20 super-sized movies you have to see in theaters in 2018

A phenomenon in the making, "Black Panther" – the first of three offerings from Marvel Studios in 2018 – has already grossed over $1 billion at the box office. Fans instantly fell in love with this modern-day depiction of Wakanda, the technologically advanced African nation led by King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), in a film with non-stop action and a message that goes far deeper than expected. If you've already seen it on the big screen, absolutely see it again.

Director Alex Garland's take on Jeff VanderMeer's sci-fi oddity enjoyed a fair amount of critical praise since its February release, but whether or not you agree with this tale of a group of military scientists on a virtual suicide mission, you will marvel at the impressive visuals that demand to be seen on the largest screen available, if only just to take in one of the more graphically pleasing cinema experiences in some time.

Based on Madeleine L'Engle's classic sci-fi novel of a girl in search of her missing father, "A Wrinkle in Time" is director Ava DuVernay's first foray into the world of fantasy, but that doesn't stop her as she creates her vision of the book in a way that transcends its trappings. While it may not be for everyone, as a visually arresting depiction of a classic tale, this one deserves a second look on a much larger screen.

Alicia Vikander takes over for Angelina Jolie as two-fisted archaeologist Lara Croft in this reboot of the "Tomb Raider" franchise. Featuring a more-grounded approach than the original films, "Tomb Raider" still has plenty of big action and sprawling set pieces that are best viewed in theaters. If you enjoyed her the first time around, checking out this new version of a classic hero seems like a good idea.

Director Stephen DeKnight picks up where Guillermo del Toro left off as we return to the world of Kaiju and Jaegers in "Pacific Rim Uprising," the follow-up to the 2013 monster melee flick. John Boyega stars as Jake Pentecost, charged with leading an army of advanced giant robots against the threat of evolved Kaiju monsters who will stop at nothing to destroy everything in their path. Now if that's not a film that begs to be seen on IMAX, we don't know what is.

Steven Spielberg goes back to his roots (sort of) in Ernie Cline's "Ready Player One," a big budget cavalcade of nostalgia that is sure to please (we get it, maybe you don't want to see "The Iron Giant" used as a war machine) fans of pop culture in this story of a virtual world known as "The Oasis," where players vie for a hidden easter egg that, when found, gives the player control of the entire virtual universe. 

After 10 years of methodical world building over more than a dozen films, all roads in the Marvel Cinematic Universe lead to "Avengers: Infinity War" the first of two films that will change the face of the beloved universe, in some cases irrevocably. All your favorite Marvel heroes team up against the threat of Thanos (Josh Brolin) a mad despot who looks to gather all the Infinity Stones in order to rule the galaxy as he sees fit. Can the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Wakandans stop him in time?

Dinosaurs, giant screens, collision course. How could you not want to see huge dinosaurs fight each other and pick off puny humans on the largest screen possible? "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" promises to go even bigger than its 2015 predecessor as a plot to make dinosaurs the dominant species is sure to play out, wild, wooly and impressively on large format screens.

Based on the '80s video game, "Rampage" stars Dwayne Johnson as a primatologist who tries to save an albino gorilla who, through a genetic experiment, grows to an enormous size alongside a lizard and wolf to wreak havoc and destroy as much as possible. While the idea to adapt the video game sounds silly, it also feels natural for a big screen treatment.

Despite behind-the-scenes turmoil, this look into the history of one of the most beloved characters in the 'Star Wars' universe, is sure to pack a punch. Starring Alden Ehrenreich in the role made famous by Harrison Ford, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" looks to feature all the action and space swagger fans could hope for as we get to celebrate the anti-heroic space pirate one more time.

Fourteen years after the original hit theaters, the Parr family is back in "Incredibles 2." Set immediately after the events of the first film, the family is once again tested as home life and superhero life begin to test one another as the focus of the film shifts to Helen Parr – better known as Elastigirl – as she once again embraces the life she left behind to raise her family. Director Brad Bird returns to the medium he knows best in his first film since the lackluster "Tomorrowland."

Don't let the title fool you: Marvel Studios' third offering of 2018 is far from minuscule. "Ant-Man and the Wasp" picks up right after the events of "Captain America: Civil War," as ex-con hero Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) finally teams up with the Wasp in the form of Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lily) as they evade capture and also solve the mystery of what happened to the original Wasp (Michelle Pfeiffer).

Tom Cruise is back to wow audiences with his compulsion to do his own stunts in the sixth installment of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise. In "Fallout," Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is once again betrayed and finds himself in a race against time to once again save the world while also clearing the name of his team. While these films should feel formulaic, the stunts alone make everything worth it when viewed on a giant screen.

"Jaws" has some competition. Move over for the newest reason not to go out into the water alone: "The Meg," the long-awaited adaptation of the first in a series of novels by Steve Alten about a group trying to survive the menace of a 100-foot prehistoric shark. Jason Statham stars as reluctant hero Jonas Taylor, who, in a post-'Sharknado' world, has his work cut out for him making audiences take shark films seriously. But who doesn't want to see a giant shark work its magic in IMAX?

Marvel's Merry Mutants are back once more facing threats from without and within in "X-Men: Dark Phoenix." Promised to be a more faithful adaption of the "Dark Phoenix Saga" appearing in the comics, the film is rumored to have an intergalactic setting, placing our mutants in space for the very first time and making it very much worthy to be seen on as large a screen as possible.

Audiences return to the Harry Potter universe in this follow-up to 2016's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" as Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and his companions chase after the escaped Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) in this new adventure that introduces audiences to a young Professor Dumbledore (Jude Law) in a film that is sure to have all the big screen magic fans of the Potterverse come to expect.

"Mortal Engines," based on the first of a series of novels by Phillip Reeve, is a large-scale post-apocalyptic adventure brought to you by the team behind all things Middle Earth, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens. Set in a steampunk-driven world where entire cities are on wheels and fighting one another, this sort of film begs for the large-scale treatment.

The long-gestating adaptation, produced by James Cameron, is finally seeing light of day, directed by Robert Rodriguez. The story, about an android found in a dump and nursed back to health by a kind scientist promises every bit of Rodriguez's attention to bombastic action under the watchful eye of Cameron, with the hope of delivering a story the likes of which audiences haven't seen or experienced.

Director James Wan tries his hand at resurrecting the nearly-dead DC superhero franchise with "Aquaman," starring Jason Momoa as the half-human, half-Atlantean scion to the underwater kingdom who must decide whether or not he wants to step up to the throne while fighting off an even larger threat.

This ain't your father's wallcrawler. Produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" is an ambitious animated project that finally features the other Spider-Man, Miles Morales – along with a number of other Spider-Men – in his first on-screen adventure.