The year’s summer blockbuster season bombed. Most movies were either box office disappointments or bashed by critics for being outright terrible. There were some great films like “Captain America: Civil War” or movies that defied both critics and box office expectations, like “Suicide Squad,” but it still became a lean season for movie lovers to enjoy.
More than 100 films will be released from Sept. 2 through Dec. 30. Not all of these will be box office hits or even misses but for now, here are ten upcoming films to keep an eye out for:
9/16 Blair Witch
Nobody was expecting a sequel to the now classic late-90s horror film. When the movie first premiered at San Diego Comic Con, it was under a false title and fake movie posters were hung all around the theatre. After the movie concluded and audiences were allowed to say what they saw, it took Comic Con by storm and now a new “Blair Witch” movie is set to come out early this September.
In this movie, the brother of a character from the original movie goes searching for his sister in the same forest in upstate New York. What he and his friends discover is more terrifying than anything they could have expected.
9/23 The Magnificent Seven
Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt star in this remake of the 1960s Western based on Akira Kurosawa’s classic film, “Seven Samurai.” Washington and Pratt round up a band of misfits as they defend a small town from an evil railroad tycoon. “Magnificent Seven” marks the first Western for both lead actors to star in.
10/7 Birth of a Nation
Despite the recent controversy with director Nate Parker, “The Birth Of A Nation” has a buzz around it for a best picture win. Based on a true story, “The Birth Of A Nation” recounts the tale of Nat Turner’s 1831 slave rebellion. It might not be the easiest movie to watch on this list, however it has the most relevance in this cultural climate.
10/14 The Accountant
What if Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper and Batman were combined into one character? You might get Christian Wolff, played by Ben Affleck. When not struggling with the psychological burdens most geniuses face, Wolff works as an accountant for crime organizations. Anna Kendrick stars as a clerk who stumbles upon Wolff’s operation and J.K. Simmons takes on a role as a secretary treasurer who wants to shut down the accountant.
11/4 Doctor Strange
After a car accident destroys Stephen Strange’s hands, the former surgeon (Benedict Cumberbatch), travels the world in search of a way to heal himself. Strange has his world turned upside down when he finds the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and learns there’s more magic in the world than he ever imagined.
11/18 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Magical monsters are loose in 1920s New York City and the fault squarely falls on Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). With help from the Magical Congress of the United States and a ministry official hot on his heels, Scamander races to capture all the beasts before Americans find out magic can be real.
11/23 Moana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqmcxLUSRTQ
With Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda composing the music and starring Opetaia Foa’i, Mark Mancina and “The Rock” as demigod Maui, Moana looks like an animated Disney classic in the making. Searching for a legendary island, born-navigator Moana teams up with Maui for an adventure through the south pacific.
12/2 La La Land
Previously working together in “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone star in this musical about an aspiring actress and jazz singer who find love in Los Angeles, but success in Hollywood threatens to tear them apart.
12/16 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
It’s a suicide mission, but one the Rebellion needs. The Rebel Alliance sends a small crew to steal the plans for the Empire’s new weapon, the Death Star, before it can put a chokehold around the galaxy. Felicity Jones stars as Jyn Erso, the leader of the group, with Godzilla’s Garth Edwards taking up directing for this first Star Wars spin-off film.
12/21 Passengers
In Hollywood, there’s a thing called the blacklist. This blacklist refers to the best scripts not produced in entertainment. “Passengers” was a part of that list since 2007 until Columbia studios picked it up last year and attached Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence as leads. Passengers will be about two individuals who wake up early from space station and find themselves falling in love while trying to save the spaceship they are traveling on.
George Johnston can be reached at [email protected] or @gjohnston786 on Twitter.
