New this week in Myrtle Beach-area theaters

New This Week

Friend Request | A popular college student named Laura (Alycia Debnam-Carey) accepts a Facebook friend request from a lonely gal who went to her high school, but quickly unfriends her when she tries to parlay their virtual connection into a real-life bond. Soon, demonic forces start killing off Laura's friends in revenge. Directed by Simon Verhoeven.

The Lego Ninjajo Movie | A team of ninja warriors must defend their LEGO-made city from a sinister warlord. Jackie Chan, Justin Theroux, Dave Franco, and Olivia Munn lend their voices to this animated adventure, which was directed by Charlie Bean (Tron: Uprising).

Kingsman: The Golden Circle | When Kingsman's headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. Taron Egerton reprises his role as Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin in this sequel to the 2014 action adventure sleeper hit Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Continuing

American Assassin | A young CIA recruit named Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien) trains to become a black-ops counterterrorism agent under the tutelage of Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton), a fearsome warrior and legend within the agency. While Hurley advises never to make the mission personal, Rapp remains haunted by the death of his fiancée in a terrorist attack. Eventually, the two men must work together to stop a rogue operative from sowing chaos in the Middle East. Directed by Michael Cuesta, American Assassin is based on the novel of the same name by Vince Flynn.

Mother! | A young woman (Jennifer Lawrence) descends into madness and paranoia as her remote country mansion is invaded by a series of unwelcome guests -- all of whom seem to have a mysterious connection to her husband (Javier Bardem), a poet struggling with writer’s block. Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brian Gleeson, and Domhnall Gleeson co-star. Written and directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan).

IT | In a small town in 1989 Maine, seven bullied kids known as the “Losers’ Club” discover that a malevolent force is preying on the local children. When they realize that the town’s adults can’t protect them, they band together to destroy the monster, a killer clown called Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård). Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton, and Jackson Robert Scott co-star in this horror film, which is based on the novel by Stephen King. Directed by Andy Muschietti.

Home Again | A recently separated woman (Reese Witherspoon) moves to Los Angeles with her two daughters, where she rents out her guesthouse to three much younger men (Pico Alexander, Nat Wolff, and Jon Rudnitsky) -- one of whom she soon begins dating. Her new life gets even more complicated when her estranged husband (Michael Sheen) reenters the picture. Candice Bergen co-stars in this romantic comedy written and directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer.

9/11 | Five people end up trapped together in an elevator in the North Tower of the World Trade Center during 9/11. Hoping for rescue but fearing the worst, they find comfort in each other’s strength and bond in ways they never imagined. Charlie Sheen, Whoopi Goldberg, Gina Gershon, Luis Guzmán, Wood Harris, Olga Fonda, and Jacqueline Bisset star. Directed by Martin Guigui.

Leap! | In 19th century France, a young orphan named Félicie (voice of Elle Fanning) dreams of becoming a ballerina. She and her best friend Victor (voice of Dane DeHaan) soon run away to Paris, where she enrolls in a prestigious dance school and competes for a chance to be a prima ballerina. Carly Rae Jepsen and Maddie Ziegler also lend their voices to this animated tale, which was directed by Eric Summer and Éric Warin.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard | Professional bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) must protect his longtime nemesis, hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson), after the latter agrees to testify at the Hague against an Eastern European dictator (Gary Oldman). The constantly bickering pair are forced to go on a journey together from England to the Netherlands, and are targeted by the dictator’s henchmen along the way. Salma Hayek and Elodie Yung co-star. Directed by Patrick Hughes (The Expendables 3).

Logan Lucky | Two down-on-their-luck brothers (Channing Tatum and Adam Driver), fed up by their dismal economic prospects, plot an elaborate heist at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. When their plan calls for an explosives expert, they attempt to recruit an eccentric convict named Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) -- but securing his help will require breaking him out of prison. Seth MacFarlane, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston, and Sebastian Stan co-star. Logan Lucky is the first feature film directed by Steven Soderbergh following a four-year hiatus.

Annabelle: Creation | A group of orphaned girls are taken in by a doll maker (Anthony LaPaglia) and his wife (Miranda Otto), who are still grieving the death of their daughter. However, they are soon terrorized by a haunted doll that’s lurking within the couple’s house. Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, and Lulu Wilson co-star in this horror sequel, which was produced by James Wan (The Conjuring, Insidious) and directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out).

The Glass Castle | A young woman (Brie Larson) reflects on her unconventional upbringing at the hands of her artsy, nonconformist parents (Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts), which sometimes resulted in the family living in poverty. Now married to a man who works in finance (Max Greenfield) in New York, she faces criticism from her parents that she’s betrayed their values. Based on the memoir of the same name by Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12).

Nut Job 2 | A group of animals are horrified when their beloved park is targeted for demolition by the city’s unscrupulous mayor. In an attempt to reclaim their home, Surly the squirrel (voiced by Will Arnett) puts together a scheme to destroy the gaudy amusement park that’s been built on the property. This animated sequel also features the voices of Katherine Heigl, Maya Rudolph, Bobby Moynihan, Jackie Chan, Jeff Dunham, and Bobby Cannavale. Directed by Cal Brunker.

Compiled by Gail Traver, gtraver@thesunnews.com

This story was originally published September 21, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "New this week in Myrtle Beach-area theaters."