35 Sci-Fi Movies Coming To Theaters In 2015

If you thought 2014 was a feast of sci-fi, 2015 is going to blow you away. All in, there are well over 30 sci-fi movies scheduled for release, ranging from wacky indies like Predestination, to huge movie events like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the conclusion of The Hunger Games.We have updated the list to include a number of promising Indie Sci-Fi movies who, after a successful festival circuit, secured distribution and locked down release dates. There's also an updated release date for Oren Peli's Area 51, and we're hoping that the US gets a release date for the Monty Python/Simon Pegg Sci-Fi comedy, Absolutely Anything.

January

Predestination - January 9th

[Credit: Sony Pictures]

When The Spierig Brothers' time traveling adventure, Predestination, debuted at SXSW 2014, it won positive reviews from the plethora of doubting critics in attendance. Ethan Hawke stars as a Temporal Agent who travels back in time to catch a renowned terrorist known as 'The Fizzle Bomber,' and while the story has been criticized as being a tad convoluted, the action and pacing of the movie is going to be off the charts. Predestination should start 2015 off with a bang.

Project Almanac - January 30th

[Credit: Paramount Pictures]

Time travel for the new generation, Project Almanac will follow a group of predictably good-looking teens as they discover a the blueprint to build a time machine. As teens are wont to do, the group use the time machine to undo trivial mistakes from their past, but the more they meddle, the more things spiral out of control.

Alien Outpost - January 30th

[Credit: Altitude Film Entertainment]

If B movie alien invasion drama sounds like the cure for the winter blues, Alien Outpost (previously titled Outpost 37) could be your ticket.

February

Jupiter Ascending - February 6th

[Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures]

After a muted reception during research screenings dampened its Summer 2014 box office prospects, Jupiter Ascending had its release date pushed back from a prime July 2014 blockbuster slot to February 2015. This delay allowed Warner Bros to more comfortably refine the visual effects, a factor which will be essential to the space opera's critical and audience reception, and make a few minor tweaks to the overall production based on audience feedback. The delay certainly seemed to do some good too, with the latest round of trailers appearing far more enticing than the confused offerings that came earlier in 2014. As the first big-budget movie of 2015, Jupiter Ascending has the chance to set the tone for the year, but whether or not it can live up to its huge $175 million budget remains to be seen.

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 - February 20th

[Credit: Paramount Pictures]

Time travel is clearly the buzz theme of Hollywood for 2015, and Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke are returning to take advantage of the trend with Hot Tub Time Machine 2. This time, Lou has been lording it up in the past when things take a sharp turn downhill, prompting his pals to fire up the Hot Tub one more time in an attempt to get back to the past and save him. Adam Scott and Gillian Jacobs also star.

March

Chappie - March 6th

[Credit: Columbia Pictures]

We were disappointed by Elysium, Neill Blomkamp's follow-up to the excellent District 9, but we remain hopeful that the South African director can return to form with the intriguing sci-fi project, Chappie. Starring Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Dev Patel, and of course, Sharlto Copley, Chappie follows a brilliant child who is kidnapped by criminals at birth. The fact that he's a robot makes Chappie no less adorable.

The Divergent Series: Insurgent - March 20th

[Credit: Lionsgate]

The second entry in the popular Divergent sci-fi series, Insurgent sees Tris and Four on the run from Jeanine's Erudite elite, but why the Erudite are so desperate to hunt her down remains a mystery to Tris. Divergent didn't exactly set the world alight, and if the books are anything to go by, the subsequent movies face an uphill battle if they are going to succeed in anything other than the locked-in box office dollars.

Home - March 27th

[Credit: Dreamworks]

Dreamworks takes on the alien invasion genre with 'Home,' starring Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons and Rihanna. Parsons plays Oh, an outcast from an alien race known as the Boov who finds himself on Earth and befriending a woman called Tip (Rihanna) after one mistake too many on his home planet. When the Boov come to Earth in the name of conquest, it's up to Oh and Tip to try and smooth things over.

April



Ex Machina - April 10th

[Credit: A24]

Definitely one of the most exciting prospects of the year, Ex Machina is directed by Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine) and stars the brilliant Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson. Gleeson plays a brilliant computer programmer who wins a competition to spend a week with his reclusive CEO, played by Isaac. Upon his arrival the competition winner discovers that he is to assess a unique artificial intelligence in a Turing Test. That A.I., played by Alicia Vikander, proves itself to be more powerful than anybody imagined.

May



Avengers: Age of Ultron - May 1st

[Credit: Marvel]

Joss Whedon and the Avengers make their long-awaited return in one of the biggest movie events of the year. Joining the original cast are the likes of Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver, and James Spader as the titular Ultron. With all the excitement generated by Marvel's movie line-up announcement, Age of Ultron takes on another dimension as it won't just be the continuation of an already-massive franchise, but the lead-in to a whole new phase of Marvel box office generation. Expect this to set records when it kickstarts a busy period of summer sci-fi blockbusters.





Maggie - May 8th





Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin star in this surprisingly heartfelt zombie thriller. Schwarzenegger plays Wade, the loving father of Maggie (Breslin), a teenage girl who is bitten by a zombie during a worldwide epidemic. As Maggie's slow descent into a zombified state begins, Wade stays by her side looking to keep her from danger despite the risks to his own health. Since hitting the festival circuit, Maggie has garnered largely positive reviews, with many singling out a fantastic performance from Schwarzenegger as one of the highlights of the movie. Maggie may well be the change of pace you need after watching Avengers: Age of Ultron and preparing for the insanity that is Mad Max: Fury Road.





Area 51 - May 15th





If you're a conspiracy theories and a fan of found-footage style horror movies, May 15th is going to feel a bit like Christmas for you, because that's the day that, after a long, long wait, Oren Peli's Area 51 will finally be released. Peli's movie follows three young conspiracy theorists who embark on a naive mission to uncover the mystery behind America's most-famous 'top-secret' facility. What happens next will make them wish they had stuck to just talking about Area 51 on the internet.

Mad Max: Fury Road - May 15th

[Credit: Village Roadshow Pictures]

When news of a new Mad Max movie first arrived, it wasn't met with a great deal of excitement. However, the casting announcements and subsequent trailers have turned this from an unwanted continuation of a classic sci-fi franchise to a must-see movie event. Tom Hardy stars as the titular hero, but it was the transformation of supporting actors Nicholas Hoult and Charlize Theron that struck most people, with the pair appearing with shaved heads and some impressive body art.

Tomorrowland - May 22nd

[Credit: Disney]

Not much is known about Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof's big-budget Disney adventure, but during a panel at the 2014 New York Comic Con, we were treated to an early preview of one of footage from the movie as well as the first teaser trailer. What we saw had all the whimsy and gloss you would expect from a Disney production, but with a slightly grittier sci-fi aesthetic. While the beef of the storyline may still be a mystery, we do know roughly what to expect. Britt Robertson stars as a rebellious but bright young teen who teams up with a grouchy genius (George Clooney) to uncover the secrets of a mysterious world known only as Tomorrowland. Expect plenty of dimension hopping, wacky transactions and a standout performance from up and comer, Robertson.





June

Jurassic World - June 12th

[Credit: Universal Pictures]

The archaeologically inaccurate blockbuster franchise is back with an all-new cast including man of the hour, Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Judy Greer. 22 years after John Hammond's failed vision of a dinosaur theme park, Isla Nubar has now been playing host to a fully operational park for 10 years, but with visitor numbers falling the owners have devised a new attraction...new species of genetically modified dinosaurs. The shots of Chris Pratt teaming up with pet Velociraptors did seem a little cheesy, but it's impossible to imagine this movie failing when it comes to the box office.

July

Terminator: Genisys - July 1st

[Credit: Disney]

2015 takes another dip into a classic sci-fi franchise with the continuation of the Terminator story. Eyebrows were raised when Genisys was announced as the tagline for Alan Taylor's movie, but poor spelling would pale into insignificance when the movie's preposterous timeline was announced. Set in 2029, John Connor is still leading the resistance against Skynet, but he fears that a new future is emerging and realizes that the war will need to be fought both in the past and the future. Connor sends Kyle Reese back in time to save his mother, Sarah, and ensure his creation. It's at this point things get really messed up with multiple T-800's, a T-1000 and a lack of narrative consistency all vying to screw this franchise's canon recognition. If this movie makes any sense to you when you watch it, you deserve a scholarship at MIT.

Ant-Man - July 17th

[Credit: Marvel]

It's safe to say that, at present, Marvel simply don't know how to fail. Guardians of the Galaxy defied many predictions to become a huge success and the MCU behemoth continues to trundle along knocking aside all who cross it. However, in July 2015, Marvel faces another potentially studio-defining moment in the form of Ant-Man. Fans were initially jumping for joy when they discovered that Shaun of the Dead director, Edgar Wright, would be directing the adaptation of the Ant-Man comics, but when Wright left because of creative differences, the entirety of Marvel fandom released a collective fidget of nervousness. Peyton Reed took over directorial proceedings and it's still hard to imagine that, despite all the ups and downs, Ant-Man won't be a success.

Pixels - July 24th

[Credit: Columbia Pictures]

Based on a short film by Patrick Jean, Pixels has a storyline so wacky it belongs in the era in which most of its video game stars were created. Adam Sandler, Peter Dinklage, and Josh Gad star as a trio of video game nerds who are recruited by the President of the United States (a high school friend of Sandler's character) to combat an alien invasion which was triggered when extraterrestrials misinterpreted classic video games as a declaration of war. The invasion comes in the form of some of the most iconic video game characters of all time... Pac Man has never been so terrifying.

Selfless - July 31st

Ryan Reynolds has already done one body-swapping movie, but Selfless looks likely to take on a far darker tone than The Change-Up, which isn't surprising when you consider it's being directed by Tarsem Singh, the man who brought us The Cell and The Fall. Also starring Sir Ben Kingsley, Michelle Dockery, and Matthew Goode, Selfless sees a wealthy billionaire attempt to secure immortality by implanting his consciousness into the body of a younger man. The experiment soon takes a turn for the worse when the man starts to experience disturbing visions which reveal the origins of the body he now possesses.

August

Fantastic Four - August 7th



Is there room in a market already saturated with comic book movies for a reboot of The Fantastic Four? Can director Josh Trank and stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, and Michael B. Jordan right the wrongs of the 2005 and 2007 movies? Come August 7th, these answers should be forthcoming, and Fox will desperately be hoping they both come in the form of an affirmative. If it is a success, a new franchise worthy of the Fantastic Four stories will be underway, and a huge gap in the new era of comic book movies will be filled.





Z for Zachariah - August 21st

-Based on the acclaimed novel from Robert C. O'Brien, Z for Zachariah follows a young woman who believes she is the last to survive a nuclear apocalypse, only to discover that two men with mysterious intentions have survived as well. The book was praised by critics for exploring the potential destructiveness of scientific endeavor, and the film, which stars Margot Robbie, Chris Pine, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, will hopefully live up to the loftiness of its source material.



September

Kitchen Sink - September 4th

[Credit: Teaser Trailer]

A movie that initially found its way onto the 2010 blacklist, Kitchen Sink follows events in the town of Dillford where humans, vampires and zombies live among each other with a constant lack of harmony. When the town becomes the subject of an alien invasion, a trio of teens including Vanessa Hudgens and Ed Westwick must unite their warring families and bring normality back to Dillford. Kind of sounds like Chicken Little for young adults.

The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials - September 18th

[Credit: 20th Century Fox]

The Maze Runner was considered a moderate success when it hit theaters in 2014, but unlike it's YA counterpart, Divergent, this series actually becomes more interesting with each book. If it can retain a decent fan base and play up to the source material's strong points in the marketing material, Scorch Trials could very well improve on its predecessor's performance. But that's a pretty big 'if.'

October

The Martian - October 2nd

[Credit: Crown Publishing Group]

Update - The Martian has been moved to October 2nd from its original November 25th release to avoid The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt.2.

This is truly one to look forward to for sci-fi fans. We're huge fans of Andy Weir's gripping tale of Martian survival, and the prospect of seeing it come to life on the big screen is a mouth-watering one. Matt Damon stars as an astronaut who is separated from his crew during a mission on the surface of Mars. As his colleagues are forced to evacuate because of the violent Martian storm, the astronaut embarks on a mission of survival that will surely look spectacular on screen. Oh, and did we mention it's directed by Ridley Scott?

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse - October 30th

[Credit: Big Issue]

David Koechner is a Scout leader who must organize his troop to battle a swarm of zombies. The story centers around 3 members of the troop who discover that battling zombies and saving your town is the perfect way to cement a friendship.

November

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt.2 - November 20th

[Credit: Lionsgate]

It's Thanksgiving, which means its time for another installment of the all-conquering YA dystopia, The Hunger Games. If you weren't impressed by the lack of action in Mockingjay Pt.1, Pt.2 should be your remedy as the rebellion looks to launch their final assault on the Capitol. The release of Mockingjay Pt.2 will mark the end of an era, and no matter what your thoughts on the series are, you have to admit that its success has been nothing short of spectacular.

Victor Frankenstein - November 25th

[Credit: 20th Century Fox]

Update - 20th Century Fox has opted to put Victor Frankenstein in The Martian's old November 25th release slot.

Directed by Paul McGuigan (Sherlock), Victor Frankenstein looks set to be a very different re-telling of a very familiar story. Told from the perspective of Igor, played by Daniel Radcliffe, Victor Frankenstein will show how the hunchback came to be in the service of the twisted mind that created a legend. Focusing on the science and the motivations behind Frankenstein's work is certainly intriguing, and we're thoroughly looking forward to seeing what James McAvoy does with the role of Frankenstein himself.



Midnight Special - November 25th

[Credit: Empire]

Michael Shannon leads an incredible cast in this intriguing sounding movie from Jeff Nichols (Mud, Take Shelter). The story follows a father and son who go on the run after discovering the boy, played by St. Vincent's Jaiden Lieberher, has special powers. Kirsten Dunst, Joel Edgerton, and Adam Driver also star.





December

Beyond Skyline - December 11th





Hollywood can throw up some truly head-scratching moments when it comes to selecting which movies should get made and which shouldn't. One of those moments came when we learnt that Skyline, one of 2010's worst sci-fi offerings, would be getting a sequel. Writer of the original, Liam O'Donnell, returns to write and direct Beyond Skyline, which has managed to secure the services of Frank Grillo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Iko Uwais (The Raid), which gives us some hope that the sequel can make up for its predecessors many failings.



Star Wars: The Force Awakens - December 18th

[Credit: Disney/Lucasfilm]

Does JJ Abrams' movie even need to be on this list? Since it's announcement, the December 18th release date of Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been etched onto the most precious spot of every sci-fi fans brain. The teaser trailer almost destroyed the internet, but come December 2015, there is going to be a buzz around this movie not seen since a certain disappointing prequel trilogy first screened back in 1999. We're nervous, we're excited and we cannot wait. Put simply, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the biggest movie event of the century so far.

2015 Release Dates Still TBD



Absolutely Anything - August 15th (UK)



Update - Absolutely Anything will now come to US theaters on May 5 2016.

You may not have heard much about 'Absolutely Anything', but when you hear the comedy genius contained within its cast, it will immediately be on your movie radar. Simon Pegg and the late Robin Williams are joined by the cast of Monty Python to tell a hilarious tale of a group of aliens who give a man the power to do, you guessed it, Absolutely Anything. Robin Williams voices a talking dog and the Pythons voice the wacky aliens. What's not to love about that? Absolutely Anything is set to hit theaters in its native UK on August 15th, and we're hoping a North American date will follow shortly after the summer season.



Equals

-An original story from director Drake Doremus, Equals depicts a "utopian" society in which emotions have been completely eradicated, and shows a love affair developing between an artist and a writer when an infection causes their emotions to resurface. The premise could be cheesy or fascinating depending on how it's handled, but we're big fans of stars Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart (minus the whole Twilight thing), and Doremus, who helmed the wonderful Like Crazy, has proven himself capable of telling love stories without being mawkish.



High-Rise

- Starring Marvel favorite Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller, and Jeremy Irons, High-Rise follows a young doctor who is seduced by the lifestyle in an isolated high-rise community that is luxuriously cut off from the rest of society. With its barely sci-fi, dystopian concept and focus on class issues, High-Rise already seems like it has potential to be this year's Snowpiercer.





The Day of the Triffids

- A remake of the 1963 British sci-fi/horror classic which sees man-eating plants invade Earth on the back of a meteorite impact that blinds most of the world's population.





Ratchet and Clank

- The stars of the popular video game franchise come to the big screen as they attempt to prevent the evil alien, Chairman Drek, from destroying every planet in the galaxy. Stars James Arnold Taylor (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) as Ratchett.