New year, new movies—and we’ve been waiting for some of these for a while.
2018 was a never-ending surprise of blockbuster films. From Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians to Roma and A Star is Born, we’ve been nothing short of entertained and it looks like 2019 is revving up to be just as noteworthy. There are so many films we’ve been waiting to see for months and they’re finally coming to theatres. Here’s the shortlist of must-see movies:
Rom Coms and Dramedies
While we wait impatiently for the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before sequel to be released—seriously we cannot wait—we can content ourselves with a few romantic comedies in the meantime. In fact, a couple of rom-coms are coming out just in time for Valentine’s Day.
What Men Want (Feb. 8) is a gender-bending twist on the classic What Women Want. The new film stars Empire’s Taraji P. Henson, Bridesmaids’ Wendi McLendon-Covey, and New Girl’s Max Greenfield. If that was enough of to peak your interest, the film will also feature comedic powerhouses Phoebe Robinson and Tracy Morgan with appearances by Erykah Badu and Kellan Lutz. Need we go on?
Rebel Wilson stars in her own rom-com, Isn’t it Romantic (Feb. 13), with Liam Hemsworth, Priyanka Chopra, and Adam Devine. The plot? After suffering a head injury, Wilson character, Natalie, wakes up in an alternative reality—a romantic comedy. It’s a total spoof of every rom com we hate to love and love to hate and we cannot wait to love/hate it.
Riverdale fans will be happy to see Cole Sprouse star in a film all his own. Five Feet Apart is a dramedy (romantic drama) about two teens with cystic fibrosis. It’s based on a book by Rachael Lippincott and the trailer alone will pull at your heart strings. If you loved the John Green books/films, you will love this one.
Lights, Camera, Action movies
Marvel Studios, as always, is set to release a series of action-packed films this year. Captain Marvel (Mar. 8) stars Brie Larson, Jude Law, and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie has already generated some major buzz in the media and is being called the next big feminist blockbuster. Oh, and it’s coming out on International Women’s Day—a coincidence? We think not.
The next installment in the Avengers series, Avengers: Endgame (April 26), picks up where the previous film left off. The remaining Avengers have to find a way to defeat Thanos, the demigod responsible for destroying the entire universe. No big deal.
The X-Men series will have two new films, Dark Phoenix (June 2019) and The New Mutants (Aug. 2), and Tom Holland and Zendaya return for another installment of Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 5).
For any Fast & Furious fans, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham will star in their own spin-off film, Hobbs and Shaw (July 26). Idris Elba will make an appearance—love—and Jason Momoa is rumored to be part of future projects—love!
Not just for kids movies
In the last couple years, we’ve seen a return to the 90s and every piece of our millennial upbringing has found its way into the 2010s. Nostalgia sells and we’re not mad about it at all.
With the upcoming releases of Disney classics like Dumbo (Mar. 29), Aladdin (May 24), and Toy Story 4 (June. 20), we can pretend we never actually grew up. The highly anticipated live-action rendition of The Lion King (July 19) is packed with an all-star cast—James Earl Jones, Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver, and Beyoncé. Yes, Beyoncé will be playing Nala and no, we can’t wait to hear the soundtrack either!
Pokémon fans everywhere are excited to see that Pikachu is also getting a live-action makeover in Pokémon Detective Pikachu (May 2019). Our favourite pokémon will be voiced by Ryan Reynolds and a sequel is already in the works.
2019 will end with Frozen 2 (Nov. 22) but we don’t know the exact plot line yet. We do know that it will cause a global Frozen fever when we finally get to watch it.
Sci-Fi, Horror, and Thrillers (Oh My!)
It looks like nostalgia isn’t just for Disney. Men in Black is returning with a new film, Men in Black: International (June 19), starring Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Liam Neeson. It’ll be the fourth movie in the franchise but the first spin-off.
Get Out fans were both excited and nervous about Jordan Peele’s latest social thriller, Us (Mar. 22) when he released the trailer in late 2018. Lupita Nyong’o plays Adelaide, a woman returning to her childhood home with her husband and two children when they are surprised and then chased by four masked strangers. The creepy part is when the masks come off. Each stranger looks exactly like a member of their family—gasp!
After a summer filming in Toronto, the sequel to It, It: Chapter 2 (Sept. 6), is heading to theatres this fall. In this film, a certain evil clown returns 27 years later to harass the original members of the Losers’ Club. Fans of the first film were excited about who would play the adult versions and we can see why. With household names like Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader, the film is sure to have you on the edge of your seats.
If you’re still wondering whether 2019 will be a good year, at least in terms of movies, our answer is: absolutely yes!