10 Movies That Could Be The Major Surprise Hits Of 2018

8. Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines Movie Trailer London
Universal Pictures

The Movie: Produced and written by Lord Of The Rings helmer Peter Jackson, Mortal Engines promises to deliver on that same epic fantasy feel that made the first three Middle Earth movies absolutely spectacular.

It's based on the novel by Philip Reeve, and is set in a post-apocalyptic world where entire cities have been mounted on wheels and must hunt each other down for resources.

Why It Could Be A Hit: Mortal Engines is one of few "original" blockbusters opening in 2018 (yes, it's based on a book, but this is its first time onscreen).

Audiences have never seen this concept play out on film, and the freshness of the idea combined with slick, glossy, $100 million production values will result in a lot of interest being drawn towards it.

It's also releasing at the start of December, a month that's generated a ton of hits in the past. Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, The Greatest Showman and Avatar all exceeded expectations after launching during the Christmas period, so there's a precedent here, and Mortal Engines could well be the next movie to join that esteemed club.

And, the last time Peter Jackson fostered a project helmed by an up-and-coming director, we got the superb District 9. No pressure, Mortal Engines.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!