I'll try to include some indie movies as well since those usually end up being some of my favorites of the year. The problem is that it's harder to find official release info on the ones coming out later in the year or that are floating around the festivals. Usually those movies I find out about closer to release or after hearing the buzz from early screening and go watch them if they end up coming out around here.
I included links to the movies that have trailers, so click on the movie titles to go check them out if you want. Only the movies that have posters have trailers here.
January
10th - 1917
By the time I post this, I should already have a review up for this movie. All I can say is that this movie looks beautifully shot and I can't wait to stare at it in awe for two hours. The story takes place in WWI of course, where a young soldier is asked to reach a squad of men and warn them of an attack before they are massacred by the enemy. It looks like a gripping and tense movie with lots of great emotional moments. Hopefully, it lives up to the hype.
*This is technically a movie from 2019, but it opens wide in 2020.
*This is technically a movie from 2019, but it opens wide in 2020.
17th - Dolittle
Rober Downey Jr. returns to the big screen in a brand new role... well not entirely brand new. This is the second reboot of the Dolittle character following the Eddie Murphy reboot of the original movie from the 60s. So I guess they find this character profitable enough to bring back every few decades. I'll say this movie actually looks pretty bad and I'm disappointed to see Robert Downey's next project is a CGI filled kids movie. From a marketing standpoint, it makes sense, since kids/families know who he is from the Marvel movies and will likely go see this because of that. I might check this out if it gets good buzz, but for now, I think I'm going to avoid this.
17th - Bad Boys for Life
I don't know about this one. It's always interesting to see sequels coming out way after the last movie was even relevant. It's been over a decade since the last Bad Boys movie and I didn't really care if we ever saw one again. They are OK movies, with typical Michael Bay action and lame dialog that tries really hard to be funny. Bad Boys were some of Michael Bay's better movies though and Will Smith returning with Martin could make for a fun reunion. It looks like the boys are back for one last job as they team up with newer and younger members to find out who's trying to kill Will Smith's character.
24th - The Gentleman
The aesthetic here reminds me a lot of the Kingsman movies, but I don't think this is going to be like that. Guy Ritchie has always been hit or miss with me as a director. I can't say I've really hated any of his movies that I've seen, but I also can't say I've loved any of them either. The cast in this movie is very strong and it looks like it has the potential to be a really silly and fun crime movie with some over the top performances. This is one I'll probably be checking out when it's released.
31st - The Assistant
A movie that looks to be based loosely on the Harvey Weinstein case follows Julia Garner as she plays a new assistant at a New York office. As she spends more time working there she slowly starts to learn of the bad culture and activities that some of the workers take part in and how far up it goes. It looks like a slow-building thriller that's probably going to get pretty dark at times, but it's an important and interesting story to tell. Not sure if this will come out around here, but I'd like to go see it if it does.
February
7th - Birds of Prey
I really didn't like Suicide Squad, so hearing about this movie's release didn't excite me much. After seeing a little more from the trailer and seeing the great cast they got I think I got a bit of excitement in me. I'm going in skeptical because I really hated the last one, but I think this has a chance to take the few good parts of Suicide Squad and expand on those ideas. Harley Quinn is an interesting enough character and I hope the rest of the cast can bring something good to play off of her insane personality.
14th - Sonic The Hedgehog
There's a lot of movies coming out this day, but this seems like the most obvious choice to me. After being delayed a few months to completely change the design of the main character (thankfully), they re-released the trailer with the new visuals and it honestly looks a lot better. It's great that they actually listened to fans and all, but that doesn't necessarily mean that this movie is going to be good now. I think it's at least worth a watch to see how they handled everything.
21st - Call of the Wild
Harrison Ford and a CGI dog set out on an adventure to find the passion Ford once had for filmmaking. I'm not really sure what to think about this movie. On one hand, I'm excited to see Harrison Ford leading a new movie in 2020. On the other hand, I'm not sure this looks like the kind of movie I would've liked to have seen him in. At least it looks a lot better than Dolittle, and I'm sure they'll be plenty of emotionally manipulative moments where the dog will be put in danger... at least it's not a real dog I guess.
March
6th - Onward
Disney's first big movie of the year, not including their Fox projects, is Pixar's Onward. In this movie, Chris Pratt and Tom Holland voice two elf bros that go on a journey in a fantasy world mixed with modern-day elements to find their father. It sort of has a 70s/80s fantasy feel to it all judging from the trailer. As much as I love fantasy, this movie doesn't look so great judging solely off the trailers. It's Pixar though, so there's always a chance that I could be pleasantly surprised and really love this movie. To be honest, this seems more like something Disney's main animation studio would make and not so much Pixar. The humor and story just feel more like a Frozen or Wreck-it-Ralph style movie, but those movies are good so I guess I'm not too worried.
The Way Back
Also opening this week is a new Ben Affleck movie where he's a struggling alcoholic trying to get over a loss in his life. He's offered a position as a basketball coach at his old school where he possibly finds motivation and a new passion in life to change things. It's made by the same person who directed Warrior and The Accountant, two movies that I really enjoyed so I want to give this one a watch for sure.
20th - A Quiet Place Part II
Two years ago, the first movie was a big surprise hit so it was a no brainer to make a sequel. It was a great concept for a movie that was executed very well with many memorable moments of suspense and awe. The movie also had some of the best sound design in a movie that year. It will be interesting to see how they can top the first one and also expand on the world and characters introduced in the first film.
27th - Mulan
The first and possibly only Disney live-action remake of the year? Compared to last year's FIVE remakes (including Lady and the Tramp from Disney+) seems like Disney has opted to spread them out a little more. That's a very good thing because they are already blowing through a lot of their bigger classics with these remakes and at the pace they were going they would have been done in two-three years. I think it's better to just release one (with maybe another on the app) a year and focus all their attention on the single remake. So far these remakes have been more miss than hit in my opinion, with Lion King being the worst one so far. I think out of all of them, this one is the one I'm most optimistic about. The trailer looks stunning and beautiful and looks to change things up enough to make the movie interesting and different from the original animated one. Hopefully, this is more like Aladdin and Jungle Book and less like Beauty and the Beast and Dumbo (in terms of remake quality).
April
3rd - The New Mutants
A movie that's been delayed to the point that no one thought this would actually be released. It got stuck with last year's Dark Phoenix in the Fox and Disney merger as movies that had to be reshot and reworked a lot after it's initial shooting was all wrapped. Usually, when movies undergo situations like that it's never a good sign for its final quality. There have been exceptions, and I truly hope this is one of them, but if Dark Phoenix is any sort of sign then it's not looking good for this one. Things this one has going for it are a great cast and an interesting genre mix of horror and comic-book movies. There's no telling if this movie was supposed to eventually connect to the other X-Men movies, but since that series is basically dead now that question feels pointless.
10th - No Time to Die
This might just be my most anticipated big-budget movie of the year right now. Officially declared the last movie starring Daniel Craig as Bond, it looks to be a great sendoff for his and an introduction to new characters that could stick around in future movies. It looks it has all the great things you'd expect from a Bond movie with all the action, romance, gadgets and a weird gimmicky villain. If it follows the recent pattern of Bond movie, where they alternate from being good to bad, then this one should be good. Also, Rami Malek.
24th - Antebellum
I have no clue what this is actually about, but it's being promoted as a sort-of follow up to Get Out and Us, which were two really enjoyable movies. The thing is, Jordan Peele doesn't seem to have anything to do with this movie, so it kind of feels like they are trying to trick people into thinking this is by him. Either way, the trailer looks interesting enough... I think.
May
1st - Black Widow
It feels a little late for this, but Black Widow finally gets her own movie. This, of course, being the first Marvel movie of the year out of two (MCU related). This movie takes place between the Civil War and Infinity War movies, where Natasha returns to her home to take care of some loose ends I guess. There we are introduced to some new characters that she teams up with to take on some baddies. Not sure if this is going to tie into future MCU movies, but I'm sure they'll find a way to bring some of these new characters into future movies.
15th - Scoob!
I think it's safe to say that the Scooby-Doo franchise is never gonna go away. That being said, this one doesn't look too bad actually. The animation looks pretty good and the humor looks like it could actually be pretty good and clever like The Lego Movie was. Not the kind of movie I'd go rush out and see, but if I hear good things I might give it a shot. The movie looks to tell the story of how The Mystery Gang meets, more specifically the friendship between Scooby and Shaggy.
22nd - Fast and Furious 9
Speaking of franchises that never die, here's Vin Diesel the series. Out of all the franchises that are still going, this one seems to be the one that just keeps losing steam after every new movie. I'm not really sure where else they could go with this, and I don't think the writers do either, which makes me even less excited to go watch this one. But hey, they added John Cena as a villain so there's that? I'd bet a lot of money he turns good and joins the Vin Diesel FAMILY by the end of this one. But hey, sometimes a little mindless fun is good.
29th - Artemis Fowl
Based on a book that was popular when I was in middle school is the new Disney movie Artemis Fowl. It certainly seems like it's a little late for a movie based on this book, but maybe the books have remained popular over time. I can't say I'm very excited, especially since the last time Disney tried to adapt a popular book it was one of the worst movies of that year (Wrinkle in Time). Looking at the trailer, this might be a good movie for much younger audiences, because I don't really have much interest in it. The world looks interesting enough, but maybe a little too similar to other YA stories recently adapted like Hunger Games and Percy Jackson.
June
5th - Wonder Woman 1984
The DC movie-verse has been on the upswing this last year and a half, and it looks to continue rising with the new Wonder Woman movie. This movie is about... something in the 80s. It does look like it's going to introduce two major characters/villains in The Cheetah and Max Lord, what their role is going to be is TBD. One of the more interesting aspects of the film though is the return of Chris Pine, who apparently didn't die in the last movie? It will be interesting to see him and Diana change roles, as this time he is the one who is out of place in this time period.
19th - Soul
Now THIS looks like a Pixar film. Right away the animation looks mind-blowingly good and highly detailed, but still stylized. Not much is known about the story yet, but it looks like it's going to be possibly about death (go figure) and human passion. The story focuses on a Jazz musician who apparently dies or goes into a coma of some sort and becomes a floating soul. There he meets other souls that will help him find his passion again and probably learn about what it means to be alive and follow your dream (kind of guessing here). Tears are inevitable and so is that warm feeling in your heart.
26th - Top Gun Maverick
I don't really have much of a connection to the original movie, so I'm not as excited as others seem to be for this one. Tom Cruise and some of the other originals are back along with some new faces in this movie about pilots. Actually, the visuals do look really interesting and some of the shots of the flying sequences look great, along with Tom Cruise putting his life on the line to get some great shots. This could end up being a great movie.
July
3rd - Free Guy
Ryan Renolds returns with a brand new action-comedy movie where it looks like he's a character in a video game. Judging from the trailer it looks like maybe he's an NPC in a video game that decides he wants to be the hero instead of being a nothing character in a world of crazy violence and action. The idea is an interesting one, though movies that revolve around video game concepts don't have the best track record. The trailer looks interesting enough, definitely worth checking out in the summertime. At the moment I'd say this movie will probably be a good time, but not something I'll love. There's always a chance for a nice surprise though.
There's also a Minions sequel that's supposed to drop this week, but it doesn't have much info yet. It's supposed to take place before the first Despicable Me where the minions meet Gru. Please stop making these movies.
10th - Ghostbusters: Afterlife
The last Ghostbusters movie was a huge mess, though I still think it made a decent amount of money. The problem was the budget was so high that it still ended up as an overall loss of money. So that means Sony has to try something different and instead, make the thing that fans of the franchise wanted to begin with (sort of), a sequel to the originals. This isn't exactly what fans probably had in mind for a sequel since it doesn't revolve around the original cast. Instead, it takes place in the same timeline and follows new characters that are much younger and Paul Rudd. This could be good, the cast looks good and the idea is interesting, but the tone looks much different than the originals so far. Pretty excited to see how it turns out.
17th - Tenet
Movie lovers rejoice for a new Nolan movie is coming this year! Nolan returns with a new mind-bending action movie that plays with the rules of time, kind of like a new Inception-style landscape. I have more questions than answers after the first trailer, but all I can say is that I'm expecting something pretty crazy and memorable, as you would from Nolan at this point.
There's also a Bob's Burgers movie set to release this week, but I couldn't find anything other than the release date. It's possible that it could be a prequel to the show of sorts, but there's no info on anything I could find. The only confirmed detail is that it's gonna be a musical, which totally makes sense for the show honestly.
24th - Jungle Cruise
Disney has had a bit of a bad track record with these Disney rides becoming movies thing they do every so often. The Pirates franchise was a huge success for them in the 2000s and of course, it makes sense to try to replicate that in new franchises. Haunted Mansion and Tomorrowland (not technically a ride, but area) were two misses that didn't come close to hitting the success of Pirates. Jungle Cruise is an idea that's been in the works for a movie for years now, and I believe The Rock was very interested in this for a long time. Now it's finally coming out and it looks... alright? The cast is a good one and of course, the special effects are going to be top-notch because it's Disney. Still, this could be another big flop and possibly the last time Disney tries to do this kind of thing, at least in theaters.
The second half of the year
At this point, most of the movies announced have little to no information outside of possible release dates. So I'll just jump around and pick the ones that have some buzz or look interesting.
Aug 21st - Bill and Ted Face the Music
The last Bill and Ted movie came out in 1991, so it's going to be close to thirty years later that this sequel takes place. Bill and Ted are dads now and they still suck at making music I assume, but they will most likely go on a time-travel adventure. That's all I know. Keanu Reeves is coming off his biggest year in 2019 after becoming everyone's favorite human, so that should bring a lot of attention to this.
Sep 18th - The King's Man
One of the few second-half of the year movies that actually has a trailer already. If a franchise becomes popular, there usually comes a prequel not too far from the originals. This one travels back to World War I to see the creating of the Kingsmen that we know from the first two movies. A brand new cast with lots of great actors replace the characters from the first movies, but it still looks like a crazy action-packed movie with strange villains and over-the-top fights.
Sep 25th - Last Night in Soho
Edgar Wright finally returns with a new horror movie Last Night in Soho. Not much else is known except some of it's cast like Ana-Taylor Joy, Matt Smith and Thomasin Mckenzie. It's also interesting to know that this will be a time-travel movie set in 1960s London. Edgar Wright is one of my favorite film-makers so I'm very excited to see this one.
Oct 2nd - Venooooooom 2
Less Eminem this time, please. The follow-up to the successful Venom brings back the cast from the original with some new faces thrown in. Most likely, it will take place soon after the first and introduce Woody Harrelson's character teased last time. Most likely, it will be a Venom takes on Carnage story without Spider-Man, but who knows, maybe he'll make an appearance?
Oct 16th - Halloween Kills
The second in the final trilogy for the Halloween series (until they reboot it). The first one in 2018 was a big hit and I doubt this one will be any different. Though I guess knowing there's one more coming after this one maybe takes some of the suspense away, but I'm sure that won't affect the story much.
Nov 6th - The Eternals
The other big MCU movie of the year. An all-star cast will play the immortal heroes including Salma Hayek, Jolie, Kit Harrington and Richard Madden (GoT alumni) and a few others. I'm not too familiar with the comics so I'm not sure what this is going to be or how it's going to be connected to the rest of the MCU. It's still exciting to see a lot of great actors join the MCU, though at this point most of Hollywood will be part of some comic book universe franchise.
Nov 20th - Godzilla VS Kong
The fourth movie in the Gozilla and Kong franchise is the one where both will clash head to head and destroy an entire city no doubt. The franchise hasn't been the best in terms of quality, most of the movies have been fine, but nothing I really found myself connecting to. I can't say I'm super excited to see two giant CGI monsters I don't care too much about fight each other, but it could still be pretty great as a spectacle. As long as they focus more on the monsters and not try to give us a bunch of human drama with weak characters.
Thanksgiving - Raya and the Last Dragon
Disney continues its trend of releasing it's animated movies on Thanksgiving with the new movie Raya and the Last Dragon. The movie is about a warrior voiced by Cassie Steele who goes on a journey to search for the last living dragon, who is voiced by Awkwafina. The setting is inspired by Southeast Asian landscapes from places like Thailand and Indonesia.
December
A couple of movies are slated for December release, but still not 100%. We got another take on the Sci-fi classic "Dune" that could be coming out this month, but at this point who knows. There's also Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story that could hit in December, so that's a pretty big name there. Eddie Murphy's sequel to Coming to America is also slated for this month, but again, who knows if it's official. A couple of animated family movies are coming out around Christmas too, this time it's a sequel to Dreamwork's The Croods (because we've been wanting one of those?) and a Tom and Jerry movie.
That's basically most of the big movies that are announced for 2020. There's definitely going to be a lot more (like Sony/Marvel's Morbius that I forgot to put on the list) and there are always tons of good indie movies that come in from the Festivals and smaller studios. Let's also not forget the 30+ streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon that are going to release their own movies exclusively on their platforms.
Much like the past few years, there's gonna be a lot of comic book movies, sequels, and remakes that dominate the box-office this year, so don't forget to go check out some original films and support indie filmmakers so that we can keep getting more original ideas on the big-screen/streaming.
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