Bucke up, because March is jam packed with movies. Things start off with a spice-filled bang thanks to Dune: Part Two. Between Adam Sandler‘s Spaceman and the astronaut documentary Space: The Longest Goodbye, the solar system isn’t going anywhere. Horror fans are in for multiple treats with Imaginary, The Piper, Night Shift, Immaculate, and Late Night With the Devil. Need some ghosts and Paul Rudd? Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the movie for you.
Kung Fu Panda 4 promises to kick some butt, and so does Millie Bobby Brown as Damsel‘s self-rescuing princess. Plus, Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian have mean right hooks in the noir romance Love Lies Bleeding, while Glitter & Doom tells a joyous queer love story through musical numbers. Anthony Hopkins plays the real life World War II humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winston in One Life, and Regina King commands the screen as Shirley Chisholm in Shirley. Irish Wish sees Lindsay Lohan sparkle her way to magical rom-com land. Finally, the big guys clash once again in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Saddle up your sandworms and get ready! Here are all the new movies coming in March.
Dune: Part Two
Release Date: March 1 in Theaters
Already hailed as a masterpiece, Dune: Part Two continues Denis Villeneuve‘s adaptation of Frank Herbert‘s Dune, one of the most influential sci-fi novels of all time. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) wages war against the conniving House Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, and Austin Butler) for their role in his father’s murder. Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem all return alongside newcomers Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, and Christopher Walken.
Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate
Release Date: March 1 on Peacock
The most underrated superhero movie of the 2010s finally gets a follow-up. Reformed supervillain Megamind (Keith Ferguson, replacing Will Ferrell) is enjoying his role as Metro City’s hero. When his old bad guy buddies, the Doom Patrol, target Metro City, Megamind and his new friends must protect their home.
Outlaw Posse
Release Date: March 1 in Theaters
The scene: two sets of outlaws want a fortune. When Sergeant Decker (Mario Van Peebles, who also wrote and directed Outlaw Posse) finds out that his estranged father is involved, Decker wants in on the gold. Outlaw Posse‘s impressive cast includes Whoopi Goldberg, Cedric the Entertainer, Edward James Olmos, John Carroll Lynch, and William Mapother.
Problemista
Release Date: March 1 in Select Theaters
In Problemista, SNL alum and Los Espookys star Julio Torres has two big goals: become a toy designer and an American citizen. The charming, whimsical, colorful A24 movie stars Torres and Tilda Swinton as his unlikely art enthusiast mentor. The movie was brought to life by producer Emma Stone, and also stars Past Live‘s Greta Lee and Isabella Rossellini.
Spaceman
Release Date: March 1 on Netflix
Astronaut Jakub Procházka (Adam Sandler) has spent six months alone in space. Separated from his family, the mission is taking its toll. When he meets Hanuš (Paul Dano), an alien arachnid, has Jakub really encountered extraterrestrial life, or is it his despondent imagination? Directed by Chernobyl‘s Johan Renck, Spaceman also stars Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan.
Ricky Stanicky
Release Date: May 7 on Prime Video
Dean (Zac Efron), Wes (Jermaine Fowler), JT (Andrew Santino), and Ricky Stanicky have been best friends for 25 years. Except Ricky doesn’t exist — he’s a ruse the guys use whenever they want time away from their families. When their lie comes close to being exposed, they hire Rod (John Cena) to bring Ricky to life.
Kung Fu Panda 4
Release Date: March 8 in Theaters
A true warrior never rests. Po (Jack Black), recently retired from his role as the Dragon Warrior, joins forces with Zhen (Awkwafina) when new and familiar dangers arrive: the Chameleon (Viola Davis), a shapeshifting villain, and Po’s old nemesis, Tai Lung (Ian McShane). Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, and J.K. Simmons return for the fourth installment of DreamWorks’ blockbuster franchise, while Ke Huy Quan, Lori Tan Chinn, and Ronny Chieng join the fun.
Damsel
Release Date: March 8 on Netflix
She’s a damsel, she’s in distress, and she can handle this. Princess Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) is set to marry Prince Henry (Nick Robinson). Instead, her fiancé tosses her into a dragon pit. Elodie is part of a long line of innocent women sacrificed for her country. Only Elodie can save herself and break the cycle. Powerhouses Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Ray Winstone lend their talents to Damsel.
Imaginary
Release Date: March 8 in Theaters
What’s more terrifying than a demonically possessed teddy bear? Seriously. When an adult Jessica (DeWanda Wise) reunites with Chauncey, her beloved stuffed animal, she discovers her “imaginary” childhood friend was a malevolent entity all along. Blumhouse Productions’s newest horror venture is directed by Jeff Wadlow.
First Time Female Director
Release Date: March 8 on the Roku Channel
Comedian and Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Chelsea Peretti makes her directorial debut as, well, a First Time Female Director. Peretti’s self-aware satire sees her character, Sam, replacing a male director and trying to pull together a haphazard theater production. Also written by Peretti, the ensemble cast features Megan Mullally, Amy Poehler, Kate Berlant, and Max Greenfield.
Love Lies Bleeding
Release Date: March 8 in Theaters
With Love Lies Bleeding, Kristen Stewart continues to be one of the generation’s most versatile performers. Directed by Rose Glass and co-written by Glass and Weronika Tofilska, Stewart plays Lou, a gym owner with a dark past. Bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian) wanders into Lou’s gym, and the two fall deeply in love. But Lou can’t escape her family’s criminal ties, specifically her father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris).
Cabrini
Release Date: March 8 in Theaters
Cabrini is inspired by the life of Mother Francesca Cabrini (Cristiana Dell’Anna), an Italian Catholic nun, missionary, and saint from the 19th-century. Determined to build a hospital that betters the lives of New York City’s most underserved, Francesca combats hate from all sides as well as a lethal illness.
The Piper
Release Date: March 8 in Theaters
This supernatural horror from Erlingur Thoroddsen, inspired by the Pied Piper myth, stars Charlotte Hope as Jennifer, a professional musician and composer. The powers that be want her orchestra to perform a concerto that Jennifer’s deceased mentor left unfinished. Doing so unleashes a malignant creature who ruins the lives of all who listen.
Night Shift
Release Date: March 8 in Theaters
Do good things ever happen in creepy motels? Or during the night shift? Nope — just ask Psycho and Five NIghts at Freddy’s. The longer Gwen (Phoebe Tonkin) works her night shift job at a run-down motel, the more she knows the vibes are off — like, haunted hellscape off.
Shayda
Release Date: March 8 in Theaters
Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) and her young daughter have moved from Iran to Australia, where they live in a women’s shelter. Despite Shayda’s attempts to divorce her abusive husband, Hossein (Osamah Sami), he finds them during Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. Director Noora Niasari‘s feature-length debut is a stirring tale of life, love, survival, and freedom.
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Release Date: March 8 in Theaters
Movies love to explore space and mental health, but astronauts’ emotional stability is a legitimate issue. Their jobs demand extended time away from loved ones, and sometimes complete isolation. The documentary Space: The Longest Goodbye by director Ido Mizrahy interviews past and present astronauts about these “devastating psychological effects” and advocates for change before NASA’s expedition to Mars.
Glitter & Doom
Release Date: March 8 in Theaters
With a logline like “an electric queer musical about the power of love,” told with the help of Indigo Girls songs, Glitter & Doom is already a modern classic. Alex Diaz and Alan Cammish star as the titular Glitter and Doom, respectfully, in director Tom Gustafson and writer Cory Krueckeberg‘s electrifying love story.
Frida
Release Date: March 15 on Prime Video
Debut director Carla Gutierrez weaves together narration, imagery, and animation into a documentary about Frida Kahlo‘s life. Gutierrez told IndieWire, “When I started looking at research material, I found that no one had truly focused on her voice and let Frida herself carry a narrative.” Throughout Frida, actors recite excerpts from Kahlo’s journals, letters, and interviews.
Arthur the King
Release Date: March 15 in Theaters
Dog lovers, prepare to cry. Director Simon Cellan Jones‘s tale about the love between Michael Light (Mark Wahlberg) and Arthur, the dog he meets during a 435-mile race, is based on the true story chronicled in Mikael Lindnord and Val Hudson‘s non-fiction book Arthur — The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home. Simu Liu, Juliet Rylance, and Bear Grylls as himself round out the supporting cast.
The American Society of Magical Negroes
Release Date: March 15 in Theaters
A satire named after a regressive fictional trope, the members of The Secret Society of Magical Negroes use their powers to improve white people’s sad lives. Complications arise when new recruit Aren (Justice Smith) falls in love with Lizzy (An-Li Bogan), the girl who’s supposed to marry his client Jason (Drew Tarver).
Knox Goes Away
Release Date: March 15 in Theaters
John Knox (Michael Keaton) has been doing his job for a long time. That job? Assassinations. After he receives a dementia diagnosis with mere weeks left to live, his estranged son Miles (James Marsden) begs for John’s help. Miles brutally murdered a man who hurt his daughter, so the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But with dementia, can Miles trust his son — let alone his own memories? Keaton directs and is joined onscreen by Al Pacino and Marcia Gay Harden.
One Life
Release Date: March 15 in Theaters
From 1938 to 1939, humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton (Anthony Hopkins) rescued hundreds of Jewish-Czechoslovakian children from the Nazi Regime. Helpless against Hitler’s imminent invasion of Poland and the start of World War II, many of the parents’ children were murdered at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Himself a child of German Jews, Winton lobbied British and American politicians to assist his rescue efforts. Helena Bonham Carter plays his sister Babi and Lena Olin his wife Grete.
1:58
10 “So Bad, It’s Good” Superhero Movies, Ranked
You love to hate them and hate to love them!
The Animal Kingdom
Release Date: March 15 in Theaters
A family tries to survive a pandemic mutating humans into animals in The Animal Kingdom, which earned 12 nominations at France’s 49th César Awards. Francois (Romain Duris) and his son Émile (Paul Kircher) have no one left except each other, even though they still love Julia (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Francois’s transformed mother.
DogMan
Release Date: March 15 in Theaters
A survivor of abuse, Doug (Caleb Landry Jones) fills his adult life with the unconditional love of hundreds of adopted dogs. If they help him rob the rich to protect the poor like a modern day Robin Hood, that’s even better. Luc Besson writes and directs DogMan.
Club Zero
Release Date: March 15 in Theaters
Ms. Novak (Mia Wasikowska) teaches her students how to save the environment. Suspicions rise when Novak’s vulnerable pupils slowly fall into mental lockstep with her commands, including disordered eating. Jessica Hausner directs a script she co-wrote with Géraldine Bajard.
Limbo
Release Date: March 15 in Theaters
“Jaded detective” Travis Hurley (Simon Baker) finds himself in limbo, metaphorically and literally, during a cold case investigation in the town of Limbo, Australia. Director-writer Ivan Sen, a filmmaker dedicated to telling Indigenous stories, melds stylistic noir with searing truths about the epidemic of violence committed against Indigenous Aboriginal women.
Irish Wish
Release Date: March 17 on Netflix
Lindsay Lohan returns to Netflix for a rom-com of magical proportions. Maddie Kelly (Lohan) travels to Ireland for her best friend’s wedding. The groom? The love of Maddie’s life. Maddie would never interfere with their happiness, but she longs for her own. When she wakes up, she’s taken her friend’s place, and she and Paul (Alexander Vlahos) are suddenly engaged. But true love isn’t always with the person you expect.
Road House
Release Date: March 21 on Prime Video
If Road House rings bells, you’re not wrong. Jake Gyllenhaal steps into Patrick Swayze‘s shoes in this remake of Swayze’s 1989 cult classic. Directed by Doug Liman, Gyllenhaal’s Elwood Dalton is a former MMA fighter turned bouncer who chases nasty patrons out of a roadhouse. This will totally end well, right?
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Release Date: March 22 in Theaters
You know who you’re gonna call. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire reunites casts old and new to save New York from a ghost that can freeze the world. Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Kumail Nanjiani, and Patton Oswalt all star.
Shirley
Release Date: March 22 on Netflix
Shirley Chisholm was a civil rights pioneer and an indomitable force. The first woman and the first Black individual to run for President on the Democratic ticket, Chisholm’s legacy is one of progressive resistance. Acting legend Regina King stars in Netflix’s biopic Shirley, which covers Chisholm’s presidential campaign. The late Lance Reddick co-stars, as well as Terrence Howard and André Holland.
Immaculate
Release Date: March 22 in Theaters
And you thought The Nun was scary. After joining a new convent, Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney), a young nun, discovers she’s pregnant via immaculate conception. Cecelia suspects there’s something terribly wrong with her convent, but she’s helpless to escape whatever grows inside of her. We’re putting our bets on the Antichrist.
Sleeping Dogs
Release Date: March 22 in Theaters
The murder of professor Joseph Wieder (Marton Csokas) tempts retired detective Roy Freeman (Russell Crowe) back to work. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, nothing’s better for Freeman’s mind than a complex case that doesn’t make sense — at least, that’s what he tells himself. Sleeping Dogs is based on the novel The Book of Mirrors by Eugen O. Chirovici, and co-stars Karen Gillan.
Late Night With the Devil
Release Date: March 22 on Shudder
Horror fans are eating good this month. Directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes turn found footage on its head with Late Night With the Devil, which mimics the 1970s late-night talk show aesthetic with unsettling accuracy. We should be unsettled, since the fictional story promises answers about what awful things happened during a live Halloween broadcast of Jack Delroy’s (David Dastmalchian) show.
La Chimera
Release Date: March 22 in Theaters
Set in 1980s Italy, archaeologist Arthur (Josh O’Connor) stumbles upon ancient Etruscan objects. Some want to honor and preserve the artifacts. Others want to sell them for the highest price. Arthur longs for something else — something that involves a woman from his past. Alice Rohrwacher‘s La Chimera was a Palme d’Or finalist at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Release Date: March 29 in Theaters
Respect the king. And there can only be one king. Godzilla and Kong duke it out again in the sequel to 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, until a new threat demands the enemies unite. Adam Wingard returns to direct the MonsterVerse’s fifth entry with a cast consisting of Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, and Fala Chen.
Asphalt City
Release Date: March 29 in Theaters
As a paramedic in New York City, Ollie Cross (Tye Sheridan) is living hell on earth. Things get even worse when his partner, Gene Rutkovsky (Sean Penn), crosses ethical lines. Adapted from Shannon Burke‘s novel Black Flies, director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire‘s Asphalt City also stars Kali Reis from True Detective: Night Country.
The Listener
Release Date: March 29 in Theaters
Directed by Steve Buscemi, The Listener stars Tessa Thompson as Beth, a volunteer for a crisis helpline. Rebecca Hall, Margaret Cho, and Alia Shawkat provide their voices, but Thompson’s Beth, who spends her days trying to save lives, is the “only […] on-screen role.”
In the Land of Saints and Sinners
Release Date: March 29 in Theaters
Killer for hire Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) faces the consequences of his actions when a victim’s loved one, Doireann McCann (Kerry Condon), targets Finbar. Her crusade for vengeance will burn through a small Irish town. Neeson and Condon’s co-stars for In the Land of Sinners and Saints are Jack Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds, and Colm Meaney.
Wicked Little Letters
Release Date: March 29 in Theaters
What’s a period comedy without a little scandal? Someone’s sending dirty letters to the people of a sleepy English village. Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) is incensed. Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley) is accused of the crime. Constable Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) decides to solve this foul-mouthed mystery.
The Wages of Fear
Release Date: March 29 on Netflix
Director Julien Leclercq remakes one of France’s defining films with The Wages of Fear. The original 1953 movie of the same name was directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, and won the Palme d’Or. Leclercq’s high-octane interpretation follows a group of drivers charged with transporting trucks full of nitroglycerin.
The Beautiful Game
Release Date: March 29 on Netflix
Mal (Bill Nighy) is determined to lead his team to victory. An English football coach for a group of unhoused players, winning the Homeless World Cup (a yearly event raising awareness for those who are unhoused) would mean the world to Mal’s team. Micheal Ward co-stars and Thea Sharrock directs.
