2020 is in full swing and after a tepid start, the box office is finally picking up and starting to charge down the tracks. We’re now firmly out of the post-holiday doldrums and a few big movies are coming to theaters this month, led by Onward, Pixar’s latest movie, A Quiet Place Part II, the sequel to the 2018 hit, and Disney’s latest live-action adaptation in Mulan.

Here are all the wide releases and notable indie movies coming to theaters in March.

Onward – Release Date: Friday, March 6

Cast: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ali Wong, Octavia Spencer, John Ratzenberger, Lena Waithe, Mel Rodriguez

Director: Dan Scanlon

Pixar’s latest, Onward, features the vocal talents of Tom Holland as Ian Lightfoot and Chris Pratt as Barley Lightfoot, two wildly different elven brothers who live in a world where magic has died out. On Ian’s 16th birthday, he receives a special gift from his father: a magic staff and part of a spell to bring their late dad back for 24 hours. The two brothers then set off on a quest to retrieve the rest of the spell and bring their dad all the way back before time runs out – if only to say a final goodbye. Expect lots of laughs and tissues needed with this one, as is Pixar’s M.O.

The Way Back – Release Date: Friday, March 6

Cast: Ben Affleck, Janina Gavankar, Michaela Watkins, Da’Vinchi, Hayes MacArthur, Rachael Carpani, Glynn Turman, T.K. Carter, Lukas Gage, Inka Kytö

Director: Gavin O’Connor

The Way Back could be addressing Ben Affleck’s personal life and career as well as itself. In a role that hits very close to home, Affleck plays Jack Cunningham, a former basketball phenom who had all the promise in the world but walked away from the game. Decades later, spiraling downward after a tragedy and a failed marriage into grief and alcoholism, Jack it at his lowest point when he’s asked by his old alma mater to coach the wayward basketball team. To his surprise, he accepts, and coaching the young team puts him back on the path to redemption and rediscovering his self-worth.

The Banker – Release Date: Friday, March 6 (Limited)

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Anthony Mackie, Nia Long, Colm Meaney, Jessie T. Usher, Paul Ben-Victor, Michael Harney, Taylor Black, Chris Gann

Director: George Nolfi

One of Apple TV+’s first original movies, The Banker will also be hitting theaters, similar to Netflix’s tactic of having a limited theatrical release window before moving a film to its streaming platform. Based on a true story, it follows Joe Morris (Jackson) and Bernard Garrett (Mackie), two black businessmen who concoct a plan to build a banking and real estate empire in order to help other African-Americans gain a piece of the American dream. But in the racially segregated and oppressive 1960s, they can’t gain access to the privileged world they need to make their dream come true – so they use a white man, Matt Steiner (Hoult) to be the face of their business while they pose as blue-collar workers. With the help of Garrett’s wife, Eunice (Long), the four of them beat the system – until the U.S. government comes knocking, suspicious of their success.

Final Kill – Release Date: Friday, March 6 (Limited)

Cast: Billy Zane, Randy Couture, Ed Morrone, Danny Trejo, James Russo, Dr. Drew Pinsky

Director: Justin Lee

This one should be good for fans of straightforward action-thrillers. Final Kill follows a mercenary hired to protect a couple hiding out in Central America to escape a ruthless crime family. After his final assignment, he plans to get out of the merc game. But it soon turns deadly as hired thugs and killers descend on the small Costa Rican town. Soon, it spirals into a situation that’s so much more than he ever bargained for and it will require every bit of skill he has to get him and his charges out alive.

Run This Town – Release Date: Friday, March 6 (Limited)

Cast: Jennifer Ehle, Mena Massoud, Nina Dobrev, Damian Lewis, Gil Bellows, Ben Platt, Scott Speedman, Rebecca Liddiard, Lauren Collins, Zarrin Darnell-Martin

Director: Ricky Tollman

A young journalist, Bram (Platt), and a young political aide, Kamal (Massoud), find their friendship put to the test when they get embroiled on opposite sides of a political scandal. Bram learns of a scandal that involves Kamal’s gregarious boss and uses it to climb the ladder in his career. But it puts his friendship with Kamal in jeopardy, as the young aide is suddenly thrust into the position of trying to contain the story while also maintaining his dignity and values. Run this Town will be the first film since Aladdin for Massoud, who famously remarked last year that he hadn’t had a single audition since that movie came out. With this and the announcement of an Aladdin sequel in the works, hopefully it means good things are on the way for the charismatic young actor.

First Cow – Release Date: Friday, March 6 (Limited)

Cast: Alia Shawkat, John Magaro, Rene Auberjonois, Toby Jones, Ewen Bremner, Scott Shepherd, Orion Lee, Gary Farmer, Ted Rooney, Lily Gladstone

Director: Kelly Reichardt

Set in the wilds of the Oregon Territory in the mid-1800s, First Cow follows the story of a taciturn cook (Magaro) who has traveled to the West with a group of fur traders to seek his fortune. He makes a genuine connection with a Chinese immigrant (Lee) who is also seeking his fortune, and the two collaborate on a business that proves successful for them both. The only catch is the entire success of their business hinges upon them secretly being able to use a wealthy landowner’s prized milk cow. Suspense and friendship collide in rural America as the two struggle to keep the con going.

Swallow – Release Date: Friday, March 6 (Limited)

Cast: Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Denis O’Hare, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, Luna Lauren Velez, Zabryna Guevara, Laith Nakli, Babak Tafti, Nicole Kang

Director: Carlo Mirabella-Davis

Swallow is a weird one in the best way. Haley Bennett gives a brilliant, devastating turn as a pregnant housewife slowly having a breakdown under the strict rigidity of her rich in-laws (Elizabeth Marvel and Denis O’Hare) and perfectionist, distant husband (Austin Stowell). As the pressures of her carefully curated life mount, she develops pica – a condition where she feels compelled to swallow strange, increasingly dangerous objects – as the only thing in her life that is her own, Soon, dark secrets from her past threaten to either destroy or free her, if she has the courage to face them.

The Burnt Orange Heresy – Release Date: Friday, March 6 (Limited)

Cast: Elizabeth Debicki, Donald Sutherland, Claes Bang, Rosalind Halstead, Mick Jagger, Katie McGovern, Alessandro Fabrizi, Alexia Murray, Flaminia Fegarotti, Pat Starke

Director: Giuseppe Capotondi

This one should be a good one for fans of heist movies and thrillers. Dracula‘s Claes Bang stars as James, a scheming art dealer who is hired to steal a valuable painting from its eccentric, enigmatic painter. The plan spirals out of control as James’ own unchecked ambition and creeping insecurities threaten to undo the life he’s built.

Bloodshot – Release Date: Friday, March 13

Cast: Vin Diesel, Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Guy Pearce, Toby Kebbell, Talulah Riley, Lamorne Morris, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Siddharth Dhananjay, Alex Hernandez

Director: Dave Wilson

With the Fast & Furious franchise winding down (the plan is to cap it at 10 movies; the ninth is releasing this May), lead Vin Diesel is likely looking for another franchise-starter and it appears he’s potentially found it in Bloodshot. Based on the bestselling Valiant comic book series, Diesel stars as Ray Garrison, a soldier killed in action who is brought back to life by nanotechnology and a risky experimental procedure. Now going by the name Bloodshot, he’s now an unstoppable force – but is RST Corporation, the company responsible for his resurrection, using him for nefarious means? Does he have control over his own mind and actions? Ray intends to find out.

The Hunt – Release Date: Friday, March 13

Cast: Ethan Suplee, J.C. MacKenzie, Betty Gilpin, Emma Roberts, Hilary Swank, Justin Hartley, Glenn Howerton, Ike Barinholtz, Amy Madigan, Macon Blair

Director: Craig Zobel

Universal’s The Hunt has been a long time in the making. Initially set for release on September 27, 2019, the film was pulled after two mass shooting massacres in Texas and Ohio and amidst a manufactured controversy by some on the far-right that it depicted MAGA supporters being hunted down for sport, despite the film not having been seen by the public yet. Universal recently set a new release date for March. The story revolves around twelve strangers who wake up in a clearing with no memories of who they are or how they got there. They don’t know they’re about to become the prey in a rigged game of rich hunters versus their human prey. However, the killers don’t know one of the targets can play the game better than they can – and she intends to win.

My Spy – Release Date: Friday, March 13

Cast: Dave Bautista, Kristen Schaal, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Chloe Coleman, Keller Viaene, Devere Rogers, Ken Jeong, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Olivia Dépatie, Lindsay Mullan

Director: Peter Segal

Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista stars in his next comedy, My Spy. Bautista plays JJ, a hardened CIA agent sent undercover to monitor a family. However, he soon finds himself at the mercy of Sophie (Chloe Coleman), the precocious, too-smart-for-her-own-good 9-year-old daughter and he must keep her safe while finishing the job.

The Informer – Release Date: Friday, March 13

Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Ana de Armas, Rosamund Pike, Clive Owen, Common, Ruth Bradley, Arturo Castro, Martin McCann, Sam Spruell, Karma Meyer

Director: Andrea di Stefano

Former Special Ops soldier Pete Koslow (Kinnaman) finds his life upended when he’s arrested and sent to jail after being involved in a fight to protect his wife. By promising to become an informant for the FBI, he’s offered early release with good behavior. Thrown into the world of undercover operations, Pete must use his honed skill set to take down The General, New York City’s most ruthless crime boss. But when an undercover NYPD cop gets killed, Pete soon finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly war between the Mafia and the FBI.

Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always – Release Date: Friday, March 13 (Limited)

Cast: Ryan Eggold, Théodore Pellerin, Talia Ryder, Kim Rios Lin, Sidney Flanigan, Sharon Van Etten, Drew Seltzer, Guy A. Fortt, Lester Greene, Brett Puglisi

Director: Eliza Hittman

Eliza Hittman’s Sundance selection and Special Jury Award winner Never Rarely Sometimes Always is bound to hit home for quite a few people. In rural Pennsylvania, teenager Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) finds out she’s pregnant. With no support from her family or the local community and desperate, she and her cousin, Skylar (Talia Ryder) embark on a trip to New York City on a journey that will test the limits of their bravery. Hittman’s story is a deeply intimate look at two girls trapped in a desperate circumstance and how their friendship and compassion for one another get them through.

Slay The Dragon – Release Date: Friday, March 13 (Limited)

Cast: Ari Berman, David Daley, Margaret Dickson, Anita Earls, Katie Fahey, Ruth Greenwood, Chris Jankowski, Justin Levitt, Vann Newkirk, Dale Schultz

Director: Chris Durrance, Barak Goodman

In recent years, the topic of gerrymandering has become a hot-button issue and the symbol of our broken, outdated electoral system. The process of manipulating the geographical boundaries of an electoral district to favor a particular party (in America’s case, the GOP) has badly rigged the game to ensure one party wins. Documentary Slay the Dragon follows normal people as they fight to change our broken system, exploring the stories of the American citizens who are on the front lines of making sure every vote counts and that our voices are heard.

A Quiet Place: Part II – Release Date: Friday, March 20

Cast: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, Millicent Simmonds, Lauren-Ashley Cristiano, Okieriete Onaodowan, Wayne Duvall, Ashley Dyke

Director: John Krasinski

The follow-up to 2018’s hit follows the remains of the Abbott family as they now leave home to face the terrifying world outside. As they venture into the world, still in silence and dodging the deadly creatures that terrorized them before, they learn that there are far more threats out there than anticipated, including humans who might be even more dangerous than the creatures that hunt them. Cillian Murphy joins the cast in A Quiet Place: Part II as a human they meet while on the road – but is he a friend or foe? And is he the deadliest thing out there of all?

I Still Believe – Release Date: Friday, March 20

Cast: Abigail Cowen, Britt Robertson, Melissa Roxburgh, K.J. Apa, Gary Sinise, Nathan Parsons, Shania Twain, Cameron Arnett, Nicolas Bechtel, Gregory Hobson

Director: Andrew Irwin, Jon Erwin

Riverdale star K.J. Apa stars in this based-on-a-true-story biopic from Lionsgate’s faith-based division. Apa plays Christian music star Jeremy Camp, who lost his first wife to ovarian cancer when she was 21 and he was 23. The title of the movie is taken from the first song he wrote after her death. I Still Believe is a touching journey of love and loss and faith in the midst of ultimate heartbreak.

The Climb – Release Date: Friday, March 20 (Limited)

Cast: Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin, Gayle Rankin, Judith Godrèche, Talia Balsam, George Wendt, Daniella Covino, Eden Malyn, Meredith Holzman, Todd Barry

Director: Michael Angelo Covino

The Climb stars two real-life friends talking about their own friendship rather than any fictionalized characters. Kyle and Mike have been best friends for decades. But their relationship hits its breaking point when Mike sleeps with Kyle’s fiancée. What follows is an exploration of the relationship between these two men through the years of ups and downs, laughter and betrayals, the moments they grow closer and the decisions that threaten to tear it apart.

Deerskin – Release Date: Friday, March 20 (Limited)

Cast: Jean Dujardin, Adèle Haenel, Albert Delpy, Coralie Russier, Laurent Nicolas, Marie Bunel, Pierre Gommé, Caroline Piette, Stéphane Jobert, Géraldine Schitter

Director: Quentin Dupieux

Foreign film fans or fans of the darkest of comedies will want to check out Deerskin. Academy Award winner Jean Dujardin is a middle-aged, newly divorced guy who becomes obsessed with a vintage deerskin jacket that exerts an uncanny hold on him as he spirals into a midlife crisis. He soon sets out to become an independent filmmaker in a tiny town in the French Alps and befriends a bartender (Portrait of a Lady on Fire‘s Adèle Haenel) who becomes his film collaborator. In a tale of middle-aged masculinity gone awry, he documents his new goals in a tale that is as funny as it is poignant.

The Truth – Release Date: Friday, March 20 (Limited)

Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke, Clémentine Grenier, Manon Clavel, Alain Libolt, Christian Crahay, Roger Van Hool, Ludivine Sagnier, Laurent Capelluto

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda

The Truth is a sharp, funny study of the conflict and love in any mother-daughter relationship. Aging French actress Fabienne (Deneuve) is still a formidable presence, despite her increasing lapses in memory. Upon the publication of her memoirs, her daughter Lumir returns to Paris from her home overseas in New York City, along with her husband and young daughter. But once there, Fabienne’s rose-colored-glasses version of the past conflicts with Lumir’s somewhat more critical memories and their stormy reunion makes for a funny and touching time.

Mulan – Release Date: Friday, March 27

Cast: Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Li Gong, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Nelson Lee, Jun Yu, Jimmy Wong, Doua Moua

Director: Niki Caro

Mulan, which is Disney’s first live-action remake to be rated PG-13, is also potentially set to be its best yet. Director Niki Caro heads up a talented international cast to tell the tale of Hua Mulan, the young Chinese girl who disguises herself as a young man in order to join the Chinese armor and spare her aging father the rigors of war. As the bloodthirsty Huns close in, Mulan must keep her identity hidden while fighting to save her country. This version looks to hew a bit closer to the original Chinese myth but with its visual cues taken directly from the animated classic.

Vivarium – Release Date: Friday, March 27 (Limited)

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, Jonathan Aris, Eanna Hardwicke, Shana Hart, Senan Jennings, Molly McCann, Danielle Ryan, Olga Wehrly, Jack Hudson

Director: Lorcan Finnegan

This thriller from filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan has an interesting premise. In Vivarium, young couple Tom and Gemma (Eisenberg and Poots) are looking to buy the home of their dreams. Their real estate agent takes them to Yonder, a strange, unsettling suburban development full of cookie-cutter houses and a disturbing uniformity. However, when they try to leave, they find they’re incapable of escaping as each road leads them right back to where they started. They’re soon trapped in a terrifying nightmare that seemingly has no way out.

Resistance – Release Date: Friday, March 27 (Limited)

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Ed Harris, Edgar Ramírez, Clémence Poésy, Matthias Schweighöfer, Bella Ramsey, Géza Röhrig, Karl Markovics, Félix Moati, Alicia von Rittberg

Director: Jonathan Jakubowicz

The second Jesse Eisenberg-led movie to open this weekend is a stark departure from his other film. Resistance tells the story of the group of Jewish Boy Scouts who worked with the French resistance to save thousands of orphans during WWII. Stories about Jewish citizens and Holocaust survivors are having a moment right now, with Taika Waititi’s Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit to Amazon’s Hunters series. Unlike those two, however, Resistance is less satirical and dark comedy and more straightforward drama. History fans will want to watch this one.

 

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