Entertainment
29 Big Movie Releases Planned For The Rest Of 2016
Walt Disney Studios
The Avengers got in a fight, Dory got a backstory, and animals told a tolerance allegory in Zootopia, but the year in movies isn't over yet. 2016 has seen a lot so far, from Puritan horror stories to live-action Disney remakes, and as the summer movie season comes enters its final lap, I'm looking towards the last few months of the year. The fall and early winter are traditionally stacked with prestige films that studios want fresh in the minds of Academy voters and family movies that do well around the holidays. When the weather mellows out, the movie theater offers plenty of reasons to stay inside, whether you're looking to fill out your Oscar ballot and just be entertained. Keep clicking through to get the skinny on 29 big movies coming out before the end of the year.
Into biopics? Several compelling real-life stories are headed to theaters soon, starring actors like Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton, and Lupita Nyong'o. Ensemble comedies are also squeezing in between the family blockbusters and Oscar favorites. Space travel is a big theme, with Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, and Jeremy Renner all dealing with earth-to-alien relations and other futuristic concerns. And perhaps you've already heard, but there's a group of rebels in the mood to take down the Death Star. Here's what you'll be choosing from at the theater in the next couple of months.
1. 'The Light Between Oceans'
Real life couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander star in an adaptation of the 2012 Australian novel about a childless couple who find a baby. Sep. 2
2. 'Sully'
In 2009, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenburger was hailed as a hero for steering a crashing passenger aircraft into a safe water landing. Tom Hanks dons a mustache and a pair of wings to tell the story of the aftermath. Sep. 9
3. 'Snowden'
This biopic is a likely awards contender. Controversial director Oliver Stone directs Joseph Gordon-Levitt as government whistle-blower Edward Snowden. Sep. 16
4. 'Blair Witch'
This sequel to the low-budget horror phenomenon originally carried the public title The Woods to keep its legacy under wraps. Sep. 16
5. 'The Magnificent Seven'
Training Day director Antoine Fuqua remakes a classic Western with an alpha male cast, including Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, and Chris Pratt. Sep. 23
6. 'Miss Peregine's Home For Peculiar Children'
Tim Burton is perhaps the most peculiar of film directors, so it tracks that he's adapting this delightfully odd young adult novel. Sep. 30
7. 'Masterminds'
Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, Owen Wilson, Leslie Jones and Zach Galifianakis are the A+ comic ensemble on board for this crime comedy based on a real-life caper. Sep. 30
8. 'Queen Of Katwe'
Newcomer Madina Nalwanga plays real-life Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi in a film by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake). Sep. 30
9. 'The Girl On The Train'
I don't want to say that The Girl On The Train is this year's Gone Girl, but The Girl On The Train is this year's Gone Girl. Oct. 7
10. 'The Birth Of A Nation'
It remains to be seen how the recent discussion of the past rape accusations leveled against director Nate Parker and co-writer Jean McGianni Celestin when they were in college will affect the trajectory of this film, but this historical drama about slave rebellion leader Nat Turner wowed at Sundance. Oct. 7
11. 'The Accountant'
A thriller about number-crunching? With Anna Kendrick and Ben Affleck on board, I suppose this has a decent shot at being interesting. Oct. 14
12. 'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back'
Was anyone clamoring for a new Jack Reacher film? It doesn't matter; Tom Cruise is coming for you anyway, in his standard rogue-spy stance. Oct. 21
13. 'Inferno'
Dan Brown's novel Inferno didn't cause quite the stir that its predecessors Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code did; nonetheless, Tom Hanks is back as intrepid symbologist Robert Langdon and has mercifully lost the wig. Oct. 28
14. 'Doctor Strange'
Your next Marvel release is Doctor Strange, with Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch strapping on the comic book sorcerer's cape. Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, and Chiwetel Ejiofor co-star. Nov. 4
15. 'Trolls'
Your Troll dolls are probably languishing in an attic somewhere. Pay tribute to those old friends by seeing the animated musical. It features the voices of Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, whose single "Don't Stop The Feeling" is on the soundtrack. Nov. 4
16. 'Loving'
Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga play real-life couple the Lovings, who challenged laws against interracial marriage. Expect lots of loving for this biopic come Oscar season. Nov. 4
17. 'Arrival'
Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker have mankind's fate in their hands as a group of experts trying to suss out the intentions of a group of interplanetary visitors. Nov. 11
18. 'Nocturnal Animals'
Fashion legend and A Single Man director Tom Ford helms an undoubtedly stylish story-in-a-story thriller. Nov. 18
19. 'Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them'
The Harry Potter series gets its first cinematic spin-off with Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne casting spells as Ministry employee and magical creatures expert Newt Scamander. Nov. 18
20. 'Allied'
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard as sexy spies who get it on during wartime? Take my money, please. Nov. 23
21. 'Moana'
Disney buffs and Hamilton geeks beware. Lin Manuel Miranda composed music for this animated adventure set in the South Pacific. May I remind you that he's one Oscar away from the full EGOT? Nov. 23
22. 'La La Land'
Whiplash director Damien Chazelle takes a sharp left with this dreamy, Hollywood-set musical. Crazy Stupid Love OTP Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone will reunite. Dec. 2
23. 'Office Christmas Party'
Everyone has been to at least one work holiday party that's gotten out of hand. This December, an ensemble cast including Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, TJ Miller, and Kate McKinnon will put every one of those to shame. Dec. 9
24. 'Miss Sloane'
Jessica Chastain is a tireless gun control lobbyist in this political drama by Shakespeare In Love director John Madden. Dec. 9
25. 'The Founder'
The story behind the rise of the McDonald's fast food empire is as murky as a chocolate shake. Michael Keaton plays Roy Kroc, a businessman who basically swiped the McDonald brothers' ideas out from under them. Dec. 16
26. 'Collateral Beauty'
Will Smith leads a cast including Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, and Edward Norton in a fantastical (and still mysterious) drama about a troubled advertising exec. Dec. 16
27. 'Passengers'
Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, two of Hollywood's most celebrated goofballs, get serious as earthlings stranded on another planet. Dec. 21
28. 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
Dare I say, the biggest release of 2016? Felicity Jones stars as Jyn Erso in this original trilogy prequel about the rag-tag group of Rebel Alliance sympathizers who steal the plans for the Death Star. Dec. 16
29. 'Gold'
Syriana filmmaker Stephen Gaghan directs an unrecognizable Matthew McConaughey as a man who seeks his fortune digging for gold in Indonesia. Dec. 25
