-running Saw franchise. Written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger (Jigsaw, Piranha 3D) and directed by series stalwart Darren Lynn Bousman, Spiral: From the Book of Saw sees Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) hunting down a mysterious murderer whose modus operandi matches that of the long-thought-dead Jigsaw. When Zeke’s father (Jackson) is abducted by the killer, the investigation turns into a race against time to uncover the horrifying truth behind this new killer’s true identity and motivations.
In theaters on May 14
Zombies — we love ’em. Justice League director Zack Snyder certainly loves ‘em, which is why he’s returning to the genre after nearly two decades since his 2004 remake of George A. Romero’s horror classic Dawn of the Dead. Starring Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Blade Runner 2049), Ella Purnell (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children), Omari Hardwick (Kick-Ass), and more, Army of the Dead follows a group of mercenaries enlisted to perform an elaborate heist of a heavily-fortified Las Vegas Casino. Oh, and it’s set in a post-apocalyptic future and the main obstacle between them and an easy payday is — you guessed it — a literal army of the undead!
In select theaters on May 14 and available on Netflix on May 21
Following the terrifying and tragic events of 2018’s A Quiet Place, the Abbott family find themselves once again beset by a world of horrors in A Quiet Place Place Part II. Emily Blunt reprises her role as Evelyn Abbott who, along with her daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), son Marcus (Noah Jupe), and infant child must venture from their compromised home in search of safe haven, all the while being stalked by both malicious monsters and humans alike.
In theaters on May 28
Following in the mold of 2014’s Maleficent (and maybe a little of 2019’s Joker), Cruella is the latest live-action Disney film to taking an unambiguous villain from a classic animated film and rehabilitating them as a tragically misunderstood girl-boss. The film stars Emma Stone as Cruella, a young grifter-turned-aspiring fashion mogul navigating the dog-eat-dog world of haute couture fashion. Imagine “Sweeney Todd meets The Devil Wears Prada” and that’s basically what the film is aiming for.
In theaters and available on Disney Plus Premier Access on May 28
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, the third installment in the successful Conjuring horror franchise. Based on the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson — one of the most sensational and terrifying cases of the real-life Warrens — Ed and Lorraine are pitted in a fight for the soul of a young boy that will bring the pair face to face with evil incarnate itself.
In theaters and available on HBO Max on June 4
Sony Pictures Animation’s upcoming comedy musical stars Hamilton director Lin-Manuel Miranda as Vivo, a one-of-a-kind kinkajou (honey bear) that spends his days singing and dancing in a bustling Havana square alongside his beloved owner Andrés (Juan de Marcos González). When tragedy strikes amid the arrival of letter from Andres’ long-lost lover Marta (Gloria Estefan), Vivo must deliver a stirring love letter in the form of a song in order to bring the two one-time lovers together again.
Available on Netflix on June 4
Speaking of Lin-Manuel Miranda, before he broke through the stratosphere with Hamilton, he wrote and starred in the celebrated 2008 musical, In the Heights. This summer’s movie version, which stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, Olga Merediz, and more, seems poised for a similar reception. Set over the course of three days, the film follows a close-knit community in Washington Heights, New York as they navigate the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life in the city.
In theaters and available on HBO Max on June 11
Indian action thriller Jagame Thandhiram (“The world is tricky”) stars superstar Dhanush as Suruli, a Tamil gangster from Madurai hired by British crime lord Peter Sprott (James Cosmo) to take down a rival gangster. As Suruli lands in London with the intent to complete his mission, he quickly finds himself entrenched in a web of allegiances and dilemmas that force him to interrogate his peculiar status as a stranger in a strange land.
Available on Netflix on June 18
Pixar’s fantasy coming-of-age adventure Luca follows Luca Paguro (Room’s Jacob Tremblay) and his friend Alberto Scorfano (Shazam’s Jack Dylan Grazer), two young sea monsters who assume the forms of a pair of human children as they explore the idyllic Italian Riviera town of Portorosso. Directed by long-time Pixar animator Enrico Casarosa in his feature-length directorial debut, Luca looks like it’s shaping up to be the type of strange, heartwarming story about love, friendship, and acceptance that’s a perfect fit alongside the studio’s legacy of award-winning films.
Available on Disney Plus on June 18
F is for family in the ninth installment in long-running street racing-spy-action-heist-drama Fast and Furious series. When cyberterrorist mastermind Cipher (Charlize Theron) enlists the aid of Jakob (John Cena), a master thief, assassin, and Dom’s younger brother, Dom must turn to his old friends-made-fast-family in order to fight back and (presumably) save the world from another nefarious plot. But forget about silly things like plot — look, they’re flying into space in this one!
In theaters on June 25
Quietly announced back in 2017, America: The Motion Picture stars Channing Tatum in the role of a chainsaw-wielding George Washington who assembles a superpowered team of farcical historical figures in order to kick Benedict Arnold’s ass and save a nascent nation from the nefarious clutches of King James. Not since Team America: World Police has there been an animated comedy that has hoped to take the piss out of American exceptionalism. If the trailer and stills for the film are any indication, it looks like America: The Motion Picture is aiming to go somehow even further over the top.
Available on Netflix on June 30
Adapted from a 2015 viral Twitter thread by Aziah “Zola” Wells, Zola features a stripper dragged into a violent maelstrom of a road-trip weekend by a sex worker, her boyfriend, and her pimp. From our preview of the A24 film’s premiere at Sundance last year,
[…] like Uncut Gems and The Farewell, Zola is the product of a new generation of filmmakers, late-age millennial auteurs who don’t need to bow down to the past and settle for pastiche. For Bravo, that means conveying the stress of our current moment, whether it’s a rap track devolving into Mica Levi-composed ambience, or letting the dialogue rip in loud, near-unintelligible ways. Zola is a confident film with a confident protagonist, and the agency on display is infectious.
In theaters on June 30
Writer-producer James DeMonaco returns for the fifth (and supposedly final) installment in the Purge series with 2021’s The Forever Purge. A year after the events of 2016’s The Purge: Election Year, the annual bacchanalian murder spree has been formally outlawed — but that doesn’t snuff out the wealthy’s desire to hunt the poor and defenseless. The Forever Purge follow a Mexican couple who, after escaping the clutches of a drug cartel and stranded in a Texas ranch house, are stalked by a vigilante group of heavily-armed outsiders who refuse to be denied their “right” to kill those who don’t look like them. With no other options, the couple must mount a defense to push back against their would-be murderers and find help.
In theaters on July 2
The Questlove-directed documentary Summer of Soul delves into the history and lasting significance of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Despite having a large attendance and performers such as Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight the Pips, and Sly and the Family Stone, the festival has gone largely unremembered and undocumented— until now. Summer of Soul is a love letter to an era and a genre of music whose distinctive sound forms the foundation of some of the most infectiously popular music of our present.
In theaters on July 2
Vigilante super spy Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) finally gets her own standalone Marvel film, and all it took was over a decade’s worth of appearances across eight films and dying in Avengers: Endgame! Black Widow delves into the events between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War as Natasha is forced to confront a dangerous conspiracy led by a relentless mercenary known as The Taskmaster. In order to survive and bring the truth to light, she’ll need to turn to old allies from her past— fellow super spies Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), and the so-called “Red Guardian” Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour).
In theaters and available on Disney Plus Premier Access on July 9
1996’s Space Jam, much like 1989’s Ghostbusters, is one of those oddball cinematic artifacts that’s taken on an outsized legacy as a sacrosanct pop cultural touchstone in the minds of audiences who first encountered it as children. Space Jam: A New Legacy sees Lebron James, starring as a fictionalized version of himself, transported to in Serververse, a virtual space populated by every IP owned by Warner Bros. entertainment, alongside his son Dom. When Dom is kidnapped by the rogue AI Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle), James is forced to compete in a winner-takes-all basketball match alongside the Looney Toons in order to win back his son and all his Instagram followers. It’s a positively batshit fever dream of a premise à la 2018’s Ready Player One and Ralph Breaks the Internet, packed to the brim with cameos from Game of Thrones and The Iron Giant to Scooby-Doo and A Clockwork Orange.
In theaters on July 16
Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Corporation, once claimed in an interview that every person is terrified of at least two things: the death of their children and the fading of their abilities. No more are these two elemental fears more present than in Old, the latest horror thriller from The Sixth Sense and Split director M. Night Shyamalan that follows a family on an idyllic tropical vacations that quickly sours into a waking nightmare when they quickly realize their precious few hours of relaxation cause them to age rapidly without a cure. It looks positively insane, just the kind of weird that sits comfortably in Shyamalan’s wheelhouse.
In theaters on July 23
Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) stars in the epic fantasy adventure The Green Knight as Sir Gawain, the headstrong nephew of King Arthur himself, who embarks on a perilous quest to confront a menace known as the Green Knight. Director David Lowery’s rendition on the classic Arthurian fable looks positively breathtaking with evocative cinematography and ominous score courtesy of his A Ghost Story collaborators Andrew Droz Palermo and Daniel Hart. Initially slated to release last year before being pushed back in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first trailer looks incredible— and with supporting performances by Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), Joel Edgerton (The Underground Railroad), and Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), The Green Knight is without a doubt one of our most highly-anticipated releases of the year.
In theaters on July 30
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn’s soft-reboot/sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad sees Amanda Waller’s highly disposable rogues gallery sent on a mission to the South American island of Corto Maltese to destroy Jotunheim, a Nazi-era prison and laboratory for horrific human experiments. Margot Robbie and Joel Kinnaman return as Harley Quinn and Rick Flag, this time joined by expert marksman Bloodsport (Idris Elba), murderous pacifist Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), and many more. Don’t get too attached though, the movie’s called “Suicide Squad” for a reason after all.
In theaters on August 6
Don’t Breathe, that absolutely bonkers 2016 horror thriller starring Stephen Lang as a blind homicidal army veteran who tried to artificially inseminate a bound woman with a turkey baster, is getting a sequel. The aptly titled Don’t Breathe 2 sees Lang return as the mysterious Blind Man, now hiding out in a secluded cabin several years after the first movie. According to Sony, Norman now lives in solace “until his past sins catch up to him.” Dun dun DUN.
In theaters on August 13
Nia DaCosta’s spiritual sequel to Bernard Rose’s 1992 horror classic Candyman stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Anthony McCoy, a Chicago-based visual artist whose latest installation takes inspiration from the Candyman legend of Cabrini Green Housing Projects. When a series of inexplicable and gruesome murders ties back to Anthony and his exhibit, he’ll have to uncover a dark past that connects his own history to that of the terrifying apparition whose legend still strikes fear in the hearts of all those who remember him.
In theaters on August 27
Wondering what else you’ll be able to watch on Prime Video this month? Here’s the full list of new Prime Video movies shows streaming in June 2023:
A Guy Thing (2003) (Freevee)
All The Queen’s Men: S1 (2021)
American Psycho (2000) (Freevee)
Back to the Future (1985) (Freevee)
Back to the Future II (1989) (Freevee)
Back to the Future III (1990) (Freevee)
Barnaby Jones: S1-8 (1973)
Body of Evidence (1992) (Freevee)
Bolero (1984) (Freevee)
Bowfinger (1999) (Freevee)
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) (Freevee)
Bull: S1-6 (2017)
Charmed: S1-8 (1999)
Crash (2004) (Freevee)
Date Night (2010) (Freevee)
Detroit (2017) (Freevee)
Dirty Work (1998) (Freevee)
Disturbing Behavior (1998) (Freevee)
Dredd (2012) (Freevee)
Earth to Echo (2014) (Freevee)
Evening Shade: S1-4 (1991)
Everybody Hates Chris: S1-4 (2006)
Flesh+Blood (1985) (Freevee)
Gnomeo Juliet (2011) (Freevee)
Happy Days: S1-3 (1974)
How Do You Know (2010) (Freevee)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) (Freevee)
In Out (1997) (Freevee)
Kick-Ass (2010) (Freevee)
King Solmon’s Mines (1985) (Freevee)
Laverne Shirley: S1-4 (1976)
Limbo (2020) (Freevee)
Mac and Me (1988) (Freevee)
Mannix: S1-7 (1967)
MasterChef Mexico All Stars (2023)
Moby Dick (1956) (Freevee)
Mork Mindy: S1-2 (1978)
Much Ado About Nothing (1993) (Freevee)
Mulholland Falls (1996) (Freevee)
Navy Seals (1990) (Freevee)
Petticoat Junction: S1-5 (1964)
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) (Freevee)
Priest (2011) (Freevee)
Red Corner (1997) (Freevee)
Red Tails (2012) (Freevee)
Rules of Engagement (2000) (Freevee)
Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) (Freevee)
Spy (2015) (Freevee)
Survivor: S17-25 (2008)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) (Freevee)
The Brady Bunch: S1-5 (1970)
The Defiant Ones (1958) (Freevee)
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) (Freevee)
The Help (2011) (Freevee)
The Hours (2002) (Freevee)
The House Bunny (2008) (Freevee)
The Hunger Games (2012) (Freevee)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) (Freevee)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (Freevee)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015) (Freevee)
The Love Punch (2013) (Freevee)
The Neighborhood: S1-4 (2019)
The Party (1968) (Freevee)
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) (Freevee)
Turbo (2013) (Freevee)
UHF (1989) (Freevee)
Waiting to Exhale (1995) (Freevee)
Webster: S1-4 (1984)
West Side Story (1961) (Freevee)
Wings: S1-8 (1990)
An Unforgettable Year – Summer (2023) *Prime Video Original Movie
Deadloch (2023) *Prime Video Original Series
Medellin (2023) *Prime Video Original Movie
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets (2023) *Prime Video Original Series
With Love: S2 (2023) *Prime Video Original Series
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Sully (2016)
TÁR (2022)
My Fault (2023) *Prime Video Original Movie
An Unforgettable Year – Autumn (2023) *Prime Video Original Movie
The Lake: S2 (2023) *Prime Video Original Series
Tribunal Justice (2023) (Freevee) *Freevee Original
Interstellar (2014)
An Unforgettable Year – Winter (2023) *Prime Video Original Movie
Ender’s Game (2013)
Spoiler Alert (2022)
The Grand Tour: Eurocrash (2023) *Prime Video Original Series
There’s Something Wrong With The Children (2023)