Following the Hollywood strikes this year, 2024 is on track to be an even bigger year for movies than it would have been otherwise. In anticipation of another big year for cinema, Fandango has shared the results of its 2024 Most Anticipated Movies Survey. There are a few surprises on the list, but the real revelation here is that even after The Marvels bombed at the box office this fall, moviegoers aren’t ready to give up on the MCU just yet.
Unsurprisingly, every movie on the list is a sequel or part of a popular franchise. Beetlejuice 2, Dune: Part Two, Inside Out 2, Gladiator 2 — if it’s got a “2” in the title, it’s probably represented. Other sequels on the list include Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Venom 3, and Despicable Me 4. The prequel film, A Quiet Place: Day One, and the animated The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim round out the list. But which movie came in first?
As you might have guessed, Deadpool 3 is the most anticipated movie of 2024:
It’s worth noting that Deadpool 3 is the only Marvel Studios movie hitting theaters in 2024. Sure, there will be a few Marvel shows coming to Disney+ next year, but Marvel is only releasing one movie. Nevertheless, it’s the movie most ticket buyers want to see.
We should point out that the outsized anticipation for a new Deadpool movie has little to do with the MCU. After all, the first two entries of the series were produced by 20th Century Fox prior to Disney’s acquisition, and they had no links to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Both movies also topped $780 million at the worldwide box office.
We now know that Deadpool will join the MCU in the third movie, but at this point, it seems like Marvel needs Deadpool more than he needs Marvel. The Marvels barely managed to push past $200 million, making it Marvel’s biggest box office bomb to date. That’s despite the fact that it’s a solid sequel with a great cast and a pretty shocking post-credits cameo. In fact, three of Marvel’s last eight movies have made less than $500 million worldwide.
Deadpool 3 is coming at the perfect time for Marvel Studios. While there will be connections to the MCU at large, this R-rated action comedy should bring a new flavor to a franchise that has become increasingly monotonous in recent years. Whether it will be enough to turn The Multiverse Saga around remains to be seen, but at least moviegoers are excited.
