Want to plan out your movie watching schedule for the year? I’ve rounded up the best theatrical movie releases of 2018 for you! 2018 is looking like a great year for movie lovers! Not only do we have a ton of great sequels & reboots, but there seems to be a lot more original movies to look forward to this year than usual! It seems like the last few years were ALL reboots and franchise installments.

With so many flicks coming out, I’m not including every single release on this list, but I did try to make it as robust as possible and include something for everyone. Check out my picks for the best movies of 2018 to look forward to! Keep in mind that these 2018 movie release dates are subject to change, especially for the movies later in the year.

Best Movies Releasing in 2018 in Theaters

January Movie Releases

1. Insidious: The Last Key- Jan 5th
2. Molly’s Game- Jan 5th
3. The Post- Jan 12th
4. Paddington 2- January 12th
5. 12 Strong- January 19th
6. Maze Runner:The Death Cure- January 26th
7. Arctic Justice Thunder Squad- January 26th

Top picks for January: 

If you’re looking for a great movie for the whole family, definitely go with Paddington 2! My son is 12 and even he wants to see this one! Who wouldn’t love one of the world’s most lovable bears? In this sequel, Paddington is now happily settled with the Brown family and has become a rather popular member of the local community. He picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen!

Maze Runner: The Death Cure is also at the top of my must-see list. I loved the first one but didn’t really connect with the second one quite as much. I think I’ll like this one more, though (too many zombies, I really can’t stand zombies), because they’re heading back into a maze. It’s the final movie in the trilogy, but I know there were more than three books in the series, so I don’t really know how that all works. After the movie, I’ll read the books and see how they compare.

February Movie Releases

1. Cloverfield 2017 – February 2nd
2. Winchester – Feb 2nd
3. Peter Rabbit- Feb 9th
4. The 15:17 to Paris- Feb 9th
5. Monster Family- Feb 9th
6. Black Panther- Feb 16th
7. Early Man- Feb 16th
8. Annihilation- Feb 23rd
9. War with Grandpa- Feb 23rd
10. Every Day- Feb 23rd

Top picks for February: 

For family movie night, Peter Rabbit is the obvious choice. Beatrix Potter’s classic tale (or tail, if you prefer) gets a 21st century comedic makeover as Peter Rabbit’s rivalry with Mr. McGregor reaches new heights as they both vie for the affections of animal-loving Bea.

Winchester in high on my list. Ever since I watched Stephen King’s Rose Red (which was loosely inspired by the Winchester house), I’ve been fascinated with this creepy mansion and the story behind it.

March Movie Releases

1. Alpha- March 2nd
2. Death Wish- March 2nd
3. Red Sparrow- March 2nd
4. A Wrinkle in Time- March 9th
5. The Hurricane Heist- March 9th
6. The Upside- March 9th
7. Tomb Raider- March 16th
8. Love Simon- March 16th
9. Pacific Rim: Uprising- March 23rd
10. Midnight Sun- March 23rd
11. Sherlock Gnomes- March 23rd
12. Isle of Dogs- March 23rd
13. Ready, Player One- March 30th

My top picks for March:

March is a good month for family movies! A Wrinkle in Time, Isle of Dogs, and Sherlock Gnomes all look like great options for the entire family. If your kids loved  Gnomeo & Juliet, Sherlock Gnomes is a solid choice. We loved that movie a lot more than we thought we would back when it came out, so I know we’ll see this one at some point. Maybe not in theaters, but definitely when it releases on video.

I really want to take Jake to see A Wrinkle in Time. I remember watching the original when I was little and I’m looking forward to seeing how they reboot it for a new generation.

Knowing my son, Ready Player One will be high on his must-see list. It’s like every gamer’s dream, to go on a quest to find an Easter egg that will give them an actual fortune versus just in-game loot!

April Movie Releases

1. Chappaquiddick- April 6th
2. A Quiet Place- April 6th
3. Blockers- April 6th
4. Show Dogs- April 6th
5. The New Mutants- April 13th
6. The Miracle Season- April 13th
7. Overboard- April 20th
8. Rampage- April 20th
9. Super Troopers 2- April 20th
10. Duck Duck Goose- April 20th
11. Disneynature Dolphins- April 20th
12. Truth or Dare- April 27th

My top picks for April:

For family movie night, it sounds silly to watch a movie named after a child’s playground game, but Duck Duck Goose does sound kind of cute! It follows the story of a bachelor goose saddled with two ducklings trying to make their journey south for the winter.

We’ll also be buying Disneynature’s Dolphins as soon as it comes out on video. My mom loves dolphins, so I know she’ll want to see this one, and she doesn’t go to movie theaters.

May Movie Releases

1. Avengers: Infinity War- May 4th
2. Animal Crackers- May 4th
3. Life of the Party- May 11th
4. Where’d You Go Bernadette? – May 11th
5. Slenderman- May 18th
6. Solo: A Star Wars Story- May 25th

My top picks for May:

As we get further into the year, it’s harder to find trailers and solid info on movie releases. For a good family movie, Animal Crackers is pretty much it this month (that could change later). In the movie, a family must use a box of Animal Crackers to save a run-down circus from being taken over by their evil uncle. Yes, it sounds like filmmakers are running out of ideas for kids movies and are using the most random stuff for inspiration, but this one actually does look pretty adorable. It’s also got a great voice cast (Emily Blunt, Danny DeVito, Ian McKellen).

If you’re a Star Wars fan (and who isn’t?). Solo will probably be your best bet for date night. As you can guess, it tells the back story of Han Solo, may he rest in peace. Notice how we’re getting a TON of spin-offs now that the main franchise is coming to a close?

June Movie Releases

1. Deadpool 2- June 1st
2. Ocean’s Eight- June 8th
3. Won’t You be My Neighbor?- June 8th
4. The Incredibles 2- June 15th
5. Tag- June 15th
6. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom- June 22nd
7. Valley Girl- June 29th
8. I Feel Pretty- June 29th

My June Picks:

The Incredibles 2 all the way! Both Jake and I loved the first one, so we’ll see the second one together. Even though it’s been like 14 years since the first movie came out, it looks like The Incredibles 2 takes place shortly after the events of the first movie, since the baby is still a baby.

Jacob and I will also see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. I know that the Jurassic World movie didn’t get rave reviews, but we kind of loved it for what it was: an entertaining movie about ticked off dinosaurs. Sometimes you just have to tell your inner pretentious wanna-be film critic to take the night off and enjoy a movie for what it is.

July Movie Releases

1. The Purge: The Island- July 4th
2. Ant-Man and the Wasp- July 6th
3. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation- July 13th
4. Skyscraper- July 13th
5. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again- July 20th
6. Teen Titans GO to the Movies- July 27th

My Top July Picks:

Hotel Transylvania 3, baby! In fact, I think that’s the only movie on the July 2018 release list so far that I actually want to see. Mavis surprising Dracula with a cruise vacation so he can get away from it all. Of course, all of his best monster buds tag along, so how much is he really getting away from? When Drac falls for the mysterious ship captain, expect plenty of hilarious hi-jinks to ensue!

I’m kind of annoyed by the whole Purge franchise. While I thought the first one was kind of clever, the sequels kind of ruined its impact. I guess they were smart by setting it up so that The Purge happens once a year, now they can run the franchise into the ground with an annual movie and it almost makes sense. Too bad, because like I said, the first one was kind of a cool political statement. The Island is apparently a prequel, so if you want to find out what led up to the events of the first movie, it might be decent.

August Movie Releases

1. The Predator- August 3rd
2. The Spy Who Dumped Me- Aug 3rd
3. Christopher Robin- Aug 3rd
4. Barbie- Aug 8th
5. Scarface- Aug 10th
6. The Meg- Aug 10th
7. The Happytime Murders- Aug 17th
8. Three Seconds- Aug 17th
9. Captive State- Aug 17th
10. Cadaver- Aug 24th
11. Kin- Aug 31st

My top August Picks:

For family movie night, I’d say Christopher Robin will be your best bet. I’m a huge Winnie the Pooh fan, so this is at the top of my must-see list. In the movie, an adult Christopher Robin finds his childhood friend, Pooh Bear, and returns to Hundred Acre Wood to help him find his friends. It’s a live-action version of Winnie the Pooh, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about seeing Pooh as an actual bear. However, Jim Cummings is reprising his role as the voice of Pooh, so that alone makes it worth seeing!

September Movie Releases

1. The Darkest Minds- Sept 14th
2. Fighting With my Family- Sept 14th
3. Robin Hood- Sept 21st
4. Goosebumps: Horrorland- Sept 21st
5. The House with a Clock in its Walls – Sept 21st
6. Smallfoot- Sept 28th
7. The Kid Who Would Be King- Sept 28th
8. Night School- Sept 28th
9. Boy Erased- Sept 28th

My September Picks

Wow, September is a great month for family movies! Not much news about it yet, but I can tell you without even seeing the trailer that Goosebumps: Horrorland will be on our list. We love Jack Black and we were huge fans of the first movie. Speaking of Jack, he has TWO movies coming out on Sept 21st. He also plays in The House with a Clock in its Walls, a movie about a young boy who helps his uncle find a clock that has the power to end the world.

October Movie Releases

1. Venom- Oct 5th
2. A Star is Born- Oct 5th
3. First Man- Oct 12th
4. Halloween- Oct 19th
5. Mowgli – Oct 19th

My October Picks:

Not much to choose from yet, although I’m sure about a zillion more horror movies will be announced before October rolls around. I got a little excited because I thought Mowgli was a Gremlins reboot or something, but them I realized that those were Mogwai, lol. Mowgli is the kid in the Jungle Book. Basically, this is yet another retelling of the story. It’s got a great cast, but I feel like we’ve already been there, done that.

Halloween, for crying out loud, seriously? Jamie Lee Curtis is reprising her roll as Laura Strode for one final epic confrontation of her masked murdering brother. I thought we already did that in H20. You know, when she chopped off his head. Didn’t think you could get more final than that. OOOH! Maybe in this one she finally realizes that if she just power walks a bit, she can outrun him! Now THAT would be the ultimate final confrontation. Sorry. I adore Jamie Lee Curtis, but I’ve lost track of which Halloween movies I’m supposed to pretend never happened at this point.

November Movie Releases

1. X-Men: Dark Phoenix – Nov 2nd
2. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – Nov 2nd
3. Mary Queen of Scots – Nov 2nd
4. Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas -Nov 9th
5. Holmes & Watson- Nov 9th
6. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – Nov 16th
7. Creed 2
8. Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 – Nov 21st

My November Picks

Now, this is more like it! I want to see pretty much every movie coming out in November, except Creed. I’m not really into the Rocky movies (don’t hate me!). I’m really looking forward to the Nutcracker movie. It looks gorgeous!

December Movie Releases