With all the prognosticating, behind-the-scenes drama and glitzy months-long campaigning, it’s easy to forget what awards season is actually about: celebrating the magic of filmmaking and all that we love about on-screen storytelling. But now that the 2025 Oscars have *officially* wrapped — from the red carpet looks to the shocking end, what a show it was — we’re so ready to fully look ahead to some of this year’s most anticipated movies and TV shows.
Many of March’s titles feel connected to the core idea of loving filmmaking. Take Mickey 17, a sci-fi comedy starring Robert Pattinson as a clone directed by Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho — a filmmaker whose passion comes through in every frame of his innovative ideas. There’s also The Studio, Seth Rogen’s star-studded comedy that hilariously pokes fun at the Hollywood machine, but in a way that only people who also have genuine love for what they do can. And Shonda Rhimes-produced The Residence, an off-beat upstairs-downstairs murder-mystery that adds a modern-day sensibility to one of the classic screen genres.
Scroll on to discover what we can’t wait to watch this March.
Mickey 17
Every couple years or so, there’s a lengthy think piece on whether an actor is the last true Hollywood movie star. Tom Cruise. Will Smith. The latest entry came from the New York Times last December in the form of a deep dive with Robert Pattinson, and truthfully I first balked at the headline. One, because I’ve seen it before. And two, for so long I’ve associated Pattinson with his early Twilight days, and like him, it’s been hard for me to get away from it. That officially ends with Bong Joon-ho’s kitschy sci-fi film Mickey 17. Robert, I’m with you.
In a time when I, like so many others, are craving originality in moviemaking, Mickey 17 feels fresh. The film follows Mickey (Pattinson), who leaves behind a declining Earth and signs up to become a clone on a space voyage for the sake of scientific research and exploration. But of course, something goes awry. I’ll leave it at that because if you’re a fan of Bong’s films, you know that there are going to be fun twists and turns to come, and I’d say Mickey 17 falls more in line with Bong’s Snowpiercer than his Oscar-winning film Parasite with its balance of campy characters and fun space thrill. In being a clone, Pattinson flexes his acting chops and proves why he’s worthy of the “last movie star” title. Joining Pattinson is a strong cast of Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, and Toni Collette. Mickey 17 does veer on the longer end, but I honestly didn’t mind just because I’m now fully bought into the Rob-naissance.
Where to watch: Theaters
When: March 7
Watch if you like: Snowpiercer, The Fifth Element
Black Bag
Full transparency: I haven’t screened Black Bag yet (that’ll be this week so come back for my official take!), but the trailer and cast alone sets up the spy thriller film to be a good watch.
From director Steven Soderbergh, Black Bag follows top intelligence agent George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) who is tasked with investigating his wife and fellow intelligence agent Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) after she’s suspected of betraying the country. Marriage is hard enough already, but when you’re required to keep national security-level secrets from your significant other, it’s hard to imagine how anyone could make it work. But apparently this couple can, at least at first. “My devotion to my marriage is my professional weakness,” Kathryn says. For both our spies, we’ll see if that’s true.
Joining Fassbender and Blanchett (who’s also one of my all-time fave actresses) are Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Tom Burke, and Pierce Brosnan. For longtime Fassbender fans, Black Bag will be yet another consolation prize to their 007 dreams for the actor, and with a former James Bond signed onto the project, you can’t help but think what could have been.
Where to watch: Theaters
When: March 14
Watch if you like: Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Allied
OPUS
I know the Sundance reviews weren’t the greatest, but personally I liked OPUS. Maybe it’s because, as I’ve unashamedly admitted before, I’m *not* a horror girly and don’t mind the lack of eye-shielding thrills. And probably because I am a journalist, a lot of these little microaggressive moments of laboring underneath an editor who takes credit for my ideas really resonate.
In A24’s celebrity horror-thriller from former GQ editor Mark Anthony Green, Ariel (Ayo Edebiri) is a young music journalist who, like a lot of young journalists, dreams of sinking her teeth into meatier stories. That break finally happens when she is inexplicably invited to a remote compound for an uber-exclusive listening session hosted by Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich), a part-Bowie, part-George Michael music legend who’s releasing his 18th studio album after being away from the public eye for decades. But the Golden Ticket to the biggest debut since the Beatles touched US ground quickly corrodes as it becomes clear to nobody except Ariel that something more sinister lurks with Moretti and the cult-like community he’s built. The film comes with three original songs performed by Malkovich, who is always a thrill to watch on any screen. It’s also nice to see Edebiri successfully translate her dry comedic delivery for a thriller, proving why she is one of the top actresses of her generation.
Do you absolutely need to watch OPUS in theaters? Up to you. But it’s definitely a solid pick for a weekend watch at home in a couple months.
Where to watch: Theaters
When: March 14
Watch if you like: The Menu, Get Out, Nope
The Residence
We have Sherlock Holmes and Benoit Blanc. Now we have Uzo Aduba’s Cordelia Cupp. She is the genius, quirky, and unapologetic detective at the heart of new Shondaland whodunnit The Residence — and she more than belongs with the other crime-solving screen greats.
Set in the White House, the series follows Cordelia as she’s called upon to solve the murder of chief usher A.B. Wynter (Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito). Unfortunately for everyone involved, the crime occurred during a big state dinner, which means Cordelia has 157 suspects to interrogate while on the look out for evidence throughout 132 rooms.
Aduba shines as Cordelia, carefully finding the balance between kooky humor and an air of gravitas. But the show that’s been built around her is so much fun, too: funny, clever, and suspenseful like any good murder-mystery. There’s a zany energy buzzing through every scene, and it’s the perfect show to watch when you want to unwind or shut out the noise. Best of all, it’s easy to imagine a future with many more seasons of Cordelia Cupp solving crimes to come.
Where to watch: Netflix
When: March 20
Watch if you like: Knives Out, Sherlock, The Afterparty
The Studio
As a Canadian, I think everything is better with Catherine O’Hara. And while this steadfast belief is proven to be true yet again in The Studio, I also love just about everything else happening in the comedy series. Co-created by frequent collaborators Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (who also stars), The Studio is a flashy, frenetic, laugh-out-loud comedy that pokes fun at Hollywood. The show centers around Matt, the newly appointed head of a film studio after his mentor (O’Hara) gets fired. The problem? Matt is a little too obsessed with movies, and is also too concerned with making sure that actors and directors like him, which makes his job even more difficult than it has to be.
The show moves at a chaotic, whip-fast pace — so much so that you feel like you’re in the thick of the movie-making action — and the humor is often out-of-pocket in the way where you know some of these moments must be at least loosely inspired by real-life experiences of the talent involved. With a stacked cast (Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, and Chase Sui Wonders also feature), star-studded cameos (think Charlize Theron and Martin Scorsese playing themselves while interacting with Matt), elaborate sequences for made-up movies (like an imagined vulgar zombie flick with Johnny Knoxville and Josh Hutcherson), The Studio will have you eagerly reaching for the popcorn with every episode.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
When: March 26
Watch if you like: 30 Rock, The Other Two, For Your Consideration
Still looking for something to queue up? Check out our Netflix Treats for March and last month’s recommendations.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
These 7 Netflix Treats Are Worth Watching In March
The Most Memorable Moments From The 2025 Oscars
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