Super Bowl LVIII is in the books.
The game itself was a rather mundane, almost early regular season affair for the first three quarters before turning into a thrilling, nail-biting two quarter classic.
However, for us at at a pop culture magazine, it was everything surrounding the Big Game that mattered to us the most. The Spongebob simulcast on Nickelodeon was incredible. Usher blew us away with his excellent halftime show featuring Jermaine Dupri, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Alicia Keys, HER, and Lil’ Jon. The “Dunkings” commercial featuring Ben Affleck, J-Lo, Fat Joe, Matt Damon and Tom Brady won the night with Michael Cera-Vee and Arnold’s State Farm ads not far behind.
However, it was the Super Bowl LVIII movie trailers that got us really hyped this year, and boy oh boy there were a lot of them. While you may assume that someone who hosts a Marvel podcast is obviously giving Deadpool 3 the win here … well, you’re just going to have to read on to find out if that one made #1 this year.
12. Blumhouse’s Imaginary
Release Date: March 8, 2024
Starring: DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne, Pyper Braun, Betty Buckley, Taegen Burns, Matthew Sato, Veronica Falcon, Dane DiLigiero.
Direct by: Jeff Wardlow (Fantasy Island)
Thoughts: This feels like someone found out about John Krasinski’s IF, and said “Quick, let’s make a cheap horror version of this!” This film feels very made for video, as opposed to the quality we should expect from Blumhouse.
11. Twisters
Release Date: July 19, 2024
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Maura Tierney, Kiernan Shipka.
Direct by: Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)
Thoughts: Who asked for this? Literally, who loved the 1996 film Twister and was like “Man, we need to do this again!” I’d really like to know. This feels like the worst kind of popcorn film — let’s shove the good-looking hot actor (Powell) and actress (Edgar-Jones) and put them into a flimsy disaster movie.
Note: The next three films are tied at 10, because there’s very little distinction, in this writer’s mind, between any of them. They all follow the same formula of rehashing the original characters in similar situations we’ve seen them in, but adding a slightly new wrinkle to the plot.
10. Despicable Me 4
Release Date: July 3, 2024
Starring: Steve Carrell, Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, Joey King, Sofia Vergara, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan
Direct by: Chris Renaud (Despicable Me)
Thoughts: This trailer is kind of unnecessary. The Despicable Me and Minions franchises are print money. This could have literally been Gru and a Minion announcing the date, and the opening weekend will sell out.
10. Inside Out 2
Release Date: June 14, 2024
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyliss Smith, Lewis Black, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Maya Hawke
Direct by: Kelsey Mann (directorial debut)
Thoughts: This trailer, like the other two animated films, just feels like a slight tweak on the original film. However, this film is the most concerning. Two major cast members (Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling) have been replaced, and a whole slew of new characters are coming in. Can they actually recapture the beauty of the original Inside Out? It’s hard to think tgart thety will especially given this trailer.
10. Kung Fu Panda 4
Release Date: March 8, 2024
Starring: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Velez, Tobe Nwigwe
Direct by: Mike Mitchell (LEGO Movie 2)
Thoughts: Ska-doosh. This series is extremely charming, and of the animated films we saw trailers for it’s probably the “best.” Again though it’s just the same trailer we’ve seen (with slight variations) from the first three KFP films.
7. Monkey Man
Release Date: April 5, 2024
Starring: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher.
Direct by: Dev Patel
Thoughts: This was a surprise trailer for the Big Game. The original trailer surfaced a few weeks ago and is way more detailed and steeped in lore and backstory. This trailer was way more John Wick, and that’s a smart move for Universal to do during a football game. This film is highly intriguing as we’re seeing Patel not only behind the camera, but in a full blown run and gun action film.
6. A Quiet Place: Day One
Release Date: June 9, 2023
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Honsou
Direct by: Michael Sarnoski (Pig)
Thoughts: The trailer for this and Twisters is makes you question why is Hollywood hot for disaster and end of days thrillers again? Luckily, the Quiet Place scares have always been well-placed and paced, and this film stars the incredible Lupita Nyong’o who elevates everything she’s in. There’s a big upside to this one.
5. Fall Guy
Release Date: May 3, 2024
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Winston Duke, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu.
Direct by: David Leitch (Bullet Train)
Thoughts: Still no idea what this movie is about, but it looks so much fun. Of the Super Bowl LVIII movie trailers this is one of the most creative and most fun. Gosling and Blunt in comedies is perfect and Leitch has a strong track record delivering on both.
4. IF
Release Date: May 17, 2024
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Steve Carrell, Cailey Fleming, John Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, Bobby Moynihan, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emily Blunt, Louis Gossett Jr., Matt Damon, Maya Rudolph, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Sebastian Maniscalco, Christopher Meloni, Richard Jenkins, Awkwafina, Vince Vaughn
Direct by: John Krasinski (A Quiet Place)
Thoughts: When your child sees the 30 second clip during the Super Bowl and says, “Can we see this?!” you know it’s an effective trailer. IF (short for Imaginary Friend) has a whimsical and fantastical charm to it, and the all-star voice cast is absolutely filthy. Hopefully the film lives up to how good the trailer is.
3. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Release Date: June 9, 2023
Starring: Owen Teague, Freya Allen, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy.
Direct by: Wes Ball (Maze Runner)
Thoughts: Full disclosure. This writer has never seen any of the new Planet of the Apes films in their entirety. Yet, seeing this trailer, one may have reconsider that. This trailer is so tense, so dramatic, so intriguing that you can’t help find yourself drawn in by the Shakespearean drama and popcorn action bursting through the screen of this trailer.
2. Deadpool and Wolverine aka Deadpool 3
Release Date: July 26, 2024
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Morena Baccarin, Emma Corrin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Matthew MacFayden.
Direct by: Shawn Levy (The Adam Project)
Thoughts: This was a Deadpool trailer in the best way possible. In one trailer they were able to bring us back to the tone and tenor of the Deadpool world, introduce a new version of Loki’s TVA, tease Wolverine, skewer Marvel and Disney and drop a buttload of Easter Eggs (like that discarded issue of Secret Wars).
Why wasn’t this #1? Well, to be honest, this was exactly what was to be expected from a Deadpool film. Most of us already had the weekend of July 26 earmarked to be in theaters to see the movie anyways. This literally could’ve been Deadpool talking in front of a black screen and we’d be sold. So, that’s why the next film gets #1.
1. Wicked: Part One
Release Date: November 27, 2024
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Bowen Yang, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater.
Direct by: Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians)
Thoughts: This gets #1 for the Super Bowl LVIII Movie Trailers one because it had the gargantuan task of taking one of the most beloved Broadway musicals of all-time (based on one of the most beloved books and films of all-time) and making it appeal to a mass audience for a Thanksgiving weekend release.
Mission accomplished. The effects, the cast, the vibe, the music — all of it work perfectly in this trailer. It has all the grandiosity of the stage play combined with the intimate, personal emotion that made the musical legend. The bar has been set very high for this film, and my ticket may just be purchased for it…and that was not something on my bingo card for 2024.
