2021 was a great year in film for many reasons. Movie theaters reopened to reasonable success with films such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Godzilla vs. Kong leading the way in the box office. But now, at the beginning of the new year, it is time to look ahead to the films that will be released this year. Here is my personal list of the top 10 most anticipated movies scheduled to be released in 2022. 

Please note that the release of these movies are subject to change due to COVID. 

#10: The Northman

Robert Eggers’ The Northman follows a viking who seeks revenge for the murder of his father at the turn of the 10th century. Robert Eggers’ past two films, The Witch and The Lighthouse are indie horror films, while this new film looks more like a haunting thriller. Both movies were critically beloved, so this next project of Eggers’ has gathered a lot of anticipation from film fans. The film stars Alexander Skarsgaard, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy and Willem Dafoe. It hits theaters on April 8.

#9: Bullet Train

David Leitch has directed action blockbusters over the past five years, starting as a co-director of the first John Wick film. Then, he directed Deadpool 2 and Hobbs and Shaw, the Fast and Furious spinoff. All three movies made tons of money at the box office and he is back in the director’s chair for Bullet Train. The film is about a group of assassins on a train. That is basically the whole premise, and the plot has been vague. It has an all-star cast including Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Logan Lerman and is scheduled to hit theaters this summer on July 15. 

#8: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The tragic death of Chadwick Boseman is the biggest cloud surrounding the highly anticipated sequel of Best Picture nominee, Black Panther. Marvel Studios has repeatedly stated that they will not recast the character of T’Challa out of respect for Boseman. Fans around the globe are interested to see the direction they take the franchise. There is no plot currently for the film but the title of the iconic superhero speaks for the anticipation alone. Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, has been heavily rumored to take on the mantle of Black Panther. The film stars Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright and Winston Duke and is scheduled to hit theaters on November 11. 

#7: Creed III

The reinvigoration of the Rocky franchise has been remarkably successful. The first Creed was released in 2015 and is one of my favorite movies from that year. The sequel came out in 2018 and was critically acclaimed as well. Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan have done a great job developing the character of Adonis Creed and it has been a few years since we last saw them together on screen. However, Stallone has stated that he will not appear in this film as Rocky Balboa, but that still doesn’t dampen my anticipation for the movie. The film stars Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, & Jonathan Majors. It is scheduled to hit theaters this Thanksgiving on Nov. 23. 

#6: Lightyear

The Toy Story franchise has been beloved by many for the past 25 years. While there have been direct sequels for the franchise, Pixar has taken a different route by giving us Buzz Lightyear’s origin story. The film will follow Buzz Lightyear on his earliest adventures and instead of being voiced by Tim Allen, he will be voiced by Captain America himself, Chris Evans. Lightyear is scheduled to hit theaters this summer on June 17. 

#5: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The MCU has knocked their latest movies out of the park and by the looks of it, it looks like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will receive similar success. The first Doctor Strange was released back in 2016, and while I am not the biggest fan of that movie, the character has become more likable for me through his appearances in other Marvel movies. The movie will follow Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch as they try to figure out issues caused by the breaking of the Multiverse. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor. It is scheduled to be released on May 6. 

#4: Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor started out as a very divisive character in the MCU through his first two standalone films, as they were not critically acclaimed. However, Thor: Ragnarok was very well received, which is mainly due to the directing of Taika Waititi, who is back in the director’s chair for this installment. Natalie Portman will be returning as Jane Foster, Thor’s love interest from the first two films, and Christian Bale will be playing the villain. There will also be appearances from the Guardians of the Galaxy. Anticipation for the fourth Thor film is high and the movie is set to hit theaters this summer on July 8. 

#3: Mission: Impossible 7

#2: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was such a pleasant surprise when it came out at the end of 2018. The animation style was something that we have never seen before. I thought that making the film while Spider-Man existed in the MCU would be a bad move, but now we are here awaiting the sequel for the film that won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. The plot for this sequel is vague but just like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the name alone sells the film. I am pumped for Oct. 7 when this film comes out. 

#1: The Batman

Finally, my most anticipated film of 2022 is The Batman. Batman has been a very divisive character since his debut in Batman v Superman for the new era of DC. Ben Affleck has infamously stopped portraying the character even though portraying Bruce Wayne in upcoming movies was still part of the deal he signed. Robert Pattinson will be playing the Caped Crusader in this rendition of the character, which seems to be a gritty story of Batman investigating a series of murders in Gotham City. The film comes out on March 4, but I wish it came out much sooner. 

2022 has so many incredible films in store, and here’s to hoping that there won’t be many delays like there have been over the past few years.