While 2023 was a revival year for the cinemas, 2024 is the year for movie sequels to grace the big screens. There are a number of highly-anticipated sequels to look forward to next year. Multiple movies have been pushed until next year due to the current WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
2023 saw the release of some of the most successful films, such as Barbie, Oppenheimer, and the billion-dollar animated movie The Super Mario Mario Bros. Movie. But studios also took advantage of the surefire way to make a lot of money by releasing sequels. We witnessed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, Creed III, and Avatar: The Way of Water becoming some of the top-earning releases of 2023.
Let’s take a look at upcoming movie sequels in 2024.
10 Movie Sequels Arriving in 2024
10. Inside Out 2
The first on our list of movie sequels is Inside Out 2. At D23 10 months ago, Amy Poehler excitedly declared that joy and emotions are back in an all-new journey within Riley’s head. The groundbreaking animated movie concerning the five internal feelings that manage the decisions and musings of an 11-year-old Riley astounded the world in 2015.
Now, a continuation is set to hit the silver screen in 2024, making an effort to comprehend the inside of the now-developed teen psyche of Riley. Come June 2024, we will find out what enchantment Inside Out 2 can cast on viewers’ brains. The first Inside Out flick won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2016 and made an astonishing $858.8 million against a budget of $175 million.
9. Kung Fu Panda 4
The fourth entry in the Kung Fu Panda series, Kung Fu Panda 4, will follow the adventures of Po the clumsy kung fu fanatic panda as he embarks on a quest to identify the new Dragon Warrior while also contending with a new antagonist, the Chameleon.
Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s direction of the second film in the franchise, Kung Fu Panda 2, made it one of the highest-grossing movie sequels around the world helmed by a single female in 2017, preceding Wonder Woman. The series has been widely acclaimed as a brilliant rendering of the wuxia subgenre from a Western perspective.
8. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Even though the SAG-AFTRA strike has paused the production of the majority of films, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has the potential to start shooting soon, concentrating on the CGI scenes without actors to guarantee its 2024 release.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 held the title of the highest-grossing video game movie in the United States until The Super Mario Bros. Movie dethroned it in 2021. Now, our beloved anthropomorphic hedgehog has the opportunity to regain its acclaim with the sequel.
7. Venom 3
Sony’s fifth installment of the Spider-Man Universe is set to debut in the summer of 2024 which adds another superhero franchise to the list of movie sequels. It will be the third movie in the series featuring Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock and will serve as the conclusion for the Venom saga. The last movie finished with Eddie and Venom escaping to an unknown location, but due to Doctor Strange’s mistake in Spider-Man: No Way Home, they were briefly brought into the MCU before being wiped out of existence.
In 2018, Hardy announced that he was contracted to star in three Venom movies and the first two of them have already made more than $1.3 billion in box office revenue.
6. Despicable Me 4
The Despicable Me saga is set to continue with its sixth installment, Despicable Me 4. Not much is known about the plot yet, but it is likely to follow the events of Despicable Me 3, where Dru, accompanied by the Minions, stole Gru’s rocket-powered aircraft and took off. In the end, Gru and Lucy chose to give them a five-minute advantage before they followed.
It is certainly one of the most beloved movie sequels to look forward to for the Minion fans. Minions was the initial prequel to the Despicable Me franchise and it became the most lucrative movie of them all. Hopefully, Despicable Me 4 will surpass the billion-dollar mark to bring the entire series’ profits to a total of $4.5 billion in 2021.
5. Bad Boys 4
In February, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence announced their return to the well-known Bad Boys series. Following the achievements of the third installment, which had been released 17 years after the second, Sony gave the go-ahead for a fourth movie.
The storyline of the new movie has been kept secret, but three new actors, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, and Rhea Seehorn, have been included in it in major roles. Moreover, the nostalgic aspect of these movie sequels is one of its best marketing gimmicks.
4. Gladiator 2
As we mentioned earlier, 2024 is the year for movie sequels. Many classic films will be coming back to cinemas with their new narratives. The 2000 blockbuster Gladiator, the 2nd highest-grossing movie of the year, will be revived with a sequel that follows the tale of Lucius.
Gladiator 2 will be set 15 years later, with the Praetorian Guards taking reign over Rome. As an adult, Lucius starts searching for information concerning his real father.
3. Joker: Folie a Deux
Joaquin Phoenix‘s Joker and Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn will return with another incredible sequel, making them the first R-rated movie to generate an astounding $1 billion in gross revenue. It is certainly one of the most awaited movie sequels of the year.
When Todd Phillips spoke in 2019, he maintained that Joker was intended to be a single movie. However, it seems like the desires of the fans were fulfilled and Joker 2 will be released in 2024. Joker remains the third highest-grossing DC movie and people have high expectations for the sequel’s performance, which could potentially outdo the original.
2. Beetlejuice 2
In May 2023, the 1988 cult classic horror-fantasy film Beetlejuice was officially confirmed adding another gem to the list of classic movie sequels. Tim Burton will be returning as director and Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, with Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, now an adult, and Jenna Ortega as her daughter.
The second installment of the Beetlejuice saga is sure to be an electrifying journey. Building on the success of the first movie which made an impressive $74.7 million at the box office with a comparatively small budget of $15 million and even earned the Academy Award for Best Makeup.
1. Deadpool 3
One of the most highly anticipated movie sequels of 2024 will see two off-screen best friends reunite on the big screen. The hype for Deadpool 3 has been rising after Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman showed fans a glimpse of their costumes from the movie.
Although Madcap is a potential antagonist, nothing has been verified. Audiences can also expect to observe a few of the X-Force’s remaining members, along with some sparks of love between Vanessa and Wade Wilson.
