Timothee Chalamet stars in Warner Bros.’ “Dune.”
Warner Bros.
Mean ladies, Spider-Women and sandworms will headline the 2024 box office — they usually’ll need to do some heavy lifting.
The March 1 launch of “Dune: Part Two,” the delayed and much-anticipated follow-up to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 science fiction epic is anticipated to draw hordes of moviegoers.
It’s arguably essentially the most notable launch in what’s slated to be a franchise frenzy this yr, as studios similar to Warner Bros., Disney, Universal and Paramount lean on acquainted titles to entice audiences again into theaters. But moviegoers could also be tiring of those IP-driven movies. Some of 2023’s standouts had recent concepts and distinctive attraction.
“Dune: Part Two” is adopted by a slew of sequels, prequels and spinoffs from franchises similar to Ghostbusters, Gladiator, Bad Boys, A Quiet Place, Planet of the Apes, Transformers, Alien, Sonic the Hedgehog and Saw. Yet, it is unclear if a return to those tales will lure audiences within the new yr.
Even earlier than Hollywood was disrupted by writers’ and an actors’ strikes, halting manufacturing and delaying some releases, 2024 was anticipated to be a tumultuous yr. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the home box office has struggled to totally regain audiences even with tempting titles from main franchises.
For many leisure specialists, 2025 was the flag on the restoration horizon, a time when moviegoers could be again within the behavior and there’d be sufficient movie product to maintain them coming again. Now, they are not so certain.
“Sometimes an business has to take two steps backwards earlier than going ahead once more,” stated Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations. “[This] yr may actually shock. However, the percentages are it is going to be an off yr.”
IP fatigue
Studios are hoping the upcoming franchise choices shall be extra just like the successes of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” or “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and fewer like flops together with “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “The Marvels.”
Audiences do not thoughts new content material from their favourite manufacturers, however studios have discovered a tough lesson in recent years — much less is extra.
DC Studios and Marvel have inundated followers with a slew of content material, a lot of which wasn’t as much as the usual of earlier iterations. This led to diminishing box office returns. Yet, when new entrants are rigorously crafted, audiences reply with their wallets.
After all, Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” a stand-alone movie starring Robert Pattinson because the Dark Knight, generated greater than $750 million in ticket gross sales globally again in 2022. James Gunn’s final Marvel movie, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” secured about $845 million worldwide this previous yr.
“People simply need to be entertained; to see compelling tales instructed in a masterful manner,” stated Michael O’Leary, CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “People, having been disadvantaged of these sorts of public experiences, are in search of them increasingly more. And, candidly, their expectations are larger than ever.”
This yr, eyes are on Warner Bros.’ Mad Max prequel, which facilities on the warrior Furiosa from 2015’s “Fury Road,” and the long-awaited sequel to 1988’s “Beetlejuice,” which is additionally coming from the studio.
There’s additionally the hotly anticipated “Deadpool 3,” the primary R-rated Disney-Marvel movie to be launched in theaters and a assortment of latest entries from well-liked animated franchises.
“While films set for launch in 2024 symbolize a staggering array of sequels, franchises and identified IP, this lineup of movies contains venerable film manufacturers,” stated Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “If executed correctly, [they] may discover favor with audiences.”
Highly anticipated movie openings of 2024
January
- “Night Swim” (Jan. 5)
- “The Beekeeper” (Jan. 12)
- “Mean Girls” (Jan. 12)
February
- “Argylle” (Feb. 2)
- “Bob Marley: One Love” (Feb. 14)
- “Madame Web” (Feb. 14)
March
- “Dune: Part Two” (March 1)
- “Imaginary” (March 8)
- “Kung Fu Panda 4” (March 8)
- “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” (March 29)
April
- “The First Omen” (April 5)
- “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (April 12)
May
- “The Fall Guy” (May 3)
- “Imaginary Friends” (May 17)
- “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (May 24)
- “The Garfield Movie” (May 24)
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (May 24)
June
- “Bad Boys 4” (June 14)
- “Inside Out 2” (June 14)
- “A Quiet Place: Day One” (June 28)
July
- “Despicable Me 4” (July 3)
- “Twisters” (July 19)
- “Deadpool” (July 26)
August
- “Harold and the Purple Crayon” (Aug. 2)
- “Trap” (Aug. 2)
- “Borderlands” (Aug. 9)
- “Alien: Romulus” (Aug. 16)
- “Kraven the Hunter” (Aug. 30)
September
- “Beetlejuice 2” (Sept. 6)
- “Transformers One” (Sept. 13)
- “Saw XI” (Sept. 27)
October
- “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Oct. 4)
- “Smile 2” (Oct. 18)
November
- “Venom 3” (Nov. 8)
- “Gladiator 2” (Nov. 22)
- “Wicked: Part One” (Nov. 27)
December
- “Karate Kid” (Dec. 13)
- “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” (Dec. 13)
- “Mufasa: The Lion King” (Dec. 20)
- “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” (Dec. 20)
Disclosure: Comcast is the mother or father firm of NBCUniversal and CNBC.
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