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This article was originally published on January 18, 2019.
It has been updated with additional movies,includingThe Beekeeper.
Ina Vulture piece back in 2013(entitled Just How Bad of a Movie Month is January?
And in recent years, some films and filmmakers have turned the limitations of January into strengths.
(CouldTakenhave been such a hit had it come out in summer?
What about M. Night ShyamalansSplit, which used its under-the-radar quality to hide its true nature?)
So, what are the best movies to be released in January?
28.Taken(January 30, 2009)
28.
Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.)
27.The Count of Monte Cristo(January 25, 2002)
27.
Remember that brief period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when swashbucklers were suddenly hot again?
26.Fish Tank(January 15, 2010)
26.
25.Haywire (January 20, 2012)
25.
Even so, this effective, ruthless piece of filmmaking probably deserves to be better known.
24.M3gan(January 6, 2023)
24.
In other words, it was the perfect January movie, and it knew it.
23.Cloverfield(January 18, 2008)
23.
This is one of the more hopeless monster movies ever made.
22.Dirty Grandpa(January 22, 2016)
22.
I dont wanna hear it.
21.Plane(January 13, 2023)
21.
20.27 Dresses(January 18, 2008)
20.
But what really makes this movie is Heigls performance, given right before her public image started to implode.
Here, she offers an energetic mix of longing, narcissism, uncertainty, and vivaciousness.
You cant help but root for her.
19.The Beekeeper(January 12, 2024)
19.
Jason Statham doesnt lose fights.
This is a ridiculous movie, and it knows it.
18.Black Sea(January 23, 2015)
18.
Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, and Ben Mendelsohn in a submarine?
Needless to say, everything goes wrong.
17.From Dusk Till Dawn(January 19, 1996)
17.
Its a lark, but its a sharply written lark, with a go-for-broke action-movie irreverence.
Plus, it might be the only good performance Tarantino has ever given.
16.Half Baked(January 16, 1998)
16.
And true, it was mostly critically reviled at the time of its release.
And its understandably become a cult item over the past couple of decades.
15.The Pledge(January 19, 2001)
15.
14.Juice(January 17, 1992)
14.
13.Split(January 20, 2017)
13.
12.Final Destination 2(January 31, 2003)
12.
Silly, and amazing.
11.Before Sunrise(January 27, 1995)
11.
Full disclosure: I hated it when I first saw it.
10.Paddington(January 16, 2015)
10.
And in some ways, that turned out to be an ideal month in which to release this film.
9.Mama(January 18, 2013)
9.
8.Waiting for Guffman(January 31, 1997)
8.
7.Tremors(January 19, 1990)
7.
6.Matinee(January 29, 1993)
6.
(Mant!Half man.
ButMatineeis more than just a re-creation of late 50s, early 60s schlock.
As always with Dante, theres a lot more going on beneath the (admittedly wonderful) surface.
5.Blackhat(January 16, 2015)
5.
One of the greatest January flops also happens to be one of the best.
4.Paddington 2(January 12, 2018)
4.
(Even when that world is a scary-looking prison filled with snarling criminals.)
3.Like Father, Like Son(January 17, 2014)
3.
(Steven Spielberg was reportedly interested at one point.)
2.Timbuktu(January 28, 2015)
2.
1.The Grey(January 27, 2012)
1.
Which might explain why the studio decided to sell it as a wolf-punching flick instead.January!
