The pandemic may be far from over, particularly with the rise of the highly-contagious Omicron variant these days. But either way, life has to go on and so does the Hollywood movie industry. 2022 looks like Hollywood is gearing for the ultimate return to a full-on cinematic experience, judging by its list of releases. So, here are 20 Hollywood Blockbusters Releasing in 2022 Worth A Mark On Your Calendar! Who’s ready for a movie marathon this year? 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♂️
1) Moonfall (Feb 3)
The king of epic (CGI) destruction is back in action and I’m talking about none other than Roland Emmerich. He certainly knows a thing or two about destroying big cities in an epic (sorry, I just can’t help myself repeating this word) proportion. And that includes “Independence Day”, “The Day After Tomorrow”, and “2012”, just to name a few. This time, his latest sci-fi disaster blockbuster “Moonfall” follows a pair of former NASA astronauts (Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson) and a conspiracy theorist (John Bradley) who discover that the moon is about to crash into Earth due to a mysterious force. Well, it may sound silly and preposterous. But what really matters is I hope Emmerich can bring in some of his blockbuster filmmaking mojos in “Moonfall”. The kind of enjoyable popcorn fare worthy of a big-screen experience.
2) Death On The Nile (Feb 10)
It sure took this sequel to 2017’s “Murder on the Orient Express” long enough to see the light of day. Like some of the major Hollywood blockbusters, “Death on the Nile” is supposed to release in December 2019. But the combination of the Armie Hammer sex scandal and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the movie to delay several times. Cut to 2022, we finally get to see the sequel this February. “Death on the Nile” again features the iconic moustachioed detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) attempting to solve the murder of a young heiress. Similar to the first movie, this sequel has a stack of recognisable faces including Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, and Annette Bening. Plus, it’s nice to have a good old-fashioned whodunit and murder mystery for a change in the otherwise superhero-centric movie era.
3) Uncharted (Feb 17)
After decades of development hell, the big-screen adaptation of Sony PlayStation’s popular action-adventure console-game series “Uncharted” is set to arrive this February. The “Indiana Jones”-like adventure has Tom Holland as the young Nathan Drake while Mark Wahlberg plays the mentor role as Sully. I’m still sceptical with both casting decisions, despite their respective star powers. But let’s hope director Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland,” “Venom”) manages to capture the cinematic spirit of the console-game series.
4) The Batman (Mar 3)
Just how many times does Warner Bros. want to revive the “Batman” franchise all over again? Besides, it was only 6 years ago when Ben Affleck was cast as the iconic caped crusader in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”. I initially figured the studio’s decision to introduce another Batman seems like a disaster-in-the-making. But not after I’ve seen the trailers (including this one) that I’m finally convinced “The Batman” is in the good hands of Matt Reeves of “Planet of the Apes” rebooted franchise fame. It sure captured the dark and gritty look of Frank Miller’s comic-book series. Not to mention “The Batman” boasts a stellar cast including Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell and Paul Dano.
5) Morbius (Mar 31)
It’s a shame that we have to wait longer for “Morbius” after Sony decided to bump its January release to March 31st instead. Jared Leto plays the titular biochemist who unknowingly turns himself into a vampire after trying to cure his own rare blood disease. The trailers so far look as if the movie goes for the ’90s vampire action-style approach. But I’m sure most comic-book fans are more interested in how the character is connected to the bigger cinematic universe, especially with the return of Michael Keaton as Vulture from the MCU’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming”.
6) Ambulance (Mar 31)
Michael Bay goes back to his roots in “Ambulance” and I don’t mean in the “Transformers” kind of way. Instead, it’s more like a ’90s-style action movie that he used to do so well back in his “Bad Boys” and “The Rock” era. And it has a gripping setup too: Two robbers (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhaal) end up hijacking an ambulance after a bank heist gone wrong. Well, what happens next is typical Bayhem over the course of the journey (read: car crashes and explosions). Looks like old-school fun on the big screen.
7) Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore (Apr 14)
The long-delayed third entry of the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise will feature Mads Mikkelsen replacing the controversial Johnny Depp as the dark wizard, Gellert Grindelwald. Many fans are angry with Warner Bros.’ decision to recast their fan-favourite Johnny Depp. But Mikkelsen still looks like an interesting choice, given his experience of playing dark characters in “Casino Royale” and of course, the “Hannibal” series. David Yates, who directed the first two movies, returns as well.
8) Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Apr 28)
I’m glad that director Jeff Fowler got it right in the first “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie, particularly the game-accurate character design. The sequel looks like it’s going to be a whole lot of fun, thanks to the introductions of more iconic characters including Tails and Knuckles. And yes, Jim Carrey also returns with a vengeance as Sonic’s nemesis, Robotnik.
9) Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (May 5)
This year’s summer movie blockbusters kick off with the highly-anticipated “Doctor Strange” sequel. The original director (Scott Derrickson) from the first movie may be out but his replacement Sam Raimi looks like a perfect fit for this kind of superhero fantasy genre. Besides, Raimi’s a veteran in helming superhero movies after his original “Spider-Man” trilogy. Plus, the sequel will also include the return of Elisabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch after her Disney+ series in “WandaVision”.
10) Top Gun: Maverick (May 26)
It’s a highway to the danger zone again with the long-delayed sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun”! As usual, Tom Cruise is always committed to delivering as many practical stunts as possible and you’ll get it in “Top Gun: Maverick”. Shot on IMAX cameras, “Top Gun: Maverick” looks like it’s going to be a thrilling, high-flying excitement worthy of a trip to the biggest cinema possible.
11) Jurassic World: Dominion (June 9)
The third “Jurassic World” movie will see the return of director Colin Trevorrow along with the recurring stars (Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard) and the OG cast (Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum). The combination of the sequel and original trilogies’ cast are among the huge selling points here. And of course, more big-screen dino mayhem!
12) Lightyear (June 16)
It’s just a matter of time before one of the fan-favourite “Toy Story” characters gets his own spin-off. And that character in question turns out to be Buzz Lightyear. Chris Evans voices the titular role and despite the title, this isn’t about the “Toy Story” action figure but more of an origin story of the character itself. The first trailer sees the animation studio, Pixar focusing more on the sci-fi approach and I’m sure it’s going to be a poignant, intergalactic ride.
13) Thor: Love And Thunder (July 7)
Another highly-anticipated Marvel movie for this year is the long-awaited fourth “Thor” movie, where Taika Waititi returns to the director’s chair. Expect more high-spirited fun with Chris Hemsworth reprising the iconic hammer-wielding character. Plus, we get to see the return of Natalie Portman as Thor’s ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster, and Christian Bale playing the new villain, Gorr the God Butcher.
14) Black Adam (July 28)
Looks like 2022 goes all out with more superhero-movie dominance and here, we have DC Extended Universe’s “Black Adam”, where Dwayne Johnson plays the titular antihero. It will be interesting to see how genre veteran Jaume Collet-Serra (“Orphan”, “Unknown” and “The Shallows”) fares in his first venture into the comic-book movie territory.
15) Mission: Impossible 7 (Sept 29)
We have two big Tom Cruise movies this year including “Top Gun: Maverick” and this one, where he reprised his signature super-spy role as Ethan Hunt. Get ready for more high-octane stunts with the actor himself performing most of them! The seventh instalment will also see the return of Henry Czerny’s Eugene Kittridge from the first movie.
16) Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Part One) (Oct 6)
I really loved the amazingly animated “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”. It even received favourable responses from both critics and fans too. So, it’s natural that anticipation runs high in this splitting two-part sequel, with Shameik Moore reprising his voice performance as Mile Morales/Spider-Man.
17) The Flash (Nov 3)
The second DC Extended Universe movie this year would be the long-awaited solo movie of “The Flash”. Ezra Miller returns as the titular character and the upcoming superhero movie reportedly uses the “Flashpoint” comics as the main inspiration. What’s more, “The Flash” will feature the OG big-screen version of Batman himself, Michael Keaton.
18) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Nov 10)
The untimely death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, whose pivotal role as Black Panther left a huge void in the MCU. Instead of recasting his role with another actor, I’m glad both Marvel and director Ryan Coogler made the right decision to honour his legacy instead. And that is putting Letitia Wright, who plays Black Panther’s younger sister Shuri as the new lead. It remains to be seen how the sequel will address Black Panther/T’Challa’s absence.
19) Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (Dec 15)
The first “Aquaman” really surprised me with its entertaining mix of campy action-adventure and great characters all around. No doubt James Wan did a fantastic job and let’s see if he can continue to live up to the expectation in this sequel. Jason Momoa and yes, even the controversial Amber Heard return to star as the titular character and Mera respectively.
20) Avatar 2 (Dec 15)
Remember James Cameron and more specifically, the first “Avatar”? Well, the once-groundbreaking 2009 original, which famously pioneered 3D filmmaking will see the “king of the world” director returning to the big screen. Not sure if there are enough people who actually care about the continuation of an “Avatar” movie. But then again, this is James Cameron you’re talking about. Let’s see how he will fare in today’s ever-changing era of blockbuster filmmaking than the one he used to experience 13 years ago.
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