The Fall Guy, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Garfield and All The Movies You Need to See in Theatres This May

May starts with a bang as two of the biggest stars from last year’s infamous ‘Barbenheimer’ join forces in the inspired action rom-com, The Fall Guy. This brand new Hollywood blockbuster is a love letter to stunt work, and it features hilarious performances from everyone’s favourite Ken, Ryan Gosling, and the forever charming Emily Blunt. Many highly anticipated sequels and prequels are also coming out this month as the following weekend brings the Planet of the Apes back to the big screen after eight years. Set 300 years post Caesar, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be the epic continuation of this historic franchise. Things don’t stop there as Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga also speeds into theatres towards the end of the month. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since Charlize Theron originated Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road. Now, Anya Taylor-Joy will take over the role in this unmissable origin story, which also stars an unrecognizable Chris Hemsworth. Keeping the party going that same weekend is Hit Man. This steamy and surprisingly comedic thriller sees Glen Powell return to theatres in a film that blew audiences during its festival circuit last year.  

Looking for a movie the entire family will enjoy? From imaginary friends to everyone’s favourite lasagna-loving, Monday-hating cat, May has some fantastic choices for audiences of all ages. IF is a live-action/3D-animated comedy from the mind of John Krasinski that finds Ryan Reynolds teaming up with a young girl who develops the ability to see people’s imaginary friends. Audiences can also look forward to The Garfield Movie, a brand-new animated adventure where Garfield must work with his long-lost father to pull off the ultimate heist.

That’s not even close to everything coming out this May. Read on to see the entire list of must-see movies coming to Cineplex theatres throughout the month!

 

Tarot

Starring: Jacob Batalon, Avantika Vandanpu, Harriet Slater

Director: Spenser Cohen, Anna Halberg

Release Date: May 3rd, 2024

The horror genre has been unstoppable this year, and the scares are only getting bigger from here. Kicking off the month is Tarot, a supernatural horror movie based on a cult-classic thriller novel from the early 90s, Horrorscope. The film follows a group of college friends who organize a night of Tarot readings. In a not-so-shocking turn of events, things become deadly when they unknowingly violate the sacred rule of using Tarot Cards– never use someone else’s deck. Now haunted by a menacing spirit they accidentally unleashed, these friends must race against death to escape their foretold fates. Tarot marks the feature directorial debut of Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, who also co-wrote the script with Nicholas Adams, the author of the film’s source material. 

 

The Fall Guy

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Winston Duke, Hannah Waddingham

Director: David Leitch

Release Date: May 3rd, 2024

If horror isn’t your thing, that’s okay! From the man behind the John Wick franchise (Leitch), The Fall Guy also comes out on the first weekend of May and will provide all the thrills without any of the fright. In this loose adaptation of a 1980s TV series, Gosling and Blunt star as stunt performer Colt Seavers and camera operator Jody Moreno– an ex-couple who must put aside their history and remain professional while working on set for Moreno’s directorial debut. Seavers is a stunt actor for one of the biggest action stars in the world, Tom Ryder (Taylor-Johnson), but is thrust out of his Hollywood comfort zone when a conspiracy unravels with Ryder smack in the centre. Audiences who caught the film’s world premiere at SXSW earlier this year praised the movie for its comedy, romance, and heart-pounding action. Make sure to see it on the largest screen possible!

 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Starring: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, William H. Macy

Director: Wes Ball

Release Date: May 8th, 2024

 

Less than a week later, one of the longest-running movie franchises in cinema history is returning to theatres with its 10th feature film installment, spanning 55 years. The beloved reboot trilogy, which started in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, introduced audiences to Caesar. Over three films, we watched this hyper-intelligent chimpanzee grow from a baby into a mature leader fighting for peace between all humans and apes. Nearly 300 years after Caesar’s death, the virus responsible for wiping out most of the population and increasing ape intelligence has mutated. Humans have become primitive and mute, much like they were depicted in the original 1968 film. When Proximus Caesar (Durand), the new Ape King, begins twisting Caesar’s teachings to gain more power, a Chimpanzee hunter named Noa (Teague) sets out on a harrowing journey with a young human (Allan) that will change the fate of the entire planet.

 

IF

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, John Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, Steve Carell

Director: John Krasinski

Release Date: May 17th, 2024

John Krasinski, best known as Jim Halpert from The Office (U.S.) and the filmmaker behind the A Quiet Place series, continues to prove his imagination is limitless. His latest movie, IF (short for imaginary friend), is a heartwarming love letter to anyone who still has their inner child and a wild imagination. Like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Krasinski uses a mixture of live-action and animated characters to realize this larger-than-life world fully. Everyone has had an imaginary friend at one point or another, and IF explores what happens to those friends when we forget them. When a young girl named Bea (Fleming) discovers she can see other people’s IFs, she teams up with her neighbour, Cal (Reynolds), who shares the same ability, to help IFs find new kids; otherwise, they’ll disappear forever. If the live-action cast isn’t exciting enough, IF also features the voices of actors like Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Maya Rudolph, Sam Rockwell, Sebastian Maniscalco, Blake Lively, Bradley Cooper, and George Clooney.

 

Back to Black 

Starring: Marisa Abela, Jack O’Connell, Leslie Manville, Eddie Marsan

Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson

Release Date: May 17th, 2024

Named after one of the most acclaimed records from one of the most talented artists in music history, Back to Black is a biographical drama following the life and career of Amy Winehouse. This moving film will finally explore Whinehouse’s extraordinary and tragic story through her eyes as it chronicles her early life in Camden Town, London, her tumultuous on/off-again relationship with Blake Fielder-Civill, and how she created a 13-times Platinum album that made her a music legend. Marisa Abela, who plays Amy, performs many of the singer's biggest hits throughout the movie, including “Rehab,” “Valerie,” “Love Is a Losing Game,” and the album’s title song, “Back to Black.”

 

The Strangers: Chapter 1

Starring: Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Gabriel Basso, Richard Brake

Director: Renny Harlin

Release Date: May 17th, 2024

 

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the haunting first installment in a trilogy of home invasion horror movies, with Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 expected to be released later this year. All three parts were filmed back-to-back in Bratislava, Slovakia and are a collective reimagining of the terrifying 2008 film of the same name. The original movie starred Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman as a couple fighting off masked intruders from their remote summer home. This time, a girl named Maya (Petsch) and her longtime boyfriend, Ryan (Gutierrez), decide to drive across Canada to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. On their way to a fresh start, their car breaks down, forcing them to stay overnight in an Airbnb, far from help. When three psychotic strangers in nightmarish masks show up at their doorstep, the couple must work together to escape before they’re killed.

 

The Garfield Movie

Starring: Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham, Nicholas Hoult, Harvey Guillén, Snoop Dogg

Director: Mark Dindal

Release Date: May 24th, 2024

 

Everybody hates Mondays, but no one hates them as much as Garfield. Based on the Jim Davis comic strip from the 1970s, The Garfield Movie is a hilariously updated take on the classic character that finds him away from his favourite lasagna-stained recliner on a thrilling new adventure. Voiced by Chris Pratt, Garfield is forced from his cushy lifestyle with his owner, John (Holt), into the hands of his estranged father, a hardened street cat named Vic (Jackson). Joined by his lovable and naive best friend, Garfield and Odie (Guillén) become Vic’s accessories in a bonkers, high-stakes heist that will leave you smiling from ear to ear. This colourful animated comedy will be an unforgettable time at the movies for the entire family!

 

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Lachy Hulme

Director: George Miller

Release Date: May 24th, 2024

 

It’s time for Mad Max fans to start their engines! Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga sees George Miller return to the director’s chair after knocking the epic Mad Max: Fury Road out of the park in 2015. While Mad Max has been around since 1979, Miller surprised fans when he introduced a completely original character that proved far more popular than the titular one. Initially portrayed by Charlize Theron, Furiosa was an officer who turned against her master to free his five enslaved wives. After the success of Fury Road, many wondered how Furiosa became the determined anti-hero depicted in the movie, to which Miller revealed he’d already written a script that explores her origin story. This is that story… Set 20 years or so before the events of Fury Road, a young Furiosa (Taylor-Joy) is kidnapped from her family at the Green Place of Many Mothers by the Warlord Dementus to be in his horde of bikers. She will devote the rest of her life to finding her way home.

 

Hit Man

Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Ajorna

Director: Richard Linklater

Release Date: May 24th, 2024

 

After his recent rom-com hit, Anyone But You, Glen Powell is back on the big screen but in a very different way. From acclaimed director Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Dazed and Confused), Hit Man is a brilliant noir thriller and one of the best movies of the year. Powell and Linklater co-wrote the script, and, despite the title, the film follows an average philosophy professor named Gary Johnson (Powell). Busy taking care of his cats and pupils, Gary has never experienced the thrilling side of life. To fix this, he volunteers to help the police with surveillance during sting operations, but when the undercover hitman fails to arrive for a job, Gary decides to take his place. Gary continues to work as a fake hitman, noticing the exciting changes coinciding with his life. However, things get complicated when Gary begins falling for Madison (Ajorna), a beautiful, down-on-her-luck woman who hires him to murder her husband. Hit Man premiered at last year’s Venice International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, where it received universal praise for its dynamically dark story, outstanding performances, and constant laughs.