The summer came and went with smash hits such as Inside Out 2, Deadpool and Wolverine crushing the box office. Hit TV shows dropped new seasons throughout the summer, such as season four of The Boys and season two of House of the Dragon. The rest of the year is looking to pack more movie and TV hits that are sure to capture people’s attention.
The third installment in the Venom franchise, Venom: The Last Dance, releases on Oct. 25 and is said to be the final film in the series. It is part of Sony’s Spider-Man adjacent universe. Another comic book movie that was released this month was Joker: Folie à Deux, which released on Oct. 4 to poor critical and commercial reception. It received the lowest CinemaScore for any comic book film and had an 86% drop in box office for its second weekend in theaters.
Walt Disney Studios is coming out with two major movie releases. Moana 2 is releasing on Nov. 27 and is the sequel to the 2016 hit. Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel film to the pseudo-live action 2019 Lion King remake, releasing on Dec. 20.
The sequel to 2000’s Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, is set to release on Nov. 22. On the same day, Universal Pictures’ Wicked releases, based off of the Broadway musical of the same name and prequel to The Wizard of Oz.
Although there are major blockbusters coming out, students may be more interested in indie films, such as Anora, directed by Sean Baker. “I’m most looking forward to Anora because it’s directed by one of my favorite directors and it won the Palme D’Or,” senior Brandon Bartee said.
On the TV side, The Penguin premiered on Max on Sept. 19 and has been releasing new episodes every Sunday night. The series follows Oz Cobb after the events of The Batman, trying to climb to the top of the criminal underworld. Additionally on Max, HBO will be premiering Dune: Prophecy on Nov. 17. The series follows the sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit and takes place 10,000 years before the Dune movies/books.
The final season of Superman and Lois has been airing since Oct. 7 on the CW. Continuing with DC superheroes, the animated show Creature Commandos premieres on Max on Dec. 5. Also in December, the long awaited second season of Squid Game premieres on Netflix on Dec. 26. Netflix will also be releasing the second season of Arcane on Nov. 9. “I’m most looking forward to Arcane season two and currently Blue Lock season two is coming out,” senior Terra Muffet said.
Next year is shaping up to be a massive one for movies with the likes of James Gunn’s Superman film releasing in July. Marvel Studios also has three films lined up including Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
