Unbelievably, cinema survived 2023. Some big studios (particularly the two celebrating their 100th birthdays, Disney and Warner Bros.) may be sounding alarms for their financial future but the rollout of box office bomb after bomb in 2023 was slightly neutralised by the success of a doll, a nuclear physicist, and an animated Italian voiced by Chris Pratt. On the other side of things it was a heck of a year for director-driven filmmaking, with only a few household names missing from the year’s slate (Tarantino chiefly, whilst Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two was sadly delayed to March). What this means is that 2024 looks quite barren. Cinema exhibitors in particular will be sweating monthly as even franchises and sequels look vulnerable in an ever-changing market. So what does 2024 have to offer? Here are my most anticipated films for a year that could make or break the theatrical experience (make new stuff, then make people want to see new stuff – please!).
10. Dune: Part Two – March 1st
‘Why so low?’ I hear you cry. Dune 2 was cruelly denied from us in November 2023, pushed back so that the actors could promote it after the strike finished. Excitement continues to multiply as we get closer to the next chapter of Paul Atreide’s galactic conquest. But seeing as how this was also in my most anticipated for last year’s list means this is simply a repeat. Besides, we all know it is going to be an experience (it is secretly #1).
9. Nosferatu – December 25th
Robert Eggers’ films leave me cold. The VVitch, The Lighthouse and The Northman have the authenticity and period accuracy that historians and cultists dream to see in American films. They are also insane artistic endeavours that pull you into unforgiving worlds and ramp up the bleakness to uncomfortable levels. Still, when news of a remake of the 1922 German film Nosferatu is announced, ears twitch. When the cast is announced to include Bill Skarsgård as the vampire, eyes turn. When Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and the reliable Ralph Ineson are also added, well then by that point I’ve already booked my ticket.
8. Mickey 17 – Release date TBC
Bong Joon-ho was last seen clutching four Oscars as he rode into the pandemic celebrating Parasite’s groundbreaking awards season. Having shattered the glass containers keeping subtitled films only in arty cinemas, it seems like a slight shame that Bong’s next film is in English. However, it is also a science-fiction film with Robert Pattinson as the lead, so I’m instantly in. With a white hot director and a just all round hot star, Mickey 17 could be the intellectually stimulating sci-fi we need.
7. Kung fu Panda 4 – March 8th
DreamWorks best trilogy (yep) now becomes a quadrilogy. Jack Black is back as Po the Dragon Warrior, now the undisputed martial arts expert of the valley. Whilst Master Shifu returns, the Furious Five sadly are not. This is just about made up for in that the trilogy’s villains are all returning: Lord Shen (Gary Oldman’s peacock), Kai (J.K Simmons’ water buffalo) and the mighty, majestic, mega-awesome Tai Lun (Ian McShane – “our battle will be legendary!”). How, you might be asking. Well this time Po is facing off a chameleon (Viola Davis) who can take the form of these former enemies. Skadoosh.
6. Civil War – April 26th
A24 has become a reliable studio for odd films. Their low-budget approach has been met with a constant stream of critical acclaim to the point that they are now entering the mid-budget arena, a part of Hollywood that seems to have been forgotten. Civil War is a dystopian sci-fi film about the world left behind after a second US Civil War. Costing a solid $50 million and directed by master of dread Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation), this is an exciting business move from a studio ready to kick the doors off 2024. And releasing a film about a civil war during election year is sure not to offend anyone. Jesse Plemons looks unnerving.
5. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – May 10th
As many franchises have started to feel stale and repetitive, it speaks to the quiet strength of the Planet of the Apes films that this next installment is not met with the same apathy that shadows any Disney film series. Taking place 300 years after the masterful War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom introduces new characters, new stories and a new world. WETA Digitals simian visual effects are always a joy to look at and seeing the evolution of the ape societies is immensely engaging. The concern? It is directed by Wes Ball, the man who made The Maze Runner films.
4. The Bikeriders – June 21
Despite its June release date, you can read reviews for The Bikeriders now. Having down the rounds for critics in the autumn, the film was then shelved due to the strikes and had to change distributors. Now we can relax as it is comfortably settled into a summer spot. Jeff Nichols impressed with Mud and his teaming up with Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy is certainly an intriguing prospect given how well he worked with Matthew McConaughey on that 2012 film. Austin Butler on a motorbike is radiating the rebelliousness of James Dean and Marlon Brando.
3. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 June 28th, Chapter 2 August 16th
Now here is a fascinating concept. Kevin Costner has long been associated with Westerns: he starred in and directed two classics (Dances With Wolves and Open Range) and one lesser work (Wyatt Earp). Having harvested a fair bit of cash from Yellowstone, Costner is now undertaking an ambitious challenge in releasing a Part I AND a Part II within what must be a record-breaking two months of each other. This could be a benefit in that people know they really won’t have to wait long or it could be a drawback – will people see the first part in time? Either way, this epic Western has a strong cast to match its sweep and courageous enterprise. Most curious of all will be what it has to say that is new about the frontier and westward expansion from a white perspective. Still, the audacity of this two-parter is admirable. And maybe stupid.
2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – May 24th
George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road has remained a top four film for me since I saw it in cinemas May 2015. It is an unstoppable action film of infernal collisions, vehicles that look like they were dressed up with leftover parts from a garage boot sale, endlessly quotable dialogue (“he was scanning the horizon!”) and, most strangely, a feminist theme that was masterfully executed. Miller’s return to Australia’s hellscape future promises Anya Taylor-Joy as a young Furiosa / Charlize Theron and an unrecognisable bogan performance from Chris Hemsworth. George Miller already embarassed Hollywood once, I pray he can do it again. Expect it to sadly bomb at the box office though.
- Gladiator 2 – November 22nd
File this under ‘we don’t need this’ but also file it under ‘Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal are making an Ancient Rome movie together?!’ 2000’s Gladiator is a stone-cold, stone-old classic. Ridley Scott’s spectacular vision of Rome was married to one of the great revenge stories in a historical epic that easily goes toe-to-toe with anything similar from the 1950s and 1960s. Russell Crowe may be gone, but Paul Mescal gets his blockbuster opportunity as an older Lucias. Will he be gladiator-ing? Ridley Scott, aged 87, shows no sign of slowing down with his gutsy, gory history lessons that do more to entertain than to educate. After all, are we not entertained? Get ready to spend the summer running your hands through fields of wheat and thinking about the Roman Empire even more than usual.
Box Office Predictions 2024
Last year I made the embarrassing mistake of predicting that neither Barbie or Oppenheimer would make the top 10 box office hits of the year. How joyous I was to be wrong about something. What that showed was how much the market can change; franchises are not reliable anymore. As such, my predictions for the top 15 of the year are going to look similarly disastrous as there are few guaranteed hits. OW = Opening Weekend, US. DOM = Domestic / US total. WW = Worldwide total.
15. Wicked
Predictions: $65 million OW, $190 million DOM, $300 million WW
14. The Fall Guy
Predictions: $46 million OW, $155 million DOM, $330 million WW
13. Twisters
Predictions: $52 million OW, $150 million DOM, $380 million WW
12. Mufasa: The Lion King
Predictions: $45 million OW, $180 million DOM, $400 million WW
11. Venom 3
Predictions: $63 million OW, $178 million DOM, $450 million WW
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Predictions: $82 million OW, $220 million DOM, $540 million WW
9. Deadpool 3
Predictions: $80 million OW, $190 million DOM, $600 million WW
8. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Predictions: $68 million OW, $165 million DOM, $650 million WW
7. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Predictions: $70 million OW, $200 million DOM, $660 million WW
6. Dune: Part Two
Predictions: $65 million OW, $22O million DOM, $680 million WW
5. Gladiator 2
Predictions: $60 million OW, $240 million DOM, $700 million WW
4. Joker: Folie a Deux
Predictions: $80 million OW, $270 million DOM, $705 million WW
3. Kung fu Panda 4
Predictions: $84 million OW, $260 million DOM, $710 million WW
2. Despicable Me 4
Predictions: $95 million OW, $310 million DOM, $935 million WW
1. Inside Out 2
Predictions: $105 million OW, $350 million DOM, $950 million WW
For A Few Thoughts More 