January is here, which means the 2022 movie slate has officially begun. The first month of the year is traditionally a slower month thanks to the post-holiday lull, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t still a number of excellent movies hitting theaters this month. January 2022 kicks off with an action-packed spy thriller and ends with a moving reimagining of a classic love story. In between, there’s a little something for everyone. Here are the biggest movies hitting theaters in January.
The 355 – Release Date: Friday, January 7
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Jessica Chastain, Fan Bingbing, Sebastian Stan, Edgar Ramírez
Director: Simon Kinberg
From director Simon Kinberg, 2022 is kicking off with a bang. The 355 follows an unpredictable CIA agent as she teams up with a group of international secret agents and spies on a dangerous mission. When a top-secret and deadly weapon goes missing and turns up in the hands of mercenaries, it’s up to the team to retrieve it. However, it proves tricky as they must also fend off a mysterious woman who is keeping tabs on their every move they make.
Scream/Scream 5 – Release Date: Friday, January 14
Cast: Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sonia Ammar
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Scream 5, confusingly named Scream, is a blend of old and new. A new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town of Woodboro’s deadly past, 25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette return to their iconic roles of Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley in order to stop the killer once again and pass the torch to a new generation of teens.
Belle – Release Date: Friday, January 14
Voice Cast: Kaho Nakamura, Ryô Narita, Shôta Sometani, Tina Tamashiro, Lilas Ikuta, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Kenjiro Tsuda, Mami Koyama, Mamoru Miyano, Ryoko Moriyama
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
The beautiful anime Belle hits screens this month in a story that’s a cross between a YA version of The Matrix and Beauty and the Beast. Suzu is a shy high schooler living a quiet life in a small, rural village. For years, she’s been a shadow, hardly living life. But whenever she enters the massive virtual world “U,” she escapes into her virtual persona of Belle, a global superstar singer. Soon, she’s sucked into a quest to find a mysterious beast who’s being hunted down by ruthless vigilantes in an adventure that will change her forever.
The King’s Daughter – Release Date: Friday, January 21
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Kaya Scodelario, William Hurt, Benjamin Walker, Bingbing Fan, Pablo Schreiber, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Julie Andrews
Director: Paul Currie, Wei Han
When fears of mortality encroach upon King Louis XIV, he captures a mermaid and steals her life force in an attempt to achieve immortality. However, his plans are upended when his illegitimate daughter discovers and befriends the creature instead. The King’s Daughter was filmed eight years ago, so it will be quite interesting to see what the action-adventure holds.
Redeeming Love – Release Date: Friday, January 21
Cast: Abigail Cowen, Tom Lewis, Logan Marshall-Green, Famke Janssen, Nina Dobrev, Eric Dane, Ke-Xi Wu, Brandon Auret
Director: D.J. Caruso
Based on the novel by Francine Rivers, Redeeming Love is a romantic Western set during the California Gold Rush of 1850. It tells the story of Angel, a girl who was sold into prostitution as a child. Throughout her life, Angel had known nothing but pain and betrayal. But when she meets Michael, who is determined to save her from her life of prostitution and misery, she starts to question whether she can love him and learn to trust again.
Cyrano – Release Date: Friday, January 28
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn, Bashir Salahuddin
Director: Joe Wright
The classic tale and heartbreaking love triangle come to life in a fresh new way by acclaimed director Joe Wright. Cyrano tells the tale of Cyrano de Bergerac, a brilliant, witty man who is ahead of his time. But his unconventional appearance convinces him that his devoted friend, the beautiful Roxanne, could never love him romantically, and he keeps his burning love for her to himself. His refusal to confess his feelings rebounds on him when she meets and falls in love with the handsome poet Christian de Neuvillette. Aware he’ll never be able to be with Roxanne, Cyrano instead lends his verbal skills and way with words to Christian in order to help him woo the woman he himself loves.
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