The end of 2024 is in sight, and yet there are so many films still to be released — especially from those who are ready to submit to the Academy Awards amid major festival runs.

2024 has been a year for prequel and sequel blockbusters, with ‘Dune: Part Two,’ ‘Inside Out 2,’ and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ generating a combined tally of $3.75 billion at the global box office.

Indie films have also made an impression on audiences, with ‘Longlegs’ becoming the highest-grossing indie-film of the year while being critcally acclaimed. The Maika Monroe horror film earned $109 million at the box office — one of Neon’s biggest ever hits.

It’s safe to say that the industry is continuing to rebound from the pandemic and Hollywood strikes, so let’s take a look at the titles of 2024 yet to come.

1. Heretic

Hugh Grant certainly loves his quirky characters.

A24’s new horror flick tells the tale of two young door-to-door missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) that get trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse when they knock on the wrong door — Mr. Reed’s. For survival, they must rely on faith and practicality if they want to survive. The project is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024 and will release in the US on November 8, and the United Kingdom a week earlier on November 1. The film holds rave reviews from critics, with 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

2. The Apprentice

The biographical drama film directed by Ali Abbasi stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump in the 1970s and 1980s, examining the business man’s career in real estate. The film also stars Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, and Martin Donovan as Fred Trump.

The film had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2024, and is scheduled for an October 11 release in the United States.

3. Anora

Sean Baker’s latest comedy-drama film (writer, director, editor) has made the rounds in festivals such as Cannes and TIFF, earning high praise from critics along the way. The film stars Mikey Madison in the title role of an adult dancer and her marriage to the son of a Russian oligarch. Once news reaches Russia, Anora’s fairytale relationship is threatened.

Think, ‘a twisted version of Pretty Woman.’

‘Anora’ won the highest honor at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival: the Palme d’Or (Best Film). The film releases October 18, 2024 (United States).

4. Gladiator II

Do we really need an explanation here?

After 24 years, Ridley Scott is bringing ‘Gladiator’ back to the big screen with a direct sequel tackling Maximus’ son, Lucius, played by Paul Mescal (‘Normal People,’ ‘Aftersun’).

The story appears to be straight forward; tyrannical emperors conquer Rome and therefore Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum to earn the trust of his people and return Rome to its former glory — and the action set pieces look enormous. In fact, Ridley Scott says it involves his largest action set-piece yet.

The sequel additionally stars Pedro Pascal (as General Acacius), Denzel Washington (as Macrinus), Connie Nielsen (returning as Lucilla), Joseph Quinn (as Emperor Caracalla), May Calamawy, Matt Lucas, Fred Hechinger, and Rory McCann.

The sequel releases on November 15, 2024 (United Kingdom) and November 22, 2024 (United States).

5. The Return

Perhaps a film that isn’t generating buzz, ‘The Return’ is a historical drama film directed by Uberto Pasolini, starring Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus and Juliette Binoche Penelope. It’s a retelling of Homer's Odyssey as adapted by Edward Bond, John Collee and Pasolini.

The film premiered at TIFF on September 7, 2024, and releases theatrically on December 6, 2024 in the United States.

The film holds at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes after it’s Toronto premiere.

6. The Order

Justin Kurzel directs a script from Zach Baylin, about an FBI Agent who seeks to take down the white supremacist group known as The Order, that was active in the United States in the 1980s. This is based on on the 1989 non-fiction book The Silent Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt.

‘The Order’ stars Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, and Marc Maron.

The film premiered in-competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in August 2024. It is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on December 6, 2024.

7. Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim

The upcoming anime fantasy film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama is part of the ‘Lord Of The Rings’ franchise, and set 183 years before Peter Jackson's ‘The Lord of the Rings’ film trilogy. The anime tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, a legendary king of Rohan, and his family as they defend their kingdom against an army of Dunlendings.

The feature stars Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino. Miranda Otto, Laurence Ubong Williams, and Shaun Dooley. Peter Jackson also returns to the franchise as an executive producer.

8. A Complete Unknown

Timothée Chalamet stars as music icon Bob Dylan in this biopic directed by James Mangold (who’s no stranger to biopics — ‘Ford v Ferrari,’ ‘Walk The Line’). The main premise surrounds the controversy about the switch to electrically amplified instrumentation by Dylan.

Supporting cast includes: Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, and Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash. Chalamet also serves as producer for the film.

‘A Complete Unknown’ is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 25, 2024.

9. Smile 2

Spooky reason is around the corner, and ‘Smile 2’ welcomes us right before Halloween.

The horror sequel is written and directed by Parker Finn, and tackles the story of a pop singer who begins to experience a series of increasingly disturbing events as she’s about to go on tour.

Naomi Scott stars as Skye Riley, the famous pop artist.

Following the commercial success of the first film, Finn (director and writer of both Smile films) signed a deal with Paramount Pictures to develop additional horror projects.

The horror flick releases globally on October 18, 2024.

10. Nosferatu

Written and directed by Robert Eggers (his fourth feature film), the filmmaker reinvents the iconic 1922 silent film of the same name. The director’s previous films have all been hailed by critics and audiences for originality, tone, and a unique perspective in storytelling. Eggers’ works include ‘The Witch,’ ‘The Lighthouse,’ and ‘The Northman.’

Bill Skarsgård stars as the terrifying vampire Count Orlok, while Nicholas Hoult stars as Thomas Hutter, and Lily-Rose Depp leads as Ellen Hutter.

Eggers has been developing the horror-mystery film prior to his debut, way back in 2015. ‘Nosferatu’ is scheduled to be released on December 25, 2024 by Focus Features domestically and Universal Pictures internationally.

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