The 10 Best Movies in Theaters Right Now

Movie theaters are officially back. As the cinematic offerings slowly return to the big screen compared to the streaming services and various digital rental retailers, we’re here to sort out what’s actually the best bang for your buck at the box office.

A new year and a new COVID variant are in full swing, so now might be a good time to exercise restraint even if there are bigger budget offerings hitting the big screen.

Of course, use your judgment when choosing whether to go back to the movies or not, but there’s an ever-growing percentage of vaccinated moviegoers who are champing at the bit to get back in front of the big screen. And I’m very happy to say that we’re back, here to help.

That said, things in theatrical distribution are a little strange right now, so apart from some big recent blockbusters, there’s a mix of Oscar-winners, lingering releases, indies and classics booked—depending, of course, on the theater. But thankfully, there’s been enough good movies actually released recently this year that you should have no problem finding something great to watch.

10. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

The fictionalized version of Nick Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous super fan Javi Gutierrez. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Nick Cage is recruited by a CIA operative Vivian and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

9. Downton Abbey: A New Era

Follow-up to the 2019 feature film in which the Crawley family and Downton staff received a royal visit from the King and Queen of Great Britain.

8. The Lost City

A reclusive romance novelist on a book tour with her cover model gets swept up in a kidnapping attempt that lands them both in a cutthroat jungle adventure.

7. The Bob’s Burgers Movie

The story begins when a ruptured water main creates an enormous sinkhole right in front of Bob’s Burgers, blocking the entrance indefinitely and ruining the Belchers’ plans for a successful summer. While Bob and Linda struggle to keep the business afloat, the kids try to solve a mystery that could save their family’s restaurant. As the dangers mount, these underdogs help each other find hope and fight to get back behind the counter, where they belong.

6. Happening

This is the story of Anne, a young woman who decides to abort to finish her studies and escape the social constraints of a working-class family. France in 1963: a society that censures women’s desires. And sex in general. This simple but cruel story follows the itinerary of a woman who decides to go against the law. Anne has only a little time before her. Her exams are just around the corner, and her baby bump is growing fast.

5. Ambulance

Two robbers steal an ambulance after their heist goes awry.

4. Pleasure

Ninja Thyberg’s debut feature PLEASURE is a journey into the American porn industry and follows 19-year-old Bella from Sweden, who arrives in Los Angeles with the dream of becoming the next big porn star. The film is raw but offers both a human and humorous portrayal of a male-dominated world seen from a female perspective.—European Film Awards

3. Top Gun: Maverick

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.

2. The Northman

The Viking Age. With a mind aflame with hate and revenge, Prince Amleth, the wronged son of King Aurvandill War-Raven, heads to cold, windswept Iceland to retrieve what was stolen from him: a father, a mother, and a kingdom. And like a war dog picking up the enemy’s scent, brutal Amleth embarks on a murderous quest to find the hateful adversary, whose life is forever woven together with his by the threads of fate. Now, in the name of Valhalla, no one can stop the Northman, not even God.—Nick Riganas.

1. Everything Everywhere All At Once

With her laundromat teetering on the brink of failure and her marriage to wimpy husband Waymond on the rocks, overworked Evelyn Wang struggles to cope with everything, including a tattered relationship with her judgmental father Gong Gong and Joy, her daughter. And, as if facing a gloomy midlife crisis wasn’t enough, Evelyn must brace herself up for an unpleasant meeting with an impersonal bureaucrat: Deirdre, the shabbily dressed IRS auditor. However, as the stern agent loses patience, an inexplicable multiverse rift becomes an eye-opening exploration of parallel realities. Will Evelyn jump down the rabbit hole? But how many stars are there in the universe? Can weary Evelyn fathom the irrepressible force of possibilities, tap into newfound powers, and prevent an evil entity from destroying the thin, countless layers of the unseen world?—Nick Riganas.