The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The 2024 movie calendar combined delayed studio releases, major sequels, original genre films, awards contenders, streaming premieres, and several ambitious directorial debuts. The 50 titles below represent some of the films most anticipated or most likely to drive conversation around the 2024 release year—not an objective ranking and not a claim that every film became a commercial or critical success.
Because 2024 is now in the past, this is best read as a retrospective watchlist. Release dates are U.S. dates where provided, and theatrical, limited, festival, and streaming-first launches are distinguished rather than treated as interchangeable.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
![DreamWorks 10-Movie Adventure Collection [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fTUaDeW2L._SL160_.jpg)
|
DreamWorks 10-Movie Adventure Collection [DVD] | $22.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![Illumination Presents: 10-Movie Collection [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51t0uvyk+nL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Illumination Presents: 10-Movie Collection [DVD] | $39.96 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Tom Cruise 10-Movie Collection | $15.32 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection | $29.50 | Buy on Amazon |
How this list was selected
Most anticipated is an editorial category, not a measurable award. The selection reflects the factors that shaped contemporary anticipation: recognizable franchises, major stars, prominent directors, festival and awards attention, family appeal, genre interest, and the likelihood that a broad U.S. audience would encounter the film. The contemporary Rotten Tomatoes 2024 preview emphasized superhero films, musical adaptations, animation, horror, the return of George Miller’s Mad Max world, and large-scale science-fiction and fantasy. Time’s fall preview added festival and awards-season titles to the conversation.
The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes also affected the shape of the calendar. Productions and promotional schedules moved, creating a crowded release year and shifting the timing of several films that had originally been expected elsewhere. That context matters: a film could be highly anticipated because it was a long-awaited sequel, a festival breakout, or one of the few prominent original projects in a franchise-heavy season.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
For date checking, The Numbers’ 2024 release schedule is useful for distinguishing U.S. theatrical openings and distributors, although its database includes many limited releases outside the scope of a general-audience list.
The 50 movies
Early-year releases and first-half event films
-
Mean Girls
Tina Fey’s earlier film was reworked as a musical adaptation rather than remade as a straightforward copy. Its January 12 U.S. opening made it one of the first widely visible releases of the year, while its connection to the original gave it an immediate built-in audience.
-
Argylle
Matthew Vaughn’s original spy-action comedy arrived with the promise of an expansive new property, a playful tone, and a recognizable ensemble. Unlike many 2024 event films, it was not based on an existing screen franchise.
-
Lisa Frankenstein
Written by Diablo Cody, this gothic teen romance used Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as the starting point for a stylized, offbeat variation. Its February 9 release positioned it as an alternative to more conventional studio fare.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
Madame Web
This Sony Marvel-related release drew attention through its comic-book connection and ensemble cast. Its place in Sony’s broader Spider-Man-related film landscape made it a significant early-year franchise title, even though it was not a direct Spider-Man sequel.
-
Bob Marley: One Love
This major music biopic focused on Bob Marley’s life, music, and cultural legacy. Its appeal extended beyond movie audiences to listeners familiar with Marley’s influence and the global reach of reggae.
-
Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve’s continuation of his Dune adaptation was one of 2024’s clearest prestige-blockbuster events. It carried the scale of a science-fiction spectacle while also attracting viewers invested in the characters, political conflicts, and world-building established by the first film.
-
Imaginary
Blumhouse turned a child’s unsettling attachment to a stuffed bear into a horror premise. The film opened March 8 and belonged to the wave of accessible, high-concept genre releases that helped keep horror prominent on the 2024 schedule.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
Kung Fu Panda 4
DreamWorks brought back Jack Black’s Po for another animated martial-arts adventure. The return of a familiar family character made this an important early-year release for parents and younger viewers as well as fans of the previous films.
-
Road House
Doug Liman’s remake of the Patrick Swayze cult action film starred Jake Gyllenhaal. It was notable not only for its recognizable source material but also for its distribution model: it premiered on Prime Video on March 21 rather than following a conventional wide theatrical path.
-
Arthur the King
Based on true events, this endurance-racing drama centered on the bond between a man and a stray dog. It offered a more sentimental counterpoint to the season’s franchise spectacles and action films, with its human-animal relationship at the center.
-
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
This legacy-franchise sequel expanded the Ghostbusters ensemble and continued the newer generation’s story. Its anticipation came from the combination of returning mythology, recognizable supernatural comedy, and the ongoing handoff between the original and newer casts.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsSpecial offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
The MonsterVerse brought its two headline creatures together for another large-format spectacle. The crossover concept itself was the central attraction: audiences could expect a movie built around scale, destruction, and the shared mythology of Godzilla and Kong.
-
Monkey Man
Dev Patel’s directorial debut was an action thriller with an unusual release history. It moved from an initial Netflix plan to theatrical distribution, giving it a chance to reach moviegoers seeking an original action film rather than another established franchise.
-
Civil War
Alex Garland’s politically charged A24 action drama was one of the spring’s most heavily discussed original films. Its premise invited debate about political polarization and social breakdown, while its action framework gave the subject unusually broad commercial visibility.
-
Abigail
This genre hybrid began with a kidnapping setup and developed into vampire horror. Its appeal rested on the contrast between a contained hostage scenario and the escalating supernatural threat, making it a natural choice for viewers looking for horror with a sharply defined hook.
Recommended Free Tools
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
Challengers
Luca Guadagnino’s Zendaya-led tennis drama opened April 26. Its central triangle involved a former prodigy, her husband, and his former best friend, giving the film an adult-oriented theatrical premise built around ambition, desire, competition, and shifting power.
-
The Fall Guy
David Leitch adapted the 1980s television series into an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. The combination of stunt work, romantic-comedy chemistry, and affection for behind-the-scenes filmmaking made it one of the year’s most accessible original-franchise adaptations. It opened May 3.
-
Back to Black
Marisa Abela played Amy Winehouse in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s biopic. The film attracted interest because Winehouse’s music and public image remained culturally prominent, while the biopic format raised the familiar question of how a movie should balance artistic legacy with personal history. It opened May 10.
-
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
This new chapter in the modern Planet of the Apes continuity was set generations after Caesar’s story. It had the difficult task—and the built-in appeal—of extending a respected modern series while moving beyond the previous trilogy’s central era. It opened May 10.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
The Garfield Movie
The lasagna-loving cat returned in a family animated feature with Chris Pratt providing Garfield’s voice. The character’s long recognition across comic strips, television, merchandise, and earlier screen adaptations gave the film broad family awareness. The Associated Press included it among the notable 2024 releases in its contemporary coverage.
-
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
George Miller returned to the Mad Max universe with a prequel focused on Furiosa. Anya Taylor-Joy played the younger Furiosa, while Chris Hemsworth played the warlord Dementus. The film was one of the year’s major action events and opened May 24; its connection to Mad Max: Fury Road made it especially significant for fans of Miller’s world-building and stunt-driven filmmaking.
-
The Strangers: Chapter 1
This new entry point into the home-invasion horror franchise was designed to introduce another group of characters to the series’ masked attackers. Its anticipation came from the durability of the premise: ordinary domestic spaces transformed into places of sustained vulnerability.
-
Inside Out 2
Pixar returned to Riley’s emotional world, expanding the concept beyond the first film’s original group of personified feelings. As a sequel to one of Pixar’s most recognizable original properties, it was one of the year’s most commercially important family releases and a major test of the studio’s ability to extend an emotionally complete first story.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallSpecial offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence returned for another installment of the action-comedy series. The film relied on the established partnership between the two leads, combining buddy-comedy rhythms with the larger action set pieces expected from the franchise.
-
A Quiet Place: Day One
This prequel explored the first stage of the alien invasion that transformed the A Quiet Place world. Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, and Djimon Hounsou led the cast, and the film opened June 28. Its central appeal was the opportunity to see the catastrophe at the moment silence first became a survival strategy.
Summer and early-fall genre, franchise, and streaming releases
-
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Eddie Murphy returned as Detroit detective Axel Foley in this revival of the action-comedy franchise. It was released on Netflix on July 3, making it another prominent example of a recognizable movie property whose primary audience path was streaming rather than a traditional theatrical run.
-
Despicable Me 4
Gru, his family, and the Minions returned in another mainline animated sequel. Its anticipation was rooted in the established family audience for the franchise and the enduring visibility of the Minions as one of modern animation’s most recognizable comic creations.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
MaXXXine
Ti West’s third X-trilogy film followed Mia Goth’s Maxine as she pursued Hollywood success in 1980s Los Angeles. It was a particularly anticipated horror release because it continued a connected story while shifting the setting and cultural atmosphere from the earlier chapters. It opened July 5.
-
Fly Me to the Moon
Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum starred in this romantic comedy set against the 1960s space race. The period setting and the pairing of its two leads positioned it as a lighter, adult-oriented alternative to the season’s superhero, horror, and disaster films. It opened July 12.
-
Longlegs
Osgood Perkins’ occult serial-killer thriller starred Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage. Its combination of investigative horror, an unsettling supernatural premise, and two distinctive performers made it one of the year’s most closely watched original genre releases. It opened July 12.
-
Twisters
This standalone follow-up to the 1996 disaster hit returned to tornado spectacle with a new cast and a new story. Its anticipation came from the enduring appeal of large-scale natural-disaster movies and from the challenge of updating a familiar property without simply repeating the earlier film.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.Rank #3
Tom Cruise 10-Movie Collection- Tom Cruise 10 Movie Collection
- Product Type: Physical Movie
- Brand: Paramount
-
Deadpool & Wolverine
Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool was paired with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in the year’s most conspicuous Marvel crossover. The film combined the popularity of both characters with the significance of bringing Deadpool into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe conversation.
-
Trap
M. Night Shyamalan built this high-concept thriller around a concertgoer caught inside a police operation. The confined event setting created an immediate question—how can someone leave a crowded concert without exposing himself?—and made the film a prominent original summer thriller.
-
Borderlands
This adaptation of the video-game franchise arrived with a recognizable ensemble cast and the challenge of translating the games’ action, humor, and visual identity to film. It represented the continuing Hollywood effort to turn successful games into broad theatrical properties.
-
Alien: Romulus
The latest Alien installment was positioned between earlier films in the franchise chronology. That placement allowed it to draw on established mythology while functioning as a new entry point for viewers interested in claustrophobic science-fiction horror.
Recommended: Update Every Outdated Driver on Your PC in One Scan - Free →Recommended: PC Feels Slow? A Free Scan Shows What's Dragging Windows Down →Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
Blink Twice
Zoë Kravitz made her directorial debut with this psychological thriller. Its late-summer arrival made it one of the more notable original releases in a period dominated by sequels and familiar intellectual property.
-
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Tim Burton returned to the supernatural comedy first released in 1988. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara returned, while Jenna Ortega joined the cast. The film’s appeal came from the reunion of the original performers, Burton’s visual sensibility, and the possibility of introducing the property to a new generation. The contemporary Rotten Tomatoes preview identified it as a major 2024 release.
-
Speak No Evil
James Watkins directed this English-language remake of the Danish psychological thriller. Its central appeal was the uncomfortable social premise: hospitality, politeness, and the fear of offending others become obstacles to recognizing danger. It opened September 13.
-
Transformers One
Josh Cooley directed this animated origin story about Cybertron, Optimus Prime, and Megatron. By moving the action to the characters’ home world and earlier relationship, the film offered a different route into the Transformers mythology. It opened September 20.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
The Wild Robot
DreamWorks adapted Peter Brown’s book series about Roz, a robot stranded in the natural world. The premise placed technology, survival, and the development of unexpected relationships inside a family-animation framework. Its fall release was highlighted as a major animated prospect in Time’s contemporary preview.
-
Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola’s long-gestating speculative epic was one of the year’s most unusual projects before release. It was self-financed by Coppola and carried the anticipation—and uncertainty—that naturally surrounds a personal, ambitious film developed outside the usual studio production model.
-
Joker: Folie à Deux
Todd Phillips followed Joker with a sequel that took a musical-leaning approach. Joaquin Phoenix returned as Arthur Fleck, with Lady Gaga playing Harley Quinn. The combination of the first film’s cultural impact, the musical format, and the two leads made it a major fall event film.
Awards-season, holiday, and prestige releases
-
His Three Daughters
Azazel Jacobs’ family drama starred Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne. It premiered in select theaters before its September 20 Netflix release, so its path to viewers differed from both a wide theatrical film and a purely festival-only title.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
Saturday Night
Jason Reitman assembled an ensemble account of the creation of Saturday Night Live. The film drew interest from viewers curious about the pressure, personalities, and cultural circumstances surrounding the launch of one of American television’s most influential programs.
-
The Apprentice
This Donald Trump origin-story drama attracted attention because of its subject matter, its depiction of a politically consequential public figure, and controversy surrounding its festival presentation. It belonged to the category of films whose cultural conversation began before a broad audience had seen them.
-
Venom: The Last Dance
Tom Hardy returned for the third Venom film, presented as the final installment of the trilogy. It was also part of Sony’s wider Spider-Man-related universe, which made it relevant beyond the individual character. Time’s fall preview dated it October 25 and described it as the fifth film in that shared Sony universe.
-
A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg’s buddy comedy-drama followed cousins touring Holocaust sites in Poland. Festival attention, particularly around Kieran Culkin’s performance, made it one of the more prominent character-driven films in the awards-season conversation.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.Rank #4
-
Conclave
Ralph Fiennes led this thriller about the politics, secrets, and competing interests surrounding the selection of a new pope. Its contained institutional setting gave the film a natural suspense engine while its subject matter supplied awards-season and adult-audience appeal.
-
Wicked
Jon M. Chu directed the first part of a two-film adaptation of the stage musical, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The project had the unusual advantage of combining a famous theatrical property, a substantial existing fan base, and a production designed to divide the story across two films. Part one opened November 22.
-
Gladiator II
Ridley Scott returned to the world of Gladiator with a sequel starring Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, alongside returning cast member Connie Nielsen. As a follow-up to a major historical epic, it was one of the year’s most prominent holiday-season releases and opened November 22.
What the 2024 slate says about moviegoing
Franchise confidence versus original risk
The list is dominated by recognizable properties: Ghostbusters, Godzilla, Kung Fu Panda, Planet of the Apes, Bad Boys, Alien, Transformers, Venom, Wicked, and Gladiator. That was not unusual for a post-strike calendar in which studios leaned on films with existing awareness.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
But the original and less-established projects were important counterweights. Civil War, Challengers, Longlegs, The Fall Guy, Blink Twice, and Megalopolis offered distinct premises or creative identities. Monkey Man was particularly notable because a project initially associated with streaming moved into theaters, demonstrating that release strategy could change when a film appeared to offer theatrical value.
Streaming and theaters were no longer a simple either-or
Road House went directly to Prime Video on March 21, while Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F was released on Netflix on July 3. His Three Daughters had a limited theatrical debut before its Netflix premiere. These films belong in a 2024 anticipation list because streaming-first and theatrical-to-streaming releases were part of the mainstream movie conversation, not a separate category of obscure titles.
At the same time, a theatrical date could mean a limited opening, a festival launch, or a wide release. That is why a date in a release calendar should not automatically be interpreted as the day every U.S. viewer could see a film. For a current article, each title’s availability would need a fresh platform check; this retrospective records the original release path instead.
Animation remained a broad-audience engine
Kung Fu Panda 4, Inside Out 2, The Garfield Movie, Despicable Me 4, Transformers One, and The Wild Robot represented different types of animated appeal. Some depended on established characters, while others—especially The Wild Robot—were positioned around literary source material and a new central character. The adjacent holiday title Moana 2 also belonged to this year’s major animation conversation.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Horror had unusual range
The 50 include Imaginary, Abigail, The Strangers: Chapter 1, A Quiet Place: Day One, MaXXXine, Longlegs, Trap, Alien: Romulus, and Speak No Evil. They span supernatural horror, vampire horror, home invasion, serial-killer investigation, psychological suspense, science-fiction horror, and franchise prequels. That range is one reason horror was such a visible part of contemporary 2024 previews. Immaculate, Heretic, and Nosferatu were also important adjacent genre titles, although they are not part of the numbered 50.
Prestige films broadened the definition of an event movie
Not every anticipated title was built around spectacle. Back to Black, Saturday Night, The Apprentice, A Real Pain, and Conclave drew attention from biographical, historical, political, or awards-oriented interest. Fall previews also connected films such as The Nickel Boys, The Brutalist, Queer, Blitz, Emilia Pérez, and All We Imagine as Light with festivals, awards discussion, or major filmmakers.
Notable adjacent 2024 titles
A broader awards and holiday list could reasonably add Moana 2, Queer, The Nickel Boys, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, The Brutalist, Here, Heretic, Red One, Better Man, Emilia Pérez, All We Imagine as Light, Blitz, Nosferatu, Mufasa: The Lion King, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Here illustrates why release-path distinctions matter: the contemporary listing identified a limited November 1 opening followed by a November 15 wide release.
Other adjacent titles were especially relevant to particular audiences. Kraven the Hunter extended Sony’s comic-book strategy; Immaculate and Heretic strengthened the horror conversation; and the animated and family field expanded with Moana 2, Mufasa: The Lion King, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Leaving a title outside the main 50 does not mean it lacked anticipation; it reflects the limits of a curated list designed to balance genres, release models, and audience familiarity.
How to use this retrospective watchlist
- For large-scale spectacle: Start with Dune: Part Two, Furiosa, Godzilla x Kong, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Twisters, or Gladiator II.
- For family animation: Consider Inside Out 2, Kung Fu Panda 4, The Wild Robot, Despicable Me 4, The Garfield Movie, or Transformers One.
- For original or director-led films: Choose among Civil War, Challengers, The Fall Guy, Longlegs, Blink Twice, and Megalopolis.
- For horror: The list covers everything from the accessible premise of Imaginary to the franchise mythology of Alien: Romulus and A Quiet Place: Day One, with Abigail, MaXXXine, Longlegs, and Speak No Evil in between.
- For music and performance stories: Look to Bob Marley: One Love, Back to Black, Wicked, or Joker: Folie à Deux.
- For awards-season drama and conversation: Try His Three Daughters, A Real Pain, Conclave, The Apprentice, or Saturday Night.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was this a ranked list of the 50 best movies of 2024?
No. It is a curated list of films that were among the most anticipated or conversation-driving titles associated with the 2024 release year. Anticipation is not the same as quality, popularity, box-office performance, or awards success, so the entries are not ranked.
Are the release dates in this list worldwide dates?
No. The article uses U.S. release information where the dossier supplied it. Limited theatrical openings, festival premieres, wide releases, and streaming premieres can occur on different dates in other countries.
Which films were released primarily through streaming?
Road House premiered on Prime Video on March 21, and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F was released on Netflix on July 3. His Three Daughters had a limited theatrical debut before its September 20 Netflix premiere. Other films may have moved to digital or streaming after their theatrical runs, but current availability requires a fresh platform check.
Why are Moana 2, Nosferatu, and The Brutalist not in the main 50?
They are notable adjacent 2024 titles and could reasonably appear in a broader list. The main 50 were selected to balance franchise films, original projects, animation, horror, streaming releases, theatrical events, and awards-oriented titles rather than to provide an exhaustive release calendar.
The Bottom Line
The 2024 movie year was defined by contrast: franchise sequels beside original films, theatrical spectacles beside streaming-first premieres, and accessible genre entertainment beside festival-driven prestige dramas. The most useful way to revisit these 50 titles is not to treat them as a definitive ranking, but to choose by interest—scale, animation, horror, music, performance, or filmmaking ambition—and then verify each film’s current U.S. watch option separately.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
