For many, this year will call for repeated trips to the local cinema as 2016 promises to be a stellar year at the box office. Follow this guide to find out about the most talked-about movies of 2016 and when you can go see them.
Thirteen Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
This film follows the true story of the Benghazi attacks that took place in September 2012, as told by writer Mitchell Zuckoff and the surviving members of the CIA Annex security team. Michael Bay directed Thirteen Hours, which stars John Krasinski as special forces operative Jack Silva. This movie guarantees intense action and a thrilling look into what really happened in Benghazi. The movie promises to be controversial, especially as the 2016 presidential election looms in the not-so-distant future, bringing issues of national security to the forefront. This movie will play into public opinion in a similar way as American Sniper (2014), and will be one of the biggest movies of 2016. Thirteen Hours is rated R and premieres on Jan. 15.
Deadpool
According to Cinemablend.com, lead actor Ryan Reynolds has been fighting for years to get a proper film adaptation of the Marvel comic book hero Deadpool, and finally Twentieth Century Fox took on the project. This promises to be unlike most superhero movies; writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese give Deadpool his original sarcastic and crude sense of humor. In a year during which eight Marvel and DC movies will be released, Deadpool may prove to be the most significant, as it plays into the X-Men movie universe and is rumored to be the catalyst of an X-Force film. Deadpool is not yet rated and rolls into theatres everywhere on Feb. 12.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman join forces in this movie to take on a new threat from villains Lex Luthor and Doomsday, but not until Batman battles Superman in an attempt to reel in the latter’s unchecked power. Ben Affleck returns as Batman while Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot play Superman and Wonder Woman, respectively. The film has built up significant hype as the star-studded sequel to director Zack Snyder and Warner Bros.’ Man of Steel, released in 2013. Also, Jesse Eisenberg plays Lex Luthor, an interesting casting choice. Seeing how that decision pans out may be reason enough to go see this movie. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is rated PG-13 and hits theatres everywhere on March 24.
Reboots
While comic book fans will rejoice in 2016, so will fans of classic movies such as Independence Day and Ghostbusters, movies that will make a return in the coming year. Independence Day: Resurgence premieres on June 24, two decades after the original movie. The new film follows the same basic premise as the original: mankind tries to defend itself against an alien attack. This time, however, the spectacle is even greater, with lead man Liam Hemsworth fighting aliens alongside a new worldwide alien defense program. Okay, it’s basically just like the original, but with better, computer-generated explosions.
Ironically, Liam Hemsworth’s brother Chris stars in the other big reboot of the summer, Ghostbusters, which comes to theatres in July. The characters were created by Ghost Busters (1984) star Dan Aykroyd, so the movie should stay pretty true to the original. However, the new Ghostbusters will feature an all-female team of ghost hunters led by the comedy tag team Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Harry Potter fans even have reason to celebrate in 2016 as J.K. Rowling wrote a new film that takes place 70 years before the birth of Harry Potter. This movie will add depth and a more intricate background to the wizarding world of Harry Potter and will keep the widely-loved film franchise strong. The film is set to come out in the United States in November.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Like J.K. Rowling, Lucasfilms wanted to add depth to their Star Wars universe and so created this movie about a team of Resistance fighters who, according to IMDb, attempt to steal plans for the Death Star. This movie is not a part of the new J.J. Abrams trilogy, but rather takes place between Episodes III and IV. However, the movie will certainly feed off the tremendous Star Wars craze created by the latest installment in the series, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The latest Star Wars film is set to come out in December.
Passengers
The final movie to get excited about in 2016 stars Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, perhaps the two hottest actors on the planet right now. In this sci-fi adventure flick, Pratt’s character is travelling to a distant space colony with thousands of other passengers when his sleep chamber malfunctions and he awakes 60 years too soon. So, instead of facing the prospect of dying alone, Pratt wakes up a second passenger. The movie, written by Jon Spaihts and directed by Morten Tyldum, who brought us The Imitation Game (2014), is now in production. It is set to debut in theatres in December.