(This article was updated by Arun Kumar on March 4, 2024) From Dune: Part Two to Deadpool and Wolverine, these are the most anticipated upcoming Hollywood movies in 2024, 2025.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe gave us some underwhelming films like Ant-Man 3 and The Marvels, the 2023 blockbuster cinema was rejuvenated by the Barbenheimer phenomenon. In 2024, however, MCU is hoping for a hit with its first R-rated film, Deadpool & Wolverine. 2024 is going to be yet another year of highly anticipated sequels. There are action spectacles, horror movies, even franchises that haven’t had a new film out in years, lined up. Horror and sci-fi have also been very prominent and successful genres in 2023, and 2024 looks promising to continue that standard. Production companies like A24 and directors like Ridley Scott, George Miller, Bong Joon Ho have some fascinating things in the works, all of which now have release dates.
Not to mention that movies have been announced as far ahead as December of next year. (Shout out to Megan 2.0 coming in 2025).
The SAG/AFTRA strike from July to November 2023 stalled the production of major blockbusters and pushed back release dates for films like Dune: Part Two. With the strike over, major Hollywood studios are gearing up for bigger box-office returns. From Furiosa to the Joker sequel, 2024 promises to be another record-breaking year of extraordinary spectacles. I hope you don’t have too much going on next year, because you definitely aren’t going to want to miss seeing this at the theater.
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Upcoming Hollywood Movies
1. Dune: Part 2 – March 15, 2024
Sci-fi fans rejoice because Dune: Part 2 is looking very promising. In addition to the return of Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, audiences will be excited to see Florence Pugh and Austin Butler join the cast.
The main character Paul Atreides continues his search for revenge on the people who killed his family. He gains the trust of the Fremans and his prophetic abilities grow even stronger. He is faced with the difficult choice between his one true love and the fate of the universe as they know it.
Watch: Dune 1 & 2 Explained
2. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – May 10, 2024
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the tenth film set in the Planet of the Apes cinematic universe. Directed by Wes Ball (Maze Runner), the upcoming movie is connected to the rebooted trilogy of films that started with Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). However, the iconic ape leader, Caesar, might not return in this sequel since its set 300 years after the War of the Planet of the Apes (2017).
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes chronicles the odyssey of Noa (Owen Teague), a young chimpanzee. In this world dominated by the apes, Proximus Caesar, a ruthless ruler, enslaves other clans and aspires to discover the remnants of human technologies.
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – May 24, 2024
Furiosa is the fifth film in the Mad Max cinematic universe. It is a prequel to the 2014 reboot Mad Max: Fury Road. Apart from the titular character, the most memorable character in Fury Road was the indomitable warrior Furiosa (played by Charlize Theron). George Miller’s upcoming movie traces the origins of Furiosa before she became Immortan Joe’s Imperator. The Witch & Split fame Anya-Taylor Joy plays the younger Furiosa, whereas Thor fame Chris Hemsworth is the film’s lead antagonist.
A younger version of Immortan Joe is also set to appear in the film. Furiosa promises yet another adrenaline-pumping action spectacle. And it’s sure to be a treat to watch the rise of Furiosa on a big screen!
Read: 20 Best Films of 2023 and Where to Find Them
4. Inside Out 2 – June 14, 2024
Released in 2015, Pixar’s animated film Inside Out is recognized as a groundbreaking and innovative piece of cinema that delves into children’s emotions. Joy, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness face bigger challenges as the 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city and neighborhood with her parents. Kelsey Mann’s follow-up, Inside Out 2, offers additional emotional adventures as Riley turns 13. Beyond the original quartet of emotions, Inside Out 2 introduces an important emotion experienced by adolescents: Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke.
Inside Out 2 marks Kelsey Mann’s debut as a director, having previously contributed to the Pixar Creative Team on films such as Luca, Turning Red, and Lightyear.
5. A Quiet Place: Day One – June 28, 2024
John Krasinski introduced a post-apocalyptic world in 2018’s A Quiet Place. Since then, a sequel has been made, and two more were announced. Day One is still a mystery plot-wise, but we do know that it is a sort of prequel to the story we know. The cast, however, has been confirmed. We will see Lupita N’yongo, Alex Wolff, Denis O’Hare, and Djimon Hounsou.
A Quiet Place Part III is scheduled to come out in 2025 and will feature characters and actors from the original, and Krasinski in the director’s chair again. Get ready for the most exciting family reunion you’ve ever seen.
6. Deadpool and Wolverine – July 26, 2024
After 6 years, it’s time to welcome Deadpool back to the MCU. Following in the footsteps of Spider-Man and Loki, Deadpool 3 is introducing variants. We’ll be seeing other characters from the MCU including Wolverine and Loki, among others.
There aren’t many details regarding the plot, but we do know that Deadpool and Wolverine will be teaming up in order to fight a common enemy. In true Deadpool fashion, we can expect to see random celebrity cameos. The latest of which is said to be Taylor Swift.
7. Alien: Romulus – August 16, 2024
Alien: Romulus is meant to be a standalone film and will feature all-new characters. Explicit details of the plot have yet to be revealed, so we don’t know very much. We do know that it will follow “a group of young people on a distant world” as they face the most terrifying creature in the universe.
Ridley Scott is set to produce this new movie for the Alien franchise. He’ll be working alongside horror veterans Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues. The pair previously worked together on Don’t Breathe and 2013’s Evil Dead.
8. Joker: Folie à Deux – October 4, 2024
Folie à Deux is French for “madness for two” hinting at Harley Quinn’s appearance in the new film. Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as the Joker aka Arthur Fleck and Lady Gaga will be playing Harley Quinn. This was announced several months ago, and the film has been highly anticipated ever since.
No plot has been confirmed, but the film seems to follow Arthur Fleck after he escapes the Arkham Asylum. The only other information speculated is that Fleck will only delve deeper into the madness and slowly become the Joker.
9. Gladiator 2 – November 22, 2024
After 24 years, Ridley Scott is making a sequel to his 2000 epic blockbuster, Gladiator. Gladiator nabbed 12 Oscar nominations, winning five. The sequel reportedly takes place two decades after the first film’s events, long after Maximus’ death. The narrative will revolve around Lucius, the son of Maximus’ love Lucilla. Paul Mescal will play the protagonist, Lucius, and the ensemble star cast includes Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal.
David Scarpa, who previously collaborated with Ridley Scott in Napoleon, is penning the Gladiator II script. Gladiator II was stuck in development hell for a long time, as even back in 2001, with Scott expressing interest in a follow-up as early as 2001.
10. Wicked Part 1 – November 27, 2024
We’ve seen music artists in movies before, like Justin Timberlake, and by now you’ve seen international pop star Ariana Grande will be starring as Galinda in the upcoming film adaptation of the musical Wicked. The Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, will be played by Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo. It tells the story of The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the “villain.” It’s part origin story and part reimagining of the world of Oz.
It was recently announced that the film would be coming out in two parts rather than the original announcement of a single movie.
11. The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim – December 13, 2024
If you’re a big LoTR or The Hobbit fan, buckle up for this news. The War of Rohirrim is an animated feature-length film that takes place nearly 200 years before the events of the original trilogy. It is essentially the untold story of Helm’s Deep, and our main characters will be Helm Hammerhand, Hera, and Eowyn.
With a huge franchise like this, any news of new content is going to be huge. The photos that have been released so far are beyond cool and even people unfamiliar with the story should be excited.
12. Nosferatu – December 25, 2024
Robert Eggers, director of The Witch and The Lighthouse, once again returns to horror territory with the second remake of F.W. Murnau’s classic German horror Nosferatu (1922). In 1979, Werner Herzog made a competent remake of the original, with Klaus Kinski playing the vampiric Count Orlok. In Robert Eggers’ version, Bill Skarsgard, who terrorized us as Pennywise in IT movies, embodies the role of Orlok. The star cast includes Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Emma Corrin.
The gothic horror Nosferatu is Eggers’ passion project, which he was supposed to write and direct right after his debut feature, The Witch.
13. Mickey 17 – January 31, 2025
Parasite director Bong Joon-ho is set to direct a film called Mickey 17, based on the 2022 novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. The cast has been confirmed to include Robert Pattinson, Steven Yuen, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.
The book is a sci-fi comedy thriller about cloning and interplanetary travel. Mickey is a disposable employee who always gets sent on the more dangerous missions, like being tasked with populating an ice planet. It’s unclear whether the film will follow that plot exactly, but the teaser suggests it might.
14. Captain America: Brave New World – February 14, 2025
Captain America: Brave New World is the first Captain America movie without Chris Evans as the titular character. The Falcon/Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) has picked up the shield and become the new Captain America. Harrison Ford is set to star alongside the returning Mackie and Sebastian Stan.
There is little to no information about this movie, but it is speculated to be very similar to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. It is also supposedly going to take aspects from the Aldous Huxley classic Brave New World.
15. Elio – June 13, 2025
Elio is the newest addition to the Disney/Pixar Rolodex. It will be Pixar team member Adrian Molina’s (Coco, Turning Red, etc.) directorial debut and will feature voices by America Ferrera (Barbie), Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), and Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond).
It’s about a young boy named Elio who is chosen by aliens to be an ambassador for Earth. His mother, Olga, also deals with space; she works to decode alien messages. He finds that maybe he fits in more in space than he ever did on Earth.
16. Ballerina – June 6, 2025
Ballerina is an upcoming action thriller that takes place in the same universe as the John Wick films. It is the first spin-off (not a direct sequel) in the franchise, and takes place canonically between the third and fourth John Wicks. Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, and the late Lance Reddick are set to reprise their roles.
Ana de Armas stars as an assassin who is seeking revenge on the people who killed her family. So far, it sounds like a female version of John Wick, but the cast and production stills have created an undeniable buzz.
Conclusion
That is our list of upcoming Hollywood movies and their release dates. Remember, these are just upcoming English movies; keep an eye out for new foreign films as well. Also, check out Godzilla x Kong The New Empire, The Fall Guy, Kraven the Hunter, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spiderverse, Despicable Me 4, and The Batman Part II, all coming out later this year or earlier next year. Of course, there are even more exciting upcoming releases that are in production or development stages, like Avatar 3, Superman: Legacy, and Quentin Tarantino’s final film, The Movie Critic.
By Grace Magee and Arun Kumar
