What To Watch In 2020: Movies

Marvel

There was a notion heading into 2020 that it would be a light year for Marvel, given that only two Marvel Cinematic Universe films were on the slate. That's still true, but there are actually a total of five movies based on Marvel Comics hitting theaters once you factor in Sony and the X-Men.

Marvel Studios is releasing Black Widow in May and The Eternals in November, both of which will help kick off the next phase of the MCU. Sony is diving further into its universe of Spider-Man characters with the Morbius standalone film, starring Jared Leto, and the highly-anticipated Venom sequel, which is being directed by Andy Serkis.

And then there is The New Mutants, the final X-Men film made by Fox before it was absorbed by Disney. Some thought the movie wouldn't see the light of day or would get banished to a streaming service, but Disney still plans on releasing it in theaters on April 3rd.

DC

It's a much smaller year for the live-action DC films, with only two set to hit theaters throughout 2020, but both titles have had fans excited for quite a while.

In February, Margot Robbie returns to play Harley Quinn in the R-rated team-up adventure, Birds of Prey, which co-stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina, and Ewan McGregor.

This summer, fans are finally getting the Wonder Woman sequel they've been begging for since 2017 with Wonder Woman 1984. Patty Jenkins is once again directing while both Gal Gadot and Chris Pine return to star. Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig are also set to star.

Franchises

Franchises have been running the box office over the last several years, and 2020 will be no exception. There are several popular franchises launching new films this year, as well as a couple of properties that are hoping to get off the ground.

The most notable of all the franchise films coming in 2020, and the one sure to make the most money, is Fast & Furious 9. Those movies always do well. The third film in the Kingsman franchise, prequel outing The King's Man, comes out later in the year, Daniel Craig will be starring in his final James Bond movie, No Time to Die, and the Godzilla series will hope to bounce back from its last disappointing outing with Godzilla vs. Kong.

It's been a while since the G.I. Joe franchise had any life, but Hasbro is hoping to turn that around with the solo spinoff film Snake Eyes, which stars Henry Golding as the titular character. Vin Diesel stars as Bloodshot in February, hoping to launch a series of movies based on Valiant Comics, while Sonic the Hedgehog is also finally set to hit theaters.

Original Projects

As much as people love franchises, there are a couple of really promising original titles hitting theaters in 2020, many of which already have a lot of hype behind them. Christopher Nolan is returning to the big screen with Tenet, a time-warping thriller starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson. There is always a ton of energy surrounding Nolan's movies and Tenet is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated films of the year.

Later this month, Guy Ritchie is releasing his follow-up to Aladdin, The Gentlemen, a much more Ritchie-looking film that boasts an all-star cast consisting of Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant, and Matthew McConaughey.

Disney is releasing its film adaptation of Jungle Cruise this summer, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's buzzy musical In the Heights opens in June.

Streaming

Streaming is the future of both movies and television, and Netflix proved in 2019 that it's capable of producing blockbusters and award-winners, as well as cheap thrills. Netflix recently shared a thread of original projects coming to the service in 2020, many of which are worth talking about ahead of their release. The Old Guard, The Last Thing He Wanted, Army of the Dead, and Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods are all close to the top of many most-anticipated Netflix lists.

Let's remember that Netflix isn't the only streaming service out there, and there will be others releasing original films in 2020. Disney+ is set to debut Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe and Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. HBO purchased the Hugh Jackman-starring film Bad Education, and will release it sometime this year.

Of course, there are probably loads of streaming movies coming in 2020 that haven't been announced yet, so keep an eye out for more announcements in the future.

Reboots/Sequels

We've already mentioned a few sequels already, but this slide is all about those long-awaited sequels and reboots that are looking to recapture the magic of franchises that have been left alone for quite a while. Spoiler alert: there are a lot of sequel/reboots hitting theaters in 2020.

Denis Villeneuve is delivering a new Dune film at the end of the year and Steven Spielberg is directing a new take on West Side Story. Earlier in the year, Disney is releasing the live-action reboot of Mulan.

As far as resurrection sequels go, 2020 is bringing us the following: Bad Boys for Life, Top Gun: Maverick, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Bill and Ted Face the Music, and Coming 2 America.

Horror

With a mix of originals, franchise sequels, and reboots, the horror genre is giving fans a lot to look forward to in 2020. Sure, there will be a lot of smaller-budget films that fly under the radar, but there are also a few talked-about titles hitting theaters throughout the year.

Two of the biggest hits of 2018, Halloween and A Quiet Place, are getting sequels in 2020 in the form of Halloween Kills and A Quiet Place Part II. As far as reboots go, Jordan Peele and Nia DaCosta are bringing Candyman back to life while Chris Rock is heading up a new take on Saw.

Blumhouse is offering a twisted take on Fantasy Island next month, which given its lower budget and wild premise looks to be another hit for the studio. We're also getting the highly-anticipated third Conjuring film later in 2020.

Animation

Disney and Pixar seem to dominate the animated conversation just about every year, and the two studios will likely do the same in 2020. Both of Pixar's offerings -- Onward and Soul -- are totally original ideas, but the name of the studio alone will drive fans to theaters. Disney proper is also set to release the animated adventure Raya and the Last Dragon in the latter half of the year.

Both Scooby-Doo and SpongeBob SquarePants are getting their own big screen outings this year with 3D animated films Scoob! and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. 2020 will also bring Minions: The Rise of Gru, Trolls World Tour, a Bob's Burgers feature film, and Weathering With You.