Junkies, 2018 is going to be a stellar year... for Disney. Not only are there 3 MCU movies coming out, there are also three X-Men movies arriving. Yes, that means six, Marvel movies all owned by Disney. Obviously, this was not planned and most likely will never, ever, happen again. The AFJ braintrust sat down and (heavily) debated the which 18 movies are likely to the best of the best for 2018. Now obviously, we are leaving a few titles out of list. Why? Quite frankly, Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom looks like more of the same. Venom, with Tom Hardy, is a just a monumental cash grab by Sony Pictures. However, Sony's Miles Morales Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse looks like a step in the right direction. Yet, if you take that film and Venom into account, there are actually eight movies with Marvel characters in them this year. Without a doubt 2018 is going to be a wild ride, a ride that also includes the return of Disney's Incredibles. #AFJ4LIFE
THE BLACK PANTHER
Release Date: February 16th
Toy Companies: Hasbro, Funko, Mezco Toyz, Diamond Select, Marvel Select, Walt Disney, Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys
Junkie Verdict: The trailer for Avengers: Infinity War looks to be heavily set in Wakanda (home to the Black Panther), making this a bigger must for us Junkies. As usual with any Marvel/ Disney movie, there will be more than enough toys to go around.
ANNIHILATION
Release Date: February 23rd
Toy Companies: Funko (?), NECA (?)
Junkie Verdict: Director Alex Garland got our attention with Ex Machina (2014), and this just feels like a natural progression on similar sci-fi themes we have seen in the past. As for toys? Who knows that we will see.
TOMB RAIDER
Release Date: March 16th
Toy Companies: Funko (?)
Junkie Verdict: This is a much-disputed film here at Junkie HQ. Half of us want to see a reboot, the other half thinks it will be 90 minutes of her leaping out the danger. We shall see come March.
PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING
Release Date: March 23rd
Toy Companies: NECA, Funko (?), Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys (?)
Junkie Verdict: The first one was a solid Kaiju vs Jaeger film, however with Guillermo del Toro not at the helm, we hope that Steven S. DeKnight can bring the thrills. NECA delivered toys for the original. I’m sure they will return with the new Jaegers.
READY PLAYER ONE
Release Date: March 30th
Toy Companies: Funko (?)
Junkie Verdict: This property is ripe for anyone of the top brands that all the Junkies love. However, most of us already own the toys that will be featured in this film. Expect Funko renditions of the avatars of the lead actors.
A QUIET PLACE
Release Date: April 6th
Toy Companies: Funko (?)
Junkie Verdict: Not really something that is going to lend itself to a toy line. Well, it might as we have not seen the creatures yet. With that being said, this film knocked Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom off our top 18. Why? This looks awesome. JWFK looks like more of what we have seen before.
THE NEW MUTANTS
Release Date: April 13th
Toy Companies: Hasbro (?), Funko (?)/ Marvel Select (?), Walt Disney (?), Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys (?)
Junkie Verdict: It is to be horror movie Junkies, so they say. It will also be the first FOX X-Men movie to be released under the new Disney ownership. Is it too soon to see a full barrage toys after the merger?
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
Release Date: May 4th
Toy Companies: Hasbro, Funko, Mezco Toyz, Diamond Select, Marvel Select, Walt Disney, Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys
Junkie Verdict: Junkies, do you know what a billion dollar movie looks like? This is it and if it doesn’t make a billion it is a failure.
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
Release Date: May 25th
Toy Companies: Hasbro, Funko, Diamond Select, Walt Disney, Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys
Junkie Verdict: Will this be another juggernaut for Disney? Regardless of whether or not Ron Howard can save the day, expect to see more Star Wars toys everywhere.
DEADPOOL 2
Release Date: June 1st
Toy Companies: Hasbro, Funko, Diamond Select, Marvel Select, Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys
Junkie Verdict: The second FOX X-men movie to emerge after the Disney purchase. There will be more toys than ever we surmise.
INCREDIBLES 2
Release Date: June 15th
Toy Companies: Funko, Walt Disney
Junkie Verdict: Finally! Brad Bird has put the band back together and delivered the one PIXAR-Disney sequel fans have been crying for years!
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP
Release Date: July 6th
Toy Companies: Hasbro, Funko, Diamond Select, Marvel Select, Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys
Junkie Verdict: Marvel and Disney already have a solid first 6 months in 2018. The sequel to Ant-Man could just be the cherry on top.
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL
Release Date: July 20th
Toy Companies: Funko (?)
Junkie Verdict: The first trailer did not really garner a lot of fans. Yes, we read your comments, those eyes are weird. However, the combined might of James Cameron (the screenwriter) and Robert Rodriguez (directing) is enough to warrant our attention.
THE PREDATOR
Release Date: August 3rd
Toy Companies: NECA, Funko, Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys
Junkie Verdict: We’re in. How could we not be? Hopefully, it is the return of the beast!
X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX
Release Date: November 2nd
Toy Companies: Hasbro (?), Funko (?), Diamond Select (?), Marvel Select (?), Walt Disney (?), Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys (?)
Junkie Verdict: The last official Disney/ Marvel movies of 2018. Well, the ones they completely own the rights to. Hopefully, April’s The New Mutants will have ties to this film. Have you bought stock in Marvel or Disney yet? They are obviously going to have a very good year.
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD
Release Date: November 16th
Toy Companies: Funko
Junkie Verdict: There were not a lot of toys for the first one, outside of the Funko POPs we picked up. We are all in on this franchise regardless how many toys they make.
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
Release Date: December 14th
Toy Companies: Hasbro, Funko, Diamond Select, Marvel Select, Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys
Junkie Verdict: An animated Spider-Man and one that features Miles Morales, done. Take my money! Will the non-Miles Morales fans turn out is the real question. Don’t expect too many official Hasbro tie-ins but we’ll see plenty of comic book likeness on the shelves.
AQUAMAN
Release Date: December 21st
Toy Companies: Mattel, DC Collectibles, Funko, Sideshow Collectibles/ Hot Toys
Junkie Verdict: The last chance for DC Comics and Warner Brothers? Perhaps stand-alone films are the way to go, for right now. The December release date may not help its box office if word of mouth is bad. We are still interested enough to see if there is still any hope left in the DCEU.