This Month’s Top Picks Include A Little Something For Everyone, From Action And Horror To Comedy And Sci-Fi Thrills, Not To Mention A Musical.
Ah, January. A time for fresh starts, reactivated gym memberships, and, generally speaking, bad movies. Except that last part isn’t as true as it was once upon a time, as studios are gradually realizing moviegoers will show up to theaters during any season, if you just give them something good to watch. Enter this month’s top selections, which include a little something for everyone, including action, horror, and even a musical. With all of that in mind, Happy New Year, and here are the five most anticipated movies arriving in January 2024!
No. 1
The Beekeeper (2024)
These days, Jason Statham essentially trades in broody action dramas, slick action comedies, and some stuff in between. With action, of course. We challenge you to watch the trailer above and tell us where you think The Beekeeper falls. No? Then all you have to know is that Statham plays a beekeeper (of course) who takes on a scam call center, only to discover the money can be traced all the way to the top. It’s a mix of a standard revenge film and the “seemingly ordinary loner with a mysterious, violent past” idea, and it’s decidedly right within Statham’s wheelhouse. Plus, its eclectic supporting cast includes people like Jeremy Irons (playing the baddie), Josh Hutcherson, and Minnie Driver, with a script penned by Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium, Expend4bles) and director David Ayer (Fury, Suicide Squad) at the helm. Put all of that together and it probably makes sense how this one shot all the way to the top of all of our social media polls.
No. 2
Night Swim (2024)
January has become fertile ground for horror films in particular, with the recent success of Scream and M3GAN, the latter of which was produced by James Wan’s Atomic Monster and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse. Wan and Blum team up again for Night Swim, which has a pretty simple premise: A family moves into a new home and discovers something evil lurks in their backyard pool. It remains to be see how one can squeeze an entire hour and a half out of that, but at the very least, the film boasts recently Oscar-nominated Kerry Condon and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters star Wyatt Russell among its leads, and people are clearly excited to discover what exactly is going splash in the night here.
No. 3
Mean Girls (2024)
Coming in just behind Night Swim is this film adaptation of the stage musical adaptation of the 2004 Tina Fey-scripted comedy Mean Girls. The role of nice girl-turned-mean girl-turned-nice girl again, originally played by Lindsay Lohan, goes to Angourie Rice here, while Rachel McAdams’ Regina George is now played by Reneé Rapp, who also played the character on Broadway. Fey also returns to play Ms. Norbury, while Tim Meadows reprises his role as Mr. Duvall. The original film was a celebrated classic (which is, of course, why it got a stage musical adaptation in the first place), and if you thought re-adapting it for the big screen again in game of entertainment Telephone was a risky idea, there are still plenty of people who are eager to check it out.
No. 4
68% The Book of Clarence (2023)
Speaking of splashes, writer-director Jeymes Samuel made a big one in 2021 with his stylish Western The Harder They Fall, and he follows that up with this tongue-in-cheek take on the biblical epic. LaKeith Stanfield stars as the titular Clarence, a first-century huckster in Jerusalem who, inspired by the rise of Jesus Christ, sees a road to wealth and glory by claiming he is another Messiah sent by God. The cast is full of big names like Alfre Woodard, David Oyelowo, Teyana Taylor, Omar Sy, and James McAvoy as Pontius Pilate. It probably would have made more sense to release this closer to Easter — maybe that would have been too bold — but it hasn’t dampened fan anticipation for it this month.
No. 5
62% I.S.S. (2023)
There was a sharp drop-off of interest after The Book of Clarence, and the film that won the fifth spot on our list is this sci-fi psychological thriller. Set aboard the International Space Station (as the title indicates), the story centers on two teams of astronauts — one American and one Russian — who find themselves at odds with each other as they witness a large-scale global conflict erupt back on Earth. The cast is led by Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, and Pilou Asbæk, and it’s directed by Gabriela Coperthwaite, who has had success with both documentaries (Blackfish) and narrative films (Megan Leavey, Our Friend), so it’s got a pretty decent pedigree behind it, and there are enough folks interested in it to get it onto this list.
