There’s plenty of quality cinema lined up for 2020 - here are the movie releases we’re most excited for. Whether you’re Kevin Feige or Martin Scorsese, it’s impossible to deny that superhero movies once again dominated 2019, with Avengers: Endgame overtaking Avatar to become the highest grossing movie of all time, Spider-Man doing an Abe Simpson with the MCU and Joker redefining what a comic book movie was capable of by turning a low-budget indie-flavored character piece into a box office juggernaut.
However, things are set to be very different in 2020. Easing into Phase 4, the MCU has a more muted presence over the next 12 months, leaving DC room to catch up. There’s also no Star Wars films planned for the next couple of years, and both franchises will be making a move to Disney+ for the foreseeable future. Naturally, there are plenty of major franchises still up and running in 2020, as well as the customary deluge of reboots, remakes, reinventions and rescraping the bottom of the barrel. With that said, there are plenty of unique, original offerings on the way, and some genuinely exciting follow-ups to boot.
Though narrowing down the treasures 2020 has to offer is no easy task, ready your calendars and apologize to your bank account because here are our top 20 most highly anticipated movies for 2020.
20. New Mutants (April 3rd)
Assuming New Mutants does actually see the light of the day, the long awaited epilogue to Fox’s X-Men franchise has the potential to offer something new to the superhero format, with a talented young cast that includes Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton. Delayed on multiple occasions and almost scrapped altogether after Disney’s purchase of Fox, it’s been a rough ride for these mutants, but the once-unlikely theatrical release is almost here. Some might buy a ticket out of little more than morbid curiosity, but there’s no small sense of intrigue around New Mutants.
19. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (July 10th)
It’s Ghostbusters with Paul Rudd! Although some involved in 2016’s Ghostbusters reboot have taken offense to the change of direction, a sequel that brought back the likes of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver was inevitable at some point and the addition of younger talents such as Finn Wolfhard makes Ghostbusters: Afterlife a difficult proposition to turn down, whatever your opinion on the reboot. Tying directly to the classic movies, expect a 1980s nostalgia trip.
18. Halloween Kills (October 16th)
2018’s Halloween was hailed as a return to form for the iconic horror franchise and that success was reflected in an impressive haul at the box office, prompting the announcement of two further installments for 2020 and 2021. Halloween Kills looks to continue Jamie Lee Curtis’ battle against the ever-returning Michael Myers after his survival was teased at the end of the previous installment but, reassuringly, Halloween Kills’ writer Danny Glover envisioned a sequel in his original pitch, proving this is no mere afterthought.
17. Black Widow (May 1st)
The MCU’s first offering of Phase 4 isn’t courting as much attention as the franchise usually commands, but whether that’s due to post-Thanos fatigue or the fact a Black Widow movie should’ve happened 3 or 4 years ago remains to be seen. The Black Widow trailer promises an action-packed spy thriller that delves into Natasha’s past, but will fans still come out in their usual droves knowing how the heroine’s story ends?
16. Bill & Ted Face The Music (July 1st)
For a crazy few months in 2019, the world suddenly began recognizing Keanu Reeves as the second coming of the messiah, and that cultural meme may well be resurrected if the long-awaited Bill & Ted Face The Music hits the mark. A third excellent adventure has been in the pipeline for almost 30 years, with rewrites and schedules proving problematic, but shooting finally began in 2019 and the Wyld Stallyns are officially riding out once again.
15. Promising Young Woman (April 17th)
An impressive cast headed up by Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham and Alison Brie has helped build considerable buzz around Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut. Centered around Mulligan’s Cassie, Promising Young Woman is a revenge tale in which a former student doctor spends her nights preying on men who would otherwise take advantage of vulnerable drunk women. A trailer released earlier this month promises stunning cinematography, another top performance from Mulligan and a deliciously twisted script.
14. Antebellum (April 24th)
Proudly billed as “from the producer of Get Out and Us,” it’s only natural to expect another unique modern horror thriller, though Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz are propping up the director’s chair(s) instead of Jordan Peele. Starring Janelle Monáe as an author who finds herself in a different world, Antebellum is set to be a reality-warping affair that melds creepy visuals and unsettling imagery with a bleak social commentary. A potential surprise package of 2020.
13. Eternals (November 6th)
Generating somewhat more intrigue than Black Widow is Marvel’s upcoming Eternals movie. The general mainstream audience (and even some comic readers) might not be too familiar with the title characters, but that didn’t stop the Guardians of the Galaxy from becoming household names, and Marvel will be hoping for a similar-sized hit in 2020. With a cast featuring Angelina Jolie and Richard Madden, Eternals has the potential to turn the MCU on its head and kick Phase 4 off proper.
12. Godzilla vs. Kong (November 20th)
When one giant, iconic movie monster isn’t enough, it’s only logical to draft in a second. Neither 2017’s Kong: Skull Island nor 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters set the world alight, but a crossover might be just the ticket to kick the Monsterverse movie franchise into gear after middling success thus far. Despite starring big names like Alexander Skarsgård and Millie Bobby Brown, the true stars will be the titular kaiju and his primate nemesis as they do battle in the biggest cinematic one-on-one since Batman V. Superman.
11. Mulan (March 27th)
Disney are currently working their way through a considerable back catalog of animated classics and reworking them into live-action. The recent success of both Aladdin and The Lion King suggests that formula is very much working, and there are plenty more remakes on the way, with Mulan the first of the bunch. After years of whitewashing, Disney have been praised for assembling a predominantly Asian cast and Mulan perhaps lends itself better to the live-action treatment than the animal-heavy The Lion King.
10. Venom 2 (October 2nd)
With Tom Holland’s new Spider-Man deal, the prospect of a Venom sequel suddenly became far more interesting, as the potential for a crossover between Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and Holland’s Peter Parker suddenly became more than just an entry on a movie geek’s wish list. With Andy Serkis directing and Sony’s first Venom effort finding itself a solid audience, there’s plenty of scope for improvement with 2020’s follow-up.
9. No Time To Die (April 8th)
Daniel Craig’s final movie as James Bond is set to be a suitably monumental affair. Aside from Rami Malek’s intriguing villain and the promise of Madeleine Swann holding a dangerous secret, No Time To Die will feature the return of Blofeld and a potential new 007 in the form of Lashana Lynch’s Nomi. After the mammoth success of Skyfall, 2015’s Spectre was seen as somewhat of a step back, trying to bring together plot threads from across Craig’s tenure. That interconnected narrative is set to continue, but a firm end in sight could allow Bond to go out with a bang.
8. A Quiet Place: Part II (March 20th)
The original A Quiet Place was a massive hit for Paramount in 2018, proving that low-budget horror was a worthwhile investment both in terms of widespread acclaim and considerable profits. Written and directed by the first film’s John Krasinski, the sequel brings back Emily Blunt, who must now protect her children in the outside world with more threats than just the blind extra-terrestrials of Part I awaiting her. Once again utilizing American Sign Language, it’ll be interesting to see how A Quiet Place: Part II builds upon the unique setup and mythology of its predecessor.
7. In The Heights (June 26th)
Adding a little Broadway flavor to 2020 is In The Heights from Jon M. Chu. The adaptation has gone through a host of directors, but finally started filming in June last year. After the failure of Cats, the musical-to-movie formula might be seen as somewhat of a risk, especially with competition from Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, set to release towards the end of the year. Nevertheless, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ screenplay should add an authentic sheen to the production.
6. Last Night In Soho (September 25th)
Psychological horror from Edgar Wright is enough to get any movie fan excited, but with Matt Smith leading a selection of young talent alongside British legends Diana Rigg and Terence Stamp, Last Night In Soho has the potential to be one of the director’s best. Part neon-lit London thriller and part 1960s horror homage, precious little is known about the film’s plot and concept at the present time, but the select few images that have been released look typically creepy.
5. Birds Of Prey (February 7th)
After the massive success of Joker, DC are changing direction entirely with Birds of Prey and its ridiculously long subtitle. Currently unable to decide whether or not it’s a Harley Quinn solo movie, it’s testament to both Quinn as a character and Margot Robbie’s memorable Suicide Squad performance that there remains such buzz around her second outing after the first was a critical disaster. With Huntress, Black Canary and Ewan McGregor as Black Mask, Birds of Prey looks like an offbeat take on the comic book genre, and could be a love-it-or-hate-it affair.
4. Soul (June 19th)
Pixar have two completely original releases lined up for 2020 with Onward and Soul, but it’s the latter generating the most buzz. Starring Jamie Foxx as an aspiring jazz musician whose soul leaves his body, Soul feels like a potential mixture of Coco and Inside Out which, as ingredients go, is a promising enough starting point. Pixar rarely deliver a dud and with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross helping drive this music-powered movie with their award-winning compositions, Soul is likely to be one of Disney’s big-hitters in 2020.
3. Wonder Woman 1984 (June 5th)
2. Dune (December 18th)
After over a decade in production, the Dune movie is finally happening, directed by Denis Villeneuve. Based on the legendary Frank Herbert novel, Dune’s Game of Thrones in space vibe is undoubtedly an ambitious live-action undertaking, but fans of both the book and the 1984 David Lynch film are looking forward to seeing what Villeneuve can do with the material after his success with Blade Runner 2049. A sequel is already in the pipeline should Dune perform at the box office and the stacked cast of Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and more should ensure exactly that.
1. Tenet (July 17th)
There’s very little that can be said about Tenet that hasn’t already been said, largely because no one can precisely figure out what on Earth’s going on. Even the trailer can only hint at a time-bending espionage tale dripping in mystery, with John David Washington and Robert Pattinson in the lead roles. What everyone can agree on is that Christopher Nolan’s latest looks absolutely stunning and has the potential to become a modern classic with its reversal gimmick. If Tenet isn’t cropping up on “best of” lists come December, something would’ve gone terribly wrong.
More: 2020 Is A Slower Movie Year
