Before you read this, sign into Fandango or your movie ticket retailer of choice. You're going to want to book some seats early. We just closed out a hot year of movies, but guess what: 2016 is going to be even better. Hollywood has some serious blockbusters on the slate from superhero slugfests to hilarious comedies. Hell, we'll even throw a chick flick on here in case you have a hot date. Pop some popcorn, compadre, because these are the 10 movies you won't want to miss in 2016.
The Nice Guys
![2016 movies, must see 2016 films, the nice guys]()
Shane Black is one of those Hollywood names you need to know. His scripts made the first "Lethal Weapon" movies huge hits, and his 2005 directorial debut "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" is one of the best cult movies of the century. He's writing and directing "The Nice Guys" in 2016, which stars Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as a pair of private investigators looking for a missing girl. Black is a master of hilariously mean dialogue and brutal action, and this is poised to be the sleeper hit of the summer. See it in theaters so you can brag about it later to your friends.
Passengers
![2016 movies, must see 2016 films, passengers]()
Now that Jennifer Lawrence is free of "The Hunger Games," expect to see her stretching out in some interesting directions. Next year sees her in Norwegian director Morten Tyldum's "Passengers," with Chris Pratt playing an astronaut accidentally awakened from cryogenic sleep who can't handle spending the next 90 years alone in transit. Hence, he wakes somebody else to keep him company. The last space movie with a cast this small was "Gravity," and that was pretty awesome. So we have high hopes for this one.
Captain America: Civil War
![2016 movies, must see 2016 films, captain america civil war]()
Saying the phrase "Marvel Cinematic Universe" out loud should earn you a brutal wedgie, but you can't deny that the superhero films that make it up are damn good. The third Captain America flick adapts a recent storyline where the government cracks down on all these super-powered vigilantes running around, with Cap on one side and Iron Man on the other. When two bros collide, the whole world hangs in the balance. "Civil War" brings back all of your favorite characters from the last Avengers movie and introduces a bunch more like the Black Panther (not to mention the first appearance of Spider-Man in the MCU).
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
![2016 movies, must see 2016 films, batman v superman dawn of justice]()
There's a lot riding on Zack Snyder's upcoming flick, which pits the two most iconic DC superheroes against each other. DC simply hasn't been able to pull the trigger on the big screen apart from the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight movies (although their TV shows are perfectly fine). The watchwords for this one are "grim and gritty," which could work or backfire horribly. Either way, it's going to be one of 2016's must-see movies, especially for the debut of Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
Ghostbusters
![2016 movies, must see 2016 films, ghostbusters]()
With a third movie in the franchise rumored for decades, the announcement of an all-female "Ghostbusters" reboot made some oversensitive nerds very angry. But with a cast that includes Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy and Leslie Jones, along with cameos from just about everybody from the original flick, it's shaping up to be pretty solid. Casting Chris Hemsworth as the team's nerdy receptionist is a stroke of genius in itself. The best rumor that we've heard from the set? Sigourney Weaver requested to be cast...as Slimer.
Zoolander 2
![2016 movies, must see 2016 films, zoolander 2]()
It's been fifteen years since the original "Zoolander" came out, but the actors haven't aged a day. Or if they have, a ton of makeup and CGI will make it look like they haven't. Ben Stiller returns as international male supermodel Derek Zoolander, brought in by Interpol to investigate a rash of murders where the corpses all sported his trademark "Blue Steel" facial expression. Will Ferrell returns as Jacobim Mugatu, and the cast boasts a litany of bizarre cameos including Macaulay Culkin, Kanye West and Benedict Cumberbatch. Sure, "Anchorman 2" wasn't so hot, but we've got our fingers crossed for this one.
Snowden
![2016 movies, must see 2016 films, snowden]()
Oliver Stone's upcoming biopic about one of the most controversial Americans of our time is going to be a major conversation piece. Edward Snowden is the former NSA analyst who obtained a ton of classified documents about American wartime activities and leaked them to the press, blowing open the global surveillance network we were using to illegally spy on our own people. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Snowden and the buzz on this one is already very loud.
The Boy
![2016 movies, must see 2016 films, the boy]()
The year 2016 has plenty of horror movies on the slate, but we're especially excited for "The Boy." Lauren Cohan (Maggie from "The Walking Dead") stars as a nanny brought to a tiny English town to care for a little kid. When she gets there, she finds out that the young one has passed away and the parents have replaced him with a lifelike porcelain doll which they expect her to treat like a real child. She goes along with it, but then things get even weirder. It's a dynamite premise that hopefully will follow through when it hits theaters on January 22.
The Great Wall
![2016 movies, must see 2016 films, the great wall]()
Legendary Chinese director Zhang Yimou has been working on this 3D science fantasy epic for decades, and it's going to be a spectacle if nothing else. Matt Damon stars alongside Chinese mega-talent Andy Lau, an incredibly prolific and successful actor making his U.S. film debut after over 30 years in the business. The details of the plot are still under wraps, but we know Damon plays a European swordsman who travels to China to repel a horde of demons and somehow transforms the Great Wall into a massive weapon, which sounds awesome. What's interesting about this film is that it's a very real joint effort between the Chinese and American film industries, attempting to appeal equally to both cultures. It'll be interesting to see if they manage to pull it off.
Deadpool
![2016 movies, must see 2016 films, deadpool]()
Another superhero movie? Sure, but this one is going to be a little different. Ryan Reynolds reprises his role as the Merc with a Mouth in 2016, and the hardcore geeks are hyped. Deadpool is a horrifically deformed killer for hire with a Wolverine-esque healing power that lets him bounce back from any injury. The character's demented humor has made him a fan favorite, and the early trailers that have dropped show that the script gets exactly what makes him popular. Throw in some old-fashioned ultraviolence — the flick is one of the very few superhero films to get out the door with an R rating — and you've got a bro movie for the ages.
The Nice Guys
Shane Black is one of those Hollywood names you need to know. His scripts made the first "Lethal Weapon" movies huge hits, and his 2005 directorial debut "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" is one of the best cult movies of the century. He's writing and directing "The Nice Guys" in 2016, which stars Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as a pair of private investigators looking for a missing girl. Black is a master of hilariously mean dialogue and brutal action, and this is poised to be the sleeper hit of the summer. See it in theaters so you can brag about it later to your friends.
Passengers
Now that Jennifer Lawrence is free of "The Hunger Games," expect to see her stretching out in some interesting directions. Next year sees her in Norwegian director Morten Tyldum's "Passengers," with Chris Pratt playing an astronaut accidentally awakened from cryogenic sleep who can't handle spending the next 90 years alone in transit. Hence, he wakes somebody else to keep him company. The last space movie with a cast this small was "Gravity," and that was pretty awesome. So we have high hopes for this one.
Captain America: Civil War
Saying the phrase "Marvel Cinematic Universe" out loud should earn you a brutal wedgie, but you can't deny that the superhero films that make it up are damn good. The third Captain America flick adapts a recent storyline where the government cracks down on all these super-powered vigilantes running around, with Cap on one side and Iron Man on the other. When two bros collide, the whole world hangs in the balance. "Civil War" brings back all of your favorite characters from the last Avengers movie and introduces a bunch more like the Black Panther (not to mention the first appearance of Spider-Man in the MCU).
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
There's a lot riding on Zack Snyder's upcoming flick, which pits the two most iconic DC superheroes against each other. DC simply hasn't been able to pull the trigger on the big screen apart from the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight movies (although their TV shows are perfectly fine). The watchwords for this one are "grim and gritty," which could work or backfire horribly. Either way, it's going to be one of 2016's must-see movies, especially for the debut of Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
Ghostbusters
With a third movie in the franchise rumored for decades, the announcement of an all-female "Ghostbusters" reboot made some oversensitive nerds very angry. But with a cast that includes Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy and Leslie Jones, along with cameos from just about everybody from the original flick, it's shaping up to be pretty solid. Casting Chris Hemsworth as the team's nerdy receptionist is a stroke of genius in itself. The best rumor that we've heard from the set? Sigourney Weaver requested to be cast...as Slimer.
Zoolander 2
It's been fifteen years since the original "Zoolander" came out, but the actors haven't aged a day. Or if they have, a ton of makeup and CGI will make it look like they haven't. Ben Stiller returns as international male supermodel Derek Zoolander, brought in by Interpol to investigate a rash of murders where the corpses all sported his trademark "Blue Steel" facial expression. Will Ferrell returns as Jacobim Mugatu, and the cast boasts a litany of bizarre cameos including Macaulay Culkin, Kanye West and Benedict Cumberbatch. Sure, "Anchorman 2" wasn't so hot, but we've got our fingers crossed for this one.
Snowden
Oliver Stone's upcoming biopic about one of the most controversial Americans of our time is going to be a major conversation piece. Edward Snowden is the former NSA analyst who obtained a ton of classified documents about American wartime activities and leaked them to the press, blowing open the global surveillance network we were using to illegally spy on our own people. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Snowden and the buzz on this one is already very loud.
The Boy
The year 2016 has plenty of horror movies on the slate, but we're especially excited for "The Boy." Lauren Cohan (Maggie from "The Walking Dead") stars as a nanny brought to a tiny English town to care for a little kid. When she gets there, she finds out that the young one has passed away and the parents have replaced him with a lifelike porcelain doll which they expect her to treat like a real child. She goes along with it, but then things get even weirder. It's a dynamite premise that hopefully will follow through when it hits theaters on January 22.
The Great Wall
Legendary Chinese director Zhang Yimou has been working on this 3D science fantasy epic for decades, and it's going to be a spectacle if nothing else. Matt Damon stars alongside Chinese mega-talent Andy Lau, an incredibly prolific and successful actor making his U.S. film debut after over 30 years in the business. The details of the plot are still under wraps, but we know Damon plays a European swordsman who travels to China to repel a horde of demons and somehow transforms the Great Wall into a massive weapon, which sounds awesome. What's interesting about this film is that it's a very real joint effort between the Chinese and American film industries, attempting to appeal equally to both cultures. It'll be interesting to see if they manage to pull it off.
Deadpool
Another superhero movie? Sure, but this one is going to be a little different. Ryan Reynolds reprises his role as the Merc with a Mouth in 2016, and the hardcore geeks are hyped. Deadpool is a horrifically deformed killer for hire with a Wolverine-esque healing power that lets him bounce back from any injury. The character's demented humor has made him a fan favorite, and the early trailers that have dropped show that the script gets exactly what makes him popular. Throw in some old-fashioned ultraviolence — the flick is one of the very few superhero films to get out the door with an R rating — and you've got a bro movie for the ages.