Movies to look forward to in 2021
This year has been a crazy time for the movie industry. Many studios have opted to delay the theatrical releases of their big-budget films amid the uncertainty brought about by the ongoing pandemic. Release dates have been postponed, pushed back, reshuffled and indefinitely delayed more times than we care to keep track of.
With cinema operations restricted worldwide, studios have had to scramble to adapt hybrid models or go straight to streaming only debuts as a strategic response.
Earlier this month, Warner Brothers announced that its entire slate of 2021 films including big-budget hits like Dune, Matrix 4, and Godzilla vs. Kong will stream simultaneously in theaters and HBO Max, a strategy they’ve adopted for the premiere of Wonder Woman 1984 later this month.
I got you something ✨nice✨ this year:
? The biggest movie premieres
? In theaters and on HBO Max the exact same day
? Beginning December 25 with #WonderWoman1984#HBOMax #WBPictures https://t.co/BZgFFRrrg2 pic.twitter.com/J2KBdWd9Tf— HBO Max (@hbomax) December 3, 2020
Need something to look forward to next year? Here are just a few of the movies scheduled to be released in 2021 (subject to more delays and date changes, of course).
Mortal Kombat
- Directed by: Simon McQuoid
- Starring: Ludi Lin, Joe Taslim, Tadanobu Asano, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks, Josh Lawson, Chin Han, and Hiroyuki Sanada
- Release date: January 15, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters and HBO Max
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
- Directed by: Jason Reitman
- Starring: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd
- Release date: March 5, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters
Raya and the Last Dragon
- Directed by: Paul Briggs, Dean Wellins
- Starring: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina
- Release date: March 5, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters and Disney Plus with Premier Access
Morbius
- Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
- Starring: Jared Leto, Jared Harris, Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Tyrese Gibson
- Release date: March 19, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters
F9 (Fast & Furious 9)
- Directed by: Justin Lin
- Starring: Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron, Tyrese Gibson, John Cena, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Lucas Black
- Release date: May 28, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters
No Time To Die
- Directed by: Cary Fukunaga
- Starring: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Rami Malek, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch
- Release date: April 2, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters
A Quiet Place Part II
- Directed by: John Krasinski
- Starring: Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou
- Release date: April 23, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters
Last Night in Soho
- Directed by: Edgar Wright
- Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Thomasin McKenzie, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp
- Release date: April 23, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters
Black Widow
- Directed by: Cate Shortland
- Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz
- Release date: May 7, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters
Godzilla vs. Kong
- Directed by: Adam Wingard
- Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Jessica Henwick, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, and Demián Bichir
- Release date: May 21, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Cruella
- Directed by: Alex Timbers and Craig Gillespie
- Starring: Emma Stone, Joel Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Emma Thompson
- Release date: May 28, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters
Here’s your first look at Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil in Disney’s Cruella. The film, also starring Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Joel Fry, comes to theaters May 28, 2021. #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/fvRntdIVar
— Disney (@Disney) August 24, 2019
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
- Directed by: Michael Chaves
- Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, Julian Hilliard
- Release date: June 4, 2021
- Where to watch: Theaters, with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Top Gun: Maverick
- Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
- Starring: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Val Kilmer, Jay Ellis, Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro
- Release date: July 2, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
- Starring: Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Michelle Yeong, Ronny Chieng, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu
- Release date: July 9, 2021
- Where to watch: Theaters
Production has just wrapped for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and we are excited to share the fantastic cast bringing the film to life.#ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters July 9th, 2021. pic.twitter.com/fnmNP94nrA
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 11, 2020
The Suicide Squad
- Directed by: James Gunn
- Starring: Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney
- Release date: August 6, 2021
- Where to watch: Theaters with simultaneous release on HBO Max
The Beatles: Get Back
- Directed by: Peter Jackson
- Starring: The Beatles (Documetary)
- Release date: August 27, 2021
- Where to watch it: Theaters
Dune
- Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
- Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Zendaya
- Release date: October 1, 2021
- Where to watch: Theaters with simultaneous release on HBO Max
Uncharted
- Directed by: TBD (Ruben Flesicher wanted by Sony)
- Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg
- Release date: October 8, 2021
- Where to watch: Theaters
Fortune favors the bold. #UnchartedMovie pic.twitter.com/HFpePHoiBj
— Uncharted (@unchartedmovie) October 22, 2020
Eternals
- Directed by: Chloé Zhao
- Starring: Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Brian Tyree Henry
- Release date: November 5, 2021
- Where to watch: Theaters
ETERNALS’ has been delayed & will now release on November 5, 2021! pic.twitter.com/IaDqbuwvO3
— ???????? (@ETERNALSnews) September 23, 2020
Mission: Impossible 7
- Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
- Starring: Tom Cruise, Vhing Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson
- Release date: November 19, 2021
- Where to watch: Theaters
Untitled Spider-Man: Far from Home sequel
- Directed by: Jon Watts
- Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Foxx, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alfred Molina
- Release date: December 17, 2021
- Where to watch: Theaters
The Matrix 4
- Directed by: Lana Wachowski
- Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nei Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra
- Release date: December 22, 2021
- Where to watch: Theaters with simultaneous release on HBO Max
The multiple delays in releasing films have had a domino effect on other films in developments causing further indefinited delays. Here are some of the films that have pushed back even further to 2022 or later:
- Black Adam
- Black Panther 2
- Captain Marvel 2
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- John Wick: Chapter 4
- Jurassic World: Dominion
- The Batman
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Untitled Tomb Raider sequel
- Untitled third Fantastic Beasts film
- Untitled fifth Indiana Jones film
- Untitled Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel
- Wicked