Movies That Blew Everyone Away In 2018

In this era of major movie studios earmarking their spots on the release schedule years ahead of time, it isn't uncommon to know about a movie long before it's anywhere near ready to play at your local cineplex — which means it definitely isn't too early to start making box office predictions for the rest of 2018. We've looked over the long list of movies Hollywood has coming your way this year, and while it's impossible to tell ahead of time which releases are really going to be hits and which ones will limp home from the box office in defeat, the odds are definitely better for some than others. Among the dozens of promising projects slated for release this year, here are some of the future blockbusters we're projecting to hit it big, in order of their expected release date. These are the movies that are going to blow everyone away in 2018.

Eli Roth isn't really known for his kid-friendly films, but he's looking to change things up with The House with a Clock in its Walls. Based on the classic children's book by John Bellairs, this Gothic fright flick tells the story of a 10-year-old boy (Owen Vaccaro) who's sent to live in a quiet Michigan town with uncle (Jack Black)...who turns out to be a warlock. There's also a witch next door, plus an apocalyptic clock (hidden in the walls, of course), and things get especially tricky when our hero resurrects a very evil being. This spooky movie will also star Cate Blanchett and Kyle Maclachlan, and it's set to scare kids on September 21.

Wandering through a haunted attraction is good, hokey fun, but what if one of those masked workers frightening the customers turned out to be a murderer? That's the plot of Hell Fest, a fright flick directed by Gregory Plotkin, the guy who made Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension and edited Get Out and Happy Death Day. Hell Fest follows a group of friends who visit the titular haunted house and find themselves the victims of a psychopathic killer. This guy is offing his victims with everything from knives to guillotines, and the police are no help because it's hard to convince the cops those bloody bodies aren't part of the show. Hell Fest stars a group young actors including Amy Forsyth, Reign Edwards, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Christian James, Roby Attal, Matt Mercurio, and the Candyman himself, Tony Todd. If you're looking for a good scare, Hell Fest opens its doors on September 28.

While his films don't usually get a lot of attention from mainstream audiences, director David Lowery has been on a low-key roll since 2013, with movies like Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Pete's Dragon, and A Ghost Story. Now, Lowery is reteaming with Pete's Dragon star Robert Redford for The Old Man and the Gun, the amazing true story of Forrest Tucker, a 71-year-old crook who escaped from prison and robbed bank after bank. Naturally, Redford will be playing the septuagenarian scoundrel, a man that everyone—even the people he's stealing from—describes as incredibly polite. Sissy Spacek will play his love interest, and Casey Affleck will star as the cop determined to bring him down. The Old Man and the Gun is also rumored to be Redford's last film, and as he became a star courtesy of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, it's only fitting that he ends his legendary career playing a bank robber.

A Star is Born has already been to the big screen on multiple occasions. There was the 1937 version with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, the 1954 movie with Judy Garland and James Mason, and then the 1976 film with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. Now, Warner Bros. is giving it another go, only this time, the movie will focus on country music, and it'll feature some rather unique actors.

Bradley Cooper will play Jackson Maine, musician whose glory days are behind him, but on the way down, he meets a talented woman named Ally (played by, believe it or not, Lady Gaga). The two quickly fall in love, but Jackson sees a lot of potential in Ally and helps her achieve fame and fortune. But as his love interest becomes an international celebrity, Jackson starts suffering his own insecurities and jealousies.

Supporting Cooper and Gaga, we've got a rather eclectic collection of actors like Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, and Dave Chappelle. On top of that, the man behind the camera is Cooper himself, making A Star is Born the actor's first attempt at directing. To capture that authentic feel, the production has been filming at actual music festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury, and better still, Gaga is writing the music for the film. The movie hits theaters on October 5, and honestly, we're pretty excited to see Germanotta tackle her first role as leading lady.

Sony's plans for a Spider-Man cinematic universe, including Sinister Six and Venom movies, seemed to hit the skids when the studio abandoned its Andrew Garfield-led Amazing Spider-Man franchise in favor of another reboot, teaming up with Marvel for joint custody of the character's film rights and putting Tom Holland in the web-slinger's duds.

While the Sinister Six movie might still be dead, Venom is officially back on the schedule: the alien symbiote anti-hero is now slated to sling his way into theaters on Oct. 5, 2018, with Tom Hardy in the title role. Sony has a script in hand from Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, both of whom boast experience with different versions of the Spider-Man franchise. Rosenberg did uncredited work on the first installment in Sam Raimi's trilogy, while Pinkner had a hand in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. But now their draft is being updated by Kelly Marcel, who's best known for adapting the screenplay for Fifty Shades of Grey.

Directing duties have fallen to Ruben Fleischer of Zombieland. Better still, told Collider that he would appear "in a little fraction of the movie," and the film will also star Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams, and Jenny Slate. As for the plot, Tom Hardy recently revealed the film is inspired by the six-issue series entitled Venom: Lethal Protector, where the supervillain is trying to avoid a vengeful father and a shady organization that wants to turn him into a science project. There also rumors we might finally get to see Carnage (keep an eye on Harrelson), and with this much talent involved, there's (hopefully) no way this will end up like Venom's last appearance on the silver screen.

Ready for a violent showdown between Thor, the Dude, Anastasia Steele, and Don Draper? Well, prepare yourself, because Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson, and Jon Hamm are starring in Bad Times at the El Royale, and that title alone sounds like we're in for straight-up sleazy awesomeness.

The movie will be written and directed by Drew Goddard—the guy who directed The Cabin in the Woods and adapted the screenplay for The Martian—and while plot details are scarce, we know the story is set in the '60s and involves a bunch of crooks who wind up at a Lake Tahoe hotel. There's a bank robbery, a cult leader, and a mysterious organization spying on the hotel guests. And according to Variety, "Over the course of one eventful night, each of these shady characters is offered a shot at redemption—that is, before everything goes to hell."

The movie also stars Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman, Cynthia Erivo, and Lewis Pullman. Plus, there were early reports that a major A-list star might show up. He's not listed in the IMDb credits, so we're unsure if he's since dropped out or if his involvement might be a major spoiler. Regardless, we're pretty excited to watch these unsavory characters go head-to-head on October 5.

After the smashing success of La La Land, it looks like Ryan Gosling and Damien Chazelle will be joining forces again for First Man. But don't expect any dance routines or musical numbers this time around. Instead of singing "City of Stars," Gosling will be shooting for the moon.

First Man will tell the story of the Space Race, with Gosling playing Neil Armstrong, the guy who made history in 1969. Along with Gosling, Corey Stoll will be playing Buzz Aldrin, Lukas Haas will be playing Mike Collins (the third guy inside Apollo 11), and the cast will be rounded out by Kyle Chandler, Claire Foy, Pablo Schreiber, and Jon Bernthal.

Of course, Chazelle isn't the only Oscar winner involved in the project. The screenplay comes courtesy of Josh Singer, who worked on The West Wing, wrote The Post, and won a little gold statue for Spotlight. In other words, the film is in incredibly capable hands, so we can't wait for First Man to finally launch on October 12. T-minus several months and counting...

The Halloween franchise has had a pretty rocky history, but despite the unintentional horrors of its many inferior sequels, the first film is just as unsettling today as it was in 1978. Will any film ever top the original as far as slasher scares go? Danny McBride and David Gordon Green are certainly going to try. And while the duo have previously worked together on comedies like Your Highness and the TV series Vice Principals, they promise their new take on Michael Myers will be almost 100 percent horror.

Starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, the latest entry in the franchise will ignore every film except for the original. And according to Collider, the project has John Carpenter's approval. Jason Blum of Blumhouse (the company behind Split and Get Out) is producing, and the incredible Judy Greer is also starring, playing Laurie Strode's daughter. Gordon and McBride's version is supposedly going to be the last Halloween movie ever, but just like Michael Myers, we suspect the series will eventually come back to life. This is one franchise that's impossible to kill, but either way, we have high hopes for Michael Myers' upcoming reign of terror.

Not to be confused with Disney's animated 1967 classic, Jon Favreau's live-action version from 2016, or the slew of other adaptations inspired by Rudyard Kipling's classic tale, Andy Serkis' version of The Jungle Book—officially known as Mowgli—promises to be much closer to the source material than any other film. Speaking with Screen Rant, Serkis—who's directing—explained his film "is made for an older audience....It's darker, it's much closer to Rudyard Kipling's books, the tone of Rudyard Kipling's book."

And since this is Andy Serkis were talking about, expect a lot of motion capture. Serkis will star as Baloo, Benedict Cumberbatch will play Shere Khan, Cate Blanchett will star as Kaa, and Christian Bale will appear as Bagheera. Every actor will be performing both the voice and the movements, and the film was shot on location in South Africa. Plus, the movie just might make a star out Rohan Chand (Bad Words, Jack and Jill), who will be learning the laws of the jungle as Mowgli.

Based on the novel by Patrick deWitt, The Sisters Brothers features one of the most impressive casts in recent memory, all trying to kill one another. Set in the Old West, the story follows the titular brothers—who make their living killing people—as they're sent to hunt down a chemist who's stolen a formula that reveals the location of gold. The gunslinging siblings are played by Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly, Riz Ahmed plays their prey, and Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a miner caught in the middle. Plus, there's Rutger Hauer and Carol Kane. This quirky-looking comedy was directed by Jacques Audiard, a French filmmaker best known for his prison drama, A Prophet (a film you should watch right now if you haven't seen it yet). The movie promises to ride into theaters this fall, and we can't wait to see these four actors try to murder each other with old-timey six-shooters.

Disney is releasing their next live-action fantasy just in time for Thanksgiving. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is set to dance into cinemas on November 2, complete with gorgeous sets, elaborate costumes, and quite a few familiar faces. Inspired by E.T.A. Hoffman's story, the plot follows a young girl named Clara (Mackenzie Foy) who winds up in a strange world of talking nutcrackers, otherworldly beings, intimidating toy soldiers, and some scary rodents. Along the way, she'll encounter a sugar plum fairy that looks like Keira Knightley, a mysterious old man who resembles Morgan Freeman, and a villainous dictator who shares a certain similarity to Helen Mirren. The script will be written by Ashleigh Powell, the film will be directed by Lasse Hallstrom (What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat), and as promised by the trailer, we can expect this beloved legend to pirouette in a dark direction.

With his flawless voice and sexy swagger, Freddie Mercury is one of the greatest rock stars in music history, so it was only a matter of time before somebody turned his life into a movie. In fact, a biopic has been in the works since 2010, but the film hit multiple roadblocks along the way, including losing its original star (Sacha Baron Cohen) and a director (Bryan Singer).

But now, Bohemian Rhapsody is set for a 2018 release date, with Rami Malek of Mr. Robot playing the Queen frontman. In addition to Malek's own voice, the film will capture Mercury's unique vocal range with the help of singer Marc Martel and sound bites from Mercury himself. As for the director, after Singer left, the movie was finished by Dexter Fletcher of Eddie the Eagle, but Singer will still get sole director credit. It's taken eight long years for Bohemian Rhapsody to get here, and when the film hits theaters on November 2, it promises it will rock you.

What's more evil than a Nazi? How about a zombie Nazi? That's pretty evil, and it looks like these undead Germans will be goose-staggering into theaters on November 9, when Bad Robot releases Overlord. For a long time, people suspected that Overlord might be part of the Cloverfield universe, but according to J.J. Abrams, this World War II horror outing is its own beast. (Of course, Abrams does have a habit of handing out fake info when it comes to twists.) As for the plot, we know that a group of American GIs storm a Nazi compound only to find some undead shenanigans going down. Directed by Julius Avery, Overlord stars Jovan Adepo (Fences, The Leftovers, mother!) and Wyatt Russell (Cold in July, 22 Jump Street, Everybody Wants Some!!), and it's got some serious John Carpenter vibes going on, from the flamethrowers to the monsters lurking around a labyrinthine compound. Here's hoping Overlord has a bit of that crazy Carpenter magic, too.

No, apparently we have not seen the last of Dr. Seuss' Christmas-stealing character. While Jim Carrey's turn as the holiday-hating beast was enough to satisfy the live-action crowd (for now, at least), Universal Pictures is rebooting the animated side of the story by way of co-directors Pete Candeland and Yarrow Cheney, with Benedict Cumberbatch lending his vocals to the title role.

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter spinoff series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is on deck for its second installment, following Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and his pals on another adventure in the world of witchcraft and wizardry. Only this time, Scamander is leaving behind the U.S. and heading across the Atlantic, sailing for Paris. So why is he going to France? Well, according to Variety, the sequel will feature a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) who instructs our hero to chase down and apprehend Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), a villainous wizard guilty of magical crimes. Controversy aside, the film promises to begin the battle for the ages between the esteemed professor and his former bestie-gone-rogue.

We've had Errol Flynn, Kevin Costner, and an animated fox. And now it looks like Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Eddie the Eagle, Sing) will don Robin Hood's trademark green tights. Working with director Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror) Egerton is bringing the outlaw archer back to the silver screen, although his version won't be quite as merry as the ones we've seen before.

Written by Joby Harold (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword), Robin Hood is going to be like a medieval version of Batman Begins, showing us how Robin of Locksley became Great Britain's most famous bandit. According to Deadline, the movie will take place after Robin returns home from the Crusades only to find that Sherwood Forest is now "rife with corruption and evil." Naturally, Robin decides to form a Saxon supergroup and fight the powers that be, only his war against the crown will have a "Dark Knight tone." In fact, Jamie Foxx—who's playing Little John—says the movie "looks like you're watching Zero Dark Thirty."

Taking Robin Hood in a dark direction is certainly an interesting choice, and with the winning combo of Egerton and Foxx, the upcoming action flick could be one of 2018's most exciting movies. Plus, Ben Mendelsohn—the greatest character actor alive today—is playing the Sheriff of Nottingham. Rounding out the cast, we've got Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlett, Eve Hewson as Maid Marian, and Tim Minchin as Friar Tuck.

Arcade-style animated video game movies have been a mixed bag at the box office in recent years, but Disney's Wreck-It Ralph was a commercial and critical success that found a way to entertain kids and parents nostalgic for the 8-bit era. The sequel has Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz entering the world of the Internet where they stumble upon a Disney-owned site and encounter Iron Man, C-3PO, and a whole host of Disney princesses, from Jasmine and Ariel to Pocahontas and Moana. Of course, the whole princess scene will be a parody of these characters, so expect a slightly different Cinderella from the one you're used to.

Rich Moore and Phil Johnston, who wrote the original script for Wreck-It Ralph, will share directing duties. "Our production team has been hard at work designing a world that takes something we all know– the Internet– but shows it in a whole new, imaginative way," said Rich Moore in a press release. "We're so excited to be working with Ralph, Vanellope von Schweetz, Fix-It Felix, and Sergeant Calhoun again, and we have new characters we look forward to unveiling," added Johnston. It's probably safe to expect a lot of emojis, plus expect to hear a character voiced by Taraji P. Henson, an actress who makes any movie ten times more awesome.

Robert Zemeckis has created some truly classic movies over the course of his career—e.g. Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit—and now he's adding another title to his impressive filmography. Inspired by the 2010 documentary Marwencol, Zemeckis will tell the story of Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell), a crossdresser who was brutally assaulted by a group of thugs. Suffering from brain damage and PTSD, he coped with his attack by constructing a miniature World War II village in his backyard and concocting elaborate stories with his town full of dolls.

According to Deadline, this project is "about how artistic imagination can restore the human spirit," and in addition to Carell, it'll star Gwendoline Christie as Hogencamp's caretaker and Diane Kruger as a Belgian witch (one of Hogencamp's characters come to life). The film will also feature Leslie Mann and Janelle Monae, and it's scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 21. In the meantime, you can do a little research on the real-life story by checking out the trailer for the original documentary or reading about Hogancamp's life.

Ever since he first appeared back in 2011, Marvel fans have desperately wanted to see Miles Morales get his own Spider-Man movie. And now, seven years later, it looks like all their arachnid dreams are about to come true. On December 14, 2018, Sony plans on releasing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, an animated adventure following the young web-slinger as he fights crime.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller of The Lego Movie are credited as executive producers, and Lord penned the screenplay, so expect to see his unique brand of humor swinging across the screen. And as for the voice talent, we've got Shameik Moore (The Get Down, Dope) as Miles, Liev Schreiber as an unknown villain, and Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali as Miles' uncle, Aaron Davis.

In addition to the cast, the animation looks pretty incredible, with flashes of comic book panels mixed with beautiful neon images that—as pointed out by Matthew Dessem of Slate—evoke "the Shanghai sequence in Skyfall." On top of all that, the trailer promises that Miles won't be the only Spider-Man trying to clean up the Big Apple...or the multi-verse, for that matter.

Four years after leaving Middle-earth, Peter Jackson is adapting another fantasy series: Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. Only this time, Jackson is producing, and Christian Rivers will be sitting in the director's chair. Rivers has been working with Jackson since 1992, graduating from storyboard artist all the way to feature filmmaker, and won an Oscar for his visual effects work on King Kong. This will be his first time directing (not counting his work as a second unit director). And he's taken on quite a project as Mortal Engines is an epic tale about mobile cities chasing each other across a Mad Max-style world. This steampunk story follows an assassin (Hester Shaw) who teams up with a museum apprentice (Robert Sheehan) to stop a warlord and his enormous car, which just so happens to be the entire city of London on wheels. It's a pretty unique plot, and we can't wait to see what the film has in store when it rumbles onto movie screens on December 14.

Author P.L. Travers might be rolling in her grave over this one, but there's reason to believe the new installment of the Mary Poppins story could recapture some of the magic of the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious nanny and her now-grown charges. Emily Blunt stars in the title role, with Emily Mortimer, Ben Whishaw, and Colin Firth in supporting roles. Lin-Manuel Miranda is playing a lamplighter named Jack, Angela Lansbury will show up, and Meryl Streep will appear as Mary Poppins' cousin. And perhaps most interestingly, Dick Van Dyke will return in a new role. If you'll recall, van Dyke played two parts in the original film, including an elderly banker named Mr. Dawes. This time around, van Dyke is set to star as Mr. Dawes Jr., which is a nice little touch and a great way to bring back to the legendary comedian. Let's just hope his British accent is better this time around.

The introduction of Arthur "Aquaman" Curry in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was but a taste of what's to come from Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as the trident-wielding hero, who'll embrace his destiny as the heir to the kingdom of Atlantis by stretching his sea legs ... and some brute strength. Director James Wan (Furious 7) helms the watery actioner that will follow Curry's life from boyhood to kinghood. The plot follows the fish-whispering Curry—son of a human lighthouse keeper (Temuera Morrison) and Atlantean queen (Nicole Kidman)—as he squares off against his warmongering half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson). Along the way, he'll have to deal with the laser-blasting Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), as well as a group of flesh-hungry monsters. Rounding out the cast, we've got Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, and Willem Dafoe are also on deck to star and Nicole Kidman will be playing Curry's mom, while Dolph Lundgren will show up as a powerful Atlantean king. We're getting a film with both Ivan Drago and Khal Drogo, which might be way too much muscle for one movie to handle.

The Transformers franchise has been a Hollywood juggernaut for 11 years, but now the series is going in a new and exciting direction. For the first time since 2007, Michael Bay is stepping away from the director's chair. He's being replaced by Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings), and as a result, we're getting a Transformers movie with a completely new feel. Set in the 1980s, Bumblebee is a prequel following the most adorable Autobot as he takes the form of a Volkswagen bug and meets Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), a California teenager looking to start a new life. The two form a fast friendship, but they're forced to go on the run as Bumblebee is being pursued by the US government and a dastardly Decepticon. The trailer promises to bring a bit of heart to the explosion-packed Transformers universe, and we'll see what the future of the franchise looks like come December 21.

According to the Guinness World Records, Sherlock Holmes is "the most portrayed literary human character in film & TV," with over 250 appearances on both the big and small screen. (They added "human" because Dracula takes the overall prize with more than 270 appearances.) And that number is only going to get bigger thanks to Will Ferrell: the famous funnyman is set to play the world's greatest detective in the upcoming comedy Holmes and Watson, starring alongside his frequent co-star John C. Reilly.

As you've probably guessed, Reilly will be playing Holmes' faithful sidekick, Dr. Watson, making it the third time the two comedians have worked together. Filmmaker Etan Coen—the guy who co-wrote Idiocracy and Tropic Thunder—is both penning and directing the project, so expect more chuckles than actual crime-solving.

Rounding out the cast, we've got Hugh Laurie as Sherlock's brother Mycroft, and Kelly Macdonald will be playing the detective's landlady, Mrs. Hudson. Familiar faces like Rebecca Hall, Lauren Lapkus, and Rob Brydon will show up, and the inimitable Ralph Fiennes will star as (who else?) Sherlock's archenemy Professor Moriarty. While we don't know exact details about the plot, expect to see Reilly, Ferrell, and that iconic deerstalker in action on December 21.