15 new movies we can't wait to watch in 2024
2023 is coming to a close and that means it's time to look at what movies are coming in 2024. So we at Tom's Guide got together and came up with a list of the 15 new movies we can't wait to watch in 2024. The best part? Almost all of these are likely to hit one of the major streaming services, including Netflix, Max, Hulu and more.
This list covers a wide range of genres, so there's something for everyone to get hyped for. We have an adaptation of the popular Mean Girls musical, a new action thriller n the form of Civil War and — of course — several hotly anticipated sequels, including Dune: Part Two, Deadpool 3 and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which is technically part prequel and part spin-off. Here's 15 new movies we can't wait to watch in 2024.
Mean Girls (Jan. 12)
The initial trailer for the new Mean Girls movie goes to great lengths to conceal the fact this “new twist” on the classic 2004 teen comedy is actually an adaptation of the Tony-nominated Broadway production. While some audience members may well groan when the truth is revealed, consider me excited to meet the all-singing, all-dancing Plastics in early 2024. Writer Tina Fey, who also played Ms. Norbury in the 2004 original and plays the same role again here, was heavily involved in the stage show and is the screenwriter for this big-screen version of the musical, so I’m expecting a movie that is authentic to the source material but with a few fresh flourishes to keep things interesting - RM
Releases in theaters Jan. 12. Paramount Plus streaming date TBA
Dune: Part Two (March 1)
The first Dune movie from Denis Villeneuve should have won Best Picture, so it won’t surprise you when I say that Dune: Part Two is my most anticipated movie of 2024. Part Two brings back Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as his mother Lady Jessica and Zendaya as his love interest Chani among many others. It also adds some major new players, including Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan and Christopher Walken as Shaddam IV, emperor of the known universe.
Villeneuve has done an incredible job with his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic so far and if the trailers are any indication, the second Dune movie should be just as amazing as the first. Beautiful cinematography, award-winning score and sound design and a compelling story are a tough recipe to mess up, and when you have a director as good as Villeneuve it makes it all the more likely the end product is exquisite. - MM
Releases in theaters March 1. Max streaming date TBA
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (March 29)
The fifth Ghostbusters film marks a return to form for the classic '80s franchise as it finally reunites the original team (including Bill Murray) with a group of strapping young paranormal investigators. The new class and the old class form the largest team of Ghostbusters we've ever seen in one place to tackle a nasty ghost problem in the dangerously icy New York City.
This time, they're up against some tough-looking customers, with an enormous dragon-like ghoul and a parade of other ghastly newcomers, as well as the return of the iconic Slimer, the fan-favorite de facto Ghostbusters mascot. While not quite a reboot, this adventure marks a great entry point for new viewers and a fun look back at the old movies for established fans. - BV
Releases in theaters March 29. Netflix streaming date TBA
Civil War (April 26)
The trailer for Alex Garland’s Civil War is seven days old as of this writing and I must be averaging a view a day at this point. Set in the vague near-future, Civil War shows an America no longer united. Instead, there are five different nation-states in what was once the United States, though shockingly the Republics of Texas and California have aligned as a military block. What remains of the Loyalist States is led by a President (Nick Offerman) who seems to have no problem attacking American citizens to achieve victory.
Starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Jesse Plemons alongside Offerman, this action thriller looks gripping both as a war movie and as an examination of the potential political future of a decaying U.S. democracy. As macabre as it may be, I cannot wait to see this movie on April 26. - MM
Releases in theaters April 26. Max streaming date TBA
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24)
Starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, Furiosa is a prequel to the wildly successful Mad Max: Fury Road. And frankly, everything I needed to get excited about this movie was in that sentence — and then I watched the Furiosa trailer.
Taylor-Joy looks like she will have no problem filling Charlize Theron’s shoes as Imperator Furiosa and Hemsworth’s Warlord Dementus certainly looks likely to be a character that lives up to his name. I don’t know that Furiosa will surpass Fury Road, but I do know I’m excited to see it try. It certainly looks to bring the same epic cinematography, violence and car-based action sequences we’ve come to love from George Miller’s Mad Max franchise. - MM
Releases in theaters May 24. Max streaming date TBA
Ballerina (June 7)
Starring Ana de Armas as Rooney, a ballerina set on revenge, this movie takes place in the John Wick universe between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. In fact, we see her character (played by Unity Phelan) training with the Ruska Roma in Chapter 3.
I’m a bit nervous about this movie because unlike the main John Wick movies it’s not directed by Chad Stahelski, who was once Keanu Reeve’s stunt double and a key part of why the Wick franchise works. However, he is still on as a producer and the cast includes Reeves, Anjelica Huston, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane and a posthumous appearance by the late Lance Reddick. Officially label me cautiously optimistic for Ballerina, and it’s still definitely one of my most anticipated movies of 2024. - MM
Releases in theaters June 7. Streaming date TBA
Inside Out 2 (June 14)
Emotions can be tough. Somehow, Pixar's Inside Out made them lovable. That's why, eight years after the 2015 animated flick debuted, we still want to hear more from Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. And the fact that Inside Out 2 is introducing a feeling many of us are already more than acquainted with doesn't hurt, either.
As the sequel follows young Riley as she navigates her teenage years, the core group of emotions finds themselves having to open up to new members, including Anxiety and a whole host of plenty of others, who aren't so welcome in the core emotions' cozy little group. I know that’s why this sequel feels so familiar to me. It’s exactly the same shakeup I went through in my teenage years, except Anxiety wasn’t a cute cartoon character who just showed up one day. I can’t wait to see how Riley navigates this new challenge. - BV
Releases in theaters June 14. Disney Plus streaming date TBA
A Quiet Place: Day One (June 28)
The A Quiet Place series has gotten to the point where it's a bit played out, and I never really wanted a look forward in the post-apocalyptic horror universe. What I appreciate, however, is a look in the past at what happened before the horrifying future the Abbott family began living in the quiet hellscape that used to be upstate New York. I'd much rather see how things got so dire than how much worse they get from the second film, which was much less of a thrill ride than the original. I'm hoping a prequel, done right of course, ratchets up the tension as it forces the family into figuring out what works and what doesn't work while navigating life with blind but vicious monsters. - BV
Releases in theaters June 28. Paramount Plus streaming date TBA
Deadpool 3 (July 26)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe badly needs a win after a bruising 2023, and Deadpool 3 — which will be the only MCU movie released over the next 12 months — could deliver just that. This third entry in the Deadpool franchise will integrate the Merc with a Mouth into the Marvel universe, and will also see Hugh Jackman don his Wolverine claws for the very last time (but we’ve heard that before!).
Among the glut of samey superhero movies released over the last decade and a half Deadpool has always stood out thanks to his crude humor and his fourth-wall-breaking antics, and this third outing for the smartmouthed mercenary should be no different. The extensive set leaks may rob the movie of its biggest surprises, and I’m a little concerned that it’s going to be overly focused on cameos (T-Swizzle is even rumored to make an appearance), but I have faith Ryan Reynolds will strike gold for a third time - RM
Releases in theaters July 26. Disney Plus streaming date TBA
Borderlands (Aug. 9)
The movie adaptation of the action-packed video game series of the same name has all the markings of a successful romp: a story that follows the games, a star-studded cast (Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis, the list goes on), and a great director in Eli Roth.
Set to follow an outlaw named Lilith (Blanchett) who returns to her home planet Pandora to find the daughter of the world's most powerful man, she teams up with a band of mercenaries to protect their precious cargo while unexpectedly battling for the fate of the universe. It's safe to say most video game movies are a gamble, but this one seemingly has everything it needs for success, and as a longtime Borderlands fan, I'm excited to see how it shakes out. - BV
Releases in theaters Aug. 9. Streaming date TBA
Alien: Romulus (Aug. 16)
There’s a nervous edge to my high anticipation levels for Alien: Romulus. As a huge fan of the classic sci-fi franchise, I typically greet each new entry in the series with a mixture of excitement and apprehension, and Romulus is no different. I’m glad that the focus is being shifted away from the uneven Prometheus prequel saga, and with director Fede álvarez onboard, Romulus is bringing much-needed new blood to the table (sorry, Ridley Scott).
We have precious few confirmed details about the upcoming movie to date, but it’s reportedly set in between the original Alien and its 1986 sequel Aliens, and that’s fertile ground for telling an original sci-fi horror with the iconic Xenomorph at its core. Here’s hoping Alien: Romulus can get this franchise back on track after a ropey few decades for Alien fans - RM
Releases in theaters Aug. 16. Hulu streaming date TBA
Beetlejuice 2 (Sept. 6)
It feels like I've been waiting my entire life for a new Beetlejuice adventure. I can only watch the original so many times and I could recite the movie word for word at this point. I'm excited that Beetlejuice 2 is only as far away as 2024, and it'll finally bring Michael Keaton back to where he belongs: as the host with the most. It's been a long time coming, and I'm ready to see the story continue.
There are few details about what it will entail, other than it seems Lydia has a daughter named Astrid (Jenna Ortega) and Beetlejuice potentially has a wife (Monica Bellucci), but 27 years after the original movie blew my young mind, I think it's time these characters got their fair due with a brand new adventure. I sure hope Beetlejuice is still a disgusting jerk because that's why I love him, after all. - BV
Releases in theaters Sept. 6. Max streaming date TBA
Venom 3 (Nov. 8)
2024 is quickly shaping up to be the year of trilogies. Tom Hardy’s Venom wraps up his titular antihero franchise with Venom 3 in November. We don’t know much about the plot yet, though the head writer for the first two movies, Kelly Marcel, has been confirmed to take the director’s chair this time around.
We’re likely to see more of what made the first two installments so great, i.e. the rom-com-like relationship between San Francisco reporter Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote granting him superhuman powers — with both characters played by Hardy to hilarious (and grisly) ends. Given their treatment of the Spider-Man villain so far, odds are Marcel and Hardy are gearing up to send Venom out on a high note. - AS
Releases in theaters Nov. 8. Netflix streaming date TBA
Gladiator 2 (Nov. 22)
While we lose Russell Crowe in this sequel to the incredible 2000 film Gladiator, at least we get Denzel Washington as a wealthy arms dealer. Not to mention Paul Mescal will be taking the lead as Lucius Verus, meaning this Ridley Scott film should be in some pretty safe hands. Gladiator 2 picks up fifteen years after the events of Gladiator where Maximus (Crowe) saved Lucius from his deranged uncle Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Lucius is now a grown man and after years in the wilderness, perhaps has turned his eyes to Rome and his potential birthright — the title of Emperor.
I’ll be curious to see how Scott handles the historical fiction of it all, given that he basically shattered Roman history with the events of Gladiator. But much like with Gladiator, I’ll suspend disbelief and enjoy what I expect to be an epic movie. - MM
Releases in theaters Nov. 22. Streaming date TBA
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Dec. 20)
While I initially didn’t have high hopes for Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how dang fun the movies have been so far. Now with a third installment on the horizon promising to introduce a fan-favorite new villain, Shadow, I’m properly hyped.
This series has been on a roll with casting choices, first with Ben Schwartz as the titular Blue Blur and Jim Carrey as his nutty nemesis Dr. Eggman (who sadly appears to be sitting out of this one given his talk of retirement). Then Idris Elba killed it as Knuckles in the sequel. I’m excited to see which Hollywood star is tapped to give Sonic’s angsty counterpart Shadow new life in a family-friendly comedy. This is a character very much of the early aughts when unnecessary gritty reboots were all the rage (Sega even made the baffling decision to give him a gun in his spin-off game). And I’m confident Paramount will knock it out of the park with a hilarious spin once again. - AS
Releases in theaters Dec. 20. Paramount Plus streaming date TBA
