Last Updated on August 3, 2021
Fox had some great entries in 2015, including Ridley Scott’s THE MARTIAN, THE REVENANT, and the breakout hit KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE with the animated pics HOME and THE PEANUTS MOVIE doing solid business as well, pulling in $1.3 billion for the year (domestic). Despite the misfire of FANTASTIC FOUR, the studio has rallied an impressive line-up for 2016, including two superhero flicks in their Marvel/X-franchise, a long-awaited sequel to INDEPENDENCE DAY, a new Tim Burton joint, and the most promising-looking videogame adaptation to date with ASSASSIN’S CREED.
Check out what Fox has in store for 2016and let us know which ones you’re most looking forward to.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (December 25th)
Director Tim Burton returns to his dark and kooky roots in an adaptation of the popular children’s book by Ransom Riggs, which tracks a teenager (Asa Butterfield) who, after a recent tragedy, visits an abandoned orphanage on a Welsh island that is said to be inhabited by peculiar children and their orphanage director (Eva Green). Sounds like the perfect fit for Burton, who could use a new venue to let his own brand of peculiar style shine once again. The film co-stars Samuel L. Jackson, Judi Dench, Chris O’Dowd, Terence Stamp, Kim Dickens, Allison Janney, and Rupert Everett. If anything, this could be a solid addition to Burton’s resume of oddities and a fitting film for the winter season. Did we mention Eva Green?
MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN haunts theaters on December 25th.
Assassin’s Creed (December 21st)
All right, now we’re talkin’. Michael Fassbender takes the lead in the first-ever adaptation of the hugely popular videogame series, ASSASSIN’S CREED, which follows new character Callum Lynch (Fassbender) as he explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar, gaining new skills from the past that help him in his future predicament. Those familiar with the games will recognize the familiar aspects and those coming in fresh will be able to acclimate nicely as the film, directed by MACBETH’s Justin Kurzel, which so far looks to be a genuinely solid event pic (look for our set visit report later this year). Fassbender is known for fully immersing himself in whatever he’s playing and we’re pretty sure he’ll be bringing that same heat here. Could this be the big break the videogame adaptation genre needs? We’ve got a good feeling…
ASSASSIN’S CREED jumps into theaters on December 21st.
Why Him? (November 11th)
Bryan Cranston vs. James Franco; who would win? That’s the basic premise of WHY HIM? Co-starring Zoey Deutch, and Megan Mullally, the film tracks “a bitter rivalry” between a dad (Cranston) with his daughter’s young rich boyfriend (Franco), courtesy of director John Hamburg (ALONG CAME POLLY, I LOVE YOU, MAN). Hopefully Hamburg makes this into a worthwhile laugher, because we do love some Cranston and funny Franco is way more fun than serious Franco. If it’s an R-rated romp we’d feel better, but if it’s a PG-13 cutesy flick, then you know where that AMC gift card you got your grandparents is going.
WHY HIM? hits on November 11th.
Trolls (November 4th)
Hey, remember those ugly ass dolls with colorful, frizzy hair? Well, here’s your movie about them. Now, I know the knee-jerk reaction is typically a kind of WTF is this shit one, but I’d also bring up that the toy-to-film franchise hasn’t done too badly (LEGO MOVIE, TRANSFORMERS, GI JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA), although that could also relate to the audience seeing them. That said, this looks way more SMURFS/ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS, so there’s that. TROLLS boasts a cast that includes Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Justin Timberlake, Russell Brand, and, why not, Gwen Stefani. We can’t say we’re optimistic, but we didn’t think that a movie about stacked plastic bricks was going to be a slam dunk either. Guess we’ll find out.
TROLLS takes to theaters on November 4th (but can be found in website comment sections daily).
A Cure for Wellness (September 23rd)
Gore Verbinski (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, THE WEATHER MAN, THE LONE RANGER) directs Jason Isaacs and Dane DeHaan in a horror/mystery where an DeHaan’s character is sent to rescue his boss from a European wellness spa where he later finds himself trapped and finds that the facility isn’t what it seems. A fairly standard premise for a horror flick, but we know that it’s all about the execution when it comes to horror. Verbinski has taken some heat for the later PIRATES flicks and LONE RANGER, but he’s an interesting filmmaker that hops around genres (RANGO, THE RING, THE MEXICAN, etc.), so this could be a fine change of piece for him. We can’t wait to hear and see more.
A CURE FOR WELLNESS opens on September 23rd.
Ice Age: Collision Course (July 22nd)
Oh, that f*cking squirrel is at it again, trying to get his nut. Look, I’m just stating the facts here. He’s the digital equivalent of the Trix rabbit trying to get some breakfast cereal and he just can’t catch a break, yet we somehow love ol’ Scrat for always giving his all to save his nuts, this time in outer space. We all knew it would come to that, though, right? Oh, and then there’s those other prehistoric animals played by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Queen Latifah who roam around new exotic locations on Earth while learning life lessons and such. At this point, either you’re on board or you’re held hostage by your kids to see this, but let’s be honest, these are probably way more fun than they deserve to be.
ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE smashes into theaters on July 22nd.
Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates (July 8th)
It’s been a rough past year for Zac Efron, after his last two films Tranked at the box office (see: WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS and DIRTY GRANDPA), but we still dig the guy and perhaps MIKE & DAVE NEED WEEDING DATES (as well as NEIGHBORS 2) will help redeem the “record scratch” that’s been the past year for him. Efron is joined by the always adorable and feisty Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, and Workaholic’s Adam DeVine in the comedy described as
“two brothers place an online ad to find dates for a wedding and the ad goes viral.” There’s many directions this could go, but we’re hoping that it just heads North into funny and not South into unfunny. One thing is for sure, though: at some point, Efron will lose his shirt.
MIKE & DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES saves the date for July 8th.
Independence Day: Resurgence (June 24th)
Man, who doesn’t love 1996’s INDEPENDENCE DAY? One of the most rousing and entertaining blockbusters of all time, we’re finally getting a sequel (hey, it only took 20 years!) with original director Roland Emmerich returning to the helm, bringing along the o.g.’s Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, and Brent Spiner (yeah, he died in the first one, but whatevs) and injecting some new (and older) blood that includes Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe, Sela Ward, William Fichtner, and Joey King to the mix. Everything looks bigger, badder, and more invasion-y than before, so we’re hoping for another wild ride, hopefully with another chill-inducing speech from Pullman. And Mac-compatible aliens.
INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE invades theaters on June 24th.
X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27th)
Director Bryan Singer is at the helm again, following up on the massively successful X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST with a film set ten years later (in 1983) that serves as the origin and birth of the “original” X-Men team that eventually becomes the players from the first trilogy, while simultaneously wrapping up the events set in motion since X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. It’s also the first film to feature a main villain other than Magneto with Poe Dameron himself (Oscar Isaac) suiting up as the “first” mutant, Apocalypse. We heard and saw tons of cool bits from our set visit and there’s just no way we’d miss a new X-film. With this and DEADPOOL hitting in the same year, we could very well be seeing Fox kicking down the door in the superhero genre, especially after that unfortunate FANTASTIC FOUR business we shall not speak of.
X-MEN: APOCALYPSE hits on May 27th.
The Other Side of the Door (March 11th)
Producer Alexandre Aja brings another horror-of-the-month title your way, this time starring The Walking Dead’s Sarah Wayne Callies and Jeremy Sisto as parents who are suffering the loss of their son when they are presented with an ancient ritual that would allow them to communicate with him once again. All that to say, it’s almost like the movie version of the horror trope “Don’t open that door!” so perhaps it will give hardcore horror fans something to chew on until something better comes along.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR opens…the door on March 11th.
Eddie the Eagle (February 26th)
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE’s Taron Egerton plays Great Britain’s first ever Olympic ski jumper in the true life tale of EDDIE THE EAGLE, an uplifting underdog sports drama that features support from Hugh Jackman and Christopher Walken. With that much cowbell you’re already off to a good start, but the trailers and recent buzz from Sundance (see our interview with Jackman & Egerton HERE) have us ready to strap on the skis and hit the slopes for this one. Sometimes you just need a fun, uplifting tale and that’s what we’re hoping for here.
EDDIE THE EAGLE soars into theaters on February 26th.
Deadpool (February 12th)
Look, we’re not going to beat around the bush; we love DEADPOOL. No one has paid us off or bribed us to trump it up. We just love this son of a bitch and are pleased as punch that we’re getting a proper R-rated incarnation of the character from the passionate cast and crew that includes Ryan Reynolds in the role he was born to play and director Tim Miller at the helm. Both championed this film to the big screen ever since they created the infamous “leaked” test footage (we KNOW it was you, Tim!). Everything about this film, from the spot-on marketing campaign that’s truly captured the spirit of ol’ Wade Wilson to what we witnessed on our set visit to everything in between, this one is coming up chimichangas and we are beyond ready to see it on the big screen. Fingers crossed for a home run, as this could really help welcome in a new, edgier and riskier type of superhero film.
DEADPOOL (re)opens his big mouth on February 12th.
Kung-Fu Panda 3 (January 29th)
Jack Black returns to voice the surprisingly endearing (and hilarious) titular panda, Po, who sets out on his third adventure in the popular animated franchise, this time visiting the place of his birth (where we will meet his long lost family). Dustin Hoffman’s Master Shifu, as well as The Furious Five, including the voices of Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, and David Crane, return for the fun. New voice talent, including Bryan Cranston, Kate Hudson, and J.K. Simmons, also come out to play in what is sure to be another solid entry in the fiercely entertaining series. Hey, don’t take my word for it, you can read our review HERE . Ski-doosh!
KUNG-FU PANDA 3 kicks into theaters on January 29th.
Keeping Up with the Joneses (TBD)
A comedy starring Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot, Zach Galifianakis, and Isla Fisher you say? We’re intrigued, tell us more. “A suburban couple becomes embroiled in an international espionage plot when they discover that their seemingly perfect new neighbors are government spies.” All right. Sounds like we might have something here. Directed by Greg Mottola (SUPERBAD, ADVENTURELAND), KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES certainly has the ingredients for a fun comedic romp, but like any comedy, we’ll have to see how well the jokes play before we take the bait completely (We’ll also have a set visit report later this year). But, still, we’re intrigued.
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES will release sometime in 2016.
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