Culture Crash: Will 2024 Be A Sleeper Year For Movies?

WELCOME TO CULTURE CRASH, WHERE WE EXAMINE WHAT’S NEW AND OLD IN ENTERTAINMENT.

Now that Awards Season is fully behind us and Dune 2 has been in theaters for a few weeks, many film enthusiasts are nervously wondering what comes next. Because of the prolonged strikes that shut down Hollywood last year, there is a worry that there will be a lack of compelling titles at your local theater in 2024.

But I’m not so sure that’s true. Already this year I’ve been surprised by a movie I wasn’t heavily anticipating that I ended up loving, called Love Lies Bleeding. The Kristen Stewart-starring film is the second movie from writer/director Rose Glass, who was also behind the 2019 film Saint Maud. Love Lies Bleeding is a genre-bending romantic CRIME thriller that tells the story of a gym manager and a bodybuilder who fall in love in 1989. The movie harkens back to crime thrillers like Blood Simple and Bound. Mixing love, crime, and a heavy dose of body horror, Love Lies Bleeding is just the first of many sleeper candidates to become personal favorites this year.

In April alone, there are several movies I’m looking forward to. First up will be Monkey Man, a revenge action thriller from Dev Patel that is being compared to John Wick, about a fighter in Mumbai taking his vengeance on corruption, which is set for release on April 5. On April 12, audiences will get to see Civil War, the next movie from Alex Garland starring Kirsten Dunst about a future dystopian America that has broken into another civil war. Then, on April 26, we’ll get to see Challengers, a love triangle romance movie set in the world of tennis from director Luca Guadagnino and starring Zendaya. 

In May, we’ll see The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, a new Planet of the Apes movie, and Furiosa, the next installment in George Miller’s Mad Max saga. In June, a sequel to Inside Out will hit theaters, followed by a prequel in the A Quiet Place universe.

I could go on and on, but the point is this: 2023 was a great year for movies and 2024 was feared to be a slowdown. But now that the year is under way, we’re seeing plenty of evidence that actually there’s a lot to look forward to at your local cineplex. Just don’t forget the popcorn.