Your Guide to Spring 2024's Most Anticipated Movies

Whether it feels false where you are or not, it’s officially the first day of spring! From today until June 20, you can skip the crowded trails OR hide from April’s showers with these anticipated titles. 

Photo: MGM

As is the case every March and April, the weather is still finding its footing. One day your sunglasses are on, love feels real, and you’re confident you’ve never had a dark day in your life. Next thing you know, it’s 47 degrees, the grass is mud-soaked, and wait what? Your jacket is back on? Like you, even the flowers have trouble deciding whether they should start popping up outside. 

Fortunately, on these days when the season chooses betrayal over warm breezes, there are movie theaters to pout in. From Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s post-Barbenheimer collaboration to the second Zendaya film of the year, find out which new releases you can look forward to in Spring 2024. 

Monkey Man (April 5) 

Photo: Universal Pictures

A revenge thriller fronted by Dev Patel and produced by Jordan Peele? Yeah, I’m thinking we’re back. 

Monkey Man, which made its debut and left quite a positive impression at SXSW, is Dev Patel’s first feature directorial effort. If you’re not familiar with the name, you’ll almost certainly recognize his face from projects like Slumdog Millionaire, the oh-so underrated The Green Knight, and more recently, Wes Anderson’s collection of Netflix short films. 

From the look of it, the action film will be a bloody delight for fans of the genre, especially for those who favor John Wick and his frequent quest for retribution. 

You can catch the film in theaters starting April 5. 

Civil War (April 12) 

Photo: A24

Is the United States on the verge of a second civil war? In Alex Garland’s latest epic, the nation has already arrived in the dystopian future that may or may not await it in reality. 

Starring Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Nick Offerman, and Cailee Spaeny Civil War tracks a posse of journalists as they make their way through America and its separatist counterpart. 

If the film were being made by any other filmmaker, I may have been tempted to skip it all together. But given Garland’s previous work (Annihilation, Men, Ex Machina) and his tendency to pack his movies with memorable and haunting visuals, I’m enticed to give it a shot. 

Civil War will be in theaters on April 12. 

Sasquatch Sunset (April 12) 

Photo: Bleeker Street

Yes, this film is about Sasquatch. It’s not just about the one lonely Bigfoot though. It’s about the daily grind of an entire family of these (maybe mythical) creatures, two of whom are played by Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough.

Since its premiere at Sundance the Ari Aster-produced comedy has received mixed reviews. Some viewers have applauded its sense of humor and surprising level of heart, while others have struggled to get over the feature-length "bit" of it all. 

See for yourself on April 12 when the film hits theaters in a limited release. 

Challengers (April 26) 

Photo: MGM

Call Me By Your Name and Bones and All director, Luca Guadagnino is back! This time, it’s not the peaches OR the romancing of two cannibals that brings him back to the director’s chair. No, this time it’s a steamy love triangle between a former tennis pro, her current tennis champion husband, and her ex-lover (his ex-best friend). 

* Insert Rihanna needle drop *

The shape's three points are played by Zendaya, Rachel Zeigler’s West Side Story bestie, Mike Faist, and The Crown’s sad boy, Josh O’Connor. 

Will this be, in true Guadagnino fashion, an intimate portrait of a marriage (Zendaya has referred to the film as Codependency: The Movie) or will it be a bigger swing for the director? 

The Challengers will be in theaters on April 26. 

The Idea of You (May 2) 

Photo: Amazon

The more the cast and filmmakers behind The Idea of You declare it has nothing to do with Harry Styles fanfic, the more convinced I become that it is entirely based on Harry Styles fanfic. What the denials also fuel is my desire to watch the film. 

That and Anne Hathaway, whose starpower, despite the haters, has never dimmed in my eyes. 

Hathaway stars in The Idea of You as a 40-year-old single mom who takes her teenage daughter to Coachella. It’s here that she meets 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of a popular boy band, and the man she will soon share a fling with. 

Read the fanfic AND watch the film when it becomes available to stream on Amazon Prime on May 2.

The Fall Guy (May 3) 

Photo: Universal Pictures

In their first venture since last summer’s Barbenheimer double feature, Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling star as a film director and the stuntman on her set, who also happens to be her ex. When the film Blunt’s character is working on threatens to close after her star goes missing, Gosling’s Colt Seavers steps in to save the day. 

Given that Emily Blunt was, without a doubt, the funniest part of The Devil Wears Prada and Ryan Gosling is finally unleashing the full comedic brilliance he flashed  in The Nice Guys, this action comedy is sure to be a (pun-intended) blast.

If Steven Spielberg loved this film, I’m sure the rest of us will. See it in theaters on May 3. 

Back to Black (May 17) 

Photo: StudioCanal UK

Considering the perfect film about Amy Winehouse (Amy) already made its way into the world back in 2015, Back to Black has me nervous. 

Like the documentary, this new film, set to release on May 17, focuses on the life and music of the renowned singer-songwriter, from her childhood to her creation of the grammy-winning titular album. 

Marisa Abela will be taking on the role of Winehouse in the biopic.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24) 

Photo: Warner Bros

Remember Charlize Theron’s character in Mad Max: Fury Road? Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is her origin story. 

Set before Furiosa’s fateful team up with Mad Max, the Sci-Fi adventure will drop audiences back into the brutal post-apocalyptic world of the franchise’s previous installments. This time it’s Anya Taylor-Joy who will be fighting to get back home. 

Chris Hemsworth joins her in the cast, and George Miller is back to direct. Furiosa drives into IMAX on May 24. 

Hit Man (June 7) 

Photo: Netflix

There seem to be two schools of thought when it comes to Glen Powell. The first is that he is worthy of the “ick.” Nothing but a cocky douche. The other way of thinking, and the belief I subscribe to, is that he must be protected at all costs. A real, bonafide movie star - the likes of which we haven’t seen since Matthew McConaughey sauntered onto the scene. 

Which is why his next collaboration with Dazed and Confused writer/director, Richard Linklater, is so thrilling. The movie, titled Hit Man, may be his chance to prove he can be more than the arrogant yet charming rom-com man in films like Anyone But You and Set It Up or the arrogant yet charming pilot from Top Gun: Maverick.

In the crime comedy from Linklater, a great master in "vibes over plot" storytelling, Powell plays a professor working as a hit man for the city police department who now finds himself attracted to the woman who enlisted his services. Please tell me we're getting the noir version of Before Sunrise!

Hit Man will be released on Netflix on June 7. 

Inside Out 2 (June 14) 

Photo: Disney/Pixar

Uh oh…Riley, who we met in 2015’s Inside Out, is all grown up and having some teenage feelings. 

Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust are still holding down the fort in Riley’s mind, but now they must content with a new emotion: Anxiety. Joining her are Envy, Ennui, and * gulp * Embarrassment.

Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, and Tony Hale are all returning with a couple additions: Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Liza Lapira, and Paul Walter Hauser. 

Inside Out will be in theaters on June 14.