Timothee Chalamet stars in Warner Bros.’ “Dune.”
Warner Bros.
Mean girls, Spider-Women and sandworms will headline the 2024 box office — and so they’ll must do some heavy lifting.
The March 1 release of “Dune: Part Two,” the delayed and much-anticipated follow-up to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 science fiction epic is predicted to draw hordes of moviegoers.
It’s arguably probably the most notable release in what’s slated to be a franchise frenzy this 12 months, as studios similar to Warner Bros., Disney, Universal and Paramount lean on familiar titles to entice audiences back into theaters. But moviegoers could also be tiring of those IP-driven movies. A few of 2023’s standouts had fresh ideas and unique appeal.
“Dune: Part Two” is followed 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’s unclear if a return to those stories will lure audiences in the brand new 12 months.
Even before Hollywood was disrupted by writers’ and an actors’ strikes, halting production and delaying some releases, 2024 was expected to be a tumultuous 12 months. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the domestic box office has struggled to totally regain audiences even with tempting titles from major franchises.
For a lot of entertainment experts, 2025 was the flag on the recovery horizon, a time when moviegoers could be back within the habit and there’d be enough film product to maintain them coming back. Now, they are not so sure.
“Sometimes an industry has to take two steps backwards before going forward again,” said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations. “[This] 12 months could definitely surprise. Nonetheless, the percentages are it can be an off 12 months.”
IP fatigue
Studios are hoping the upcoming franchise offerings might be more just like the successes of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” or “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and fewer like flops including “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “The Marvels.”
Audiences don’t mind recent content from their favorite brands, but studios have learned a tricky lesson lately — less is more.
DC Studios and Marvel have inundated fans with a slew of content, much of which wasn’t as much as the usual of previous iterations. This led to diminishing box office returns. Yet, when recent entrants are rigorously crafted, audiences respond with their wallets.
In spite of everything, Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” a stand-alone film starring Robert Pattinson because the Dark Knight, generated greater than $750 million in ticket sales globally back in 2022. James Gunn’s last Marvel film, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” secured about $845 million worldwide this past 12 months.
“People just need to be entertained; to see compelling stories told in a masterful way,” said Michael O’Leary, CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “People, having been deprived of those sorts of public experiences, are in search of them increasingly. And, candidly, their expectations are higher than ever.”
This 12 months, eyes are on Warner Bros.’ Mad Max prequel, which centers on the warrior Furiosa from 2015’s “Fury Road,” and the long-awaited sequel to 1988’s “Beetlejuice,” which can be coming from the studio.
There’s also the hotly anticipated “Deadpool 3,” the primary R-rated Disney-Marvel film to be released in theaters and a set of latest entries from popular animated franchises.
“While movies set for release in 2024 represent a staggering array of sequels, franchises and known IP, this lineup of movies includes venerable movie brands,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “If executed properly, [they] could find favor with audiences.”
Highly anticipated film 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 Recent 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 3” (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 parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.
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