A Look at the 8 New Movies Coming Out This Week: ‘Night Swim,’ ‘Memory,’ and More!

Happy New Year! It’s a brand new year, and to kick off the first week of 2024, there are eight new movies coming out!

First up is the horror film Night Swim from the producers of The Nun and M3gan. We also have the drama Memory, starring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard.

Daniel Levy (best known for Schitt’s Creek) makes his directorial feature film debut with the heartfelt drama Good Grief. And we also have the much-talked-about Netflix film Society of the Snow, a harrowing tale that recounts the infamous Andes plane crash.

It’s going to be a busy week watching movies! Below is the full list of all the new movies coming out this week in theaters and streaming!

New Movies Coming Out This Week: January 1, 2024, – January 7, 2024

Night Swim   (2024)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: In theatres nationwide on Friday, January 5, 2024.

Summary: In Night Swim, Ray (Wyatt Russell) and Eve (Kerry Condon), along with their daughter Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle), have just moved into a house with a pool that has been drained and looks in bad shape. They decide to fix the pool, not knowing that something evil is living there, just waiting to come out and play.

What to Watch For: The film is based on the award-winning 2014 short film by Bryce McGuire and Rod Blackhurst. The two filmmakers turned the short into a feature-length script, with McGuire at the directing helm.

Word on the Street: Horror masters Jason Blum and James Wan produced the film.

My Take: I hope this is our annual really good January horror film.

Memory   (2023)

Rating: R

Release Date: In theatres on Friday, January 5, 2024.

Summary: Memory is about Sylvia (Jessica Chastain), who leads a simple and structured life as a social worker and a mom. She reluctantly attends her high school reunion, and a man named Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) follows her home. Their encounter will affect both of them as they open the door to memories of the past.

What to Watch For: The movie is from award-winning film Michel Franco, known for his films Chronic (2015), April’s Daughter (2017), and New Order (2021).

Word on the Street: The film got a seven-minute standing ovation at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.

My View: Besides Chastain and Sarsgaard, the cast includes Blake Baumgartner, Josh Charles, Brooke Timber, Elizabeth Loyacano, Jackson Dorfmann, and Elsie Fisher.

Good Grief   (2023)

Rating: R

Release Date: Premieres on Netflix on Friday, January 5, 2024.

Summary: Good Grief tells the story of Marc (Daniel Levy), who, after his mother’s death, jumps into a relationship with an older man and gets married. However, the marriage doesn’t last, as his husband unexpectedly dies. A year later, Marc takes his two best friends (Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel) on a soul-searching trip to Paris, revealing some hard truths about love and relationships.

What to Watch For: This is Daniel Levy’s feature film directorial debut and the first project for the deal with Netflix and Levy’s production company.

Word on the Street: The film was shot on location in London and Paris.

My Take: Watching Daniel Levy’s career after winning four Primetime Emmy awards for his work on Schitt’s Creek will be fun.

Society of the Snow  (2023)

Rating: R

Release Date: Premieres on Netflix on Thursday, January 4, 2023.

Summary: Society of the Snow tells the story of when, in 1972, a Uruguayan rugby team flew on a chartered flight to Chile and crashed on a glacier in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of the 45 passengers survived, and now they find themselves in one of the world’s harshest environments, forced to resort to extreme measures to stay alive.

What to Watch For: The film is based on a true story and has been made into two feature films, Alive in 1993, starring Ethan Hawke, and Survive!, which was a huge box office hit in 1976.

Word on the Street: The film is Spain’s official submission for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category of the 96th Academy Awards in 2024 and has made the ‘shortlist’ of possible nominations.

My Take: I find it fascinating that one of the actual survivors of the crash, Carlitos Paez, plays the role of his own father in the film.

Anselm  (2023)

Rating: N/A

Release Date: In theatres on Friday, January 5, 2023.

Summary: Anselm is a documentary on Anselm Kiefer, one of the greatest contemporary artists in the world. The artist works in different styles and shapes, sometimes in gigantic proportions, to comment on the world and its harsh realities, including fascism and war.

What to Watch For: The film is directed by three-time Oscar-nominated Wim Wenders.

Word on the Street: The film was shot in 3-D, and while in most markets, it is being shown in 2-D format, there are a few screenings in 3-D worldwide.

My Take: I would love to visit the massive warehouse shown in the film. It’s over 35,000 square feet and is filled with Kiefer’s artwork, some of which is on an enormous scale.

Monster  (2023)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: In theatres on Friday, January 5, 2023.

Summary: In Monster, Saori (Sakura Ando) is a widow trying to bring up her son Minato (Soya Kurokawa). Minato is having a tough time at school, and Saori has noticed that his behavior has changed noticeably in the past weeks. Saori soon learns that Minato’s odd behavior is because of his teacher, who Minato says hit him. We soon learn that there are many sides to the same story.

What to Watch For: The film was a big hit on the film festival circuit for filmmaker Kore-eda Hirokazu (Shoplifters (2018), winning two awards at the 2023 Cannes International Film Festival.

Word on the Street: The movie is the final film for the Oscar-winning (The Last Emperor) film composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.

My Take: Several film critics thought this film should have been Japan’s entry for the International Feature Film Academy Award.

The Bricklayer   (2023)

Rating: R

Release Date: In theatres on Friday, January 5, 2023.

Summary: The Bricklayer starts when a terrorist is assassinating foreign journalists and making it appear the CIA is behind the killings. The terrorist is threatening to keep killing as other nations begin turning against the U.S., so the agency is forced to lure their best agent, Steve Vail (Aaron Eckhart), out of retirement to find and terminate the terrorist.

What to Watch For: The film is directed by Renny Harlin, known for his movies Cliffhanger (1993), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), and Exorcist: The Beginning (2004).

Word on the Street: The cast includes Tim Blake Nelson, Nina Dobrev, Clifton Collins Jr., Ilfenesh Hadera, and Oliver Trevena.

My Take: Aaron Eckhart is a favorite actor of mine, with his outstanding performance in the 2007 film Thank You for Smoking.

Mayhem!   (2023)

Rating: N/A

Release Date:  In theatres on Friday, January 5, 2023.

Summary: In Mayhem!, Sam (Nassim Lyes) is a man with a harsh past who has started a new life in Thailand with a wife and a stepdaughter. Sam just wants to make a living and find a permanent home for his family when he is offered a job by a local gangster that will give him the future home he wants. Unfortunately, the job goes wrong, and now Sam will do anything to get vengeance and save his kidnapped daughter.

What to Watch for: The film was a hit at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival.

Word on the Street: The movie is from filmmaker Xavier Gens, known for his films Hitman (2007) and Budapest (2018).

My Take: The film is being compared to the John Wick and The Raid film series for its action sequences.

Which New Movies Coming Out This Week Are You Excited to Watch?

Below, let us know what new movies you plan to see this week!