Important to note certain films on here are 2021 releases, but will count for 2022 as it’s their Canadian release date. As well Killers of the Flower Moon would be on here if it officially gets a 2022 release date

#25 Halloween Ends

Universal Pictures

Directed by David Gordon Green

Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, Kyle Richards, and Nick Castle

Release Date: October 14, 2022

The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode comes to an end.

Listen there is no question that I absolutely couldn’t stand most of Halloween Kills, a film that only exists to set up its follow up. That being said, I am excited to see how they finish off this saga in the Michael Myers universal. Fool me once with your second film that was on my anticipated list, fool me twice and have this be bad? Well then shame on me.

#24 The Lost City

Paramount Pictures

Directed by Aaron Nee

Stars: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe

Release Date: March 25, 2022

Reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan. While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city's lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her.

There’s no way this isn’t going to be a ton of fun. You’ve got Daniel Radcliffe absolutely hamming it up as a dastardly billionaire caricature. You’ve got Sandra Bullock who alway delivers, and she’s gonna be splitting screentime with Channing Tatum, one of the most consistently funny people working in Hollywood right now.

#23 Strange World

Disney

Directed by Don Hall & Qui Nguyen

Release Date: November 23, 2022

The original action-adventure journeys deep into an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades, a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest—and by far— most crucial mission.

We don’t know much of anything when it comes to Strange World, and likely once some information is dropped it’ll move higher up on this list. For now what we do know is that the cast has not been released, it’s directing team have worked on Raya and the Last Dragon, and Big Hero Six. As well, the only look we’ve had from it looks super beautiful.

#22 Elvis

Warner Brothers. Pictures

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Stars: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia deJonge, Dacre Montgomery, and Kelvin Harrison JR.

Release Date: June 24, 2022

Chronicles the life and career of rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley.

You either love Luhrmann’s work such as 2013’s The Great Gatsby, or the 1996 Leonardo DiCaprio based Romeo & Juliet. So I figure this movie will be once again split between two vocal groups when it comes to the filmmakers decisions, the one thing that will have me curious is how much Luhrmann can make this film feel distinct and non formulaic- something that many Biopics struggle from.

#21 Uncharted

Sony Pictures Releasing

Directed by Reuben Fleischer

Stars: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle and Antonio Banderas

Release Date: February 18, 2022

I know there’s some deep worry given the history of film adaptation‘s for video games, and that’s totally a fair concern for people. Luckily for myself I don’t have the connection with the Uncharted universe so many others have (Xbox guy)- so there for I’m less worried. More so I’m just wanting a decent adventure movie that gives the viewer tons of thrills, some laughs, and overall a good shut your brain off kind of time.

#20 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Disney/Marvel

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Stars: Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Lupita N’Yongo, Martin Freeman, Winston Duke, Dominque Thorne, and Angela Bassett

Release Date: November 11, 2022

A directed sequel to 2018‘s Black Panther

Listen, I know this seems low after all Black Panther was one of the best entries into the MCU and really opened the door for more voices and faces within the universe. As well, Ryan Coogler has proven that he’s extremely talented behind the camera and has a pulse for the franchise. The issues though and why it ranks low was the unfortunate death of Chadwick Boseman after he introduced one of the most incredible characters in the entire universe, and more recently the issues around Letitia Wright and her strong controversial beliefs that have held up some filming. I have no doubt though that Coogler will honour Boseman and his impact for so many people, nor do I doubt that were bound for some exciting characters- such as the introdyction of Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams, better known by her hero name of Ironheart

#19 Lightyear

Walt Disney Studios

Directed by Pete Docter

Stars: Chris Evans, and Taika Waititi

Release Date: June 17, 2022

Lightyear revolves around the fictional origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the character who inspired the action figure in the Toy Story films.

I have no doubts that I’ve likely ranked this one far too low, and that legendary animation director Pete Docter is about to drop kick me in all of the feels. It’s the origin story about the human that Buzz is based upon, this really doesn’t seem like it’s destined for a happy ending seeing as he was honoured with an action figure.

#18 The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Lionsgate

Directed by Tom Gormican

Stars: Nicholas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Ike Barinholtz, Jacob Scipio, Tiffany Haddish, Lily Sheen, and Neil Patrick Harris

Release Date: April 22, 2022

Nicholas Cage begrudgingly accepts a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a billionaire super fan. When things take a wild turn, Nic is forced to become a version of some of his most iconic and beloved characters in order to extricate his wife and daughter from the fan who is a notorious drug lord.

Theres not much more to say outside of that premise description, this film is gonna be ridiculous in all the best ways- and it’s easily one of the ones I’m most curious to see what it leads to.

#17 Jurassic World: Dominion

Universal Pictures

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Stars: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Mamoudou Athie, Omar Sy, Danielle Pineda, Justice Smith, and B.D. Wong

Release Date: June 10, 2022

The film is set four years after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, in which genetically engineered dinosaurs were auctioned to companies around the world while others were released on the U.S. mainland.

The gang is all back together, both the original Park gang and the World group- in what can hopefully be the perfect ending for both series. Much like Halloween Kills, Fallen Kingdom had left a pretty bad taste in my mouth, so there’s some hesitancy towards the next chapter in the story. But with all our favourites back, and the unique opportunities having the Dinosaurs roam around civilization there’s definitely some intrigue.

#16 Turning Red

Walt Disney Studios

Directed by Domee Shi

Stars: Rosalie Chang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Hyein Park, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho, and James Hong

Release Date: March 11, 2022

A 13-year-old girl suddenly turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited.

Set in Toronto, this is just gonna be an adorable family watch- it’s a coming of age story dealing with in Disney’s own way topics such as puberty, adolescence and coming of age

#15 Black Adam

Warner Brothers. Pictures/DC

Directed by Jaume Collett-Serra

Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, and Pierce Brosnan

Release Date: July 19, 2022

The 11th entry into the DCEU introducing Black Adam, an antihero who is the archenemy of Shazam

The Rock makes his debut in a Comic Book movie and you know it’s going to be big, he’s the largest name in Hollywood- and singlehandedly gets butts into seats. I’m not super hot on most DC films but I am excited to see what Dwayne brings.

#14 Thor: Love and Thunder

Disney/Marvel

Directed by Taika Waititi

Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, Jaimie Alexander, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Jeff Goldblum, Karen Gillan, and Vin Diesel

Release Date: July 8th, 2022

A direct Sequel to Thor: Ragnarok

Taika’s Ragnarok was one of my favorite MCU films, and you know with both Thor and the Guardians in his hands were bound for a high entertainment journey ahead. Natalie Portman is rumoured to take up the Thor mantle in this one, and I’m incredibly excited to see how they’d go about that

#13 Cyrano

Universal Pictures

Directed by Joe Wright

Stars: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, and Kelvin Harrison JR.

Release Date: January 28, 2022

Cyrano de Bergerac dazzles everyone with his ferocious wordplay and brilliant swordplay. However, he's convinced his appearance renders him unworthy of the affections of the luminous Roxanne, a devoted friend who's in love with someone else.

This is one of the aforementioned films that released in the States in 2021, but is only now releasing in Canada. The Hype around Peter Dinklage as Cyrano is incredible, and it truly feels like Joe Wright is back to his best with this film.

#12 Emily the Criminal

Directed by John Patton Ford

Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Jonathan Avigdori, Bernardo Badillo, and Gina Gershon

Release Date: ?

Follows Emily, who gets involved in a credit card scam after being saddled with debt, what pulls her into the criminal and deadly underworld of Los Angeles.

I’m all in on anything involving Aubrey Plaza, this role is something she can surely thrive in and I’m looking forward to the early reviews of it at Sundance- which will move it higher or lower on this list.

#11 The Tragedy of MacBeth

A24/AppleTV

Directed by Joel Coen

Stars: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, BertIe Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, and Brendan Gleeson

Release Date: January 14, 2022

A Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland. His ambitious wife will do anything to support him in his plans of seizing power.

The next 2021 release that comes to Canada via AppleTV early next year. If it wasn’t coming out so soon, I’d likely have it higher- as the cast, and director Joel Coen certainly make this an exciting project.

#10 Babylon

Paramount Pictures

Directed by Damian Chazelle

Stars: Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and Tobey Maguire

Release Date: December 25, 2022

A Period Piece about the transition from Silent Pictures to Talkies

Old Hollywood, Oscar-y hype with an Oscar esque release date, a great trio, and Damian Chazelle behind the helm? This is likely the Oscar contending type of movie that I will be championing for all season up until the moment I get to watch this one.

#9 Scream

Paramount Pictures

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

Stars: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Marley Shelton & Jack Quaid

Release Date: January 14, 2022

Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town's deadly past.

One of my all time favorite franchises, Scream 4 left me with an absolute adrenaline rush and a need for more- so all these years later to return to Woodsboro, one cannot picture the excitement I have to be going back. There’s something in the air this time, and I have a feeling one of our beloved original cast mates- Cox, Campbell, or Arquette may be singing their swan song by the end of it.

#8 Nope

Universal Pictures

Directed by Jordan Peele

Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun

Release Date: July 22, 2022

We know next to nothing about this film outside of the title, the cast, and the fact that Jordan Peele is returning to the Horror genre with what one can imagine will be yet another genre changing film. Some speculation about a connection to Get Out, no matter what I’m always gonna be excited for anything that has Peele attached

#7 The Batman

Warner Brothers. Pictures/DC Films

Directed by Matt Reeves

Stars; Robert Pattinson, Zöe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis & Colin Farrell

Release Date: March 4, 2022

During his second year of crime fighting, Batman pursues the Riddler, a serial killer who targets Gotham’s elite citizens

The Batman as a character is known for being dark and edgy, so who better to cast than Robert Pattinson. One has to expect him after years of success in Indi films to come out and make a massive impact in his return to the blockbuster area.

#6 The Northman

Focus Features

Directed by Robert Eggers

Stars: Alex Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe

Release Date: April 22, 2022

The Northman is an epic revenge thriller, that explores how far a Viking prince will go to seek justice for his murdered father.

Robert Eggers is known for his dark and brutish stories, both The Witch and The Lighthouse were intense and gruesome. Giving him a bigger budget, an epic ensemble, and some gorgeous set pieces makes me confident that The Northman will be nothing short of just that, epic. This has the makings of the next best franchise, something that people are in awe over just the sheer scope and brutality of it.

#5 Next Goal Wins

Searchlight Pictures

Directed by Taika Waititi

Stars: Michael Fassbender, Elizabeth Miss, Kaimana, Beulah Kohle, Rachel House, Uli Latukefu, Rhys Darby, and Will Arnett

Release Date: 2022

Dutch-American football coach Thomas Rongen is tasked with turning the American Samoa National Football Team, considered one of the weakest football teams in the world, into an elite squad.

There is very few better than Taika Waititi at eliciting nearly every emotion out of his viewers, he’s phenomenal at blending comedy with drama- being able to have you laugh and then be near tears in the blink of an eye. This has been on my anticipated list for a few years running, so I’m far too pumped to finally catch it- replacing Armie Hammer with Will Arnett also increased my excitement for the product.

#4 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)

Sony Pictures Releasing

Directed by Joaquim de Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson

Stars: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson & Issa Rae

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Miles Morales and the Spider-Verse expand

The first journey into the Spider-Verse, and into the story of Miles Morale was incredible. The distinct animation that they used, the sheer size of the universe that they introduced- and the fact that it had a killer soundtrack helped. I’m expecting all of that to be back for this second journey in, and I’m also expecting some new introductions as the Spider-Verse likely expands even more.

#3 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Walt Disney Studios/Marvel Studios

Directed by Sam Raimi

Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez, and Chiwetel Ejiofor

Release Date: May 6, 2022

Follows the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the first season of Loki

This is gonna be hard to discuss as I don’t wanna throw too many spoilers from No Way Home in here, but the short end of it is after the multiverse was opened a lot of bad things were released including an evil version of Strange himself. I’m bummed they got rid of Scott Derrickson as the director but I’m hoping plenty of the scares he had intended make the final cut

#2 Knives Out: 2

Netflix

Directed by Rian Johnson

Stars: Daniel Craig, Ethan Hawke, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, Leslie Odom JR., Madelyn Cline, Edward Norton & Janelle Monae

Release Date: 2022

A sequel to 2019’s Knives Out

There is no question with an ensemble this huge and the wide success of its original, that Knives Out 2 would fall this high on my anticipated list. One of the best Murder Mystery films around and truly one of the most compelling heroes in Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, this film is gonna be dynamite when it lands on Netflix

#1 Don’t Worry Darling

Warner Brothers. Pictures

Directed by Olivia Wilde

Stars: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll & Chris Pine

Release Date: September 23, 2022

An unhappy housewife in the 1950s discovers a disturbing truth, while her loving husband hides a dark secret

There is no question at this point that Florence Pugh is a star, not just a star in the making but a full fledged star. We’ve seen her be phenomenal in so many genres including the psychological horror Midsommar, so putting her in a psychological thriller that really seems to question everything? Well there’s no question why this was my #1 anticipated last year (until it got moved to this year) and now it’s my #1 this year.