2019 just went out of the door, the smoke of its pyre is still in the air but we are already feeling the heat of 2020. 2019 was a good year for the industry. It was a year that Netflix consolidated its power by giving us great shows, the most outstanding been Martin Scorcese’s “The Irishman” which brought out the geniuses in Robert De Niro and Al Pacino (in fact, I am playing “In The Still of The Night” as I write this). If there was something Netflix showed us in 2019, it is that they have the money and they are not afraid of spending big to make powerful movies.
2019 was also the best year for billion-dollar films. In 2017, only three films made ten figures. In 2018, this number rose to five. Eight movies hit worldwide billion dollars earnings. Disney led the fray with six movies since most of the biggest earners were either remakings or sequels with “Avengers Endgame” topping the list with 2 billion dollars plus change. Closely followed by the Lion King and ably supported by the likes of “Spider-Man: Far From Home”, “Joker”, “Captain Marvel”, “Aladdin“, and “Toy Story 4”. Disney is the biggest winner of 2020.
It is not about money, 2019. We saw great performances. The return of Leonardo DiCaprio whose team-up in “Once Upon A Time… in Hollywood” with Brad Pitt turned out to be one of the highlights of the year. Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers” was great, Adam Driver was on fire in “Marriage Story“. Disagree with the making of “Joker” however you want but you cannot deny the fact that Joaquin Phoenix was untouchable. 2019 was the year we saw the force called The Rock seize a plane mid-flight and hold it down. Phew.
It is nearly impossible to summarize the movies and performances of 2019. It is easier to look ahead into 2020.
“Fast and Furious 9” is coming in 2020. “Wonder Woman 1984” is coming in 2020 and Gal Gadot is expected to kick aces*. Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” starring John David Washington, will be released in July 2020. I saw the trailer and it invokes memories of “Inception” and “Interstellar”. H.G Wells’ 1933 novel “The Invisible Man” will become a film in 2020. Daniel Graig’s last movie as James Bond, “No Time to Die”, is scheduled to come out in April 2020. And with “Black Widow”, Disney is offering something that can rake in a billion dollars. As usual.
One of the earliest 2020 movies is the latest of the “Bad Boys” franchise “Bad Boys for Life” starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence to do their thing. Michael Bay isn’t the director. This film was made in 2019 and it might have coincided with the time Bay was making the hit and miss”6 Underground” for Netflix. We will see how Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi fared.
Note that all the movies are theatrical releases except for a score or so movies that are direct to video for which we marked like this: (Video). Note, too, that this list is not complete. Some movies will be added to the later part of the year and some will see their date of release twerked now and again and for the movies marked TDB, their time of confirmation will come. While most of these movies are western releases, we have a few Nigerian movies marked (NIG) and South African movies marked (RSA).
Bookmark this page and refresh from time to time as we will update this as soon as we get wind of fresh information and additions. We will be diligent, this once. If you felt we left any important movie out, contact us.
January 2020 Movie Releases
January 3
City of Joel – Documentary
The Grudge – Horror
January 7
Love and Sunshine – Drama (Video)
Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe – Drama (Video)
A Shoe Addict’s Christmas – Drama (Video)
Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas – Drama (Video)
January 10
Afterward – Documentary
Chhapaak – Drama
Erde – Documentary
Inherit the Viper – Drama
Like a Boss – Comedy
The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson – Thriller/Suspense
Three Christs – Drama
Underwater – Thriller/Suspense
January 12
VHYes – Comedy
January 14
2050 – Drama
January 17
Bad Boys For Life – Action
Dolittle – Adventure
Extracurricular – Horror
The Host – Thriller/Suspense
The Last Full Measure – Drama
Troop Zero – Comedy (Video)
The Wave – Thriller/Suspense
January 20
Speed of Life – Drama
January 21
D-Love – Drama
January 22
Drive – Action
January 23
Blind Eyes Opened – Documentary
January 24
Assassin 33 A.D. – Drama
Color Out of Space – Horror
The Gentlemen – Action
Run – Thriller/Suspense
The Turning – Horror
January 31
The Assistant – Drama
Gretel & Hansel – Horror
José – Drama
The Rhythm Section Thriller/Suspense
Poppie Nongena (RSA)
Jan, 2020 TBD
2020 Oscar Shorts – Multiple Genres
February 2020 Movie Releases
February 5
La fille au bracelet – Drama
February 7
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Em… -Adventure
Cane River – Drama
The Son of a Prominent Journalist – Documentary
February 12
To all the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You – Drama (Video)
February 14
Buffaloed – Comedy
Come As You Are – Comedy
Downhill – Drama
Fantasy Island – Horror
Vergeet my nie (RSA)
First Lady – Romantic Comedy
Olympic Dreams – Romantic Comedy
The Photograph – Drama
Sonic The Hedgehog – Adventure
The Times of Bill Cunningham – Documentary
What About Love – Drama
February 21
Acquitted by Faith – Drama
Bloodshot – Action
Brahms: The Boy II – Horror
Call of the Wild – Adventure
Conundrum: Secrets Among Friends – Drama
Emma – Drama
Greed – Comedy
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson – Documentary
Las Pildoras De Mi Novio – Romantic Comedy
Premature – Drama
February 24
Free Burma Rangers – Documentary
February 28
10 Things We Should Do Before We Brea… – Comedy
Burden – Drama
The Invisible Man – Thriller/Suspense
Saint Frances – Multiple Genres
Wendy – Drama
March 2020
March 1
The Education of Fredrick Fitzell – Thriller/Suspense
March 6
The Burnt Orange Heresy – Thriller/Suspense
First Cow – Drama
Onward – Adventure
The Way Back – Drama
March 13
I Still Believe – Drama
Inside the Rain – Romantic Comedy
Molly – Drama
My Spy – Comedy
Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always – Drama
Slay the Dragon – Documentary
Swallow – Drama
March 15
Untitled Blumhouse Horror Project – Horror
March 20
The Climb – Drama
A Quiet Place: Part II – Horror
Griekwastad (RSA)
March 27
Mulan Adventure
Singleholic (RSA)
Winter, 2020 TBD
Timmy Failure – Adventure (Video)
April 2020 Movie Releases
April 3 Fatherhood – Drama
The Lovebirds – Comedy
The New Mutants – Action
Peter Rabbit 2 – Adventure
April 8
No Time to Die – Action
April 10
Rise – Drama
April 17
Antlers – Horror
Monster Problems – Adventure
Promising Young Woman – Thriller/Suspense
The Secret: Dare to Dream – Drama
Trolls: World Tour – Adventure
Y Como Es El – Comedy
April 24
Antebellum – Thriller/Suspense
Bad Trip – Comedy
May, 2020
May 1
Black Widow – Action
Dream Horse – Drama
May 8
Greyhound (RSA)
Barbie – Comedy
Covers – Comedy
Greyhound – Drama
Legally Blonde 3 – Comedy
P31 – Adventure
The Personal History of David Copperf… – Drama
May 15
Scoob! – Adventure
Untitled Saw Film – Horror
The Woman in the Window – Thriller/Suspense
May 22
Fast and Furious 9 – Action
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run – Adventure
May 29
Artemis Fowl – Adventure
May, 2020 TBD
Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy – Documentary
June 2020 Movie Releases
June 5
Wonder Woman 1984 – Action
June 12
Candyman – Horror
June 19
King of Staten Island – Comedy
Soul – Adventure
June 24
Garfield – Adventure
June 26
In The Heights – Musical
Top Gun: Maverick – Action
June 30
The Sessions (NIG)
June 2020 TBD
Crescendo – Theatrical
The Phenomenon – Documentary
Spring, 2020 TBD
John Lewis: Good Trouble – Documentary
Straight Up – Romantic Comedy
July 2020
July 3
Free Guy – Action
Minions: The Rise of Gru – Adventure
July 10
Ghostbusters: Afterlife – Adventure
Untitled Next Purge Chapter – Horror
July 17
Bob’s Burgers – Musical
Tenet – Action
July 24
Jungle Cruise – Adventure
July 31 Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar – Comedy
Morbius – Horror
Rumble – Action
August 2020 Movie Releases
August 7
Infinite – Thriller/Suspense
August 8
Love Feast (NIG)
August 14
Escape Room 2 – Thriller/Suspense
Malignant – Thriller/Suspense
Nobody –Theatrical
The One and Only Ivan – Adventure
Respect – Drama
August 20
The Empty Man – Thriller/Suspense
August 21
Bill & Ted Face the – Music Comedy
Let Him Go – Drama
August 28
Spell – Horror
Unhinged – Thriller/Suspense
September 2020
September 4
Monster Hunter – Adventure Theatrical
September 11
The Conjuring 3 – Horror
September 18
The King’s Man – Action
The Mitchells vs. The Machines – Comedy
Without Remorse – Action
September 25
Last Night in Soho – Thriller/Suspense
The Many Saints of Newark – Drama
Praise This – Musical
The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Drama
September 2020 TBD
The Prom – Drama (Video)
Summer, 2020 TBD
Harder Than You Think – Documentary
The Trip to Greece – Comedy
October 2020
October 2
BIOS – Adventure
Material Two (RSA)
Venom 2 – Action
October 9
Death on the Nile – Thriller/Suspense
Fatale – Thriller/Suspense
The Witches – Adventure
October 16
Halloween Kills – Horror
Snake Eyes – Action
October 21
Adieu les cons Comedy
November 2020
November 6
The Eternals – Action
Stillwater – Drama
November 13
Clifford the Big Red Dog – Adventure
Deep Water – Thriller/Suspense
Red Notice – Action
November 20
Fang – Action
Godzilla vs. Kong – Action
Happiest Season – Romantic Comedy
Samaritan – Action
November 25
King Richard – Drama
Raya and the Last Dragon –
Nov, 2020 TBD
The Christmas Chronicles 2 – Adventure
December 2020 Movie Releases
December 18
Coming to America 2 – Comedy
Dune – Adventure
Uncharted – Action
West Side Story – Musical
December 23
The Croods 2 – Adventure
Tom and Jerry – Adventure
December 25
The Last Duel – Drama
News of the World – Drama
December 31
American Skin Drama
TBD Releases
The following films are set for 2020 but with no specific release dates
All Rise – Drama
American Fighter – Drama
Anastasia – Adventure
The Bobot – Adventure
The Boys in the Band – Drama
The Capote Tapes – Documentary
Chaos Walking – Action
Concrete Gold – Comedy (Video)
Cut Throat City – Drama
Death of Me – Horror
The Devil All the Time – Horror
Dreamkatcher – Horror
Dreamland – Drama
Extinct – Theatrical
The Eyes of Tammy Faye – Drama
Fear Street – Horror
First Ladies – Comedy (Video)
Freaks Drama (Video)
French Exit – Comedy
Fyre Festival – Unconfirmed
Home Alone – Comedy (Video)
How to Build a Girl – Comedy
I’m Thinking of Ending Things – Drama (Video)
Isi and Ossi – Romantic Comedy (Video)
Jingle Jangle – Musical (Video)
The Last Thing He Wanted – Drama Video
The Loud House – Comedy (Video)
The Main Event – Action (Video)
Mosul – Drama
My Father’s Dragon – Unconfirmed (Video)
Over the Moon Musical (Video)
Resistance – Drama
Safety – Drama Video
Sérgio – Drama Video
Sound of Freedom – Action
Synchronic – Thriller/Suspense
The War with Grandpa Comedy
The Willoughbys – Adventure
Wish Dragon – Adventure
Image sources: Grit Daily, Screen Rant, and Vox
*The new spelling of the French word
