Winter 2022 has been a little rough on the cinematic front. (Well, on most fronts, really.) But with the Omicron wave having crested and the Oscar nominations announced, a whole lot of major motion pictures are headed to a theater near you—and a couple will even be streaming! Whether you’re superhero fan (The Batman, Doctor Strange) or want something weirder and wilder (The Northman, Men) or are just in the market for something fun (The Lost City, Downton Abbey), there will be something for everyone at the multiplex in the coming months. Here’s what we’re most looking forward to this spring.
The Batman
The time has come for another new Batman—our third since 2005, not that anyone’s counting. Director Matt Reeves has populated his detective noir take on the world of Gotham City with gritty versions of comic book villains like The Riddler (Paul Dano), Penguin (Colin Farrell) and Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) to battle Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight. In theaters March 4.
Lucy and Desi
Fresh off the success—and multiple Oscar nominations—of Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos, Prime Video premieres another look at the lives of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Amy Poehler directed this documentary, which explores the couple’s romantic and professional relationship, and the entertainment legacy they built together. Streaming March 4 on Prime Video.
Deep Water
Ben Affleck and Ana De Armas’s love affair may have been short lived, but we’ll always have this erotic thriller to remember them by! Fatal Attraction director Adrian Lyne’s first film since 2002 concerns a married couple whose mind games begin to turn deadly. Streaming March 18 on Hulu.
The Lost City
This movie has everything! Romance! Action! Adventure! The handsomest men! A sparkly pink jumpsuit! Sandra Bullock stars as romance novelist Loretta Sage, who gets kidnapped by a billionaire eccentric (Daniel Radcliffe) who thinks she can help him find the real lost city she writes about in her books. Luckily, Dash (Channing Tatum), the devastatingly sexy—if slightly inept—model who appears on the cover of her paperbacks is determined to rescue her. Plus, Brad Pitt has a cameo! Sign us up! In theaters March 25.
Aline
The trailer for this French-Canadian film describes it as “a fiction freely inspired by the life of Celine Dion,” and that’s not even the oddest part. Aided by visual effects, 57-year-old director Valérie Lemercier plays pop star Aline Dieu throughout her fictional life, from childhood to middle age. Meanwhile, though Dion’s management reportedly approved the project, her family has spoken out against it. What even is this movie?! In theaters April 8.
The Northman
After giving us a tale of creepy Puritan superstition in The Witch and a bonkers yarn about lighthouse keepers in The Lighthouse, director Robert Eggers is taking on a Viking epic! A primarily shirtless Alexander Skarsgård stars as Amleth, a deposed prince seeking revenge against his uncle (Claes Bang) for the murder of his father (Willem Dafoe). Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke and Björk round out the cast, with Nicole Kidman appearing in yet another wig and with, presumably, yet another noteworthy accent. In theaters April 22.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Obviously, every Marvel movie is a huge big culture-dominating deal, but this latest in the ever expanding MCU features the return of the franchise’s undisputed MVP: Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen)! Plus, the internet thinks Patrick Stewart’s Professor X will finally be introduced into the Marvel Universe, which seems fun! In theaters May 6.
Men
Academy Award nominee (hurrah!) Jessie Buckley stars in the latest from Ex Machina director Alex Garland. The psychological horror film Men finds a grieving woman (Buckley) isolated in the English countryside. But something in the lush forest begins to torment her. In theaters May 20.
Downton Abbey: A New Era
Another Downton Abbey movie? Sure, why not? Return to everyone’s favorite manor house this spring for more low-stakes upper crust antics. This time around, Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess of Grantham—still alive and quipping—reveals a secret romance from her past resulting in a lovely trip to a gorgeous villa for some reason. Plus: Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) invites a film crew—complete with a dashing director (Hugh Dancy) and glamorous starlet (Laura Haddock)—to shoot a movie at Downton! Again, why the hell not? In theaters May 22.
Top Gun Maverick
The long-awaited and long-delayed sequel to 1986’s Top Gun is final taking off! Tom Cruise is aback as Navy fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who finds himself mentoring “Rooster” (Miles Teller), the son of his late best friend “Goose.” Originally scheduled to premiere in July 2019, we’ve been waiting nearly three years to see this movie! It better be worth it! In theaters May 27.
More Spring 2022 Entertainment Preview:
- Spring 2022 TV Preview: ‘Tiger King,’ Elizabeth Holmes and WeWork All Get the Prestige TV Treatment
- Spring 2022 TV Preview: When Do ‘Outlander,’ ‘Bridgerton’ and Other Favorite Shows Return?
