The Complete 2024–25 Movies Fantasy League Draft Guide

As a seasoned cinephile with a heart for indie films and a knack for spotting hidden gems, let me dive into this captivating list!

Oh joyous Lisan al Gaib, we’ve returned once again for a fresh installment of the Movies Fantasy League, marking our fourth year! This could be the year you triumph! To make things even more thrilling, we’re boosting the rewards: newer, more abundant prizes! Extra opportunities to accumulate points! An expanded, shinier, fiercely competitive Podcasters Division! And as always, I’ll be here to lead you through this movie-loving adventure with clarity and a touch of fun.

The entry form is now open, and you’re free to start drafting your team(s), but wait! Before you do, might I interest you in some tips to help you get started? Followed by a list of every film that’s available to draft?

➼ Show me the movies.

➼ I’m ready to draft my team.

➼ I’m not ready yet! Remind me to draft before the deadline:

What Is the Movies Fantasy League?

It’s very easy, very fun, very free. You use the MFL draft form to assemble a team of eight movies that were or will be released in 2024; you get a budget of 100 fake dollars to spend on those picks. We’ve given each movie a price based on its projected points-earning potential. You have until 11:59 a.m. PT on October 3 to select your team. After that, your movies will accumulate points based on box-office returns, critical reception, and awards and nominations. (You can find the scoring system at the MFL hub.) Each week, we’ll update the standings and you’ll get a newsletter summary. Whichever team has the highest score following the Oscars ceremony on March 2, 2025, will win. Read on to learn more and immerse yourself in the eligible movies.

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Strategy Talk

A brief road map to MFL glory.

Find Value

Your task is to create a list of eight movies that offer the best value for your investment. Remember, you can’t spend all your budget on a few expensive films; instead, try to find a balance. It’s tempting to focus on high-priced options, but the truly outstanding rosters are those that discover hidden gems in mid-range or low-budget movies. Last year, every top 100 list contained both “Poor Things” and “American Fiction”. These films were undervalued due to various factors (such as a rescheduled release date for “Poor Things” and unexpected success at the Toronto Film Festival for “American Fiction”). Shrewd drafters took advantage of these lower prices, which significantly impacted their final rankings.

Just Pick the Best Picture Winner!

Absolutely, it’s a smart move to predict the eventual Best Picture winner for our Fantasy League. Last year’s contender, “Oppenheimer,” and this year’s debutant, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” have proven to be strong contenders with their impressive Oscar night performances. By the time the drafting for the league started, both movies had already been released, and they had made a compelling case for their potential Oscars. In essence, they were relatively safe choices due to their promising futures in the competition.

2021 appears to be a challenging year for predicting Oscar winners, due to stiff competition across various categories like Cinematography, Sound, Editing, Costumes. “Dune: Part 2” seems to have an edge in these areas, but it’s not expected to dominate the major categories. “Sing Sing” has garnered positive reviews, but a smaller film may face numerous hurdles to gain significant traction. The question remains whether “Gladiator II” can rekindle the magic of its predecessor or if voters will favor films about the London Blitz, papal elections, or stormy romances in Brighton Beach. Will it be the year for Joker and Harley Quinn, Elphaba and Glinda, or Bob Dylan played by Timothée Chalamet? Your guess is as good as mine – it promises to be an exciting race!

… Or Pick Low-Priced Box-Office Powerhouses Instead!

Last year, a couple of affordable blockbusters significantly boosted numerous rankings: “Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s“. The latter gained an advantage as I, being in my 40s, wasn’t aware that video games were popular. The former benefited from being announced after the draft window had closed, although I might have underestimated the Swifties’ box-office influence, I accurately assumed the movie would flop once the awards season began.

Even though I’ve primarily focused on high-budget films thus far, it’s worth considering the mid-range movie category as well. This could potentially reveal if I’ve underestimated the box office success of Kraven, Venom, or the chilling smiles of Smile 2. We’ve revamped our points system for domestic box office this year to make it more significant. Each dollar million still earns a point, but instead of two bonus-point thresholds at $50 million (previously 20 points) and $100 million (previously 40 points), we’re now using a different approach:

Achieving a clearance of $25 million awards a 10-point bonus, while clearing $50 million earns you 15 points. If you manage to clear $75 million, $100 million, or any subsequent multiples of $25 million up to $175 million, you will receive a 15-point bonus each time. However, if you reach a clearance of $150 million, $175 million, or $200 million, the bonus increases to 15 points and 25 points respectively, for every week spent at No. 1 at the domestic box office. This rewards system incentivizes prolonged stays at the top of the box office.

The bonuses accumulate, meaning a movie that grosses $100 million will receive:

As You Monitor the Festivals, Don’t Forget Cannes

Last year, three of the biggest awards contenders — Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest, and Killers of the Flower Moon — all premiered at Cannes. Oscar voters are increasingly looking to international features to fill out their ballots, so it’s worth doing a little digging into the Cannes contenders that might show up this year, especially if they’re being distributed by the likes of Neon, A24, or Focus Features. The Palme d’Or winner, Anora, is being distributed by Neon and released in the fall, a formula that has worked out in the past for the likes of Anatomy of a Fall and Parasite. Other Cannes notables include Emilia Perez, The Substance, Bird, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and of course Francis Ford Coppola’s possible bomb Megalopolis.

Documentaries and Animation

One of the best places to find big value among lower-priced films is with docs and cartoons. Last year, the documentaries 20 Days in Mariupol, Beyond Utopia, and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie were among the best movies to draft when it came to points earned per dollar spent. And the latter two didn’t even get nominated for the Oscar. Similarly, offbeat animated movies like Robot Dreams and Suzume delivered nice returns.

Don’t Sleep on the Team Name

To achieve success, it’s crucial to have a strategy in place, and this includes carefully choosing the team name that will make you proud when it reaches the summit of the leaderboard. Last year, there were numerous Barbie, Oppenheimer, Barbenheimer, Anatomy of a Fall, The Color Purple, and May December-themed puns. Our fourth-place team creatively referenced Jack Quaid’s character Richard Feynman from Oppenheimer. Our tenth-place team opted for the classic “Melvin and Howard the Duck,” while our grand-prize winner Ben Chung simply chose his own name – Ben Chung (This is what happens when you don’t plan for success – love you, Ben, can’t wait to see if you’ll defend your title again!).

2024 promises a wealth of witty wordplay in its movie lineup. Titles such as “I Spotted the Screen Illuminate“, “Joker: Duo Madness“, and “Horizon: A U.S. Chronicle” are ripe for creative reinterpretation. There’s no shortage of drama surrounding stars like Blake Lively, Ben Affleck, and others who weren’t in “The Community“. With an election looming, beware of any names that could be associated with a coconut tree or couch-dweller – the competition is fierce. However, feel free to get creative when it comes to names like Tim Walz, as they lend themselves well to dadcore puns.

The main idea is: The Fantasy Movies League is all about enjoyment, so let’s make it as enjoyable as possible! Carefully select your team members, challenge your friends, and pick an amusing team name within the allowed characters (something like “The New Rochelle Challenger Presented By Dementus’s Gas Town” could work). Let’s have a great time together!

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Top Picks

Gladiator II ($40)

Director – Ridley Scott; Stars – Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal; Release date – November 15

Dune: Part Two ($35)

➼ Box office ineligible

Dune (2021)

Moana 2 ($30)

Director – David G. Derrick Jr.

Sing Sing ($25)

➼ Box office ineligible

Sing Sing

Emilia Perez ($25)

Movie Name

Anora ($25)

Director: Sean Baker has taken the helm

Blitz ($20)

Steve McQueen’s Film

Joker: Folie a Deux ($20)

Todd Phillips’ Film – Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga

Conclave ($20)

The Vatican Thriller

Wicked ($20)

Wicked

Mufasa: The Lion King ($20)

Movie Details

Nickel Boys ($20)

The Director and Main Cast of the Film

Inside Out 2 ($15)

➼ Box office ineligible

Director – Kelsey Mann; Stars – Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke; Release Date – June 14

A Complete Unknown ($15)

Bob Dylan Biopic

Challengers ($15)

➼ Box office ineligible

Challengers

Queer ($15)

Movie Project by Luca Guadagnino

Maria ($15)

Director: Pablo Larrain

The Wild Robot ($15)

Director – Chris Sanders

The Brutalist ($15)

Leading Director: Brady Corbet

The film “Corbet’s grandly presented story of a Hungarian-Jewish architect in mid-century America” has the potential to shine at the 2024 award ceremonies. Corbet, who directed films like “Vox Lux” and “The Childhood of a Leader”, won Venice’s Best Director prize, with Brody’s acclaimed performance sparking speculation about his second Oscar nomination. Furthermore, there has been a lot of buzz about Pearce potentially receiving his first-ever Oscar nod. Despite some initial doubts about distribution, A24 has reportedly acquired the film for an awards campaign in 2024. Keep it on your radar!

The Piano Lesson ($10)

Director: Malcolm Washington

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ($10)

➼ Box office ineligible

Beetlejuice Sequel

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ($10)

Director: Jeff Fowler

Nightbitch ($10)

Nightbitch (Directed by Marielle Heller)

Venom: The Last Dance ($10)

Director – Kelly Marcel

A Real Pain ($10)

A Real Pain

Babygirl ($10)

Babygirl

Didi ($8)

➼ Box office ineligible

Director – Sean Wang

Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 ($8)

➼ Box office ineligible

As a passionate advocate for this film, I eagerly anticipate its release on June 28, showcased at prestigious festivals such as Cannes. Starring the talented Kevin Costner alongside Sienna Miller and Sam Worthington, this movie promises an unforgettable cinematic experience.

Heretic ($8)

Directors – Scott Beck & Bryan Woods, Stars – Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East

Bird ($8)

Director – Andrea Arnold

Hard Truths ($8)

Untitled Mike Leigh Film

The Room Next Door ($8)

Director: Renowned filmmaker Pedro Almodovar

Saturday Night ($8)

Jason Reitman’s Film

Nosferatu ($8)

The Northman – A Gothic Horror on Christmas Day

We Live in Time ($8)

The Film (Tentative)

The Outrun ($8)

Movie [Title]

Kraven the Hunter ($5)

As a film enthusiast, I’m excited about the upcoming release of “Director: J.C. Chandor” featuring stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ariana DeBose. The anticipated standalone movie for the Spider-verse villain is scheduled for December 13. Despite a few challenges, this film seems determined to stick to its planned release date. While December isn’t entirely empty this year, the holiday season usually draws larger crowds, helping films like ours to avoid competing too closely with other productions such as “Madame Web”.

Janet Planet ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Film by Annie Baker

Eden ($5)

Director: Ron Howard

Thelma ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Director – Josh Margolin

Hit Man ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Film Name

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

George Miller as Director

A Different Man ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Movie Name

Unstoppable ($5)

The Debut of Director William Goldenberg

The Order ($5)

Justin Kurzel’s New Film

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl ($5)

Wallace & Gromit Film (working title)

Hand of Dante ($5)

Film (TBA)

The Seed of the Sacred Fig ($5)

Film Name

My Old Ass ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Director – Megan Park

Smile 2 ($5)

Parker Finn’s Directorial Debut

Flight Risk ($5)

Title Role: Mel Gibson (Director)

His Three Daughters ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Azazel Jacobs’ Movie

Will & Harper ($5)

Road Trip with Will Ferrell and Harper Steele

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Director: Wes Ball steers the ship

The Apprentice ($5)

Untitled Ali Abbasi Film

The End ($5)

Upcoming Film

Wolfs ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

The Film

Deadpool & Wolverine ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Role: Shawn Levy is the Director

The Fall Guy ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

The director of this film is: David Leitch

The Substance ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Director: Coralie Fargeat

Kinds of Kindness ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

The Film

Twisters ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Director – Lee Isaac Chung

Megalopolis ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Director: The film’s director is Francis Ford Coppola

Problemista ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

As a film enthusiast, I’ve recently had the pleasure of watching Julio Torres’ directorial debut, a cinematic gem that promises to leave an indelible mark on the annals of cinema. This extraordinary piece, featuring the captivating performances of both Julio Torres and Tilda Swinton, has already graced the screens at South by Southwest 2023. Mark your calendars for March 1st, the day it officially hits theatres.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim ($5)

Title Information:

The Fire Inside ($5)

Director – Rachel Morrison

I Saw the TV Glow ($5)

➼ Box office ineligible

Director: Jane Schoenbrun

Red One ($5)

Director – Jake Kasdan

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The Bargain Bin

Popcorn emoji (🍿) denotes a film that is eligible for box-office points based on its release date.

Could Show Up at Indie Awards

Titles:

Gunning for Craft-Category Noms at Best

1 Movie Titles at Discounted Prices:

Documentaries That Could Contend

Piece by Piece ($3) 🍿
Elton John: Never Too Late ($3) 🍿
Daughters ($3)
Black Box Diaries ($2) 🍿
Martha ($2) 🍿
Sugarcane ($2)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story ($2)
I Am Celine Dion ($2)
Frida ($1)

Animated Features Hoping Disney or Pixar Stumble

Flow ($3) 🍿
Memoirs of a Snail ($2) 🍿
Spellbound ($2) 🍿
Transformers One ($2)
Ultraman: Rising ($1)

International Features That Could Contend

Parthenope – Could Be Rewritten as: A Sojourn at Parthenope

Smaller Festival Stuff

Superior Gentleman ($3) 🍿

Could Make Some Money

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever ($2) 🍿
Never Let Go ($2) 🍿
Your Monster ($2) 🍿
Y2K ($2) 🍿
Bagman ($1)
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point ($1) 🍿
My Dead Friend Zoe ($1) 🍿

Pure Wild Cards

Items and Their Prices:

Streaming Long-Shots

The Deliverance ($3)
Rez Ball ($4)
Hold Your Breath ($3) 🍿
Joy ($3) 🍿
Six Triple Eight ($3) 🍿
Back in Action ($2) 🍿
Carry-On ($2) 🍿
The Idea of You ($2)
The Instigators ($2)
The Union ($2)
Uglies ($2)
Shirley ($2)
A Family Affair ($1)

If It Releases

Brothers ($2) 🍿
Woman of the Hour ($2) 🍿
Emmanuelle ($2) 🍿

2024-09-10 20:56