A Look at the 9 New Movies Coming Out This Week: ‘Wicked,’ ‘Gladiator II,’ and More!

From long-awaited adaptations and thrilling sequels to thought-provoking documentaries and family-friendly adventures, there’s something coming out for everyone this week!

One of the year’s most anticipated films, the musical Wicked, releases on the 22nd and stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.

Twenty years after Gladiator won 5 Oscars, Ridley Scott brings us a sequel in Gladiator II, starring Connie Nielsen, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzil Washington.

Curious about the full list? Listed below, we’ve got all of this week’s new movies coming out in theaters and streaming!

New Movies Coming Out This Week:  November 18 – 24, 2024

Wicked   (2024)

Rating:  PG

Release Date:  In theaters nationwide on Friday, November 22, 2024. 

Summary: Wicked is about Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a misunderstood young woman who has been looked down upon because of her green skin. Glinda (Ariana Grande) is a spoiled rich girl who is a little boy crazy. At Shiz University in the Land of Oz, they find themselves becoming unlikely friends. We are about to learn that there are always two sides to a story.

What to Watch For:  Director Jon M. Chu wanted the cast to feel like the world of Oz was an actual place, so practical sets were built and supplemented with CGI, instead of using the green screen process.

Word on the Street: The film will be in two parts, as Jon M. Chu felt the story was too big to be told in a single film.

My Take:  Filming started 20 years after Wicked debuted on Broadway. 

Gladiator II   (2024)

Rating:  R

Release Date:  In theaters nationwide on Friday, November 22, 2024.

Summary: Gladiator II tells the story of Lucius (Paul Mescal), who, after his home is conquered by a Roman army led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), is captured and taken to Rome to become a Gladiator to fight in the Colosseum. Lucius vows revenge and looks to his past to find the strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.

What to Watch For: The film is from Ridley Scott, who directed the 2001 Gladiator, which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Word on the Street: Connie Nielsen (Lucilla) and Derek Jacobi (Gracchus) are the only returning cast members from the 2001 film.

My Take: The first trailer for the film got 128 million online views in the first 24 hours of its release.

Spellbound   (2024)

Rating:  PG

Release Date:  Premiering on Netflix on Friday, November 22, 2024. 

Summary: In Spellbound, Ellian is a young princess whose parents, the King and Queen of Lumbria, were transformed into monsters by a mysterious spell. Ellian must embark on a quest to find a way to reverse the effects of her parents and rescue the kingdom from eternal darkness.

What to Watch For: The voice cast includes Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, Tituss Burgess, and John Ratzenberger.

Word on the Street: The film is directed by Vicky Jenson, known for her movies Shrek (2001) and Shark Tale (2004).

My Take: Eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken composed the music for the film. 

Dahomey  (2024)

Rating:  N/A

Release Date:  In select theaters on Friday, November 22, 2024. 

Summary: Dahomey is a documentary that tells the story of 26 artifacts that were plundered by the French from the West African Kingdom of Dahomey in 1892. The artifacts are being returned to their homeland, but that is just the beginning of the story.

What to Watch For: The film won the Golden Berlin Bear Best Film award at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival.

What to Watch For: The film is the official submission of Senegal for the Best International Feature Film category of the 97th Academy Awards in 2025.

My Take: The film is from filmmaker Mati Diop, known for her award-winning films A Thousand Suns (2013) and Atlantics (2019).

Out of My Mind   (2024)

Rating:  N/A

Release Date:  Premiering on Disney+ on Friday, November 22, 2024

Summary: Out of My Mind is about Melody Brooks (Phoebe-Rae Taylor), a sixth-grade student who is a nonverbal wheelchair user with cerebral palsy. With the help of some assistive technology and a few friends along the way, Melody is out to prove that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.

What to Watch For: The film is based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Sharon M. Draper. 

Word on the Street:  Jennifer Aniston is the voice of Melody’s thoughts in the film.

My Take: The film received two standing ovations at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. 

Bread & Roses   (2023)

Rating:  N/A

Release Date:  Premiering on Apple TV+ on Friday, November 22, 2024. 

Summary: Bread & Roses is a documentary that follows three women living in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.

What to Watch For: The film was nominated for the Golden Eye award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Word on the Street: The film is from director Sahra Mani, known for her award-winning 2018 documentary A Thousand Girls Like Me.

My Take: Jennifer Lawrence and Malala Yousafzai are producers on the film.

Never Look Away  (2024)

Rating:  N/A

Release Date:  In select theaters and on Digital on Friday, November 22, 2024. 

Summary: Never Look Away is a documentary on the life and work of CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth, who documented Desert Storm, the Bosnian War, and the Rwandan Genocide.

What to Watch For:  The film is directed by Lucy Lawless. 

Word on the Street: The film was nominated for awards at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and the 2024 SXSW Film Festival.

My Take: The film features interviews with friends and colleagues, including CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

Ernest Cole: Lost & Found  (2024)

Rating:  N/A

Release Date:  In theaters on Friday, November 22, 2024.

Summary: Ernest Cole: Lost & Found is a documentary about Ernest Cole, the first Black freelance photographer in apartheid South Africa.

What to Watch For: The film won the Golden Eye award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Word on the Street: LaKeith Stanfield does the voice-over for the film, giving us an insight into Cole’s thinking.

My Take: Cole spent some of his time in exile in the United States, and over 60,000 of his negatives were discovered in a bank vault in Sweden in 2017.

Joy  (2024)

Rating:  PG-13

Release Date:  Premiering on Netflix on Friday, November 22, 2024.

Summary: Joy spans the years of 1968-1978 when three trailblazers worked in their pursuit of the world’s first ‘test-tube baby. They proceeded with the project despite the vehement opposition from the church, state, media, and the medical establishment.

What to Watch For: The film stars Thomasin McKenzie as the young nurse, James Norton as the visionary scientist, and Bill Nighy as the innovative surgeon who worked together.

Word on the Street: Filmmaker Ben Taylor is best known for his work on the TV series Sex Education and Catastrophe.

My Take: Thomasin McKenzie is best known for her role as Elsa in Jojo Rabbit (2019) and Eloise in Last Night in Soho (2021).

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.