Nerds have captured the imagination of the box office. From Marvel to Star Wars and more, you now have a year of films lined up and centered on all the things that us Nerds love. So what is dropping in your local theater that your nerdy heart may love before the exhausting summer movies stampede arrives? Here are 8 films that come out before May 2020 that we think nerds will be keeping their eyes on.

Nerdy Movies for Early 2020

February 7 – Birds of Prey

Or, more specifically: Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn. Do you remember the mega-successful DC Suicide Squad movie? Since it doesn’t exist, I don’t either but someone in Warner Brothers does as they are rushing a Harley Quinn centered Birds of Prey movie to the screen.

I don’t have much hope for this film, which is sad because the Birds of Prey team minus Quinn could be a very fun, female centric flick. Instead, we will likely get more of the dark, unfunny DC world.

February 14 – Sonic the Hedgehog

You may remember this one from the trailer that set the world afire. There were…teeth. In odd places. I don’t know. I mainly tried to blank it out but after some alleged re-work and special effects redone, whether there is enough of a story or not remains to be seen. As much as this could be a dud, I am pulling for a sleeper hit, like last year’s Detective Pichaku film.

March 6 – Onward

Pixar is Pixar. It tends to make phenomenal, deep felt films when it isn’t making sequel vehicle films (I see you Cars 2). Onward is an interesting take on both the fantasy world (there are unicorns!) and a modern world. The cast is what has the chance to really take this to the next level as Chris Pratt and Tom Holland combine in a brother buddy comedy where they are off to find, restore or rescue their dad.

March 13 – Bloodshot

Vin Diesel stands on an applebox so he is over 5’ 10” tall and yells at anyone that will listen about how he should have been both the Punisher and Wolverine. In Bloodshot, he gets to do both! A character from a minor comics studio, Diesel gets the chance to go ham and over the top. Whereas Deadpool pulls it off with some great comic beats, it will remain to be seen how an audience will take on a similar tale that is very, very intense and lacks the extra taste of the silly.

March 20 – A Quiet Place, Part II

After the end of the first movie, there is still much to be explored in the world that A Quiet Place established. How will director John Krasinksi be able to lead and share a great story that relies just on the characters that survive and adapt in the world that continues to be deadly for even the simplest and quietest of sounds.

March 27 – Mulan

I am not a fan of Disney’s “Let’s animate and then 30 years later make a real world” plan. The results so far have been mixed at best. But this film should be a bold reimagining that could be excellent. The ability to lean into real combat and sword play means that this Mulan could be a surprising pre-summer winner. Plus the soundtrack should be killer.

April 3 – New Mutants

So never has a film been so reported on. Allegedly done for years, this film is a genre mix of the classic teenage horror film but with mutants and super powers. While the world knows the X-Men, the dirty secret is that some of the best characters of mutantkind are New Mutants and this film seems to embrace them.

The latest version of “This is what we are releasing” says it is close to the originally filmed version, having rejected much of the reshoots and changes that were proposed. Will this be a genre leader like Captain America: Winter Soldier is to the suspense genre or will it be too esoteric and a dud? 

April 10 – No Time to Die

James Bond is a superhero. This is both Daniel Craig’s last run and the introduction of people who can help carry the franchise into the future. Timed to get just in front of the summer movie push, it will be interesting to see if filmgoers want to cheer Craig’s Bond to the end or wait for it to come out on Netflix.