March 2024 Staff Picks: The Movies and Series You Can't Miss

Lady Jessica indicates "we are not prepared for what is to come," but the sight of Timothée Chalamet riding a sandworm is enough to get us headed to the movie theater, where director Denis Villeneuve's sequel will become the first big-screen event in a year that will feel the effects of the 2023 strikes. Survivors of the first movie will reassemble as Paul Atreides looks to avenge his father's death and prevent a future only he can see. A totally smooth and menacing Austin Butler leads the cast of newcomers as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (who was played by Sting in the '80s), the nephew and heir of Stellan Skarsgård's Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Anya Taylor-Joy is now confirmed to appear in a role that's being kept tightly under wraps. And we see you, Florence Pugh, playing Princess Irulan. We hope you embrace your Bene Gesserit destiny. If Villeneuve can find a balance between action, emotion, and world building, perhaps he'll appease the critics of his visionary salvo with an even more successful sequel.

In theaters Friday, March 1

Adam Sandler is headed back to Netflix this month with a relationship drama set at the edge of the solar system. Based on the novel ‘Spaceman of Bohemia’ by Jaroslav Kalfař, ‘Spaceman’ follows an astronaut on a solo research mission that evolves into a journey of self discovery when he finds an ancient alien hiding on his ship. Paul Dano lends his voice as Hanus, a spider-like creature who claims he can help save Jakub’s marriage to his estranged wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan). Can two cosmic explorers come to understand the choices they’ve made before it's too late? With direction from Johan Renck ("Chernobyl"), we suspect a few tissues may be in order for this thoughtful genre mashup.

Premieres Friday, March 1 on Netflix

"Reinvention" is the keyword for Season 3 of "BMF," a drama that found its footing last season and dropped a few cliffhangers as The Black Mafia Family's footprint began to expand across the US. The new season, which starts off in the early '90s, will follow Big Meech, who decided to go solo in Atlanta, leaving his brother Terry to run the Detroit operation. And the fans have questions, chief among them: What's become of Lamar, the street legend who once posed the biggest threat to the BMF? We sense Season 3 might only cover the first half of the new decade in order to detail the BMF's nationwide expansion. There's much to mine before one last push in the 2000s before the DEA swoops in.

Season 3 premieres Friday, March 1 on Starz

If you're looking for an irreverent historical comedy to fill the "Our Flag Means Death"-sized hole in your life, this might just be it. Noel Fielding steps out of "The Great British Bakeoff" tent and into the boots of the infamous British highwayman Dick Turpin, known for horse-thieving, burglary, and murder, now reimagined as a vegan, pacifist, and reluctant leader of a gang of well-meaning outlaws. Hugh Bonneville, Ellie White, Mark Wootton, and Joe Wilkinson round out the cast.

Series premieres Friday, March 1 on Apple TV+

Expect awards chatter to commence for Kate Winslet as she returns to HBO — after her Emmy win for "Mare of Easttown" — with a new mini-series from showrunner Will Tracy, who cut his teeth as a staff writer for "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" before he helped shape "Succession" as a writer/producer. The setting here is an unnamed Central European nation, and what goes down looks equal parts terrifying and hilariously quippy as Chancellor Winslet's spark with an unhinged solider might be the last hinge to give way on her reign. Matthias Schoenaerts stars as the solider, a role deserving of his talents after a few years of movies that missed their respective marks. Andrea Riseborough is tasked with trying to keep the Chancellor on the rails, with Hugh Grant as her imprisoned political rival who just might become the face of a revolution. Which tracks.

Series premieres Sunday, March 3 on Max

From fashion to flip phones, the early 2000s are back, and there’s no better example of this than Prime Video’s new bro comedy. Zac Efron and John Cena head up this boys-will-be-boys slapstick about three buddies and their nonexistent friend Ricky, who they use as a scapegoat whenever they’re in trouble. It’s been 20 years, give or take, since director Peter Farrelly ('There’s Something About Mary,' 'Shallow Hal') helped popularize this bawdy style of humor. But thanks to the resurgence of all things Y2K, this broad farce may find itself trending with a whole new audience.

Premieres Thursday, March 7 on Prime Video

Kristen Stewart and Katy M. O’Brian sped up our hearts in the trailer for 'Love Lies Bleeding,' and the crime-laced romantic thriller did not disappoint audiences at its Sundance premiere — nothing pairs more perfectly than the collective gasp of a full audience, followed immediately by nervous giggles! Director Rose Glass ('Saint Maud') seems to have injected some horror influences into this road trip tale which finds Stewart playing Lou, a gym manager who falls for Jackie, a bodybuilder who is passing through town en route to Vegas. Intensity, violence, and gore are not in short supply, and Ed Harris as Stewart’s creepy criminal father is sure to make viewers squirm. A24 snatched this one up pre-festival — catch it in theaters on March 8 to see a career-best performance from Stewart in this wild fantasy.

In theaters Friday, March 8

Moviegoers have options this year when it comes to films about imaginary friends. You've got John Krasinski's family-friendly 'IF,' featuring cute CGI creatures entering the real world. And on the other end of the spectrum you've got Blumhouse's 'Imaginary,' about an evil teddy bear. The studio that brought horror fans the most meme-worthy doll of 2022 ('M3GAN') are back to deliver another high-concept low budget thriller designed to put butts in seats, turn a profit, and provide moviegoers with cheap thrills without excess hype or expectations.

In theaters Friday, March 8

Once upon a time, fantasy films were filled with pretty young women in peril who waited to be saved and didn’t do much else. Thankfully, we’ve closed the chapter on that lopsided style of storytelling, and this month Millie Bobby Brown is here to show the world that distressed damsels can take care of themselves. Brown plays Elodie, a princess from an impoverished land whose betrothal to Prince Henry (Nick Robinson) unravels when he sacrifices her to a dragon to repay an ancient debt. Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, and Shohreh Aghdashloo support as stepmother, queen, and dragon, respectively, and we’re excited to see these powerful women stand off in this revenge fairy tale for the 21st century fantasy fan.

Premieres Friday, March 8 on Netflix

Has it really been eight years since the last Kung Fu Panda film? It feels like Po Ping the Dragon Warrior has never left us, as Dreamworks has sprinkled in eight series, shorts, and specials since the original film debuted back in 2008. But this long-awaited return to the big screen is pulling out a star-studded cast in an attempt to pack theaters amid a crowded March film slate. This time around, Jack Black is joined by sidekick Awkwafina, as Po searches for a successor as the new Dragon Warrior. Other new voice cast include Viola Davis as an evil chameleon sorceress and Ke Huy Quan as a leader of a band of thieves. Series vets Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston, and James Hong are also returning. We’re hoping the Furious Five make an appearance, but with the star power in that grouping (Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, David Cross), are we expecting too much?

In theaters Friday, March 8

Whether you watch the Oscars live, catch the best clips on your go-to social channel, or if the ceremony is just not your bag, hopefully you still acknowledge the strength of this year’s nominees, particularly in the Best Picture and Best International Film categories. We’ve filled out our ballots, and we’re hoping people like Paul Giamatti celebrate afterward at In-N-Out again. As always, we will be rooting for the icons, the first-time nominees, the dark horses, red carpet drama, and fumbly live TV moments. Jimmy Kimmel returns as host to keep the telecast moving.

Telecast airs Sunday, March 10 on ABC

Developed as part of the Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Lab, writer-director Kobi Libii's debut feature had a full-circle moment when it premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Libii flips the tired Magical Negro trope on its head in his fantastical-satirical comedy about a young man who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to making white people's lives easier. In Libii's words, making the film allowed him to "explore some of the defense mechanisms [he] was taught to respond to racism...and how to keep [himself] safe in America." The playful and powerful story stars Justice Smith, David Alan Grier, Aisha Hinds, and Rupert Friend.

In theaters Friday, March 15

Taylor Swift is currently in the middle of a world tour and a whirlwind romance. She’s also releasing a new album in April, called “The Tortured Poets Department”. But, very soon, she will be in your home, well, at least on your television, as her concert film 'Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour' comes to Disney+, and you can see firsthand the blood, sweat, and tears she puts into each concert. When it released theatrically in October last year, Swifties thronged to the cinema in droves, laughing, crying, throwing up (not always literally) as they saw their idol on a gigantic screen. We got TikToks of young women joyously singing along and dancing with abandon, even as people online wondered if this is the right way to behave in a theatre. Right or not, there’s no stopping Taylor, and now you can experience her magnetic charm in the comfort of your home.

Begins streaming Friday, March 15 on Disney+

Based on the bestselling book "Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson, this true crime series takes a deep dive into the stories of the investigators, informants, and conspirators behind the biggest manhunt of that time. Tobias Menzies ("The Crown"), Anthony Boyle, Patton Oswalt, Lili Taylor, John Billingsley, and Hamish Linklater star.

Series premieres Friday, March 15 on Apple TV+

Kristen Wiig never caved to the pressure to make ‘Bridesmaids 2,’ and we love her for that. As much as we got into 'Barb and Star,' 'The Skeleton Twins,' and 'The Diary of a Teenage Girl,' we’ve been anticipating her next big role for a while. We think this series from Abe Sylvia, a key writer/producer on "Dead to Me," is it. This is another way of asking: Why has it taken so long to pit Wiig against Allison Janney in a dark comedy about an outsider outwitting high society snobs? Now can we get a comedy starring Jennifer Coolidge and Catherine O’Hara?

Series premieres Wednesday, March 20 on Apple TV+

Guy Ritchie returns to the criminal underworld of his 2019 hit 'The Gentlemen,' this time in the form of a Netflix series. Theo James —the epitome of charm and smarm in Season 2 of "The White Lotus" — leads the cast as the heir to a cannabis operation once belonging to Mickey Pearson (who was played by Matthew McConaughey in the film). Ray Winstone ('Sexy Beast') and Kaya Scodelario ('Crawl') play a father-daughter head of drug trafficking operations. As with any Ritchie crime caper, expect fistfights, fast-talking hoodlums, and a rogues’ gallery of offbeat characters.

Series premieres Thursday, March 7 on Netflix

If you had cable in the ‘90s, you’re sure to remember ‘Road House,’ the delightfully absurd cult classic starring Patrick Swayze as a celebrity bouncer hired to clean up the roughest bar in the Southeast. Now, actor Jake Gyllenhaal and director Doug Liman have teamed up to bring us a modern remake that swaps the ‘80s-style martial arts for an MMA realism so grounded the actor took 20 punches to the gut daily as part of his training routine. Former UFC champion Conor McGregor makes his film debut as the villainous Knox, and we have our fingers crossed screenwriters Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry kept the original film’s greatest line: “Pain don’t hurt.”

Premieres Thursday, March 21 on Prime Video

Earth is threatened by an alien race that is eons ahead of us when it comes to tech and weaponry in Netflix's sci-fi series based on the first book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Five years after "Game of Thrones" took that final season nosedive, showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss look to move beyond that show's notoriety. For what it's worth, all three books in Liu Cixin's series have been written, so the creators aren't again tasked with writing what was essentially (said with empathy) authorized fan fiction. Prepare for overlapping timelines, a massive cast of characters (including Benedict Wong, Eiza González, John Bradley from "GoT", and Rosalind Chao), and some super-complicated physics that should look cool on your screen of choice.

Series premieres Wednesday, March 21 on Netflix

After 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' proved to be critic-proof and found itself embraced by generations of fans, the sequel makes a savvy move to boost the presence of OG Busters Venkman, Stantz, and Zeddemore in a story that’s firmly set back in Manhattan, where we first met Zuul, Gozer, and Slimer 40 years ago. Getting a promotion from secretary to full-time buster is Annie Potts' character, Melnitz. It's one of the fan-pleasing decisions made by 'Afterlife' writer Gil Kenan, who settles into the director’s chair with a script that was influenced by the beloved series "The Real Ghostbusters." If you follow the box office, 'Afterlife' made less worldwide than the 2016 standalone movie, but it cost about half as much to make, so Sony is banking on a bigger return for 'Frozen Empire,' which we expect has more adventures planned if New York City doesn't freeze over.

In theaters Thursday, March 22

'Lethal Weapon' is the unlikely inspiration for Adam Wingard’s upcoming film 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.' The director told “Empire” magazine his kaiju main characters are bringing a “buddy cop dysfunctional relationship dynamic” to the screen in this follow-up to 2021's 'Godzilla vs. King Kong.' Along for the ride are Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Dan Stevens who play three humans drawn to these massive creatures as the mythic duo face off against a colossal hidden threat.

In theaters Thursday, March 29

Just in time for Easter comes the new horror movie 'Immaculate.' Sydney Sweeney heads up this spiritual chiller about a devout woman, her immaculate conception, and the remote Italian convent that may not be what it seems. Fellow "The White Lotus" alums actress Simona Tabasco and producer David Bernad ("Jury Duty") also lend their talents to the project, alongside international Netflix darlings Alvaro Morte ("Money Heist") and Benedetta Porcaroli ("Baby"). The film marks Sweeney’s first foray into producing, and we’re excited to see what kind of 'Rosemary’s Baby' / 'Saint Maud' / 'The Omen' style madness the star is about to deliver unto us.

In theaters Thursday, March 22