A Look at the 12 New Movies Coming Out This Week: ‘Monkey Man,’ ‘The First Omen,’ and More!

Are you headed to the theater this week? We’ve got the full list of new movies coming out this week, including their trailers, for you to check out!

First up, Dev Patel stars and directs the action film Monkey Man, which is about a man on a mission of revenge. We also get the horror prequel to the 1976 film The Omen, in The First Omen.

Plus, the unusual musical rom-com Música, starring Rudy Mancuso, Francesca Reale, and Camila Mendes, comes to Amazon Prime this week.

Below is the full list of all the new movies coming out this week in theaters and streaming!

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

Monkey Man   (2024)

Rating: R

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

Summary: Monkey Man is about a man (Dev Patel) who wears a gorilla mask when he enters the ring as he fights for money. This man has a plan, and it involves violence and getting revenge for the murder of his father by corrupt leaders. 

What to Watch For: The film won the Audience Award at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival.

Word on the Street: Jordan Peele is a producer of the film, saving it from being abandoned during the outbreak of COVID.

My Take: The film was going to be released on Netflix only. But after test screenings, Universal decided that the film warranted a theatrical release.

The First Omen  (2024)

Rating: R

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

Summary: In The First Omen, a young American woman (Nell Tiger Free) is sent to Rome to start her life of service in the church. However, she soon discovers a darkness hidden deep inside the church that questions her faith and leads her to uncover a conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.

What to Watch For: This is a prequel to the 1976 film The Omen, directed by Richard Donner, that starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.

Word on the Street: Nell Tiger Free is best known for her role as Myrcella on the TV series Game of Thrones and recently starred as Leanne Grayson on the TV series Servant.

My Take: I haven’t seen The Omen (1976) in a long time. But I remember it being very creepy and scary.

Música   (2024)

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: Premiering on Amazon Prime on Thursday, April 4, 2024.

Summary: Música is about Rudy (Rudy Mancuso), a young man tortured by music. Rudy has synesthesia, which turns ordinary sounds into rhythm. Besides not knowing what he wants to do in life, he is torn between his girlfriend, Haley (Francesca Reale), and a new girl working in a fish market, Isabella (Camila Mendes). Rudy must come to terms with his uncertain future and decide which path to take. 

What to Watch For: The film is from the film’s star, Rudy Mancuso, and is loosely based on his own experiences with synesthesia.

Word on the Street: Rudy Mancuso’s own mother, Maria, plays his mother in the film.

My Take: Camila Carraro, who played Veronica on the TV series Riverdale, stars in her second movie of 2024. The first was the rom-com Upgraded.

Kim’s Video   (2023)

Rating: N/A

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

Summary: Kim’s Video is a documentary about a legendary New York City video store with over 55,000 movies on DVD and VHS tapes. The filmmakers go on a quest to discover what happened to the vast collection from a store that many film lovers and filmmakers still talk about today.

What to Watch For: The film directors David Redmon and Ashley Sabin are a married couple known for their award-winning films Intimidad (2008) and Choreography (2014).

Word on the Street: Interviews in the film include several former store clerks who went on to work in the motion picture industry, including writer/director Alex Ross Perry and cinematographer Sean Price Williams.

My Take: I understand that one tidbit from the film is that the Coen brothers had over $600 in late fees at the store.

Scoop  (2024)

Rating: TV-MA

Release Date: Premiering on Netflix on Friday, April 5, 2024. 

Summary: Scoop is the story of the three women (Gillian Anderson, Billie Piper, Romola Garai) who, through hard work and guts, got one of the biggest interviews of all time when Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) told about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

What to Watch For: The film is based on Sam McAlister’s book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the Most Shocking Interviews.

Word on the Street:  Philip Martin, who won an Emmy for his work on the TV drama series The Crown directs the film.

My Take: I have been a big fan of Billie Piper since her role as Rose on the TV series Doctor Who.

Wicked Little Letters   (2023)

Rating: R

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

Summary: Wicked Little Letters is set in the 1920s in a small English seaside town where deeply conservative local Edith (Olivia Colman) and others in the community have received scandalous letters containing profanity. All the evidence points to a rowdy Irish migrant, Rose (Jessie Buckley), known for her colorful use of language. It all comes to a head when Rose is charged with the crime. And Police Officer Gladys (Anjana Vasan) must solve the mystery.

What to Watch For: The film is based on a true story that made national headlines.

Word on the Street: Jessie Buckley was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the 2021 film The Lost Daughter, in which she starred with Olivia Colman.

My Take: I loved Jessie Buckley in the 2018 film Wild Rose.

How to Date Billy Walsh   (2024)

Rating: N/A

Release Date: Premiering on Amazon Prime on Friday, April 5, 2024.

Summary: How to Date Billy Walsh is about Amelia (Charithra Chandran) and Archie (Sebastian Croft), who have been friends since childhood. Archie has a secret: he is in love with Amelia. Just when Archie builds up the courage to declare his feelings, Amelia falls for the new transfer student, Billy Walsh (Tanner Buchanan). What’s a guy going to do?

What to Watch For: Tanner Buchanan is best known for his role as Robby Keene in the Netflix series Cobra Kai.

Word on the Street: The cast includes Kunal Nayyar, Guz Khan, Lucy Punch, Nick Frost, and Daisy Jelley.

My Take: I hear that singer/songwriter Maisie Peters will make an appearance in the film.

Girls State   (2024)

Rating: N/A

Release Date: Premiering on Apple TV+ on Friday, April 5, 2024.

Summary: The documentary Girls State follows 500 adolescent girls from all over Missouri as they gather to learn about the democratic process and tackle some of the most contentious issues of the day.

What to Watch For: The directorial team of Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss won a Primetime Emmy for their 2021 documentary Boys State.

Word on the Street: The film is playing at the new This is Not a Fiction Film Festival in Los Angeles.

My Take: I loved Boys State and am looking forward to this film.

A Bit of Light   (2023)

Rating: N/A

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

Summary: In A Bit of Light, Ella (Anna Paquin) is at a crossroads. At almost forty, she is an alcoholic and has had to move back in with her father, Alan (Ray Winstone). Ella is trying to stay sober, having temporarily given up custody of her young daughters to her ex-husband, Joseph (Youssef Kerkour). Into her life comes a young man named Neil (Luca Hogan), who might be the key to her recovery.

What to Watch For:  Stephen Moyer, who starred with his wife Anna Paquin on the HBO series True Blood, directs the film.

Word on the Street: Ray Winstone is known for his roles in Black Widow (2021), Sexy Beast (2000), Cold Mountain (2003), and The Departed (2006).

My Take: Few people remember that Anna Paquin won an Oscar at age 9 for her role in the 1994 film The Piano.

Housekeeping for Beginners   (2023)

Rating: R

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

Summary: Housekeeping for Beginners is about Dita (Anamaria Marinca), who lives in a big house with her partner, Suada(Alina Serban), Suada’s two daughters, Dita’s longtime friend Toni, and her new younger boyfriend Ali. When Suada dies of cancer, Dita is forced to become the mother she never thought she would be. 

What to Watch For: The film won the Queer Lion award at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.

Word on the Street: Filmmaker Goran Stolevski is best known for his 2022 award-winning film You Won’t Be Alone.

My Take: Anamaria Marinca starred in the brilliant 2007 film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.

Chicken for Linda!   (2023)

Rating: N/A

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

Summary: In the animated film Chicken for Linda!, Linda has been unfairly punished by her mother, Paulette. To make up for it, Paulette asks how she can make it up to Linda. Linda wants chicken with peppers. And the two are now off on an adventure to find a chicken in a town that has shut down because of a strike.

What to Watch For: This animated film was done using hand-painted cells.

Word on the Street: The film won Best Animated Film at the 2024 Cesar Awards (France’s equivalent of the Academy Awards).

My Take: The film was a massive hit on the European film festival circuit.

The Old Oak   (2023)

Rating: N/A

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

Summary: The Old Oak is about the last surviving pub in a small village in Northeast England, where people are leaving in droves after all the mines have closed. TJ (Dave Turner) owns the pub, which becomes a flashpoint when suddenly a group of Syrian refugees arrive unexpectedly in the village.

What to Watch For: The film was nominated for the Outstanding British Film of the Year at the 2024 BAFTA Awards.

Word on the Street: The movie is from award-winning filmmaker Ken Loach. He’s known for his films I, Daniel Blake (2017) and Sorry We Missed You (2020).

My Take: I am a big fan of Ken Loach’s films, including the 2012 film The Angels’ Share.

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!