The 15 top Hollywood blockbuster movies of 2020 from Fast & Furious to Venom and Black Widow … that we’re still waiting to see
- Covid-19 hit the movie industry hard, and many big budget films had their release dates postponed
- Here are 15 titles that we think are worth the wait, and their rough release dates
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 has seen Hollywood’s biggest studios postpone their multimillion dollar tentpole releases again and again, while cinema chains scramble to make do with an evaporating supply of new releases.
Warner Bros and Disney have made unprecedented long-term moves into digital streaming, while the future of the theatrical experience continues to be uncertain and, in many countries, unsafe.
Assuming that Wonder Woman 1984 and Pixar’s Soul manage to cling to their rescheduled Christmas berths, there are still dozens of big-budget 2020 movies waiting to be released.
Here are 15 that we remain excited for, and their tentatively revised release dates:
The King’s Man
No Time to Die
True to form, Bond’s latest outing was first to react to the global threat of the coronavirus pandemic, rescheduling an April release to November, only to see those plans scuppered. The film then reportedly saw off US$600 million bids from a number of streaming giants, but Craig’s final mission as 007 remains poised for a global launch. (April 2)
A Quiet Place II
Black Widow
Free Guy
Ryan Reynolds’ proclamations that his new action comedy was going to save Christmas by drawing audiences back to the multiplexes was short-lived, but Free Guy still looks like a fun prospect. Landing somewhere between Groundhog Day and The Truman Show, it stars Reynolds as a mild-mannered bank clerk, who discovers he is really an NPC (non-player character) in a huge, open world video game. (May 21)
Has Warner Bros finally killed cinema off for good?
Godzilla vs Kong
The fourth instalment in the expanding universe of kaiju crossover events pits the King of the Monsters against the Eighth Wonder of the World, but has sparked an even bigger clash behind the scenes. Since Warners announced that all their tentpole movies will be available simultaneously on HBO Max, Legendary – producers of this film and Dune – are taking the studio to court. (May 21)
F9
Nobody could have predicted that a Point Break rip-off about illegal drag racing would spawn one of Hollywood’s most successful action franchises. Part 10 of the Fast and Furious franchise – don’t forget Hobbs vs Shaw – welcomes the return of Justin Lin, whose direction on episodes four through six transformed the series, while the plot sees Dom’s brother (John Cena) team up with Charlize Theron’s returning adversary. (May 28)
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Venom: Let There be Carnage
Top Gun: Maverick
35 years after hitting the big time in Top Gun, Tom Cruise returns as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, now a test pilot for the US Navy. It’s a sequel that nobody was asking for, but the trailers look absolutely stunning, and you just know Cruise is doing all those barrel rolls for real. It’s enough to … take your breath away. (July 2)
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Those lovable, nonsensical little yellow underlings are returning once again for a second stand-alone feature film, which charts the rise to infamy of their nefarious master, Gru (again voiced by Steve Carell). Pitting the pint-sized master criminal against a cadre of established villains, Gru’s plans are doubtless undone by the buffoonery of his diminutive disciples. (July 2)
Jungle Cruise
Pirates of the Caribbean proved that you could make a successful movie franchise out of a theme park ride, and that continues with this period-set action adventure starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. The film experienced delays even before the pandemic, and was originally planned for October 2019. It has also been criticised for casting straight comedian Jack Whitehall as a gay character. (July 30)
Death on the Nile
Kenneth Branagh follows up 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express with another Agatha Christie adaptation, in which he reprises the role of Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer and Letitia Wright front another star-studded ensemble, for the classic tale of an Egyptian cruise that ends in murder, mystery, and intrigue. (September 17)
Dune
Few would contest that David Lynch’s 1984 attempt to bring Frank Herbert’s science fiction epic to the screen was at the very least flawed. Now Denis Villeneuve, director of Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival , tries his luck, with an ambitious two-part adaptation starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Oscar Isaac in an intergalactic saga about spine mining and giant desert worms. (October 1)
Eternals
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