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.

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Wrath of Man

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

Mainstream

Photo: IFC Films

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

Monster

Photo: Netflix

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

The Water Man

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

Spiral: From the Book of Saw

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

Army of the Dead

Image: Netflix

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

A Quiet Place Part II

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

Cruella

Image: Disney

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

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

Credit: Ben Rothstein/ Warner Bros.

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

Vivo

Image: Mega/Sony/Netflix

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

In The Heights

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

Jagame Thandhiram

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

Luca

Image: Pixar

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

F9

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

America: The Motion Picture

Photo: Netflix

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

Zola

Photo: Anna Kooris/Sundance Institute

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

The Forever Purge

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

Summer of Soul

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

Black Widow

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

Space Jam: A New Legacy

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

Old

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

The Green Knight

Image: A24

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

The Suicide Squad

Photo: Jessica Miglio/DC Comics

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 2

Photo: Sergej Radovic

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

Candyman

Photo: MGM/Monkeypaw Productions

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

Honestly, I’m sort of over Netflix right now. I really never thought I’d be saying that. All things considered, I would likely cancel my subscription right now — at least for a while — but I have so many family members who use my login. There have been suggestions that Netflix is about to crack down on password sharing, and I definitely can’t see myself sticking around for very long if that happens.

The sad fact of the matter is that Netflix’s original content has been seriously lackluster so far in 2021. The problem actually started in late 2020, but a few truly incredible releases like The Queen’s Gambit and Bridgerton helped mask the issue. The good news is that things have been a bit better in April and the release of Shadow and Bone and a few other originals late last month are definitely steps in the right direction.

Netflix’s May 2021 releases list has a few gems on it as well, which is even more good news. And if you want to focus on just the new movies Netflix has in store for subscribers this month, you’ve come to the right place.

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Netflix is releasing a whopping 65 new movies over the course of the month in May 2021. That includes both original content and films from third-party studios — and there are some big releases on the calendar in May.

The fun began on May 1st when 35 different movies were released by Netflix that day alone. Highlights include fan favorites like the Back to the Future franchise, Mystic River, Scarface, The Land Before Time, The Pelican Brief, and Zombieland. Things are slowing down a bit after that, but there are definitely some big titles to look forward to later in the month. Zack Snyder’s new movie Army of the Dead could be the most hotly anticipated release of the month, but there are several other high-profile releases planned too.

Want to see what else is in store for Netflix subscribers this month? You can scroll through all 65 new movies coming to Netflix in May down below.

Streaming May 1st

• Aliens Stole My Body
• Back to the Future
• Back to the Future Part II
• Back to the Future Part III
• Best of the Best
• Dead Again in Tombstone
• Due Date
• Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)
• G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
• Green Zone
• Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
• JT LeRoy
• Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
• Mystic River
• Never Back Down
• Notting Hill
• Open Season
• Resident Evil: Afterlife
• Resident Evil: Extinction
• S.M.A.R.T Chase
• Scarface
• SITTING IN LIMBO
• Stargate
• State of Play
• The Land Before Time
• The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure
• The Lovely Bones
• The Pelican Brief
• The Sweetest Thing
• The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
• Under Siege
• Waist Deep
• Your Highness
• Zack and Miri Make a Porno
• Zombieland

Streaming May 4th

• The Clovehitch Killer

Streaming May 5th

• Framing John DeLorean
• The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness — Netflix DOCUMENTARY

Streaming May 6th

• Dead Man Down

Streaming May 7th

• Milestone — Netflix FILM 🇮🇳
• Monster — Netflix FILM

Streaming May 8th

• Sleepless

Streaming May 11th

• Money, Explained — Netflix DOCUMENTARY

Streaming May 12th

• Dance of the Forty One — Netflix FILM 🇲🇽
• Oxygen — Netflix FILM 🇫🇷

Streaming May 13th

• Layer Cake

Streaming May 14th

• Ferry — Netflix FILM 🇧🇪
• I Am All Girls — Netflix FILM 🇿🇦
• The Strange House — Netflix FILM 🇦🇹
• The Woman in the Window — Netflix FILM

Streaming May 16th

• Sleight

Streaming May 18th

• Sardar Ka Grandson — Netflix FILM 🇮🇳

Streaming May 19th

• The Last Days
• Sabotage 
• Small Town Crime

Streaming May 20th

• Hating Peter Tatchell
• Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

Streaming May 21st

• Army of the Dead — Netflix FILM

Streaming May 25th

• Home

Streaming May 26th

• Baggio: The Divine Ponytail — Netflix FILM 🇮🇹
• High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America — Netflix FILM
• Nail Bomber: Manhunt — Netflix DOCUMENTARY 🇬🇧

Streaming May 27th

• Blue Miracle — Netflix FILM

Streaming May 31st

• Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story

Coming Soon

• Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir (2021)

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We’ll say this with cautious optimism: the summer movie season is…back? After the coronavirus pandemic upended the 2020 release calendar, pushing back some of the year’s most hyped films and inspiring new avenues of distribution for others, the summer of 2021 is shaping up as platform for Blockbusters (from the latest “Fast and Furious” to the post-apocalyptic survival of the “A Quiet Place” installment all the way through a seventh “Conjuring” film) and rife with discoveries (including some festival hits that date all the way back to 2019).

Of course, the distribution landscape has changed radically over the past year, and not every anticipated summer movie will simply head to the multiplex. This season’s lineup includes a wide variety of viewing options that go beyond the brick and mortar theater. It’s a summer defined by options — not only in terms of what you see, but how you choose to see it.

This list includes only films that have confirmed release dates from May through August, though many of IndieWire’s most-anticipated 2021 films from reliable distributors have yet to announce their release plans. These include Neon’s “Pig,” “Titane,” “Memoria,” and “The First Wave,” along with Netflix’s daring “Fear Street” trilogy. As spring and summer festivals begin in earnest, we expect a fresh round of new films to be excited about that just might sneak in their own summer release plans after bowing across the circuit.

That all means that everything remains in flux, and as plans continue to change, this list will be updated. Whether that includes changing release dates, the method of a film’s release, or adding in some of those anticipated titles that have locked in an official date in 2021, this preview remains particularly fluid. For now, however, these are the films we are most excited to see in the coming months.

Eric Kohn, Christian Blauvelt, Zack Sharf, David Ehrlich, Ryan Lattanzio, Jude Dry, Tambay Obsenson, and Chris Lindahl contributed to this article.

“Mainstream” (May 7, in theaters and on demand)

“Mainstream”

American Zoetrope

Combining the ultra-cool gauziness of her aunt Sofia’s films with a nuance and sensitivity all her own, Gia Coppola did the family name proud with her 2014 debut “Palo Alto,” which holds up as one of this century’s best movies about being young in America. Coppola’s long-awaited second feature finds her re-teaming with key collaborators (like musician Dev Hynes and cinematographer Autumn Durald) for a major change of pace: An original film that marries the snowballing narcissism of Elia Kazan’s “A Face in the Crowd” with the self-affirmation of the social media era.

Maya Hawke, in her first leading role, stars as an orphaned LA bartender named Frankie whose insular life is turned upside down when she crosses paths with a mysterious drifter named Link (Andrew Garfield in one of the year’s first “you have to see it to believe it” performances). Introduced wearing a giant rat costume and ranting at blinkered mall shoppers about how people need to look up from their phones and “eat the art” around them in real life, Link has some loftily righteous takes about the content-ification of the human experience, and it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a viral sensation unto himself once Frankie starts uploading his speeches to YouTube. Little does she know that she’s creating a monster.

What ensues from there is a heightened, aggressive, love-it-or-hate-it satire of a very online world that can’t stop rubber-necking at its own wreckage, and Garfield’s spectacular, loathsome performance is burning bright in the center of it all as the part of ourselves that we just can’t seem to extinguish. —DE

“Wrath of Man” (May 7, in theaters)

Guy Ritchie bounced back from the lows of 2017’s “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” with back-to-back box office hits “Aladdin” (2019) and “The Gentlemen” (2020). Can Ritchie make it three hits in a row? Enter “Wrath of Man,” which should be an easy attraction for action movie fans hungry for a rock-em-sock-em theater experience, as it reunites the filmmaker with his longtime star Jason Statham. The action movie veteran first teamed with Ritchie on the filmmaker’s cult 1998 hit “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” then reunited with him for the films “Snatch” and “Revolver.”

In “Wrath of Man,” a reimagining of Nicolas Boukhrief’s 2004 French heist thriller “Le Convoyeur,” Statham stars as a truck security guard who surprises his co-workers during a heist in which he unleashes unexpected precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score. The film also stars Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Scott Eastwood, Raul Castillo, and Post Malone. —ZS

“Pink Skies Ahead” (May 8, broadcast on MTV)

“Pink Skies Ahead”

AFI FEST

Best-selling author Kelly Oxford goes behind the camera for her long-in-the-making debut, which premiered at SXSW in 2020 and will debut on MTV (commercial-free!), where the accomplished first feature should reach its ideal audience. The charming and insightful ’90s-set coming-of-age dramedy stars Jessica Barden as Winona who, just as Oxford did in suburban Calgary, struggles with an anxiety disorder after dropping out of college and moving back in with her parents. The film’s supporting cast includes rising stars Rosa Salazar, Odeya Rush, Lewis Pullman, and Devon Bostick, in addition to household names like Michael McKean, Marcia Gay Harden, Henry Winkler, and Mary J. Blige.

“Pink Skies Ahead” got its start as an essay that chronicles Oxford’s own diagnosis, “No Real Danger,” which appeared in the anthology “When You Find Out the World Is Against You.” It was a moment of fresh anxiety that pushed Oxford to turn it into a script, just as she was grappling with the fallout of her 2016 divorce and trying to determine what was next for both her family and her career. The resulting film is funny, sad, and deeply honest, the kind of debut feature that makes it clear that Oxford’s newly minted filmmaking career is one to watch. —KE

“Oxygen” (May 12, streaming on Netflix)

Over the last two decades, prolific French horror director Alexandre Aja has delivered a gorier take on Wes Craven’s “The Hills Have Eyes,” crafted a funny and gratuitous B-movie homage with “Piranha 3D,” and delighted critics and audiences with disaster thriller “Crawl.” For his ninth effort, Aja is trying his hand at sci-fi horror with “Oxygen,” which stars Mélanie Laurent as a woman who wakes up in a cryogenic pod. As she’s running out of oxygen, she must figure out who she is and how she ended up in the potentially fatal predicament.

Best known to American audiences for her work in “Inglorious Basterds,” the Cesar-winning Laurent has a wide canvas to showcase her skills given the claustrophobic setting. Such a performance, coupled with a cerebral script and a director known for his transgressive instincts, could deliver a truly terrifying and thought-provoking survival drama. —CL

“The Killing of Two Lovers” (May 14, in theaters and on demand)

“The Killing of Two Lovers”

With a movie called “The Killing of Two Lovers,” one might know what to expect from the start, but Robert Machoian’s gripping thriller plays off the prediction of its title at every riveting moment. David (a disheveled Clayne Crawford) is already at wit’s end when the movie begins, hovering over his estranged wife (Spideh Moafi) and her new boyfriend as they sleep in their small-town Utah home. A gun sits in his sweaty hand, but he has yet to pull the trigger.

From that unnerving start, the movie drifts through David’s fragile existence, as he makes repeated attempts to reconnect with the love of his life and their four children, juggling his simmering rage with the semblance of sanity still percolating in his head. This material could turn melodramatic at any moment, but Crawford’s jittery performance and Machoian’s naturalistic style joins forces with an ominous sound design that brings the fragility of its protagonist’s mindset to life. The result is a fresh and bracing new look at the dissolution of a nuclear family that redefines edge-of-your-seat filmmaking through the sheer talent on display at every moment. —EK

“Spiral” (May 14, in theaters)

“Spiral”

Lionsgate

The “Saw” horror franchise is coming back for a ninth go-round on the big screen with the upcoming “Spiral,” starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. Rock came up with the idea himself for this reimagining, which looks like it has more in common with David Fincher’s “Seven” than with any previous installment in the long-running horror franchise. Rock stars as a detective working in the shadow of his esteemed police veteran father (Jackson) who gets drawn into a serial killer’s morbid game that somehow connects to the Jigsaw killer.

While Rock and Jackson’s involvement is sure to draw viewers, diehard “Saw” fans know “Spiral” is not one to miss as it marks the return of filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman to the horror franchise. Bousman wrote and directed 2005’s “Saw II” and helmed sequels “Saw III” and “Saw IV” before departing the franchise. Bousman’s return signals that Rock’s idea was worthy of the “Saw” legacy. Horror fans will be keeping a close eye on this one this summer. —ZS

“Profile” (May 14, in theaters)

“Profile”

Focus Features

The best and most harrowing addition to the emerging sub-genre of movies that take place entirely within the space of a computer screen, Timur Bekmambetov’s “Profile” brings a new and much-needed dimension to its conceit by using it in the service of a semi-realistic story. That’s almost uncharted territory for a type of filmmaking born out of shlock (though Bekmambetov, who produced “Searching” and “Unfriended,” has been pushing for more projects with this approach, which he calls “Screenlife”). Very loosely based on a true story about a French journalist who essentially catfished an ISIS recruiter for a story, Bekmambetov’s latest isn’t going to be confused for a documentary, but there’s nevertheless a gripping verisimilitude to watching desperate freelancer Amy (Valene Kane) flirt with and develop feelings for a Syrian jihadist (Shazad Latif) via Skype.

As broad as it is unnerving, “Profile” is one of the only films of this upcoming semi-pandemic summer that might actually be a better experienced when streamed at home on a computer monitor rather than seen on a movie screen. Watch this thing on a laptop and it inspires you to instinctively click on Amy’s Skype windows, as though the movie is being shared on your screen in real-time. That’s a terrifying, immediate sensation, and one that points to a new kind of interactive storytelling in which a guy like Bekmambetov might be able to physically meld with audiences in a way that the worst of his previous work (“Wanted,” “Ben-Hur”) has always wished that it could. In other words, this is the rare Netflix acquisition where everyone wins. —DE

“Army of the Dead” (May 14, in theaters; May 21, streaming on Netflix)

“Army of the Dead”

Netflix

With “Justice League” behind him, Zack Snyder is jumping from Warner Bros. to Netflix to kick off what could be another massive new franchise with “Army of the Dead.” The film marks the director’s return to the zombie genre after he made the jump to features from music videos with his 2004 debut “Dawn of the Dead.” Starring Dave Bautista, Theo Rossi, Tig Notaro, Garrett Dillahunt, Raúl Castillo, Omari Hardwick, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Ella Purnell, “Army of the Dead” follows a group of mercenaries who plot a heist on a Las Vegas casino during a zombie outbreak.

With smarter zombies (Snyder imagines the undead here as capable of forming groups and being organized) and a zombie tiger, “Army of the Dead” promises the kind of R-rated violent mayhem that tends to connect in the summer season. And that’s just the beginning, as Snyder is producing a German-language prequel and an animated sequel that explains the origins of the universe’s zombies. —ZS

“There Is No Evil” (May 14, in theaters and virtual cinemas)

“There Is No Evil”

“There Is No Evil” spends 30 minutes establishing its premise, and another two hours taking it in surprising new directions. Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s brilliant anthology feature unfolds across four stories about military men tasked with executions as they grapple with their options, contend with the fallout, and witness the impact it has on the people closest to them. It starts with tragedy and builds to a remarkable series of last-minute escapes and morality plays. The deserving winner of the Golden Bear at last year’s Berlinale, “There Is No Evil” is the perfect opportunity for Rasolouf to expand his audience (and will satisfy anyone who has appreciated his taut storytelling before).

The filmmaker, who has been barred from leaving his country since 2017, has made an absorbing ride defined by the paradoxes of its people. Nobody in “There Is No Evil” has it easy: There’s no simple moral code when every possible option leads to a point of no return. —EK

“The Woman in the Window” (May 14, streaming on Netflix)

“The Woman in the Window”

Melinda Sue Gordon / Netflix Inc.

However good or bad “The Woman in the Window” turns out to be, it is surely destined to be one of the buzziest summer offerings from Netflix. Directed by Joe Wright and adapted from A.J. Finn’s bestseller, the film stars Amy Adams as agoraphobic woman who believes she saw her new friend murdered in the apartment across the street. Will anyone believe her?

Featuring a star-studded cast that includes Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anthony Mackie, Bryan Tyree Henry, and Wyatt Russell, “The Woman in the Window” has had a notorious road to release plagued by delays due to the Disney-Fox merger and poor test screenings. Some will watch “The Woman in the Window” because of its star-studded pedigree. Others will watch to see if it’s the train wreck that reports out of test screenings suggest. Either way, “The Woman in the Window” is going to be a Netflix hit that will have social media buzzing this summer movie season. —ZS

“Those Who Wish Me Dead” (May 14, in theaters and streaming on HBO Max)

Taylor Sheridan returns to feature directing for the first time since 2017’s indie sleeper “Wind River” with “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” a neo-Western set amid a forest fire blazing in middle-of-nowhere Montana. Written by Sheridan with crime writer Michael Koryta (adapting his own novel), along with “Blood Diamond” scribe Charles Leavitt, the film features Angelina Jolie leading an impressive ensemble.

Also starring are Nicholas Hoult, Tyler Perry, and Jon Bernthal in this story of a 14-year-old murder witness on the run from twin assassins. Sheridan brings his deep pedigree for suspenseful Westerns grappling with a depressed America, as he earned an Oscar nomination for writing 2016’s “Hell or High Water,” and serves as the co-creator, as well as writer, director, and producer, on TV’s hit series “Yellowstone.” Sheridan’s crowning achievement remains the taut script for Denis Villeneuve’s “Sicario,” another film about a deadly chase through a dark corner of the world. —RL

“Plan B” (May 28, streaming on Hulu)

Actress-turned-filmmaker Natalie Morales is on a roll: Earlier this year, she premiered her co-directing debut “Language Lessons” at Berlin and SXSW, a pandemic-era charmer she made alongside Mark Duplass that made an early claim for this particular writer’s most tear-soaked film ending of the year. Now, Morales is rolling out her next offering: her solo directing debut, a teenage quest comedy entitled “Plan B.”

Written by Prathi Srinivasan and Joshua Levy, per its official synopsis, the Hulu original picks up “after a regrettable first sexual encounter, a straight-laced high school student (Kuhoo Verma) and her slacker best friend (Victoria Moroles) have 24 hours to hunt down a Plan B pill in America’s heartland.” The film sounds like the perfect next entry into the burgeoning — and necessary — genre of girl-centric coming-of-age tales with very big, very real issues on their mind, from “Booksmart” to “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and “Unpregnant.” Just two films into her career, it seems as Morales can do just about anything she sets her mind to. —KE

“Port Authority” (May 28, in theaters; June 4, on demand and digital)

“Port Authority”

Courtesy of filmmaker

Nearly 30 years after “The Crying Game” depicted a man’s revulsion at discovering his partner was trans, “Port Authority” sets the record straight. When Paul (Fionn Whitehead) learns that ballroom dancer Wye (Lenya Bloom) is a “femme girl” soon after their romance has blossomed, he doesn’t retch or try to flee. The nature of Wye’s gender identity should be obvious to anyone paying attention to her surroundings, so the truth only comes as a twist for Paul; for most audiences, the suspense of the movie’s first half stems from watching him confront that fact and just deal with it. And then: They have in a levelheaded debate about the ethics of communication, and he more or less gets over it so the rest of the movie can go on.

Director Danielle Lessovitz’s gentle debut utilizes the template for a gritty, naturalistic New York City love story about inner-city troublemakers with a keen eye for the authentic and touching two-hander at its center. At the same time, it doesn’t negate the edginess of its metropolitan backdrop. (Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, it may as well take place in his expanded universe.) As this scrappy little movie to strike a quietly progressive note, it suggests a happy medium between “Kids” and “Paris is Burning,” building to a rousing finish right on schedule. —EK

“Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue” (May 28, in theaters)

Jia Zhangke was able to premiere his latest documentary, “Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue,” at Berlin last February, just before the coronavirus shut down most of the world, and the film will finally be released to wide audiences more than a year later. The doc finds acclaimed writers Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua and Liang Hong discussing the evolution of their craft and how it emerged from changes to the society as a whole.

“I respect them the most because they’re very, very honest and brave — not only in terms of how they write, but how they express themselves,” Jia told IndieWire last year. “Through the making of this film, I absorbed a lot of the strength of these authors. Over the decades of making films, the difficulties I’ve experienced have made me feel discouraged at times. The changes are so slow and sometimes the situation gets worse. Through my collaboration with these three authors, I felt that changes are possible if we just keep doing what we can not only individually but as a society.” —EK

“A Quiet Place Part II” (May 28, in theaters)

“A Quiet Place Part II”

paramount

John Krasinski’s much-hyped followup to his smash hit “A Quiet Place” was one of the first major 2020 tentpoles to get pushed back during the first days of the coronavirus pandemic. But Krasinski and co. remained set on their desire to open the film in theaters, and while it took over a year for that to happen, the sequel should serve as a major attraction for moviegoers looking to get back into the multiplex swing of things.

While Krasinski, who also co-starred in the first film, is not back on the screen (spoiler alert to anyone who didn’t see the original back in 2018), the rest of his stars are, including his real-life wife Emily Blunt and teen breakouts Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. The trio are joined by Cillian Murphy, here cast as another survivor of the alien invasion that effectively ended the world and set the stage for the first film.

The sequel was already screening by the time it was delayed, and strong first reactions continue to pump up enthusiasm for a film that’s actually worth the wait: a worthy, world-expanding followup that builds on the original and finds its own thrills and emotional stakes in the process. Audiences should still be banned from eating crunchy snacks during any and all screenings. —KE

“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (June 4, in theaters)

With seven installments and a worldwide gross nearing $2 billion, few horror franchises can compare to the impact of “The Conjuring” universe. “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” marks the third direct sequel to the original 2013 movie and once again follows paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). The movie tracks their involvement in a 1980s Connecticut exorcism and subsequent murder trial known as the “Devil Made Me Do It” case.

This will mark the first of the sequels without horror maestro James Wan in the director’s chair; that job goes to “The Curse of La Llorona” director Michael Chaves in his sophomore effort. While “La Llorona” was far from a standout in the franchise, a story-by credit for Wan and a script from “The Conjuring 2” scribe David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick suggests “The Devil Made Me Do It” could live up to the high expectations set by the first two “Conjuring” movies. —CL

“Undine” (June 4, in theaters and on demand)

“Undine”

NYFF

“Shape of Water” fans dying for another nymph-human love story, get ready: Christian Petzold has you covered. The German auteur behind “Phoenix,” “Barbara,” and “Transit” excels at taut, surreal thrillers about clandestine identities. Here, he follows Berlin tour guide Undine (Paula Beer) as her relationship collapses with her unfaithful partner and she falls for a curious industrial diver.

But as Undine maintains an eerie fixation on her breakup, the movie takes on a series of dreamlike twists as Petzold builds up his usual Hitchcockian suspense throughout. Undine may be losing her grip on reality, but reality has a few surprises in store for her as well — right down to a stunning fantastical ending that will keep people talking, and which further confirms that Petzold is one of the most exciting European directors working today. —EK

“All Light Everywhere” (June 4, in theaters)

“All Light Everywhere” winds its way through fragmentary observations about modern surveillance society, unearthing a wide range of amorphous connections about its subject. However, Theo Anthony’s ambitious documentary unearths one brilliant connection — a fascinating lineage between the camera and the gun — and roots it in historical fact. For that reason alone, the filmmaker’s strange and alluring rumination on the ways technology exerts control over human life is a worthy follow-up to his 2016 debut “Rat Film,” which used Baltimore’s rodent infestation as a savvy metaphor for gentrification.

“All Light Everywhere” investigates how little we see about the way the world looks back at us, careening from a warehouse that develops tasers and police body cameras, to training sessions for officers who wear the devices, the machinations of a spy plane entrepreneur, and the history of camera pigeons in WWI. In the most compelling passages, Anthony journeys back to the late 19th century, unearthing the little-known history of astrophotography and mug shots, finding a remarkable set of connections between camera technology and weapons of war. All of that comes full circle in a climactic confrontation about the nature of privacy in a world governed by corporate power, as the film coheres into a compelling riff on the ominous forces governing everyday life that’s both alarming and awe-inspiring at once. —EK

“In the Heights” (June 11, in theaters and streaming on HBO Max)

“In the Heights”

If ever there were a movie that could reignite the box office after such a down year, it’s a new musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda. Long before “Hamilton,” the hit-making multi-hyphenate wrote a more traditional musical set much closer to home: Washington Heights, the majority Puerto Rican neighborhood where he was born and raised.

“In the Heights” won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Original Score after premiering on Broadway in 2008, and just a few bars of the opening number will have audiences humming all the way to the box office. The movie version, directed by Jon M. Chu (himself no stranger to movie musical magic thanks to the “Step Up” franchise) stars “Hamilton” star Anthony Ramos as charmer protagonist Usnavi, and a host of established as well as up-and-coming names fill out his closely connected community. With Miranda’s name recognition, as well as a catchy and upbeat score that rivals “Hamilton” in melody and lyrical flow, “In the Heights” is way overdue to give the Latino community their huge Hollywood hit. —JD

“Summer of 85” (June 18, in theaters)

“Summer of 85”

François Ozon’s sexy, melancholic coming-of-age romance “Summer of 85” sizzles against the banks of a seaside resort in Normandy. It’s also got a killer soundtrack including The Cure and Bananarama, pop-colored cinematography, enough Breton shirts to outfit a French New Wave movie, and a cast of easy-on-the-eyes French cinema favorites. It channels the talky, beach-set films of Éric Rohmer but with a rebellious edge, hinging on the stolen-hours love affair between introverted teen Alex (Lefebvre) and the slightly older but hardly wiser David (Voisin), the square-jawed Adonis who cuts a raffish figure on a motorcycle. The highs and lows of their summer fling collide in a sudden and mysterious tragedy foregrounded in the movie’s opening scenes, which makes their evolving connection, ignited by the actors’ volcanic chemistry, all the more suspenseful.

Adapting Aidan Chambers’ 1982 novel “Dance on My Grave,” Ozon captures the intoxicating pull of first love, and the loss of control that can make a formative erotic bond so dangerous and addictive. The evocative filmmaking is matched by the charms of its leads, who, in case you needed another selling point, enact one of the hottest guy-on-guy kisses ever thrown onscreen. —RL 

“The Sparks Brothers” (June 18, in theaters)

“The Sparks Brothers”

Sundance

A straightforward but delightful and unusually spirited love letter to the least straightforward (but spirited) art pop duo in the history of British-sounding American music, Edgar Wright’s 135-minute Sparks documentary “The Sparks Brothers” is a beat-for-beat celebration of the band’s deathless creative odyssey, an irresistible invitation to join their small but devoted cult of diehard fans, and a beautifully wrapped gift to anyone who’s ever had angst in their pants about Ron and Russell Mael before.

Wright’s love-in of a film is particularly enamored by the Maels’ “Prestige”-like commitment to their art, and even the most accomplished of the film’s 80 interview subjects exude an authentic sense of awe. Beck, Jane Wiedlin, Jason Schwartzman, Andy Bell, half of New Order, and “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino represent just a tiny fraction of the famous and civilian fans that Wright gathers here, and every single one of these people — including the band’s frequent collaborators — seems giddily mystified by the force of nature that is Sparks.

If Wright’s documentary is so rigidly structured along chronological lines that it can’t hope to embody the same zigzag genius that shaped the band’s career, the one-album-at-a-time approach reflects the relentlessness of Sparks’ output, as well as the sheer tenacity required to weather so many cultural sea changes over the years. Fans of the band will feel like they’ve died and gone to heaven. As for everyone else… well, by the time “The Sparks Brothers” is over, they’ll be fans of the band, too. —DE

“Truman Tennessee” (June 18, in theaters)

Historical documentaries pose a unique challenge when it comes to dramatizing lives rarely captured on film. When it comes to literary figures, there’s no shortage of written records — whether by them or about them — to communicate the essence of a writer’s life. In the case of the new documentary “Truman Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation,” filmmaker Lisa Immordino Vreeland utilizes correspondence between the two monumental figures as well as public comments each made about the other to weave her tale.

Described in its opening shots as “an encounter between those lifelong friends in their own words,” “Truman Tennessee” charts the parallel careers of Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams, contemporaries with similar backgrounds who faced many of the same personal and professional struggles. The film plays like a kind of live reading of both writers’ diaries, except Vreeland highlights particularly poetic bits of wisdom and framing them around a uniting theme. The visuals consist mostly of still photos and talk-show footage, which aren’t used creatively enough to justify a cinematic treatment. Framing the narrative around their relationship is a slightly more inspired choice, and if the film illuminates new sides of both authors, it has served a purpose. —JD

“Luca” (June 18, streaming on Disney+)

“Luca”

Disney

Pixar’s 24th feature film “Luca” hatches from the mind of Italian storyboard artist Enrico Casarosa, making his directorial debut with this summery, coming-of-age buddy movie located in the irresistibly sultry Italian Riviera. But the catch is that the friendship in play is between a pair of real boys who also happening to be seas monsters disgusting themselves in human form.

Thirteen-year-old Luca is voiced by Jacob Tremblay, making his Pixar debut, opposite “We Are Who We Are” breakout Jack Dylan Grazer, who voices his new pal Alberto. Scooter rides, Mediterranean swims, endless pasta, and gelato abound in this seaside adventure also featuring voice work from Maya Rudolph, Emma Berman, Marco Barricelli, and Jim Gaffigan. Hot off an Oscar win for “Soul,” Pixar is sure to deliver another delightful family favorite. —RL

“I Carry You with Me” (June 25, in theaters)

“I Carry You with Me”

Sony Pictures Classics

Lauded documentary filmmaker Heidi Ewing made a bold leap into narrative filmmaking with a star-crossed romance based on a true story. The result is a timely romance that blends fiction and non-fiction to enact the poignant story of two undocumented Mexican immigrants in love. The film, which debuted at Sundance in 2020 before kicking off a robust run of festival screenings, revolves around aspiring chef whose burgeoning romance with another man threatens to affect visitation rights with his young son. When he decides to cross the border to the U.S., he encounters a host of new challenges.

Arresting in its specificity and real-life themes, “I Carry You with Me” lays bare the painful reality for many undocumented immigrants in the U.S. through a tender human lens. —JD

“F9” (June 25, in theaters)

It’s a “Fast and Furious” film that adds John Cena and brings back Sung Kang (justice for Han!). What more do you want to know? Okay, how about this: they go to space. —KE

“False Positive” (June 25, streaming on Hulu)

“False Positive”

Hulu / screencap

“Broad City” scribe Ilana Glazer takes a page out of fellow comedian Jordan Peele’s book, making her mark on the “socially conscious horror” genre popularized by “Get Out.” Written by Glazer with director John Lee, “False Positive” centers around a couple (played by Glazer and Justin Theroux) undergoing fertility treatments at the hands of sinisterly handsome doctor (Pierce Brosnan). After getting pregnant, they realize their dream-come-true isn’t as perfect as it seems. Produced by A24 and with a Tribeca premiere already on the books, Glazer is coming out guns blazing with the first feature film she’s written and produced. —JD

“Zola” (June 30, in theaters)

“Zola”

If the evolution of creativity in the 21st century means that Twitter feeds can fuel feature-length adaptations, “Zola” is a terrific place to start. Director Janicza Bravo’s zany road trip comedy about a pair of strippers on a rambunctious 48-hour Florida adventure embodies its ludicrous source while jazzing it up with relentless cinematic beats.

Bravo, who co-wrote the movie with “Slave Play” breakout Jeremy O. Harris, applies the surreal and edgy sensibilities of her unsettling dark comic short “Gregory Go Boom” and the similarly outré “Lemon” to another jittery look at anxious people driven to self-destructive extremes. This time, their antics result in a rambunctious crowdpleaser made all the more compelling because it’s true…kinda. In October 2015, Detroit-based stripper A’ziah “Zola” King unleashed 144 tweets chronicling her madcap journey with new pal Jessica, who invited her on a quick jaunt down south to hit the clubs.

Now, that has become the template for a bawdy road trip adventure starring a terrific Taylour Page and Riley Keough as they fall in and out of their friendship over the course of a dark comic journey. The men in this movie aren’t exactly great people, but they’re fun to watch: “Succession” breakout Nicholas Braun plays a hilarious goofball boyfriend while the extraordinary Colman Domingo proves quite the menacing pimp. “You wanna hear a story about why me this bitch here fell out?” the real-life Zola tweeted. “It’s kind of long but full of suspense.” Bravo’s raucous movie does that tease justice and then some. —EK

On the next page (click “continue reading” below), check out our picks for must-see summer movies coming out in July and August.

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A near college graduate, Danielle, gets paid by her sugar daddy and rushes to meet…

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.

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Wrath of Man

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

Mainstream

Photo: IFC Films

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

Monster

Photo: Netflix

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

The Water Man

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

Spiral: From the Book of Saw

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

Army of the Dead

Image: Netflix

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

A Quiet Place Part II

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

Cruella

Image: Disney

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

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

Credit: Ben Rothstein/ Warner Bros.

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

Vivo

Image: Mega/Sony/Netflix

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

In The Heights

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

Jagame Thandhiram

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

Luca

Image: Pixar

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

F9

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

America: The Motion Picture

Photo: Netflix

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

Zola

Photo: Anna Kooris/Sundance Institute

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

The Forever Purge

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

Summer of Soul

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

Black Widow

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

Space Jam: A New Legacy

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

Old

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

The Green Knight

Image: A24

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

The Suicide Squad

Photo: Jessica Miglio/DC Comics

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 2

Photo: Sergej Radovic

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

Candyman

Photo: MGM/Monkeypaw Productions

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

Amazon Prime Video has announced its schedule of new TV shows and movies for May 2021—and it includes big names such as Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Moonlight director Barry Jenkins and the singers P!nk and J Balvin.

Amazon has three original TV series debuting in May, plus two concert movies. The most anticipated show is The Underground Railroad, a big-budget adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning novel and Jenkins’ first TV series after the success (and Oscars) of Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. The other two series are Solos, in which big-name actors deliver monologues, and Panic, a thriller that mixes the themes of The Purge and The Hunger Games.

The concert films follow P!nk and J Balvin respectively as they embark on some of the biggest shows of their careers.

Amazon is also adding more classic movies to its roster in May. Prime users will be able to watch Aliens, The Sixth Sense and the James Bond movie Skyfall among many others.

What Is Coming to Amazon Prime Video in May 2021?

Amazon originals: movies

May 7 The Boy from Medellin: documentary about J Balvin as the Colombian superstar prepares for a stadium show in his hometown.

May 21 P!nk: All I Know So Far: a film following the singer on her 2019 world tour.

Amazon originals: TV series

May 14 The Underground Railroad: director Barry Jenkins adapts Colson Whitehead’s 2016 novel, which imagines that the titular network used by escaping slaves was a real railroad.

May 21 Solos: Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway and Uzo Aduba are among the actors delivering monologues in this anthology series.

May 28 Panic Season 1: thriller about Texas graduating seniors who enter a series of dangerous challenges to win a huge cash prize.

Everything else coming to Amazon Prime Video in May

May 1

Alien: Resurrection
Alien 3
Aliens
Almost Famous
Betrayed
Breach
Bound
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo
Dinosaur 13
Fascination
Flight
Flightplan
Georgia Rule
Green Zone
Gunsight Ridge
Hidalgo
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
Jumping the Broom
Knowing
Leatherheads
Nanny McPhee
Nanny McPhee Returns
One Fine Day
Priest
Reign of Fire
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil
Rio
Sahara
Scent of a Woman
See No Evil, Hear No Evil
Shattered
The Age of Adaline
The Dalton Girls
The Da Vinci Code
The French Connection
The Green Hornet
The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Ladykillers
The Men Who Stare At Goats
The Outsider
The Secret Life of Bees
The Sixth Sense
The Sweetest Thing
The Towering Inferno
Two For The Money
Unbreakable
Vantage Point

May 5

Skyfall

May 9

Robot Frank

May 13

Saint Maud

May 19

Red Dawn
Trumbo

Netflix is gearing up for a summer filled with hit movies, and it all kicks off this month with their stellar May lineup. In the coming days and weeks, Netflix will be boosting its library with original releases and throwbacks, with the selection ranging from horror to rom-com and everything in between. It’s hard to even know where to start, but that’s where we come in with the best new movies on Netflix in May 2021.

Starting off with some classics on the first of the month, Netflix is rolling out the Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant romance Notting Hill, a sweet comedy about a Hollywood star and her unlikely bookstore-owner love. That same day, Netflix is traveling to the 80s with the Back to the Future franchise, releasing all three Michael J. Fox films on the same day.

Later in May, we can look forward to some original releases like Monster, a film about a bright honors student charged with a felony murder, which first premiered at Sundance. Netflix is also releasing Oxygen, a French psychological horror movie about a woman trapped in a cryogenic chamber that’s sure to give you literal chills.

After Oxygen, you can look forward to plenty of other Netflix releases. Don’t miss Amy Adams’ The Woman in the Window, Zachk Snyder’s Army of the Dead, or Dennis Quaid’s ripped-from-the-headlines tale Blue Miracle. To see our full list of what movies to watch on Netflix this may, keep reading!

‘Notting Hill’

Released May 1

Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant star in Notting Hill, a classic rom-com about bookstore owner William (Grant) and glamorous actress Anna (Roberts). When their two separate worlds collide one day with a visit to William’s bookstore, Anna finds herself drawn to a man she never thought she’d fall in love with. Whether you’re watching it for the the first time or the fiftieth, Notting Hill is a must-watch.

Where to watch Notting Hill

‘Back to the Future’

Released May 1

Back to the Future introduced us to Marty McFly in 1985, when Michael J. Fox time traveled back to the ’50s thanks to a wonky experiment by his friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). The hit movie spawned two sequels, and this month, Netflix isn’t just releasing the first film in the Back to the Future franchise — we’ll be getting Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III.

Where to watch Back to the Future 

‘Mystic River’

Released May 1

2003’s Mystic River packs a whole lot of star power into one movie. The crime drama stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laura Linney, Marcia Gay Harden … and the list goes on. When a man’s daughter is murdered, his two childhood friends are linked to the case — one as a suspect, and the other as the detective investigating the crime. The chilling film earned multiple nominations, including a Best Picture nod at the Oscars.

Where to watch Mystic River 

‘Scarface’

Released May 1

Say hello to my little friend! Brian De Palma’s famous gangster film is landing on Netflix this month. Al Pacino stars in 1983’s Scarface as Tony Montana, a ruthless drug kingpin willing to murder anyone who gets in his way. But his thrilling rise to the top of the game won’t last forever as Tony threatens to be the cause of his own downfall.

Where to watch Scarface 

‘The Pelican Brief’

Released May 1

Why not have a Julia Roberts double feature and stream The Pelican Brief after Notting Hill? Roberts stars in the 1993 drama as a young law student who teams up with a talented journalist (Denzel Washington) to crack a conspiracy. The thriller comes from the mind of John Grisham, who wrote the book of the same title and also published The Firm, which was later turned into a movie starring Tom Cruise.

Where to watch The Pelican Brief 

‘Framing John DeLorean’

Released May 5

Alec Baldwin transforms into John DeLorean in this 2019 film about the infamous automaker. The biopic follows DeLorean in both his life and career, beginning in his days at General Motors and continuing into his mission to make the best sports car in the world. Whether you’re a classic car fan, a history buff or both, Framing John DeLorean is sure to please.

Where to watch Framing John DeLorean 

‘Monster’

Released May 7

Netflix snagged the rights to Monster last fall after it first premiered at Sundance in 2018, and now a wider audience can finally see the story of Steve (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), an honors student from Harlem whose life is changed forever when he’s charged with felony murder. When the film hits Netflix May 7, get ready to see a packed cast that also includes Jennifer Hudson, Jharrel Jerome, Jeffrey Wright, and John David Washington, plus Nas and A$AP Rocky.

Where to watch Monster 

‘Oxygen’

Released May 12

French thriller Oxygen is sure to give you goosebumps. The film stars Mélanie Laurent as a woman who wakes up in a cryogenic chamber with no memory of how she got there. Even worse, the oxygen in the chamber is slowly depleting, making her fight for her memory and her survival even more urgent. Oxygen comes from producer Alexandre Aja, a horror mastermind behind movies like High Tension, 2006’s The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha 3D.

Where to watch Oxygen

‘The Woman in the Window’

Released May 14

The long wait for The Woman in the Window is finally over. After plans for a theatrical release were abandoned due to the pandemic, the Amy Adams thriller landed at Netflix, where it’s set to premiere May 14. Adams stars as an agoraphobic, alcoholic, and all around unreliable narrator who watches her picture-perfect neighbors from behind her curtains. But when she witnesses what she thinks is a murder next door, she lets the crime consume her, becoming obsessed.

Where to watch The Woman in the Window 

‘Army of the Dead’

Released May 21

Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead is giving us the summer zombie Blockbuster we’re craving. Set in an apocalyptic Los Vegas, the movie follows a group of mercenaries who band together to try and pull off an ambitious heist. Led by Dave Bautista as Vegas local Scott Ward, the crew plans to break into the quarantine zone of the city and to steal $200 million kept in a vault underneath the Vegas strip. As if the stakes weren’t high enough already, the clock is ticking: they only have 32 hours to get in and out before the city is nuked.

Where to watch Army of the Dead 

‘Blue Miracle’

Released May 27

Blue Miracle tells the true story of Casa Hogar, an orphanage in Baja, Mexico. After their home is hit by Hurricane Odile in 2014, the boys of Casa Hogar enter Bisbee’s Black Blue fishing tournament in hopes of winning the prize money to keep their home from closing down for good. The touching story also stars Dennis Quaid as a fishing champ who teams up with the boys of Casa Hogar, and Jimmy Gonzales as Casa Hogar caretaker Omar Venegas.

Where to watch Blue Miracle 

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, 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, has announced that they will release 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 4/19/2021]

Jan-Mar | Apr-June | July-Sep | Oct-Dec

The Best Movies of 2020 | The Most Anticipated Movies of 2022

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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.

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The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2021) 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.

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Malcolm Marie (2020) 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.

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Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) 96%
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.

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To All The Boys: Always And Forever (2021) 78%
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.

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I Care a Lot (2021) 80%
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.

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Nomadland (2021) 94%
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.

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The Father (2021) 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.

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Tom Jerry (2020) 31%
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.

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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.

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Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) 94%
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.

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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.

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Nobody (2021) 82%
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.

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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?

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Concrete Cowboy (2021) 80%
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.

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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.

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In The Earth (2021) 76%
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.

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Limbo (2021) 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.

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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.

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Spiral (2021)
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?).

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The Woman in the Window (2021)
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.

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Army Of The Dead (2021)
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.

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Cruella (2021)
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.

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A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
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.

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The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
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.

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Vivo (2021)
Directed by: Kirk DeMicco
Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Zoe Saldana, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicole Byer, Leslie David Baker
Opening on: June 4, 2021 (formerly April 16, 2021)

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.

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In the Heights (2021)
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.

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The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021)
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).

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Luca (2021)
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, who lives on the Italian Riviera and strikes up a friendship with another boy, only to discover they are both secretly sea monsters disguised as humans.

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Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021) 61%
Directed by: Will Gluck
Starring: James Corden, Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, David Oyelowo, Elizabeth Debicki
Opening on: June 18, 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.

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F9 (2021)
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.

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Zola (2021) 89%
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.

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The Forever Purge (2021)
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.

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Black Widow (2021)
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.

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Cinderella (2021)
Directed by: Kay Cannon
Starring: Camila Cabello, Billy Porter, Idina Menzel
Opening on: July 16, 2021 (formerly February 5, 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?

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Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
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.

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Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2021)
Directed by: Derek Drymon, Jennifer Kluska
Starring: Kathryn Hahn, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key
Opening on: July 23, 2021 (formerly August 6,2021)

The final chapter in the Hotel Transylvania series will not, in fact, include Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula, and will reportedly focus more on Selena Gomez’s Mavis, Dracula’s daughter, who married regular guy Johnny (Andy Samberg) after stumbling into the titular hotel in the first film.

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Old (2021)
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.

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Snake Eyes (2021)
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Henry Golding, Samara Weaving, Iko Uwais
Opening on: July 23, 2021 (formerly October 22, 2021)

This is reportedly an origin story (or maybe not?) for Snake Eyes, the mute ninja/commando previously portrayed by Ray Park in the live-action G.I. Joe film franchise. Snake Eyes’ 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. In other words, it makes sense that this will be a prequel, especially since they’ve hired Henry Golding to play the role.

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The Green Knight (2021)
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.

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Jungle Cruise (2021)
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.

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Stillwater (2021)
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 (likely as the daughter) 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.

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The Suicide Squad (2021)
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 sends the Squad to take out a Nazi-era prison in South America.

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Free Guy (2021)
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.

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Respect (2021)
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.

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Candyman (2021)
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.

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The Beatles: Get Back (2021)
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: The Beatles
Opening on: August 27, 2021 (formerly September 4, 2020)

On the heels of his universally acclaimed World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, Peter Jackson turns his eye towards the Fab Four. Utilizing never-before-seen footage behind the scenes, the new documentary chronicles the Beatles as they record their 1970 album Let It Be, as well as their legendary performance on the rooftop of Apple Records in London.

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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 year’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, and The Farewell’s Awkwafina has also been cast in an unknown role.

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Reminiscence (2021)
Directed by: Lisa Joy
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandie Newton, Daniel Wu, Cliff Curtis
Opening on: September 3, 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.

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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 was initially set to debut in 2020, but like many things, it was held back until this year. We don’t know what the film — also written by Wan — is about, except that it’s a horror thriller and it’s decidedly not an adaptation of Wan’s graphic novel Malignant Man.

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The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)
Directed by: Tom McGrath
Starring: TBD
Opening on: September 17, 2021 (formerly March 26, 2021)

The Boss Baby might be Rotten, but its monster box office take shows the audience is hungry for more. Fans of Alec Baldwin‘s fast talking baby in business will be pleased to know he’ll be back to reprise his role in 2021. Tom McGrath will return to direct.

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Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
Directed by: Andy Serkis
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson, Naomie Harris, Stephen Graham
Opening on: September 24, 2021 (formerly September 17, 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.

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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 24, 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.

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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: September 24, 2021 (formerly March 12, 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.

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Dune (2020)
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Zendaya
Opening on: October 1, 2021 (formerly December 18, 2020), with simultaneous release on HBO Max

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.

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Morbius (2022)
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Jared Leto, Jared Harris, Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Tyrese Gibson
Opening on: October 8, 2021 (formerly March 19, 2021)

The first true test of Sony’s break with Marvel over Spider-Man and the various characters related to him will come in the form of Morbius, based on the Spidey villain who suffers from a rare blood disease and inadvertently turns himself into a vampire in a misguided attempt to cure himself. Jared Leto, who sparked a lot of online chatter with his portrayal of the Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad, plays the title character. Like F9 and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, this film was pushed back from its original 2020 release.

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No Time To Die (2020)
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.

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Halloween Kills (2021)
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Anthony Michael Hall
Opening on: October 15, 2021

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.

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The Last Duel (2020)
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.

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Jackass 4
Directed by: TBD
Starring: TBD
Opening on: October 22, 2021 (formerly September 3, 2021)

We don’t yet know who from the original Jackass gang might show up in this next installment, though both Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O have expressed in doing more outrageous stunts and pranks on the big screen. All we know is that paramount has officially announced a release date, so we’ll just have to wait and see who jumps on board.

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Last Night in Soho (2021)
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Thomasin McKenzie, 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.

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Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021)
Directed by: Jean-Philippe Vine, Sarah Smith
Starring: TBD
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.

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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.

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Untitled Elvis Film
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks
Opening on: November 5, 2021

Austin Butler beat out tons of hopefuls to win the role of the famed King of Rock and Roll for this biopic from Warner Brothers. With Baz Lurhmann on board to write and direct, it’s bound to be a lush cinematic experience. Tom Hanks is also attached in a supporting role.

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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.

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Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd
Opening on: November 12, 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 in an undisclosed role. We’re still waiting on word if, as Sigourney Weaver stated in an interview, the remaining original Ghostbusters will appear in the film. Originally slated to open on July 10, 2020, the film was pushed back due to concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak.

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Top Gun: Maverick (2021)
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Val Kilmer, Jay Ellis, Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro
Opening on: November 19, 2021 (formerly July 2, 2021)

Great balls of fire, we’re getting a Top Gun sequel after 31 years! Not a whole lot is known about the movie, except that the filmmakers have recruited a cast of some of the most in-demand young actors in Hollywood – including Miles Teller, who will play Goose’s son – and that Val Kilmer is officially back as Iceman. And as the trailer released during Comic-Con promises, it will again feature Tom Cruise riding motorcycles, playing volleyball, and flying jets like a madman.

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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.

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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 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.

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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.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home
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.

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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.

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The Matrix 4 (2022)
Directed by: Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nei Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra
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.

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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.

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Sherlock Holmes 3
Directed by: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams
Opening on: 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 back 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.”

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Downton Abbey 2 (2021)
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.

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Finch (2021)
Directed by: Miguel Sapochnik
Starring: Tom Hanks
Opening on: TBD 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.

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Blonde
Directed by: Andrew Dominik
Starring: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale
Opening on: TBD on Netflix

Based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel of the same name, this biographical drama directed by Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James) offers a fictionalized look at the private life of Marilyn Monroe during the 1950s and 1960s, with Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049) taking the lead as the iconic model, singer, and actress.

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Don’t Look Up (2020)
Directed by: Adam McKay
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande
Opening on: TBD 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.

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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 Netflix is releasing it in 2021 as part of their big plan to premiere a new original film every week.

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The Guilty
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Riley Keough
Opening on: TBD 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.

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The Harder They Fall
Directed by: Jeymes Samuel
Starring: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo, Regina King
Opening on: TBD 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.

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The Power of the Dog
Directed by: Jane Campion
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie
Opening on: TBD 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.

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Red Notice (2020)
Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds
Opening on: TBD 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.

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tick, tick… BOOM!
Directed by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens, Bradley Whitford
Opening on: TBD 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.

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Rugrats (2021)
Directed by: David Bowers
Starring: TBD
Opening on: TBD (formerly January 29, 2021)

Tommy, Chucky and the rest of the gang are back! Details are scarce, with David Bowers at the helm as director, this new live-action remake for the classic Nickelodeon cartoon is bound to be a nostalgia-inducing box office hit.

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Bob’s Burgers (2020)
Directed by: Loren Bouchard
Starring: H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Larry Murphy
Opening on: TBD (formerly April 9, 2021)

The hit Fox animated comedy about the owner of a small hamburger restaurant and his quirky family is getting the feature film treatment in the form of a musical comedy — something the show is already quite comfortable with.

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Masters of the Universe (2021)
Directed by: Adam and Aaron Nee
Starring: TBD
Opening on: TBD (formerly March 5, 2021)

The She-Ra reboot has been doing well over at Netflix, so it’s only natural that He-Man would follow. After the 1987 cult film flopped at the box office, it’s prime time for a reboot that brings all that campy goodness to screen. No cast has been announced, but anyone who follows in Dolph Lundgren’s shoes would be lucky.

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The French Dispatch (2020)
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: TBD (formerly October 16, 2020)

Initially reported to be a musical, Wes Anderson’s next film will be a drama that brings to life a handful of stories from a magazine created by an American living in a fictional city in France. The film’s press release calls it a “love letter to journalists,” and it brings together several regular collaborators in a massive, star-studded cast.

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Escape Room 2 (2022)
Directed by: Adam Robitel
Starring: TBD
Opening on: TBD (formerly December 30, 2020)

We don’t know who will star in the film yet, or how the story will play out, but this year’s Escape Room was a surprise hit, so we’re curious to see where they will go next with the high-concept premise.

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Wicked (2021)
Directed by: Stephen Daldry
Starring: TBD
Opening on: TBD (formerly December 22, 2021)

It feels like fans of the musical have been waiting forever for a screen adaption of Wicked, and in 2021, they’ll finally get their wish. No cast details have been announced yet, but with a legacy like Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth to live up to, the lucky ladies who get the gig will have enormous shoes to fill. Here’s to Lea Michele!

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Blazing Samurai (2018)
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 will finally see the light of day in 2021. Inspired by Mel Brooks‘ classic western Blazing Saddles, the cast includes Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson and Ricky Gervais.

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The Power of the Dog
Directed by: Jane Campion
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Paul Dano
Opening on: 2021

In her follow up to Top of the Lake: China Girl, Jane Campion will reunite with Elisabeth Moss for Netflix’s The Power of The Dog, based on the 1967 novel of the same name. Also starring Benedict Cumberbatch, the film centers on two brothers on a ranch whose relationship shifts when one falls in love with a local widow.

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Pinocchio (2021)
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
Starring: TBD
Opening on: 2021

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.

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Jan-Mar | Apr-June | July-Sep | Oct-Dec

The Best Movies of 2019 | The Most Anticipated Movies of 2020

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Thumbnail image by Jaap Buitendijk/©Focus Features.

12.

Raya and the Last Dragon
(2021)

PG
|
107 min
|

Animation, Action, Adventure

In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.

Directors:
Don Hall,
Carlos López Estrada,
Paul Briggs,
John Ripa
|
Stars:
Kelly Marie Tran,
Awkwafina,
Gemma Chan,
Izaac Wang

Votes:
52,674