Despite the omicron variant making everyone's lives more difficult than anticipated this winter, movies are still expected to come out at their regularly scheduled clip.
Winter and early spring are always odd times for movie releases, considering that they're nestled right in between the fall deluge of Oscar contenders and the summer slate of big-budget blockbusters. That said, there are still sure to be some gems during the next four months in this hodgepodge of entertainment offerings.
Here are a slew of titles cinephiles can expect to see make their debut from now through the end of April:
Jan. 7
"The Tender Bar" (Amazon Prime Video): George Clooney directs this drama about a boy growing up on Long Island who seeks out surrogate father figures at his uncle's bar because of his own father's absence from his life. Starring Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe and Christopher Lloyd.
"The 355" (theaters): A CIA agent teams up with fellow international agents to help retrieve a top-secret weapon that has fallen into the wrong hands. Directed by Simon Kinberg and starring Penelope Cruz, Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong'o and Sebastian Stan.
Jan. 13
"Brazen" (Netflix): Famed mystery novelist Grace is drawn into a real-life investigation when her sister is killed. The film, based on the novel "Brazen Virtue" by Nora Roberts, is directed by Monika Mitchell and stars Alyssa Milano and Sam Page.
Jan. 14
"Scream" (theaters): The fifth installment in the "Scream" franchise features a new killer hiding behind a Ghostface mask as Sydney Prescott returns to stop his killing spree. This is the first "Scream" not to be directed by Wes Craven, who died in 2015. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and starring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega.
"Hotel Transylvania: Transformania" (Amazon Prime Video): Dracula and his monster friends are transformed into humans by Van Helsing's "Monsterfication Ray" in the fourth installment of the "Hotel Transylvania" franchise. The voice cast includes Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn and Jim Gaffigan.
"Riverdance: The Animated Feature" (Netflix): This animated film finds a young Irish boy and a young Spanish girl entering a magical world and meeting fantastical creatures who teach them the meaning of riverdance. The voice cast includes Pierce Brosnan, Brendan Gleeson and Lilly Singh.
Jan. 21
"A Hero" (Amazon Prime Video): Things don't go as planned when Rahim tries to use his two-day prison leave to convince his creditor to waive part of the debt he owes. This Iranian film was written and directed by Asghar Farhadi and stars Amir Jadidi as Rahim.
Jan. 28
"The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild" (Disney+): In this spinoff of the "Ice Age" franchise, possum brothers Crash and Eddie team up with weasel Buck Wild in an effort to save the Lost World from being dominated by dinosaurs. The voice cast includes Simon Pegg, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Vincent Tong and Aaron Harris.
"Home Team" (Netflix): New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton coaches his son's youth football team during his 2012 suspension for his role in the Bountygate scandal. Directed by Charles and Daniel Kinnane and starring Kevin James, Rob Schneider and Taylor Lautner.
Feb. 4
"Jackass Forever" (theaters): Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and the rest of the "Jackass" crew are back for this fourth (and possibly final) film in a series that has prided itself on presenting audiences with increasingly ridiculous and dangerous stunts and challenges.
"Moonfall" (theaters): Director Roland Emmerich is up to his usual disaster-film tricks in this flick about a group of astronauts trying to save Earth from a threat posed by its own moon. Starring Halley Barry, John Bradley and Patrick Wilson.
Feb. 11
"Death on the Nile" (theaters): Kenneth Branagh's oft-delayed follow-up to 2017's "Murder on the Orient Express" finds detective Hercule Poirot in charge of investigating a murder on a river steamer. The cast features Branagh, Gal Gadot, Annette Bening and Rose Leslie.
"Marry Me" (theaters, Peacock): When she learns her boyfriend has been unfaithful, pop star Kat Valdez decides to do something crazy and declare that she will marry a stranger holding a "Marry Me" sign at one of her concerts. Directed by Kat Coiro and starring Jennifer Lopez, Owen WIlson, John Bradley and Sarah Silverman.
"I Want You Back" (Amazon Prime Video): After being dumped by their significant others, Peter and Emma decide their next move is to sabotage their exes' new relationships and try to win them back. Directed by Jason Orley and starring Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, Gina Rodriguez and Scott Eastwood.
Feb. 18
"Uncharted" (theaters): This prequel to the popular video game series reveals the origins of a young Nathan Drake's friendship with Victor "Sully Sullivan" as they embark on a globe-spanning quest for a hidden treasure. Tom Holland steps into the role of Drake in this Ruben Fleischer-directed film that also stars Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali and Antonio Banderas.
"Dog" (theaters): An Army ranger is put in charge of transporting a military dog down the Pacific Coast to attend her handler's funeral. Directed by Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin and starring Tatum, Kevin Nash, Jane Adams and Bill Burr.
Feb. 25
"The Devil's Light" (theaters): A nun desperate for a chance to perform an exorcism gets more than she bargains for when she's confronted with a demonic force with connections to her past. Directed by Daniel Stamm and starring Jacqueline Byers, Virginia Madsen and Ben Cross.
"Studio 666" (theaters): BJ McDonnell directs this meta horror film about the Foo Fighters trying to survive threats posed by supernatural forces in a mansion they coopted to record a new album. The film also stars Will Forte, Jenna Ortega, Jeff Garlin and Whitney Cummings.
"Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America" (theaters): Lawyer Jeffrey Robinson chronicles a long history of anti-Black racism in the United States in this documentary from directors Emily and Sarah Kunstler.
"The Outfit" (theaters): A Chicago tailor is inadvertently thrust into the fight of his life when his gangster clientele get him involved in a fraught situation. Directed by Graham Moore and starring Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O'Brien and Johnny Flynn.
March 4
"The Batman" (theaters): The Caped Crusader's latest big-screen adventure involves a younger version of the titular character taking on The Riddler and other unseemly elements of Gotham City's criminal underbelly. Robert Pattinson dons the Batman cowl in this Matt Reeves-directed film that also stars Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell and Andy Serkis.
March 11
"Turning Red" (theaters): Pixar's latest follows Mei Lee, a 13-year-old who has to navigate adolescence and the fact she turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited or stressed. The voice cast includes Sandra Oh, Rosalie Chiang, Jordan Fisher and Orion Lee.
March 18
"Downton Abbey: A New Era" (theaters): This follow-up to the 2019 "Downton Abbey" movie brings back the likes of Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery for more drama involving the Crawley family. It's directed by Simon Curtis and written by "Downton Abbey" creator Julian Fellowes.
"Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre" (theaters): Spy extraordinaire Orson Fortune recruits an ultra-famous Hollywood movie star to help their mission to stop an arms dealer from distributing a deadly new weapons technology. Directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Jason Statham, Cary Elwes, Aubrey Plaza, Hugh Grant and Josh Hartnett.
March 25
"The Lost City" (theaters): An all-star cast that includes Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt and Daniel Radcliffe populate this story of a romance novelist and her cover model whose book tour turns into a kidnapping attempt and an unexpected jungle adventure.
April 1
"Morbius" (theaters): Dr. Michael Morbius' attempt to cure his rare blood disease accidentally infects him with a form of vampirism in this Marvel adaptation from Sony Pictures. Directed by Daniel Espinosa and starring Jared Leto, Adria Arjona, Tyrese Gibson and Michael Keaton.
"You Won't Be Alone" (theaters): A young girl living in 19th-century Macedonia is turned into a witch by an ancient spirit. Written and directed by Goran Stolevski and starring Noomi Rapace, Alice Englert and Anamaria Marinca.
"The Contractor" (theaters): Gillian Jacobs stars alongside Chris Pine in this action-thriller about a man who after being involuntarily discharged from the Marines joins a paramilitary organization to continue supporting his family. Directed by Tarek Saleh and also starring Ben Foster and Kiefer Sutherland.
April 8
"Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (theaters): Sonic is joined by other classic characters from his video game universe like Tails and Knuckles in this sequel to 2020's "Sonic the Hedgehog." James Marsden and Jim Carrey star in a film that also includes the voices of Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba and Colleen O'Shaughnessey.
"Ambulance" (theaters): Two bank robbers hijack an ambulance when their getaway doesn't go according to plan. Directed by Michael Bay and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza Gonzalez and Garret Dillahunt.
April 15
"Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" (theaters): Newt Scamander and his friends are once again caught up in the conflict between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald. Directed by David Yates and starring Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen and Dan Fogler.
April 17
"Thirteen Lives" (theaters): Director Ron Howard dramatizes the 2018 rescue of a youth soccer team and their coach in Thailand who were trapped in an underground cave for 18 days. It stars Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton.
April 22
"The Northman" (theaters): A Viking prince goes on a quest to avenge his murdered father. Robert Eggers directs this historical epic starring Alexander Skarsgård, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke and Bjork.
"The Bad Guys" (theaters): A group of anthropomorphic animals work together to pull off a major heist. The voice cast for DreamWorks Animation's latest includes Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Marc Maron, Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson and Zazie Beetz.
"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" (theaters): Nicolas Cage plays ... Nicolas Cage in this meta action-comedy that finds a fictionalized version of the "National Treasure" star having to break out all his acting skills during a birthday party gone horribly wrong. Directed by Tom Gormican and also starring Pedro Pascal, Neil Patrick Harris and Tiffany Haddish.
April 29
"65" (theaters): An astronaut quickly discovers that he's not alone after crash-landing on a mysterious planet. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and starring Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt and Chloe Coleman.
