7 Barbenheimer Sequels: Saw Patrol, Expendumbles, and More Unlikely Same-Day Releases Coming Soon

With Barbenheimer fever sweeping the nation, it's time to do what Hollywood does any time something is successful: Sequelize it.

Let's start by being clear that there will not be anything quite like Barbenheimer in the near future because it's a true anomaly. You have unique and radically different blockbusters from two of our best and most beloved auteurs. Barbie continues Greta Gerwig's undefeated streak to start her directing career, while Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is a film that only someone with his pedigree and following could turn into a monster hit ("Nolan made Tár for the boys" is objectively hilarious).

But, with the double feature making a roaring comeback, it's natural to look ahead at the upcoming calendar to see what same-day releases could make for a wild and exciting pairing. It should be noted that some of these dates could change due to the ongoing strikes involving the writers and actors.

Bottoms and Retribution (Aug. 25)

Please let me just present you the log lines for these two films. Liam Neeson's action-thriller Retribution: "While driving his kids to work, financier Matt Turner is suddenly threatened by a mysterious bomber." Teen sex comedy Bottoms starring The Idol's Rachel Sennott and The Bear's Ayo Edebiri: "Two high school senior girls set up a 'fight club' to hook up with cheerleaders before graduation." The only thing that Retribution and Bottoms seem to have in common is my "hell yeah" reaction after watching the trailers.

Also, if you need another reason to get pumped, here's what Neeson, the No. 1 mode-of-transportation actor working, told me in 2021, right before filming Retribution. "I'm going over to Berlin next Monday to start a film where my fat Irish ass sits in a Mercedes or BMW for 98 percent of the film, with my two kids in the back," he said with a laugh. "I've been told it's a bomb-pressurized seat because I'm in the financial markets, and I've lost a customer a lot of money, and he's taking his revenge... It's kind of Speed. It's Speed-ish." Sold!

Nickname options: Bottribution, Bottom Retribution

Dumb Money and Expend4bles (Sept. 22)

It's hard to tell what has the potential to be funnier: Paul Dano, Pete Davidson and Seth Rogen telling the story of the infamous GameStop squeeze, or Jason Statham, 50 Cent and Megan Fox leading a fourth Expendables film.

Nickname options: Expendumbles, Dumb Money (a.k.a. what Statham likely got paid to make another Expendables)

Saw X and PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie (Sept. 29)

If we're being honest, this hilarious dual-release inspired this list. Nearly 20 years after the Saw franchise began, the 10th installment takes place between the first two films and brings the horror icon Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) back from the dead for some more twisted killing. And it's really hard to imagine a better film to follow Saw X up with than the latest entry in the PAW Patrol Universe. The only real worry is that going to these back-to-back might land you on some sort of list.

Nickname options: Saw Paw, Saw Patrol, X Patrol

Kraven the Hunter and Killers of the Flower Moon (Oct. 6)

One film is a possible Best Picture winner from the legendary trio of Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, and the other is about a fella with animalistic powers named Kraven the Hunter. In all seriousness, as dicey as Sony's superhero output has been at times (remember Morbius?), consider us intrigued by a project from Margin Call and Triple Frontier director J.C. Chandor, starring an interesting collection of actors that is headlined by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Alessandro Nivola, and Russell Crowe. Wait, did we just talk ourselves into two Best Picture contenders coming out on this day?!

Nickname options: Kraven the Flower, Kraven the Killer, Kravoon

Wonka and Anyone but You (Dec. 15)

It might technically be winter, but the weekend of Dec. 15 is going to be hot, thanks to the presence of Timothée Chalamet, Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. While Chalamet is hoping to revive the Willy Wonka IP, Powell and Sweeney are aiming to reinvigorate something bigger: the movie-star rom-com. But the most important question is who will have more sexual chemistry: Powell and Sweeney, who have already fueled romance rumors, or Chalamet's Wonka and Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa.

Nickname options: Anyone but Wonka, Wonkanyone?

Mickey 17 and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (March 29, 2024)

Sadly, it seems likely that the third Spider-Verse film will eventually be pushed back to a later date, but for now, we can still enjoy the idea of what might be the best-quality pairing on this list. The recently released Across the Spider-Verse is a critically-beloved smash hit that figures to be in the Best Picture mix next year. Speaking of Best Picture, Mickey 17 serves as writer-director Bong Joon-ho's Parasite followup, and adding to the excitement for the latest from the four-time Oscar winner is that his cast features Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo.

Nickname options: Spider-Mickey, Mickey-Verse

Furiosa and Garfield (May 24, 2024)

At the moment, 2024's Memorial Day weekend is loaded. There's a fourth film in the great Planet of the Apes reboot series, and the star-studded Imaginary Friends hails from Quiet Place writer-director John Krasinski. And yet, no offense to those projects, but they are the appetizers for the real entrée: George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road prequel starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa and an animated Garfield movie with Chris Pratt voicing our favorite lazy, lasagna-loving cat. Not even Garfield could hate watching that double feature on a Memorial Day Monday!

Nickname options: Gariosa, Furfield