If you thought that literally every love story ever told has already been committed to the screen, you'd be wrong. The year's release calendar is stacked with buzz-worthy new films, some of which are sure to stir something up in that heart of yours. From multi-million dollar fantasy films, to long-awaited novel adaptations, to iconic remakes, the romance slate for 2024 is ready to be revealed.
We're sure there will be more where this came from, but for now, here are some of the most highly-anticipated new romance films landing on screens big and small this year.
Challengers
Another Zendaya hit has arrived—we are not worthy. Challengers comes from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino and stars Zendaya, The Crown’s Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. The film follows three tennis stars who compete on the court (and in the bedroom) over decades of athletic fame.
In theaters now.
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Dune: Part Two
The hottest press tour in Hollywood came and went, culminating in the long-awaited premiere of Dune: Part Two; which, if you ask us, is most certainly a romance. The film picks up where Dune left off back in 2021, with Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides leading a war against the evil House Harkonnen, now finally united with Zendaya’s Chani.
Love Lies Bleeding
From production powerhouse A24 and indie darling director Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding is a new romantic thriller starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian as a shy gym manager and a bodybuilder who fall in love and hope to compete in Las Vegas. Their love story is, like any good love story, quickly interrupted by a violent criminal underworld.
The Fall Guy
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt star in this new rom-com, and the entire world is obsessed. The film takes places in the world film, following a stuntman working on his ex-girlfriend's movie who becomes involved in an action-packed conspiracy plot. This is one of those movies that makes people say, "we are so back."
The Idea of You
The latest film to join the Fanfiction Turned Big-Budget Picture club—formally inaugurated by The Twilight Saga—The Idea of You stars Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine (of Bottoms and Red, White, and Royal Blue fame) as a the lead singer of a famous boy band and a divorced mother who meet at Coachella and fall in love. In case you’re still unpacking our first sentence, The Idea of You was not actually a real fanfiction, but the novel’s author Robinne Lee has said that the leading man was inspired by Harry Styles.
Música
From Rudy Mancuso, of former Vine fame, Música follows an aspiring musician in New Jersey balancing his future, family, romance, all the while navigating synesthesia, wherein the brain observes through multiple senses—like seeing a certain color associated with a certain word, or seeing shapes when hearing music. In the case of Rudy, he hears music in everything. In the film, he stars alongside his IRL girlfriend—who he met on set—Camila Mendes.
Lisa Frankenstein
The too-fun and not-at-all-tragic romance is back (from the dead) and better than ever. From Juno writer Diablo Cody, Lisa Frankenstein stars Kathryn Newton as a teenage goth who revives a Victorian-era corpse (Cole Sprouse) to be her boyfriend. If you’re not yet sold, the movie takes place in 1989 and an in-bedroom tanning bed is in play.
Mother of Bride
Brooke Shields leads this new Netflix rom-com as a mother attending her daughter's surprise wedding in Thailand, only to learn that the father of her future son-in-law is her former lover. The film also stars Miranda Cosgrove and Benjamin Bratt, and is a standard rom-com, if you're into that sort of thing. We are.
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Turtles All the Way Down
The latest film adaptation from author John Green's canon of teen trauma, Turtles All the Way Down follows a teenage girl with OCD who becomes obsessed with the mysterious disappearance of a billionaire. Through her own investigation, she builds a relationship with the billionaire's son, prompting her to explore what love and romance will look like for her as she balances her mental health.
The Bikeriders
Starring Austin Butler—in what we fear may be another accent—and Jodie Comer, The Bikeriders follows a gang of motorcyclists over a decade of life in Chicago. What begins as a few quirky friends on wheels, turns into a dark, if criminal, gang of miscreants. That said, it is not without its romance, enter Jodie Comer as Austin Butler’s “old lady.”
In theaters June 21
A Family Affair
Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron star as unlikely lovers in this upcoming romantic comedy, which follows a young woman (played by Joey King) who learns that the movie star, whom she works as an assistant for, has fallen in love with her mother.
Streams on Netflix on June 28.
Fly Me to the Moon
Set to stream on Apple TV+ after its theatrical run, Fly Me to the Moon is an upcoming comedy drama starring Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson as a NASA director and a marketing specialist who find a spark of their own amid the 1960s Space Race. The film also features Woody Harrelson and Ray Romano, among other stars.
In theaters July 12
Twisters
The second best trailer to come out of the Super Bowl (top spot obviously going to Wicked), Twisters stars the two actors you had in that dream once, Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. The film is a standalone sequel to the 1996 hit Twister, and like its predecessor, it follows a crew of storm chasers getting closer to deadly tornadoes than any human should. Plus, they are hot (and hot for each other).
In theaters July 19
It Ends With Us
Starring our favorite Super Bowl spectator Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, this long-awaited adaptation of author Colleen Hoover’s mega popular novel will finally land on the big screen this summer. The story follows a young woman who falls for a tall, dark, handsome, and angry neurosurgeon with a soapy name (Ryle Kincaid), all the while wondering about the fate of her first love, who bears an equally soapy name (Atlas Corrigan).
In theaters August 9
Joker: Folie à Deux
Praying to the trailer gods that we see some action soon, Joker: Folie à Deux premieres this October and stands as the darkest romance on this list. Starring Oscar winning Joker Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, the Joker sequel will introduce a new Harley Quinn and create the first ever musical set in Gotham City—we are 100 percent serious. Joker: Folie à Deux is a dark romance, a thriller, and a musical.
In theaters October 4