All the Movies You Need to Watch Before You Go to the Movies in 2018

The Purge (2013)

There are three Purge movies available to watch before a fourth, The Purge: The Island, releases, but because the new movie is a prequel leading into the first movie that’s all that is likely necessary viewing ahead of time.
Due Date: July 4th

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Marvel’s Ant-Man sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, supposedly takes place following the events of Captain America: Civil War and so presumably prior to the narrative of Infinity War, but we’ve already assigned the other MCU installments so just make sure you’re all caught up with the new Avengers movie, as well.
Due Date: July 6th

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

Don’t worry about seeing the first Conjuring movie unless you prefer, because it’s specifically this sequel that is spinning off a new horror series with The Nun, which is also technically a prequel.
Due Date: July 13th

Hotel Transylvania (2012) and Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

Even though there is now a TV series based on the Hotel Transylvania movies, the first two theatrical efforts were so successful that Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is on the way.
Due Date: July 13th

Battle Angel: Rusty Angel (1993) and Battle Angel: Tears Sign (1993)

Based on the “Battle Angel Alita” manga, these two half-hour OVA episodes are short animated films adapted from the first couple issues. The James Cameron-produced live-action adaptation, Alita: Battle Angel, will cover more of the story so only partly a remake.
Due Date: July 20th

Gauguin the Savage (1980)

Painter Paul Gauguin has been portrayed in many movies, but the new biopic Gauguin: Voyage de Tahiti is focused on his time on the titular island so it’s almost like a remake of this other film with David Carradine in the lead.
Due Date: July 20th

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Ten years after the release of this ABBA-inspired jukebox musical, a sequel with prequel tendencies (flashback central narrative) is on the way titled Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Due Date: July 20th

Mission: Impossible (1996), Mission: Impossible II (2000), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

In addition to catching up with the whole M:I franchise ahead of Mission: Impossible 6, you can add on Justice League to see the movie where Henry Cavill’s mustache was badly digitally removed before seeing the project that forced him to keep said mustache during that movie’s reshoots.
Due Date: July 27th

The Equalizer (2014)

Denzel Washington will return in The Equalizer 2, the sequel to this movie based on the 1980s TV show of the same name.
Due Date: August 3rd

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

Whether you see this feature-length compilation or the three short films (Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too) it collects, Disney’s animated adaptations of A.A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” stories are necessary viewing ahead of Christopher Robin, the new mostly live-action movie based on the same books.
Due Date: August 3rd

Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990)

Shane Black, who co-starred in the first Predator movie, has now co-written and directed a new installment of the franchise, titled The Predator, which is set after Predator 2 but way before 2010’s Predators.
Due Date: August 3rd

Once Upon a Midnight Scary (1979)

This TV movie is an anthology of three short horror films collectively narrated by Vincent Price. One of the parts, “The House With a Clock in Its Walls,” is based on a John Bellairs novel (illustrated by Edward Gorey) that is now also being adapted as a feature of the same name by Eli Roth.
Due Date: September 21st

Robin Hood (2010)

Yes, there are tons of better movies about the legendary hero of Sherwood Forest, but sometimes the assignment needs to be something other than filling in gaps of classic films. Lionsgate’s upcoming Robin Hood promises to be a gritty version of the story, but Ridley Scott and Universal Pictures just tried that eight years ago and nobody cared. This version is also an origin story, though, so watch it and consider the new movie as the next, hopefully improved chapter.
Due Date: September 21st

Related Topics: 2018 Preview

Christopher Campbell began writing film criticism and covering film festivals for a zine called Read, back when a zine could actually get you Sundance press credentials. He's now a Senior Editor at FSR and the founding editor of our sister site Nonfics. He also regularly contributes to Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes and is the President of the Critics Choice Association's Documentary Branch.