As long as directors have been saying “lights, camera, action,” there have been action movies in Hollywood. But there’s a definite lack of action in the remaining movies of 2023, as well as through 2024. And it’s because Hollywood came to a standstill over the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. That’s why only a handful of films with SAG-AFTRA waivers have filmed since July. And while the writers strike may be over, the actors strike still lingers on.
The major studios haven’t come out and said this yet, but the strike-related delays may make the selection of movies coming in 2024 look pretty sparse. For example, it seems pretty unlikely that Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two is going to make its premiere date if the actors strike lingers through the end of this year. And there will almost certainly be new release dates for several of the movies on this list. You can bank on that.
In the meantime, the final weekend of October may be the last time for a while where three action movies are opening simultaneously. David Fincher’s next Netflix movie, The Killer, is getting a brief theatrical run before its streaming debut, while Boudica: Queen Of War appears to be a low-budget historical epic. The third film in that trio of October 27th releases is Freelance, a new action movie featuring John Cena and Alison Brie in the leading roles. Given how soft the current box office is outside of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Freelance has a better chance than most to catch on. Unfortunately for the film’s studio, Relativity Media, neither Cena nor Brie can start promoting the film until an agreement with the actors and the studios is in place. For now, the release dates below are subject to change and tenuous at best.
Action movies in 2023
| Title | Cast | Release date |
| Freelance | John Cena, Alison Brie | October 27, 2023 |
| Boudica: Queen Of War | Olga Kurylenko, Clive Standen, Peter Franzén | October 27, 2023 |
| The Killer | Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton | October 27, 2023 |
| The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes | Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth | November 17, 2023 |
| Silent Night | Joel Kinnaman, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Scott Mescudi | December 1, 2023 |
Action movies in 2024
| Title | Cast | Release date |
| The Beekeeper | Jason Statham, Jeremy Irons, Josh Hutcherson | January 12, 2024 |
| Argylle | Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell | February 2, 2024 |
| The Fall Guy | Ryan Gosling, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer | March 1, 2024 |
| Furiosa | Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Angus Sampson | May 24, 2024 |
| Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | Freya Allan, Dichen Lachman, Kevin Durand | May 24, 2024 |
| Ballerina | Ana de Armas, Norman Reedus, Keanu Reeves | June 7, 2024 |
| Bad Boys 4 | Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Alexander Ludwig | June 14, 2024 |
| Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two | Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg | June 28, 2024 |
| The Amateur | Holt McCallany, Caitríona Balfe, Rachel Brosnahan | November 8, 2024 |
| Gladiator 2 | Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal | November 22, 2024 |
