Key Takeaways
After 2023 saw three first installments topping the box office,bitcoin 000 in rupees 2024 has been the year of the sequel. From Inside Out 2 to Bad Boys: Ride or Die, all 10 of the highest-earning films in the world have been follow-ups to major franchises. In fact, out of the top 20, only Wicked, It Ends With Us, The Wild Robot, and The Garfield Movie are not sequels, and all four of those are based on existing IP.
So, if you’ve been craving something a little more original and off the beaten path, Entertainment Weekly has you covered. From a coming-of-age comedy about growing up in the early aughts to a brooding horror story based on real-life events in 18th-century Austria, there were plenty of worthy titles that flew under the radar this year.
Below, EW highlights our seven favorite hidden gems from 2024.
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The Order
Despite a stellar cast that includes Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, and Jurnee Smollett, this riveting thriller from Justin Kurzel (Macbeth) largely flew under the radar. Law stars as a washed-up alcoholic FBI agent who uncovers the domestic terrorist plots of Bob Mathews (Hoult), a white supremacist intent on inciting a race war. The taut, real-life tale plays as both a solid, gripping piece of old-fashioned movie-making and an insightful probing of the ways that obsession can twist up a man for good or evil. The story’s ties to contemporary America and current right-wing movements is chilling, an all-too-relevant parable for a nation in peril. —Maureen Lee Lenker
Currently in theaters.
Strange Darling
One of the best horror thrillers of the year, Strange Darling is a must-watch for genre fans looking for something fresh. But if you’re the type to research a movie beforehand, try to resist. This is one of those where the less you know, the better. That’s partially because director J.T. Mollner’s script features a Shyamalan-esque twist about halfway through that changes the trajectory of the entire film. Starring budding Scream King Kyle Gallner (Smile 2, Scream) and a powerhouse, career-best turn from Willa Fitzgerald (The Fall of the House of Usher), Strange Darling manages to subvert expectations with every twisty turn. —Mike Miller
Available to rent/buy on digital platforms.
Related: The top 10 wildest movie scenes of 2024
The Apprentice
For a film about the country's most controversial figure, starring a Marvel superhero and a recent three-time Emmy-winner, The Apprentice failed to achieve the two things its subject cares about most: attention and financial success. But as an unflinching origin story of Donald Trump, Ali Abbasi's meticulously researched portrayal of the business mogul's rise from small-time real estate scion to infamous global dealmaker was perhaps doomed to turn off both sides of the aisle. Where some liberals feared the film would be too kind to the president, just as many conservatives (including Trump himself) bashed the story as a bunch of fake news. Those who went to see the bold biopic for themselves were treated to a hilarious, stranger-than-fiction satire of the American dream, featuring stellar, Golden Globe-nominated turns from Sebastian Stan as the Donald, Jeremy Strong as his mentor, Roy Cohn, as well as Maria Bakalova as his first wife, Ivana. —Mike Miller
Available to rent/buy on digital platforms.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
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