This year saw Inside Out 2 and Wolverine & Deadpool duke it out for the top spot, followed by Wicked, Moana 2, and Despicable Me 4 to round out the top 5. Otherwise, there were several other films that, while they didn’t crack into the top spots, still made a decent amount versus their expectations. The most notable of these was Terrifier 3 which made waves by burying Joker 2 during its second weekend and wildly outperforming its expectations overall.

2024 continued to be the mixed bag for Hollywood that we have seen the last few years but we also saw signs that audiences still turn out for quality movies. Hopefully things like Terrifier 3, The Substance, Oddity, Nosferatu, Longlegs, etc will start to give more momentum to appropriately sized budgets and projects that stay true to artists’ vision instead of blowing up budgets on safe mediocre things we have seen 100 times.

Overall, 2024 was a decent year for movies in the theater and definitely had a better “average” experience than other recent years where we saw huge flops and stretches of nothing interesting enough to invest in seeing at the theater.

Streaming delivered another good year of hidden gems, foreign oddities, and low budget chances taken on quality projects. Over on Letterboxd, we were able to look at the best reviewed movies from 2024 that didn’t make a splash at the box office. In this list, we have some great films like Oddity, I Saw the TV Glow, Anora, The Wild Robot, and VHS: Beyond.

For best theater experiences this year, it has to be Dune 2 in the Dolby Cinema. It is hard to beat the feeling of the seats and your entire existence rumbling as Paul Atreides climbs his way up to set the reigns on that sandworm. As for streaming/home experiences, Oddity was a great surprise that we were talking about for weeks afterwards.

Overall, our favorite movie of 2024 was The Substance. Unhinged from start to finish, it was amazing to see an over-the-top gore-filled arthouse character study while it was new and in the theater. Sure, the movie isn’t for everyone but it is great to see what will be a cult classic when it is new instead of finding it decades later.

So, as we look forward to 2025, we have another year that looks to be stacking up about the same. There are a few big sequels, several smaller things to get excited about, and plenty of questionable things getting a green light. Keeping an eye on Jurassic World, Avatar, and several smaller horror movies. Follow along here as we see how it unfolds. Happy New Year!

2024 - R - 7/10 - Impressively Unnerving And Intense

From the team who brought you the underseen but great Caveat is another intense little film. Taking place in essentially one location, Oddity does a great job of introducing few characters and plot points but drawing every bit of intensity and anxiety possible from those elements. From the beginning, this movie puts you on the defense and starts cranking up the tension. Great filmmaking and a sense of foreboding around every corner make this a great slow burn horror thriller.