The new year promises a lot of wonderful opportunities and exciting life moments that we can’t even begin to imagine yet. But more than anything, a new year brings the promise of new MOVIES! And while2015was a banner year for entertainment,2016promises to be an even bigger circus of thrills. Universal Pictures led this past twelve months at thebox office, delivering one hit movie after the next. And they show no signs of slowing down anytime in the foreseeable future. The following days, weeks and months are sure to delight cinema enthusiasts, pop corn munchers and couples just looking for a fun date alike. What can we expect to see as 2016 begins it’s trudge forward?
The New Year kicks off with a bang for Universal. Their first big movie is a sequel to the 2014 comedy blockbusterRide Along.Ride Along 2reteamsKevin HartandIce Cubefor a new mission in Miami. And it will bring a lot of new and returning faces into the mix for a laugh-filled, action packed ride! The winter fun continues just a few weeks later with The Coen Brothers new comedy caperHail, Caesar!This whodunnit travels back to the Golden Age of Hollywood with an all-star cast that includesScarlett Johansson,Channing Tatum,Josh Brolin,George Clooneyand the greatDolph Lundgren.
Spring break is going to bring the wedding of the year, as Universal releases the long awaited sequelMy Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which reunitesNia VardalosandJohn Corbettfor more romance and hijinks. The spring fun continues with the all-new original comedyThe Boss, which givesMelissa McCarthya chance to shine in a role unlike any she has ever taken on before. The goddess of laughs will be joined by a stellar ensemble that includesPeter Dinklage,Kristen Schaal,Kathy Batesand the beautiful, sexy and so strong she can break your head open with a softball pitchCecily Strong. The spring fun comes to an end with the fantasy sequelThe Huntsman: Winter’s War. Who needs Snow White when you’ve gotChris HemsworthandCharlize Theronlocked in a war to rule a fairy tale land?
Universal Pictures kicks off summer with one of the most anticipated sequels of the year,Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.Zac EfronandSeth Rogenhave forgotten their past transgressions, and now must team up to stop a group of sorority sisters, led bySelena GomezandChloe Moretz, from ruining the neighborhood. The summer laughs keep on coming withTop Secret Untitled Lonely Island Movie, which sees Digital Shorts kingsAndy Samberg,Jorma TacconeandAkiva Schaffertaking on the shadier side of the music industry. The Summer really heats up in June, when Universal finally delivers their long anticipated fantasy adventure, video game adaptationWarcraft.
In July,Frank Grillowill return to survive the streets yet again inThe Purge 3, which promises to be the biggest and best chapter in this franchise yet. Just a few short days later, Universal enters the family film realm with their animated comedyThe Secret Life of Pets, which shows just what all those cats and dogs are doing when you’re away. The end of July brings one of Universal’s biggest movies of the year in theUntitled Next Bourne Chapter, which bringsMatt Damonback to the big screen in his iconic role as Jason Bourne. Heading into the dog days of summer, Universal is set to release a new movie experience unlike any other withSpectral. Decsribed as a 3D action adventure movie, an elite Spec Ops team take on a mission to thwart an aggressive phantom threat that cannot be explained.
Universal Pictures kicks off the fall moviegoing season with the anticipated sequelBridget Jones' Baby.Renée ZellwegerandColin Firthreunite for this third chapter in the Bridget Jones series, and it promises to be the best one yet. Now with the year in full on Oscar territory, Universal is also releasing the thrillerThe Girl on the Train, which boasts a strong cast lead by Academy Award hopefulsRebecca FergusonandEmily Blunt. The fall isn’t all serious business, though. We’ll also be getting the new concert filmKevin Hart: What Now?, which gives the comedian his second potential hit from Universal in 2016. And it just wouldn’t be Halloween without a new horror offering from the studio. This year,Ouija 2will be bringing in big scares in wide release across the country.
Universal ends its big year with four movies that are sure to please most audiences, no matter who they are. A Meyers Christmas will have comedy fans celebrating the holidays in style, whileThe Great Wallwill be aiming for Oscar gold. We’ll also get the romantic Christmas Eve treatLet It Snow. It all comes to an end with Universal’s second big family film of the year, the animated comedy musicalSing, which features an all-star line-up of vocal talent includingMatthew McConaughey,Scarlett JohanssonandReese Witherspoon. What do you think? Is this going to be one of Universal’s biggest years at the movies yet? Take a look at all new pictures and synopsis for everything coming our way from the studio over the next 12 months.
20Ride Along 2- January 15
Kevin HartandIce Cubelead the returning lineup ofRide Along 2, the sequel to the blockbuster action-comedy that gave us the year’s most popular comedy duo. They are joined in the film byRide Alongco-stars Bruce McGill andTika Sumpter, as well as those new to the series, including Ken Jeong, Benjamin Bratt andOlivia Munn. The behind-the-scenes team also returning for the next chapter are director Tim Story, as well as Cube’s fellow producers, Will Packer, Matt Alvarez and Larry Brezner.
19Hail, Caesar!- February 5
Four-time Oscar®-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, True Grit, Fargo) write and directHail, Caesar!, an all-star comedy set during the latter years of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Starring JJosh Brolin,George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich,Ralph Fiennes,Jonah Hill,Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand,Tilda SwintonandChanning Tatum,Hail, Caesar!follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer who is presented with plenty of problems to fix. The comedy is produced by the Coen brothers under their Mike Zoss Productions banner alongside Working Title Films' Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.
18My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2- March 25
Gold Circle Entertainment and HBO present a Playtone production ofMy Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, the long-awaited follow-up to the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time. Written by Academy Award® nomineeNia Vardalos, who stars alongside the entire returning cast of favorites, the film reveals a Portokalos family secret that will bring the beloved characters back together for an even bigger and Greekerwedding. Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee, Waking Ned Devine) directs the next chapter of the film that will be once again produced by Rita Wilson and Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. Paul Brooks and Steve Shareshian return to executive produce alongside Vardalos and Scott Niemeyer. Universal Pictures will distribute the comedy domestically and in select international territories.
17The Boss- April 8
Academy Award-nominated starMelissa McCarthy(Bridesmaids, The Heat, Tammy) headlinesThe Bossas a titan of industry who is sent to prison after she’s caught for insider trading. When she emerges ready to rebrand herself as America’s latest sweetheart, not everyone she screwed over is so quick to forgive and forget.Melissa McCarthyis joined inThe Bossby an all-star cast led byKristen Bell,Peter DinklageandKathy Bates. Directed by Ben Falcone (Tammy), the comedy is based on an original character created by McCarthy and written by McCarthy and Falcone alongside their Groundlings collaborator, Steve Mallory. The film is produced by McCarthy and Falcone through their On the Day productions and Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy through their Gary Sanchez Productions.
16The Huntsman: Winter’s War- April 22
The fantastical world of Snow White and the Huntsman expands to reveal how the fates of The Huntsman Eric and Queen Ravenna are deeply and dangerously intertwined.Chris Hemsworthand Oscar® winnerCharlize Theronreturn to their roles inThe Huntsman: Winter’s War, an epic action-adventure in which they are joined by Emily Blunt andJessica Chastain, as well as director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan. Producer Joe Roth (Maleficent, Alice in Wonderland) once again leads the team in a breathtaking new tale nested in the legendary saga. Long before the evilQueen Ravenna(Theron) was thought vanquished by Snow White’s blade, she watched silently as her sister, Freya (Blunt), suffered a heartbreaking betrayal and fled their kingdom. With Freya’s ability to freeze any enemy, the young ice queen has spent decades in a remote wintry palace raising a legion of deadly huntsmen-including Eric (Hemsworth) and warrior Sara (Chastain)-only to find that her prized two defied her one demand: Forever harden your hearts to love. When Freya learns of her sister’s demise, she summons her remaining soldiers to bring the Magic Mirror home to the only sorceress left who can harness its power. But once she discovers Ravenna can be resurrected from its golden depths, the wicked sisters threaten this enchanted land with twice the darkest force it’s ever seen. Now, their amassing army shall prove undefeatable…unless the banished huntsmen who broke their queen’s cardinal rule can fight their way back to one another.
15Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Returning starsSeth Rogen,Zac EfronandRose Byrneare joined byChloe MoretzforNeighbors 2: Sorority Rising, the follow-up to 2014’s most popular original comedy. Also back in the same duties are director Nicholas Stoller and series producers Evan Goldberg, James Weaver and Rogen, who produce under their Point Grey Pictures banner. Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien serve as executive producers alongside Good Universe’s Nathan Kahane and Joe Drake. The comedy’s writers include Rogen, Stoller, Goldberg, Cohen and O’Brien.
14Top Secret Untitled Lonely Island Movie- June 3
Top Secret Untitled Lonely Island Movie, starring digital-shorts superstarsAndy Samberg,Akiva SchafferandJorma Taccone, who are collectively known as The Lonely Island. Co-directed by Schaffer and Taccone, the comedy from blockbuster producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, Trainwreck) will be set in the world of music. The feature film is produced by Apatow, Rodney Rothman, Samberg, Taccone and Schaffer and executive produced by Morgan Sackett. The Top Secret Untitled Lonely Island Movie will be released by Universal Pictures worldwide.
13Warcraft- June 10
From Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures comesWarcraft, an epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based on Blizzard Entertainment’s global phenomenon. The peaceful realm ofAzerothstands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: Orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people and their home. So begins a spectacular saga of power and sacrifice in which war has many faces, and everyone fights for something. Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and written by Charles Leavitt and Jones, the film starring Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Rob Kazinsky and Daniel Wu is a Legendary Pictures, Blizzard Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment production.The producers are Charles Roven, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Alex Gartner and Stuart Fenegan. Jillian Share, Brent O’Connor, Michael Morhaime and Paul Sams serve as executive producers. Rob Pardo, Chris Metzen, Nick Carpenter and Rebecca Steel Roven co-produce. Warcraft will be released by Universal Pictures.
12The Purge 3- July 1
Expanding upon the explosive universe introduced in the sleeper hits that have earned $200 million at the worldwide box office, Universal Pictures’The Purge 3reveals the next terrifying chapter of 12 hours of anarchy that is sanctioned annually by the New Founders of America. Once again returning to collaborate with DeMonaco are the series' producers: Blumhouse Productions' Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, Insidious and Sinister series), Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Ouija), alongside Sébastien K. Lemercier (Assault on Precinct 13, Four Lovers).
11The Secret Life of Pets- July 8
For their fifth fully-animated feature-film collaboration, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures presentThe Secret Life of Pets, a comedy about the lives ourpetslead after we leave for work or school each day. Comedy superstars Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet and Kevin Hart make their animated feature-film debuts in The Secret Life of Pets, which co-stars Steve Coogan, Ellie Kemper, Bobby Moynihan, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Jenny Slate and Albert Brooks. Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and his longtime collaborator Janet Healy produce the film directed by Chris Renaud (Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2), co-directed by Yarrow Cheney and written by Brian Lynch and Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio.
