What to Watch in 2018: Movies on the Horizon

A new year is upon us, and 2018 will be bringing many highly anticipated movies from major franchises such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. Starting in February, new movies will be released. Here are just some of the highly anticipated films to watch for.

Black Panther: Black Panther will be released in February and will tell the story of T’Challa, a.k.a Black Panther, as he steps into his role as the king of Wakanda following his father’s death in Captain America: Civil War. Already highly anticipated, Black Panther has already set high expectations with its record-breaking advance ticket sales. This is one of the first mainstream superhero movies to have a mostly black cast with multiple female protagonists, making it incredibly important in the film world, as many Hollywood movies lack strong female and non-white characters.

A Wrinkle in Time: An adaptation of the science-fiction novel by Madeline L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time stars many big names like Oprah, Chris Pine, and Reese Witherspoon. Set to be released in March, many are already anticipating this movie.

Avengers: Infinity War: One of the most highly anticipated films of this year, Infinity War also broke records by being the most-viewed movie trailer within 24 hours. Set as the next thrilling installment in the much-loved Avengers series, Infinity War follows after Captain America: Civil War and tells of how the Avengers team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy in order to defeat Thanos and recapture the Infinity Stones. Infinity War is set to be released in May.

Deadpool 2: Fans loved the first Deadpool when it came out in 2016, and now the second film will be released in May. The plot is currently unknown, but if this film is anything like the first, fans will love it.

Solo: A Star Wars Story: After Rogue One, many Star Wars fans were hoping to get another stand-alone film, and Disney and LucasFilm did not disappoint. This movie will explain the background of one of the most loved Star Wars characters: Han Solo. The plot is currently unknown, but fans will hopefully love this movie that will be released in May. Unfortunately, Harrison Ford (the original Han Solo) will not be reprising his role, instead, Alden Ehrenreich, a young actor will be taking over.

Ocean’s 8: An all-female remake of the Ocean’s 11 series starring George Clooney and Matt Damon, this movie will be starring Sandra Bullock, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter, and will tell the story of Debbie Ocean, the sister of Danny Ocean (from the original films). This movie will be released in June.

Incredibles 2: The Incredibles is one of Pixar’s many successful films. Once it was made clear that there would be a sequel, fans became excited. This movie will be set right after the first one and will be released in June.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: Back in 2015, when the first Jurassic World was released, fans of the original Jurassic Park were concerned about how it would live up to the legacy of the other movies. After viewing the movie, fans loved it and the movie set box office records. The next film in the series, set to be released in June, will tell of the abandoned park and a volcano that threatens the remaining dinosaurs.

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Another Marvel movie on the list! Ant-Man was one of the more comedic Marvel movies, starring Paul Russ as the titular hero. In the first movie, Ant-Man fought against the Yellow Jacket to save his family. In this film, Ant-Man teams up with the Wasp, his friend from the first film. Ant-Man and The Wasp will be released in July.

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!: A sequel to the classic 2008 movie musical starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried, the second installment of Mamma Mia! has fans of both the movie and the Broadway musical anticipating the July release of this movie.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: Harry Potter fans rejoiced in November 2016 when the long-awaited return to the wizarding world, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was released. Now, nearly two years later, the long-awaited sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald will be released in November.

Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2: Wreck-It Ralph, the Disney movie about video-game characters, was surprisingly sweet and touching. Now, almost six years after the first movie, Disney will be releasing a sequel in November.

Aquaman: When Justice League came out in November of 2017, fans were hesitant to accept the film. Many loved Wonder Woman and Flash but disliked Batman and Superman. Hopefully, Aquaman can swing fans’ opinions in a positive direction when it is released in December.

Mary Poppins Returns: Mary Poppins is a Disney classic and an iconic movie, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. Mary Poppins Returns will star Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, and will also star Broadway actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, and original cast member Dick Van Dyke. Fans of the original movie hope that Emily Blunt will live up to Julie Andrews’ name and that the movie will live up to the original classic. Mary Poppins Returns will be released in December.