10 must-see films for 2022

Like it or not, we’re headed into another uncertain year on good ol’ planet Earth. But if there’s one thing you can always count on — like you are trapped in your house and unable to leave for an indeterminate amount of time count on — it’s films.

Dozens of exciting titles are expected in theaters and on streaming platforms in 2022, including but not limited to: Top Gun: Maverick, John Wick: Chapter 4, Lightyear, Jurassic World Dominion, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Black Phone, Legally Blonde 3, Halloween Ends, Mission Impossible 7, The Northman, The Flash, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Bob’s Burgers The Movie, Turning Red, and even Avatar 2. Better still, that’s just the tip of the iceberg as tons of projects delayed by the pandemic are planning to finally reach audiences next year.

With an avalanche of amazing stories coming our way, it’s tough to predict which films will win our hearts. But we were able to turn all that excitement into a selection of our most anticipated films. Y’know, just to help you plan ahead.

Listed in order of expected release, here are 10 films to look forward to 2022.

1. Scream (Jan. 14)

Deadbolt the doors and hang on to your landline: the beloved Scream franchise is back in 2022. The fifth film in the scary-yet-spoofy slasher saga, confusingly titled just Scream, is set to get the Halloween (2018) treatment next year with the return of series icons Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, David Arquette as Sheriff Dewey Riley, and Courteney Cox as Gale Riley (nee Weathers). 

Helmed by Ready or Not co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, this Woodsboro homecoming sees a new crop of horror movie-loving victims fleeing from a new Ghostface. That’s well-trod territory. But as Dewey says in the spine-chilling trailer, which looks as dark as the series has ever been and then some, “Something about this one just feels different.” Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Dylan Minnette, Jasmin Savoy Brown and more also star.—Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Scream is in theaters Jan.14.

2. Jackass Forever (Feb. 4)

For those who remember the first time that twangy theme song unleashed a band of buffoons with bravado and no shame, it’s dizzying to realize Jackass hit MTV over 20 years ago. Johnny Knoxville and his fellow jackasses were young men, doing foolish stunts that only got bigger when they leapt to the big screen in 2002. For their fourth installment, most of that cast is back along with director Jeff Tremaine, reunited for one final rodeo. So, of course, there’s a segment involving a rampaging bull. 

From John Wick: Chapter 4 to Top Gun: Maverick to Lightyear and Jurassic World Dominion, there’s a bunch of franchises with dashing leading men getting a flashy revival in 2022. But there’s a special kind of showmanship that you just need a jackass for. Yet for all the wild antics teased in the trailer, what hits hardest isn’t the giant-handed slaps in the face or the burst from a cannon barrel. It’s that swell of joy at seeing our old friends one more time.

And hey, don’t worry, buddies. As Jackass Forever star Steve-O assures, “Concussions aren’t great. But as long as you have them before you’re 50, it’s cool. And Knoxville’s 49. So, we’re good.” —Kristy Puchko, Deputy Entertainment Editor

How to watch: Jackass Forever is in theaters Feb. 4.

3. Moonfall (Feb. 4)

Writer/director Roland Emmerich has brought us such epic action films as The Day After Tomorrow, White House Down, and Independence Day. So, when he looks up at the sky and wonders, “What if the moon broke orbit and headed straight toward the Earth,” you had us at “what if.” Add to that some secret NASA lore about an evil extraterrestrial dedicated to wiping out mankind, and yeah, we’re pre-ordering popcorn. 

While Earthlings scrambles to survive from the fast-approaching apocalypse, a former astronaut (Halle Berry) believes she has the key to unlock our survival. She’ll team up with the only people on the planet who believe her. One is a fellow astronaut (Patrick Wilson). The other is a conspiracy theorist (Game of Thrones’s John Bradley). Hey, you take what you can get.

With this premise and that cast, we won’t promise you this will be great cinema. We do predict this will be great fun.—K.P.

How to watch: Moonfall is in theaters Feb. 4.

4. Marry Me (Feb. 11)

Jennifer Lopez returns to resurrect the high-concept rom-com, and she’s brought a charming (but shaved since Loki) Owen Wilson along for the romp. Glamorous and gorgeous, she’s a pop star poised to marry her pop prince boyfriend (Maluma) before a sold-out stadium. But once the famous beau turns out to be a treacherous two-timer, Wilson is a single-dad who proposes by happenstance. The show must go on, so international icon Kat Valdez marries humble but big-hearted nobody Charlie Gilbert. Sure, it’s a publicity gambit. But could it turn into true love? 

On top of a wonderfully outlandish rom-com concept, Marry Me boasts appearances from stellar supporting players like Michelle Buteau, Sarah Silverman, and John Bradley. (Yep, a big year for Samwell Tarly.) Plus, it’s helmed by Kat Coiro, who has been blending heart and humor on a slew of superb TV shows, including Girls5eva, Dead to Me, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and The Mick as well as the upcoming She-Hulk. So, if you want a sense of how the tone of that much-anticipated MCU show could go, this charming rom-com is essential viewing. —K.P.

How to watch: Marry Me is in theaters Feb. 11.

5. Uncharted (Feb. 18)

After more than a decade in development hell, Uncharted is finally headed to theaters. This February, Zombieland (2009) and Venom (2018) director Ruben Fleischer will unleash a live-action movie prequel to the popular video game series. Tom Holland stars as franchise hero and treasure hunter extraordinaire, Nathan Drake. 

The action-packed trailer introduces us to Holland’s take on the character: a boyishly charming bartender not yet neck-deep in global adventuring. Mark Wahlberg appears as Nathan’s longtime partner Sully. Sophia Ali plays fellow adventurer Chloe Frazer, who doubles as a love interest in the games. Antonio Banderas rounds out the cast as a mysterious villain connected to the ancient fortune our heroes are hunting.—A.F

How to watch: Uncharted is in theaters Feb. 18.

6. The Batman (Mar. 4)

DC has a lot of promised pictures coming this year, including The Flash, Black Adam, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. But our most anticipated of the lot is this reboot from Matt Reeves. He’s previously brought fresh life to The Planet of the Apes films and the horror-hit Let The Right One In. Yet he made his boldest splash with the found-footage adventure Cloverfield. So, what surprises might he have in store with The Batman?

What we know: Robert Pattinson stars as its brooding Batman. Zoë Kravitz swaggers as Catwoman, while Paul Dano takes on The Riddler and Colin Farrell portrays the Penguin. The cast is stacked with heavy-hitters, also boasting Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Barry Keoghan, Jeffrey Wright, and John Turturro. So, aside from the stunts, spectacle, intrigue, and sex appeal teased in the trailers, we also expect nail-biting drama that will have any hardened hero’s heart quivering. —K.P.

How to watch: The Batman is in theaters Mar. 4.

7. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Apr. 22)

If you love actors playing fictionalized versions of themselves (see Keanu Reeves in Always Be My Maybe), then get ready for The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Directed by Tom Gormican, who co-wrote the script with Kevin Etten, this action-comedy is being billed as “the most Nicolas Cage movie ever.” 

Nicolas Cage stars as Nic Cage, a stupidly famous A-list actor who is deep in debt. So for $1 million, the living legend agrees to go to southern Spain for the birthday party of his biggest fan, Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal). Once there, however, the “real” Nic Cage finds himself embroiled in a harrowing conflict with the kind of high-octane obstacles he usually only grapples with in films. Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, Neil Patrick Harris, and more also appear. —A.F

How to watch: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is in theaters Apr. 22.

8. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6)

Marvel finished out 2021 with a bang, delivering the spectacular Spider-Man: No Way Home. In May 2022, the MCU will pick up where it left off with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness chronicling the fallout from all those reality-bending spidey antics and tying in at least some of what we saw during WandaVision. That’ll mean a lot of work for Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wong (Benedict Wong), and Wanda Maximoff (Elisabeth Olsen) — at least based on that super trippy trailer.

Directed by OG Spider-Man trilogy helmer Sam Raimi, Multiverse of Madness is the first of a number of exciting Marvel films expected next year, including Thor: Love and Thunder and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But as Phase 4 kicks off in earnest, we’ll also have to look at what’s new on Disney+. There’s more than what’s coming to theaters to theorize about the future of Earth-199999. —A.F

How to watch: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in theaters May 6.

9. Nope (Jul. 22)

Credit: Universal Pictures

From writing and directing Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) to co-writing and co-producing Candyman (2021), Jordan Peele has become one of the most-watched horror auteurs in Hollywood. So it’s no wonder scary movie lovers are clamoring to get a glimpse of his highly-secretive next project: Nope. 

Excruciatingly little is known about the film, outside of an ominous poster showing a cloud floating over a village with what looks like a string of flags coming out of it. Hmmmm…hard to say what any of that means. But with Peele, you know it’ll be a hell of a reveal. Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya joins forces with Peele again, alongside fellow stars Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun.—A.F

How to watch: Nope is in theaters Jul. 22.

10. Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse – Part One (Oct. 7)

Sure, Spider-Man: No Way Home reveled in our love of Peter Parkers of every dimension. But before the MCU flirted with the multiverse, Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse did it with unmatched style and grace. In 2022, Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) returns as a Spider-Man whose special powers not only include scaling walls and Spidey-sense, but also turning invisible and electrical jolts! Picking up from where the mid-credit scene left off, he’s reunited with his bud (and crush) from across the multiverse, Gwen Stacy aka Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld). Together, they’ve got a new mission that brings in Miguel O’Hara, the Spidey voiced by Oscar Isaac in the first film’s post-credits scene.

Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson team up to helm this sequel, which also promises the return of Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker and will introduce Issa Rae as Jessica Drew. We don’t even know who the big bad will be yet. But we’d follow this Spider-fam anywhere, diving off skyscrapers, free-falling across freeways, or racing down portals to neon-colored new dimensions. You name the place, we’ll be drop-jawed and swinging along for the ride.—K.P.

How to watch: Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse – Part One is in theaters Oct. 7.