Top 20 Favorite Movies of 2020, Time to see if foresight is 2020 too. The last day of 2019, so that means we’re gonna be looking ahead to next year. That’s right, today we’re gonna be talking about my 20 most anticipated movies of 2020. With more than 800 movies coming out every year, it can be a bit overwhelming to decide what you want to see. And, as much as we’d all like to see as many movies as possible, we’ve got to narrow it down at some point, so here are my 20 most anticipated movies of 2020.

I couldn’t really decide on a way to rank anticipation, so these are just gonna be presented in order of US release date. Remember, these are just my personal anticipated movies and I imagine your list might look a bit different, so be sure to post your own most anticipated movies of 2020 in the comments below.

1. The Rhythm Section

Kicking things off with a January 31st release date, we’ve got The Rhythm Section, starring Blake Lively, Jude Law, and Sterling K. Brown and directed by Reed Morano. This is a movie that I feel like I’ve been hearing about forever at this point and this is largely due to the fact that this film has been pushed back not once, but twice. This was originally scheduled to come out last February before it was pushed to November and then finally to its current January release date.

Hopefully this one sticks get it? The Rhythm Section seems to be a fairly gritty revenge spy thriller, with Blake Lively starring as a woman whose family dies in a plane crash. The crash was no accident though, so the film follows her as she uncovers the truth and exacts revenge of those responsible.

There’s a trailer out for this one and it seems very action-intensive with that realistic feel we get from unglamorized spy movies like the Bourne trilogy. Spy movies like this are some of my favorites, so I’m really interested in this one.

2. Birds of Prey

Next up is Birds of Prey on February 7th. It stars Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Ewan McGregor and is directed by Cathy Yan, who’s happily not the only female director on this list. This movie certainly takes the prize for the longest name on the list (and maybe of any movie next year) with its mouthful of a subtitle: (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). But that name isn’t the only thing to set it apart from the onslaught of comic book movies we’ve been experiencing for over a decade now.

It’s also the first R rated film in the DCEU, which is pretty significant cause the handful of R rated comic book films we’ve had have all set themselves apart from their related cinematic universes up til now. Birds of Prey appears to loosely follow the story of the Birds of Prey all-female superhero team from DC Comics, but adds in (and heavily emphasizes) Harley Quinn. This is the version of Harley Quinn that we were introduced to in Suicide Squad and it seems like it’s gonna expand on her character during a post-Joker break-up time period. I’ll admit that I’m not familiar with the other Birds of Prey characters since I haven’t read the comics, but I do hope they end up being a larger part of the film than the marketing would have us believe.

3. The Invisible Man

Coming on February 28th, we’ve got Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man, starring Elizabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Aldis Hodge. This is a movie that really wasn’t on my radar at all until the first trailer was released. I knew an Invisible Man remake/reboot was planned as part of the now defunct Universal Dark Universe series, but I never had high hopes for it.

The original 1933 Invisible Man movie is probably my favorite of the Universal Monster Movies and the Invisible Man as a character is definitely my favorite of Universal’s Monsters. So, that degree of connection to the original definitely had me skeptical about this, but I really loved the trailer and I think they’re taking the story in an interesting direction with a lot of potential. Rather than a classic monster movie style, this looks like it’s much more in a psychological thriller vein, featuring a jealous scientist exacting revenge on his ex-girlfriend. I’m a fan of Whannell’s other horror work on things like Saw and Insidious and this looks really good, so I hope it ends up being a good birthday present for me.

4. A Quiet Place Part II

Providing the only March release on this list is A Quiet Place Part II which is scheduled to come out on March 20th. It serves as the sequel to 2018’s A Quiet Place and is once again directed by John Krasinski and stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe. That first movie was such a creative and tense horror thriller and I have high hopes that the sequel will be able to deliver on that too.

I’m really curious to see where the story goes, given the ending of the first film and I’m hoping for some more awesome sound design. The official trailer’s actually gonna drop tomorrow, so we’ll have our first real look at this one soon. Tune in tomorrow for that trailer reaction!

5. No Time To Die

Next up is No Time To Die, directed by Cary Fukunaga and releasing on April 8th. It stars Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, and Lea Seydoux and is the 25th Bond film in the Eon-produced franchise. This is the fifth time we’ve had Daniel Craig in the 00-role and there’s a pretty good chance this might be the last time he returns as Bond. We’ve thought the same before though, so who knows! This time Bond seems to be dealing with a unique scenario: coming back from retirement only to find that he’s been replaced. Spectre wasn’t exactly my favorite Bond film, but I’m still happy to see a continuation of some of the story arcs it left behind.

The trailer for this was very impressive and the action looks like it might rival some of the best we’ve seen in the Craig-era of the franchise. In addition to looking like an entertaining movie, No Time to Die is also giving me the opportunity to undertake my most ambitious video series yet: I’m gonna be revisiting and reviewing all of the Bond movies leading up to this film’s release. Look out for my review of Dr. No to kick off the series in a few weeks.

6. Antlers

The other April release on this list is Scott Cooper’s Antlers coming on April 17th. Or at least, hopefully coming. It seems like it’s gonna be getting a pretty limited initial run, so I might not get it for a while up here in Maine. I imagine I’ll have to be making the several hour trip to the closest independent theater to catch this one, but I have a feeling it’ll be worth it. Antlers is a supernatural horror film, starring Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, and Jeremy T. Thomas and seems really unique.

There’s a trailer out for this one already, but it doesn’t give away much of anything certainly not the story and barely the premise. But, what that esoteric trailer does offer is compelling enough to get me interested and the knowledge that Guillermo del Toro is producing it is enough to get me fully on board.

7. Black Widow

Kicking off May on the 1st of the month is a movie that I’m sure is on a lot of people’s anticipated lists: Black Widow. Directed by Cate Shortland and starring Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, and Rachel Weisz, it’s gonna be the 24th movie in the MCU. We’re going back a bit in time though to the pre-Endgame world. In fact, this movie’s set after the events of Captain America: Civil War and seems like it may include flashback sequences to serve as a prequel of sorts for the Black Widow character. I’ll admit, I wasn’t too excited for this movie when it was first announced.

I do really like the character, but it seemed a little too late for a solo Black Widow movie, especially after the events of Endgame. But, that first trailer totally sold me. It has some of the classic MCU elements you’d expect, but it also feels like its own thing, with a great action spy thriller feel that gave me both Bourne and Bond vibes. I still wish we had gotten a Black Widow solo film back in Phase 2, but I’m glad we’re actually getting one. Better late than never, I guess.

8. The Woman in The Window

With a May 15th release date comes The Woman in The Window. Directed by Joe Wright and starring Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, and Anthony Mackie, this is yet another film on this list, I thought would never come. Much like The Rhythm Section, this is a movie that got pushed back significantly from its original October 2019 release date and I’m hoping it doesn’t get pushed again.

Despite the postponement, this seems like a really interesting mystery thriller along the lines of Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Amy Adams stars as our lead, a woman suffering from agoraphobia, who hasn’t left her apartment in a very long time. After witnessing something suspicious happen in the apartment across the street, she gets wrapped up in a dangerous mystery, made all the more harrowing by her inability to leave her apartment.

9. Fast & Furious 9

Rounding out May on the 22nd is Fast & Furious 9. It’s once again directed by Justin Lin (who’s directed 4 of the 8 films up to this point) and stars the franchise regulars, including Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Tyrese Gibson. This franchise has extended into ridiculous absurdity at this point, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find these movies entertaining.

There’s gonna be 10 films in this main franchise and I’ve been along for the ride this long, so I’m really curious to see where they go with the story and characters. We don’t have a lot of information about this one yet (or even the actual title), but we’re gonna be getting the first trailer on January 31st and I would bet that we’re gonna see some cars driving really fast. Be on the look out for a trailer reaction from me at the end of the month.

10. Wonder Woman 1984

Next up is another movie that’s surely on a lot of anticipated lists: Wonder Woman 1984. It’s gonna be released on June 5th and is once again directed by Patty Jenkins. It stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristin Wiig, and Pedro Pascal and serves as the sequel to 2017’s Wonder Woman and as the 9th film in the DCEU. This movie is, unsurprisingly, set during 1984 and sees Wonder Woman face off against Maxwell Lord and Cheetah. I really loved the first movie and I’ve been excited for a sequel ever since.

I have to admit though, when it was announced that this was gonna be an 80s set movie, I was a little hesitant. It’s very 80s, but it seems to work well and has some fantastic action too. This is one of my most anticipated 2020 releases and I’m dying to find out how Steve Trevor is in this movie.

11. Free Guy

Kicking off July and the 4th of July holiday weekend is Free Guy on July 3rd. It’s directed by Shawn Levy and stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, and Joe Keery. This is a movie that I hadn’t even heard of before seeing the trailer, but man does it look like a ton of fun. Ryan Reynolds stars as Guy, a bank teller in an absurdly crime-ridden city.

What he soon discovers, however, is that he’s actually an NPC in a videogame and he decides to take matters into his own hands and become a vigilante of sorts for his videogame city. It seems like it’s gonna be an ultra silly movie, but it’s just such a fun concept. Reynolds is a great choice for a role like this and even though it’s probably gonna be pretty reminiscent of his Deadpool brand of humor, I actually don’t mind. This really seems like an ideal summer comedy and I’m super curious to see what they do with the premise.

12. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Next up is Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, headed our way on July 10th. This serves as a follow-up to Ghostbusters II and stars McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, and Paul Rudd along with several returning characters from the original films. In this movie, two kids discover an unexpected connection to the long-disbanded Ghostbusters and take up the mantle to help protect their town from a ghostly threat. After the lackluster 2016 reboot, I think a lot of people had cooled on the idea of more Ghostbusters films ñ myself included.

I wasn’t really looking forward to this movie until the first trailer which surprised the hell out of me. It seems like a solid way to continue the story (while connecting directly back to the first two films) and looks to have a promising tonal balance with the comedy you’d expect, but also more of the horror and thrills that were absent in the original movies.

13. Tenet

Next up is Tenet, which is arguably my most anticipated movie of 2020. It’s set to be released on July 17th and is directed by Christopher Nolan and stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Elizabeth Debicki. This is another one of those movies where, despite having a trailer, I really don’t have a good sense of what the film is about. Luckily, that doesn’t stop me from being extremely intrigued by it.

While the plot’s unclear, Tenet seems to be a high-concept spy thriller with very interesting time travel elements. I absolutely love Nolan’s movies, especially his high-concept ones, and this looks like it has hints of some of my favorites of his like Inception and Memento. I’m really excited to see what this one’s actually about and I can’t wait to have my mind blown by it.

14. Malignant

Coming August 14th is James Wan’s Malignant, starring Annabelle Wallis, Jake Abel, and George Young. There’s really not a whole lot of information out on this one yet, but it seems like it’s gonna be a horror mystery thriller and perhaps even a superhero horror film. I really enjoyed this year’s superhero horror: Brightburn, so I’d definitely be up for another movie along the same genre lines.

Even if it doesn’t end up being a superhero horror film, I still really enjoy mystery thrillers. Plus, it’s helmed by James Wan who brought us some great horror franchises like Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring, so I think this has a lot of promise.

15. The King’s Man

Next is Matthew Vaughan’s The King’s Man which is set to hit theaters on September 18th. This movie serves as a prequel to the Kingsman series and stars Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, and Gemma Arterton. Like a few other films on this list, The King’s Man has been a long time coming. It was originally supposed to come out this November, but it got pushed to February of 2019, before being pushed another 7 months to its current September release date.

Hopefully they stay with that date and don’t push it for a fourth time. In spite of the delays, I’m pretty excited for this one. I really enjoyed the first Kingsman movie and although the sequel was a step-down, I thought it was still fairly enjoyable too. This third film is a period piece set in the early 1900s and tells the story of the formation of the Kingsman organization that’s central to this franchise. The characters may be new, but Vaughan’s style appears to remain intact and this seems like it’s gonna be another great (and bloody) action comedy.

16. Last Night in Soho

Set to release on September 25th is Edgar Wright’s latest film: Last Night in Soho, starring Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Matt Smith. There’s no trailer for this one yet and really not a whole lot of information available on it at all, but that doesn’t prevent it from making its way onto this list.

Why? This a psychological horror film directed by Edgar Wright, that’s why! I love the style of his movies, especially the editing and how he blends the story and soundtrack, and his last foray into horror with 2004’s Shaun of the Dead is my all-time favorite movie. So yeah, I’m pretty excited for this one.

17. BIOS

Making our way to October’s first entry in this list, we’ve got BIOS. Directed by Miguel Sapochnik and starring Tom Hanks and Caleb Landry Jones, BIOS is supposed to be released on October 2nd. Since we’re getting so far into 2020 at this point, this is another movie without a whole lot of information yet, but the basic premise sounds pretty unique to me. It’s a futuristic sci-fi drama in which Tom Hanks is the ailing last man on Earth. He designs an android to keep him company and to take care of his dog after he’s gone. Tom Hanks, a robot, and a dog? I’m sold.

18. Death on the Nile

Next up is Death on the Nile, directed by Kenneth Branaugh and coming on October 9th. This serves as the sequel to the 2017 remake of Murder on the Orient Express and once again stars Branaugh as the eccentric detective, Hercule Poirot.

Much like Murder on the Orient Express, this film is based on an Agatha Christie mystery novel and features a large ensemble cast including Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Gal Gadot, and many more. I know the 2017 movie wasn’t super well-received, but I actually enjoyed it, so I’m looking forward to another Branaugh-helmed Poirot mystery.

19. Coming 2 America

Coming on December 18th is Craig Brewer’s Coming 2 America. That’s Coming 2 America with a number 2 and serves as a very delayed sequel to the 1988 comedy classic, Coming to America. This sequel sees the return of a lot of original cast members like Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, and John Amos, but also features some new people like Jermaine Fowler and Wesley Snipes too.

The original Coming to America is one of my absolute favorite movies, so while I’ve got extremely tempered expectations for this sequel, I’m still really curious to see what they end up doing with the story. Hopefully it makes me feel like breakdancing, rather than making me think of Akeem.

20. The Tomorrow War

20th anticipated movie of 2020 is The Tomorrow War, scheduled for release on Christmas Day. It’s directed by Chris McKay and stars Chris Pratt, J.K. Simmons, and Yvonne Strahowski. We’re nearly a fully year out from this movie still so details are pretty sketchy, but it definitely seems like it has an interesting premise. It’s a sci-fi action war movie, set during a futuristic war against aliens. In an attempt to turn the tide in our favor, scientists devise a way to somehow draft soldiers from past wars to fight against the aliens. It sounds like this might have some cool time travel elements, but I really don’t know, so I’m extremely curious to see what the do with this premise. So there you have it: 20 for 2020. My 20 most anticipated movies of 2020.

These are just my personal picks based on the information available now and I’m sure my own list might alter a bit over the next few months, but I’d love to hear what movies you’re most looking forward to in the new year, so be sure to let me know in the comments below! But first, make sure you check out my 2019 and 2010s decade recap videos. I still have a few more 2019 movies I need to catch up on, but in mid-January, I’ll be releasing a video ranking my top films of 2019 as well as a ranking video of my top films of the decade. Can’t wait to see you guys in the new year!