If you thought that 2023 was a good year for movies, check out what next year has in store for you...
ADVERTISEMENTAfter a banner year, the movie slate for 2024 already looks mighty promising – with 2023 festival darlings finally making their way to theatres, and long-awaited releases of films that were delayed as a result of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Euronews Culture has selected 20 movies we’re particularly excited for in (the first half of) 2024.
We've already had the pleasure of seeing the first nine films during various film festivals this year, so we can comfortably recommend those; the following eleven are the other big tentpole releases and tantalizing projects we can't wait to treat our eyeballs to.
Without further ado - and chronologically - here are the 20 most anticipated movies to look out for in 2024.
La Sociedad de la Nieve (Society of the Snow)
Release date: 4 January (Netflix)
Juan Antonio Bayona’s fifth feature film recreates the real-life tragedy of the 1972 rugby team’s flight that crashed in the Andes and the extreme decisions passengers took in order to stay alive in one of the most hostile and inaccessible environments. You may have already seen this story before in other films - Frank Marshall’s 1993 film Alive! springs to mind – but this masterfully shot and gripping effort shows how survival films and Bayona are a perfect pairing, following his 2012 film The Impossible. Crucially, the visually impressive elements never overtake the complex human story at the film’s core, and you’re left with a terrific thriller that honours real-life tragedy and manages to wow in terms of spectacle. No small feat.
Priscilla
Release date: European rollout starts on 4 January
Just a year after Baz Luhrmann’s predictably OTT and, let’s face facts, overrated Elvis, Sofia Coppola is telling Priscilla Presley’s side of the story, adapting her 1985 memoir, “Elvis and Me”, for the big screen. While it could have been another by-the-numbers Wiki-checklist biopic, Coppola instead delivered a beautifully told and thoughtful fable, which doubles as a cautionary tale. Cailee Spaeny was crowned Best Actress in Venice for her affecting portrayal of Elvis Presley’s neglected young wife, and her career-making turn, as well as Jacob Elordi’s Elvis, are worth the price of admission alone.
Poor Things
Release date: European rollout starts on 12 January
Had we included Yorgos Lanthimos' new film in our 2023 roundup, it would have been a contender for the top spot. This year’s Venice Golden Lion winner is absurd, whimsical, horny, and all kinds of wonderful. Billed as a Frankenstein narrative, this free adaptation of the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray casts Emma Stone in the role of Bella Baxter – a young woman with the brain of a child who’s learning human behaviour from scratch. Stone gives a wild and audacious performance as a blank slate unmoored by social niceties or the prejudices of her times. From discovering masturbation to her erotic escapades with a rakish solicitor (a wonderful Mark Ruffalo), the character of Bella is a “changeable feast” who refuses to conform through her evolving and growing agency. She’s the beating heart of Lanthimos’ layered, outrageous and mordantly funny “diabolical fuckfest of a puzzle”, which ultimately asks the question: Can people be improved? A must-see. Read our full review.
The Zone of Interest
Release date: European rollout starts on 18 January
It may not have won this year's Palme d'Or, but British director Jonathan Glazer's first film in 10 years after 2013's Under The Skin is one of the most vital films you’re likely to watch next year. It is not the first film to tackle the subject of the Holocaust and the Final Solution, but few have achieved what Glazer has with The Zone of Interest. By loosely adapting Martin Amis' book of the same name, he embraces what Hannah Arendt referred to as the “banality of evil” and brings it to the screen by exploring the troublingly identifiable humanity behind the lives of those who perpetrate the most unspeakable of crimes. Glazer doesn't depict the death camp’s atrocities directly; he chooses to set the horrors on the edges to better mirror a family’s detachment and choice of complicity as they set up their home next to Auschwitz’s walls. Formally, the film is nothing short of a masterpiece which breaks conventional expectations when it comes to similar premises; thematically, it’s heavy with reflection on disassociation and brimming with contemporary resonances; as a cinemagoing experience, it is a profoundly unsettling and audacious film will leave you rattled. Read our full review.
Zielona Granica (Green Border)
Release date: European rollout starts on 1 February
Green Border is an emotionally devastating indictment of a continuing EU crisis and one of Agnieszka Holland’s best films. The title refers to the forests that make up the no-man’s land between Belarus and Poland. There, refugees from the Middle East and Africa desperately try to reach the European Union and find themselves trapped in an absurd to-and-fro overseen by both the Belarusian and Polish governments. Refugees are lured to the border, with the promise of safe passage to the EU. The reality is that they are political pawns in a rigged game orchestrated by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko; they are brutally evicted between the two sides, neither of which claims any responsibility and continues to condemn them to a horrifically finite in-limbo. Alongside The Zone of Interest, Green Border is one of the most gripping films you’ll see next year. By telling a human story that doesn’t devolve into hectoring that could fuel audience fatigue when it comes to migrant narratives on screen, Holland has delivered a compassionate and incisive cri-du-coeur that gives a voice to the voiceless. Rare are films that manage to deftly blend righteous anger and intelligent filmmaking like this one. Read our full review.
Bastarden (The Promised Land)
Release date: European rollout starts on 16 February
This excellent historical epic from Nikolaj Arcel sees the Danish director reteam with the ever-reliable Mads Mikkelsen after the Oscar-nominated A Royal Affair. Based on Ida Jessen’s "Kaptajnen og Ann Barbara", this Nordic Western has Mikkelsen play Ludvig Kahlen, a low-born military man determined to cultivate the wild Jutland heath against all odds. Kahlen quickly makes an enemy: the merciless landowner, Frederik De Schinkel, who is sole ruler of the area, and who believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king. The Promised Land may not shake up the period drama genre, but the more it sits with you, the more this excellent piece resonates on an emotional level, with its themes of class, labour exploitation and racism. It aces everything it sets out to achieve, and Mikkelsen won Best Actor at the European Film Awards for his efforts. The production is as handsome as its leading man, and it’s the sort of old-fashioned storytelling that is incredibly fertile – both in terms of soil and drama.
La Bête (The Beast)
Release date: European rollout starts on 28 February
This genre-bending tale from French conceptualist Bertrand Bonello stars Léa Seydoux and George MacKay as two people who keep connecting over the centuries. The skinny goes like this: In the near future where emotions have become a threat, Gabrielle (Seydoux) finally decides to purify her DNA in a machine that will immerse her in her previous lives and rid her of any strong feelings. She then meets Louis (MacKay) and feels a powerful connection, as if she has known him forever. Based on a Henry James story, this formally daring sci-fi melodrama unfolds over three distinct periods (1910, 2014 and 2044) and feels like a heady cross between Cloud Atlas and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It won’t be for everyone, as its is undeniably unwieldy and at times too protracted for its own good. However, its musings on AI and the endurance of love do strike a chord. A fascinating oddity that deserves your time – and will require some patience.
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Release date: European rollout starts on 1 March
One of the most emotionally bruising films seen during this year’s Venice Film Festival was Michel Franco’s Memory. Impactful and deeply moving, the film sees Jessica Chastain play Sylvia, a social worker and recovering alcoholic whose surprise encounter with a high school figure, Saul (Peter Sarsgaard), profoundly impacts her structured life, as well as reopen some doors from the past. The movie takes the audience on quite the ride, which deserves to remain unspoiled, and deftly avoids cheap sentimentalism throughout. As predictably stomach-knotting as it is from Franco, who has previously shown a clear knack for sudden bursts of on-screen violence (New Order, Sundown), Memory is also surprisingly tender. The way the film deals the topics of sexual abuse, dementia, denial, and Festen -level family dynamics is well judged, and both Chastain and Sarsgaard (who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor) ensure this drama stays with you for a long time.
Gasoline Rainbow
Release date: TBA
After the stunning Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, Bill and Turner Ross continue to blur the line between scripted fiction and documentary filmmaking in an "On The Road"-style road movie that follows five teenagers from small-town Oregon who decide to head to the Pacific coast. Their plan, in full: "F**k it." Sounds uniquely annoying on paper, but their improvised odyssey doubles up as a mesmerising portrait of the fringes of the American West. It doesn’t hit the same heights as Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, but this improvisational self-portrait of a new generation does capture a moment, as well as a youthful energy that is infectious.
Dune: Part Two
Release date: 1 March
ADVERTISEMENTOriginally planned for release this year and delayed because of the Hollywood strikes, this is the 2024 blockbuster production we’re the most giddy about. Timothée Chalamet returns as the messianic Paul Atriedes for this second instalment of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert's famously sprawling (some might say tortuously impenetrable) epic sci-fi saga. In this chapter, Paul joins forces with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen, to wage war against House Harkonnen and avenge his family. Newcomers include Florence Pugh, Austin Butler and Christopher Walken as the evil Padishah Emperor who pulls all the nefarious strings. Considering the highly-engrossing Dune: Part One stands as one of the greatest modern sci-fi films ever made, anticipation levels for this second chapter are very, very high.
Mickey 17
Release date: 29 March
Mickey 17 is Parasite director Bong Joon-ho’s much-anticipated film adaptation of Edward Ashton’s science fiction thriller. It stars Robert Pattinson as the titular Mickey 17, an “expendable” space traveller sent on a suicide mission to colonize an ice planet. Each time he dies, his memories are transferred to a new cloned body, setting off an immortality cycle. Echoing Duncan Jones’ Moon and the aforementioned The Beast by Betrand Bonello, this heady sci-fi promises much. Plus, the cast looks mighty promising: joining Pattinson are Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, and the ever-wonderful Naomi Ackie.
Love Lies Bleeding
Release date: European rollout starts on 19 April
Revenge gets ripped in Welsh writer-director Rose Glass’ upcoming romantic thriller, which stars Kristen Stewart as a reclusive gym employee who falls hard for Katy O'Brian’s bisexual bodybuilder. Their love ignites violence and pulls them deep into a web of criminality - with Ed Harris posing something of a threat. Details are under wraps and will be until the film’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. However, considering how brilliant Rose Glass’ debut film was - Saint Maud, a sophisticated psychodrama that captivatingly doubled up as a nerve-jangling portrayal of the boundaries between piety and religious fanaticism – there's every reason to get very excited about Love Lies Bleeding.
ADVERTISEMENTChallengers
Release date: 26 April
Luca Guadagnino’s latest film, Challengers, was supposed to open this year’s 80th Venice Film Festival, but was pulled because of the Hollywood writers and actors strikes. The story, based on a script by playwright Justin Kuritzkes, revolves around Zendaya, who stars as tennis prodigy Tashi Duncan. She is married to a champion on a losing streak named Art, played by Mike Faist (West Side Story). Tashi’s plan for her husband’s comeback is for Art to enter the Challengers tennis tournament. However, Tashi comes face to face with Patrick, played by Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country, La Chimera), her former lover and Art’s best friend. The synopsis states: “As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.” Tennis, love triangles, Guadagnino’s stellar filmography (Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria), and a soundtrack from scoring duo extraordinaire Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network, Soul)? Count us in.
Civil War
Release date: 26 April
Alex Garland’s dystopian thriller, his first since 2018's Annihilation, imagines a deeply divided America in the not-so-distant future, ravaged by a violent second civil war. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Jesse Plemons and Nick Offerman, the film sees a family traveling across the US and struggle to survive amidst a dictatorship and partisan extremist militias regularly committing political violence. Garland has steadily delivered scripts that have stood the test of time (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Ex Machina), so we’re very excited about this one. He described the film as a companion piece to last year’s Men, a sci-fi allegory for our currently polarized predicament. Sounds appropriately bleak and about right, considering the looming threat of a new Trump presidency next year.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Release date: 24 May
ADVERTISEMENTGeorge Miller's epic Mad Max prequel has Anya Taylor-Joy star as a young Furiosa, played in 2015’s Fury Road by Charlize Theron. It will see Furiosa fight for her life as she is kidnapped by the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and forced to leave the Green Place of Many Mothers. We’re a wee bit apprehensive about this one, as no one really asked for a prequel spinoff, and we were hoping we’d get another Mad Max story featuring Tom Hardy as the titular hero. Plus, the trailer has a glossier feel compared to 2015’s offering. Still, we keep an open mind, and fingers crossed for an equally high-octane post-apocalyptic actioner to match Fury Road.
MaXXXine
Release date: TBA
Will writer/director Ti West deliver an all-time great horror trilogy with MaXXXine, the third instalment of his X saga, following X and prequel Pearl? There's every chance he can, especially with the phenomenal Mia Goth proving to be this generation's Scream Queen. Following Goth's sole X survivor Maxine in an '80s setting where she's desperate to achieve fame at all costs, MaXXXine was initially supposed to be released this year, a few months after Pearl. No date has been announced, but expect it to drop at some point in the first half of 2024. We can't wait - and are already looking forward to X-movie nights. The Mia Goth kind, we assure you.
Inside Out 2
Release date: 14 June
Speaking of sequels we didn’t necessarily need, here comes Pixar’s follow up to their 2015 film about the emotions that run the mind of 11-year-old Riley. Emotions from the first film Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), and Anger (Lewis Black) get a new challenge as Riley enters her teenage years. With those difficult times come new emotions, namely Anxiety (Maya Hawke). Inside Out is without a doubt one of Pixar’s very best; a high watermark for the studio, whose recent middling output (Onward, Lightyear, Elemental) they’ll be looking to redeem. Here’s hoping this is a sequel story worth telling.
ADVERTISEMENTDeadpool 3
Release date: 26 July
Ryan Reynolds is back as the foul-mouthed, fourth wall breaking superhero, with this third instalment that also stars Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine. The yet untitled Deadpool 3 is the first adventure of the "Merc with a Mouth" to be incorporated within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And considering it is the only MCU release scheduled next year, a lot rides on this one to get the crowds in seats, especially after a disastrous year for Marvel and superhero fatigue at an all-time high. Indeed, you'd have to be the biggest Marvel champion (or delusional) to insist 2023 was a good year for the company: terrible instances of CGI; stale and risk-averse narratives; anticlimaxes a-go-go; Jonathan Majors' conviction upending all future MCU plans; Marvel's worst-reviewed movie (_Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania),_its worst reviewed television series (Secret Invasion), and worst ever box-office performance (The Marvels). Can Deadpool save the MCU? It certainly has come down to it.
Stone Mattress
Release date: TBA
Lynne Ramsay’s new film is the adaptation of Margaret Atwood's short story, a revenge thriller set on a cruise ship in the Arctic. Starring Julianne Moore as a retired physiotherapist who is seduced by a seemingly pleasant man in his mid-sixties who inherited a family business, the story takes a turn when his presence reopens some wounds from her past. Then comes a shocking act that’ll turn the cruise upside down. Just so we’re clear: the unparalleled director of Morvern Callar and You Were Never Really Here + Margaret Atwood + revenge thriller + Julianne Moore. The fact that there’s no release date is pure torture. There were reports the film would start shooting in September 2022 and it was still in development this year. We're just adding it to this list because we somehow think it'll help manifest it on the screens faster.
Alien: Romulus
Release date: 16 August
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This will be the ninth instalment in the Alien film series. And let’s face facts, there are more duds now in the franchise than there are gems. Promisingly, Romulus is billed as a standalone movie, set between the original Alien and its action-packed sequel Aliens. That’s about all we know. Original director Ridley Scott (and man behind the - somewhat unfairly? - maligned Prometheus and Covenant instalments) has decided to produce and hand over the reins to horror filmmakers Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues. Fingers crossed they can make the xenomorphs terrifying once more, and inject some life into what feels like a dying franchise. Initially set to be released directly to Hulu, the film will now instead be hitting theaters - which is a promising sign.
There we have it.
Which ones are you looking forward to the most?
In case you missed it, we’ve been looking ahead to 2024 all week, so do check out our previews for Books, Music, TV, and Fashion.
