Film in 2024: Barbie early awards nods, delayed movies top releases

LONDON — From delayed sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two to the held-up third Deadpool movie, 2024 will see some major movie releases as the industry recovers from this year’s twin Hollywood strikes which halted film production.

Awards season kicks off the year, with smash hit Barbie leading the Golden Globe nominations with nine nods. Historical drama Oppenheimer, which featured in a summer box office clash with Barbie dubbed “Barbenheimer,” has eight nominations.

Gothic comedy Poor Things, which triumphed at the Venice Film Festival, and love story Past Lives are also strong contenders, as is Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, about the 1920s murders of American Indians in Oklahoma.

“It’s early days but … you have already seen that Barbie and Oppenheimer are going neck to neck,” said Leo Barraclough, director of international features at Variety.

“One film that’s come up just recently is Anatomy of a Fall which is the French film that won at Cannes … Past Lives is a favorite with a lot of people and (historical drama) The Zone of Interest is certainly going to be there.”

Among next year’s releases are films pushed back from 2023, like the big-budget Dune sequel and tennis drama Challengers, as studios readjusted schedules because of the four-month long actors’ strike, which ended in November.

Deadpool 3, whose production was halted by the strike, had its release date moved from May 2024 to July 2024.

“There’s a double effect. Firstly, production was held up, so films like Gladiator 2 (have) been delayed in terms of shooting and, so now the release is going to be towards the end of next year,” Mr. Barraclough said.

“Other films got pushed into next year in terms of releases partly because of the need to promote them.”

Also on the 2024 slate are spy movie Argylle, origins story Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, stuntman action flick The Fall Guy, Beetlejuice 2, and sci-fi drama Mickey 17 by Oscar-winning Parasite director Bong Joon-ho.

For younger audiences, family movie releases include Despicable Me 4, Kung Fu Panda 4, and Inside Out 2.

A survey by ticket-seller Fandango showed the top 10 most anticipated 2024 movies were mainly sequels and spin-offs, with Deadpool 3 at No. 1. — Reuters