The 2024 Movie Schedule, So Far

Hurray! The SAG-AFTRA strike is done! Granted, the strike went on for such a long time, the entire 2024 movie schedule was basically destroyed. I hope the actors received really strong compensation from the studios, otherwise this circus was just a waste of time. 2024 doesn’t have a tremendous release schedule, but it might grow over time. Let’s check some notable films with release dates next year. 

Night Swim
Release Date: 1/5/24
- This horror movie is coming out right after New Year’s Day. It’s about a family who have a haunted swimming pool. Sure, the premise sounds laughably bad. Ordinarily, I don’t expect anything spectacular from the month of January. It’s a dumping ground for mediocrity. Regardless, I wouldn’t mind some pallet cleansers to wash away 2023. 

Madame Web
Release Date: 2/14/24
-Again, I’m not expecting anything great from this film. Sony is trying really hard to profit from Spider-Man’s villains and supporting cast. I thought both Venom movies and Morbius were terrible. Madame Web probably won’t fair much better, if at all. It also stars Dakota Johnson as the titular protagonist, who was most well known from the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. At least these unusual details peaked my interest. 

Imaginary 
Release Date: 3/8/24
- Blumhouse churns out a lot of horror movies. This one is about a young girl and her supernatural teddy bear. I suppose the stuffed bear might be haunted by a demon or ghost. It also might be a malevolent creature in the guise of a teddy bear. I actually like these types of films. This year’s Boogeyman was quite creepy and Imaginary might have a similar vibe. 

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Release Date: 3/29/24
- The nostalgia bandwagon continues. I didn’t mind Ghostbusters: Afterlife. It was one of the better releases in the franchise. Frozen Empire follows the same cast of characters and they’re moving to New York City. An incident awakens a powerful ghost who’s going to bring a new Ice Age to the world. Hopefully, this movie will be fun, humorous, and a little different than the previous Ghostbusters films. 

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Release Date: 4/12/24
- Bring on the giant monsters! We need more Kaiju films. Honestly, Godzilla is also very nostalgic for me because I watched the old movies. Godzilla and Kong didn’t get along very well in the previous release. So, I’m not sure where The New Empire heading. We’ve also seen some of Godzilla’s biggest villains already, including Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla. Maybe Warner Bros. will create a new rogues gallery. 

Furiosa
Release Date: 5/24/24
- Apparently, the prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road is actually coming out next year. I thought Fury Road was a masterpiece, so the bar for this upcoming film might be unrealistic. However, I love the post-apocalyptic genre and it might be a fun action movie to kick off the Summer movie season. 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Release Date: 5/24/24
- Call me weird, but I really like the Planet of the Apes franchise, including the original films. Recently, I watched the first teaser trailer. It seems like the timeline is finally moving closer to the original movies. Now the apes have control of the Earth and they’re operating like humans with civilizations, speech, politics, etc. Maybe we’ll see Taylor crash land Earth at the end of the film. 

Ballerina
Release Date: 6/7/24
- Can the John Wick franchise survive without Keanu Reeves? We’re going to find out. Ballerina is a spinoff movie that stars Ana de Armas. I don’t think she’s a very good actress, but let’s face it. People are going to watch this film for the violent and over the top action scenes. I’m curious if this movie can appeal to male audiences. Female led action films don’t have the best track record. 

The Watchers
Release: 6/7/24
- Warner Bros. is churning out another horror flick. The Watchers features a small group of people who wind up stranded in the Irish woods. Soon, dangerous creatures begin hunting them at night. I wonder if this movie will tap into Irish folklore. It’s probably a good idea to have realistic expectations for this movie. I’m sure it won’t be bloodcurdling horror or a brilliant social commentary. Some decent monster action will be enough to satisfy me. 

A Quiet Place: Day One
Release Date: 6/28/24
- Truthfully, I’m tired of this franchise. The first movie worked quite well, but it didn’t feel like a cinematic universe. Now A Quiet Place is just a cash grab for Paramount. However, I’m still curious and the franchise has a unique spin on the alien apocalypse. I assume Day One implies the first day of the alien invasion. That means people didn’t understand the monsters are blind and hyper sensitive to sound. It could be a nice blend of action and horror. 

Trap
Release Date: 8/2/24
- M. Night Shyamalan strikes again with another horror movie. He doesn’t have the most impressive filmography, but some of his stories and twists are interesting. Knock at the Cabin was boring and Old had a nonsensical plot. I hope that’s not a bad sign for the upcoming film. Trap is supposed to be a psychological thriller that takes place at a concert. It already sounds pretty weird. Consider my interest peaked. 

Borderlands
Release Date: 8/9/24
- Video game movies are notoriously bad. Borderlands is a post-apocalyptic comedy that takes place on a planet called Pandora. If you’re unfamiliar with the game series, it’s like a silly version of Mad Max. I heard the Borderlands film had troubled production and reshoots. So, I don’t expect this movie to be any better than other video game adaptations. With that said, it might have decent entertainment value. 

Speak No Evil
Release Date: 8/9/24
- I know hardly anything about this horror movie. The distributor is Universal Pictures and it’s a psychological horror film that takes place in a cabin or vacation home. Yeah, it doesn’t sound original at all. I’m not very picky with the horror genre. Keep up the entertainment value and I’ll feel entirely content. I’m sure we’ll see full trailers some time next year. 

Alien: Romulus
Release Date: 8/16/24
- The Alien franchise hasn’t been the same without Sigourney Weaver. Truthfully, the franchise had too many releases. It worked when the concept was, “In space, no one can hear you scream.” Over time, the Alien movies became a combination of action, sci-fi-, horror, and whatever Prometheus tried to convey. It’s just a mess. Can Romulus clean up the future of the series? Probably not, but I hope it can be a decently self-contained story. 

Kraven the Hunter
Release Date: 8/30/24
- We all know this film is going to be absolute trash. Granted, that’s not the point. I’m hoping Kraven the Hunter can be good, trashy fun with plenty of bloody death scenes. In a way, the first Venom movie had a similar vibe, except it was only PG-13. All of the Spider-Man spinoffs are going to be bad and audiences need to accept it. Let’s just have fun with the end results. 

Beetlejuice 2
Release Date: 9/6/24
- I’m not a huge fan of the original Beetlejuice film, but the sequel might be worth a shot. Perhaps, it could have shades of the Wednesday Netflix show. Surprisingly, it’s going to star Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse again. No offense, but he seems kind of old for this type of role. You never know. It might be nostalgic for some viewers. 

Transformers One
Release Date: 9/13/24
- At this point, I’m willing to admit the Transformers franchise is just bad. I don’t think Paramount will ever make a decent movie in the franchise. I suppose Bumblebee was somewhat cute and that’s about it. Somehow, I can’t look away. I keep watching these movies regardless of their quality. Maybe it’s a guilty pleasure. Transformers One is an origin story for planet Cybertron. The central idea already sounds awful. You know I’ll watch it anyway. 

Joker: Folie à Deux
Release Date: 10/4/24
- I have mixed thoughts about the Joker film. It gave a very interesting and realistic social commentary. However, it’s preposterous to believe the Joaquin Phoenix version of the Joker could ever become Batman’s greatest villain. The sequel can work totally fine if they stay away from Batman canon. It’s also interesting because Lady Gaga is playing Harley Quinn. I must say, it’s her type of role. Folie à Deux might be a big hit next year. 

Smile 2
Release Date: 10/18/24
- The first entry in this franchise crossed too many lines for my taste. You shouldn’t do certain things in horror movies. Will the second film have a different tone? I doubt it, but the first Smile also had unique concepts regarding monsters, horror, and mental illness. In the end, I just want the sequel to be a little bit less depressing. We’ll see what happens. 

​Gladiator 2
Release Date: 11/22/24
- Does it make sense for Gladiator to have a sequel? I guess we’ll find out. Today, Gladiator receives some pushback from crowds, but I still enjoy it. In fact, I would say Gladiator is a classic. It’s just not historically accurate. News flash, historical dramas are fictional on every level. That’s how it works. So, the sequel might be equally good from a filmmaking perspective. Plus, I want to see all those brutal action scenes. Heck yeah!

There you go! I’m not sure if any of these release dates are going to stick, but you never know. Most likely, additional films will also wind up on the schedule at some point. The current 2024 schedule looks super disappointing, but we might see some major surprises. Anything goes! Are you looking forward to specific movies next year? Did any of your anticipated films get delayed from the 2023 schedule? Leave your thoughts and complaints in the comment section. It’s almost time for Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, good luck shopping and I’ll see you again next week.