Last Updated on August 3, 2021
It's finally here! After a lean couple of months that only had a handful of blockbuster sweet spots (such as the underrated ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL) the summer movie season is upon us! This looks to be one for the record books – with Disney releasing four movies that look set to gross about a billion bucks a piece – more so in the case of AVENGERS: ENDGAME.
Here's a list of everything we're keen to see. You'll find lots of stuff here, from tentpole blockbusters, to indies we caught at Sundance, low-key releases with potential and more! Check it out!.
Avengers: Endgame
The first movie of the summer is also the biggest, with AVENGERS: ENDGAME the payoff to one of the biggest cliffhangers of all time, which saw half of the MCU vanish into dust, killing off most of our favorite characters. How the MCU manages to bring everyone back is the big question, but no matter how it's done, everyone, and I do mean everyone, will be seeing this one. Expect box office records to be broken.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
This is Quentin Tarantino's ninth film, and if his threats to retire after his tenth are true, this will be the second-to-last Tarantino film ever! Whatever the case, his movies are always events and this one is a sprawling epic set in Hollywood circa 1969, leading up to the infamous Manson family murders. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt co-star as a washed up movie star and his stuntman trying to navigate a changing industry, while Margot Robbie plays the doomed Sharon Tate.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
I'd wager that no one was expecting much out of the first JOHN WICK. Heck, wasn't it originally tipped as a potential direct-to-VOD release? Instead, it utterly reinvigorated Keanu Reeves's career, giving him another iconic character to play. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 was even better than the first, and there's no reason not to think CHAPTER 3 might not be better still. They're calling it the conclusion of a trilogy, but Wick seems like the kind of character Reeves could play for years to come.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Everyone liked SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, but call me crazy, isn't it starting to pale a little now that SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE blew all our socks off? In any case, this will be the first Marvel movie released post-ENDGAME so the way it figures into the next phase of the MCU should be interesting. Tom Holland is a likable Spidey, and he's joined by one time Spider-Man candidate Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio.
Toy Story 4
You'd think that TOY STORY 4 would be everyone's most anticipated movie of the summer given how amazing the third film was. However, it's the fact that it seemingly ended the franchise so perfectly that makes the fourth film feel like an afterthought. I mean, where else could they possibly go? That said, if anyone can pull it off it's Pixar, but with this, ALADDIN, THE LION KING and AVENGERS: ENDGAME it feels almost like an embarrasement of riches for Disney.
Hobbs & Shaw
Very few films coming out this summer look to be anywhere near as fun as FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW (the full title cracks me up). Basically, this spins-off Dwayne Johnson's Hobbs and Jason Statham's villain-turned-hero Shaw in their own massive shoot-em-up adventure. Helen Mirren returns to the fold as Mama Shaw, while Vanessa Kirby plays another badass Shaw sibling. Idris Elba plays the big bad, a genetically enhanced soldier who's basically, as the previews put it, Black Superman. I can't wait.
The Lion King
Jon Favreau tries to do for THE LION KING what he did with THE JUNGLE BOOK with this photo-realistic CGI retelling of the 1994 classic. Hans Zimmer is back to do the score, as is James Earl Jones as Mufasa, but the rest of the cast is different, with Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé and more. If done right, this could rank as one of the summer's biggest hits.
Detective Pikachu
Pokemon hits the big-screen with WB's big-budget DETECTIVE PIKACHU, which seems kinda like a warm and cuddly PG-take on DEADPOOL, with Ryan Reynolds voicing the beloved character. I'll admit that I missed out on Pokemon, being too old by the time the phenomenon hit North America. That said, this looks fun and if you consider how massive Pokemon GO was last year, I assume this will be a significant hit, even if it opens a little too close to AVENGERS: ENDGAME for comfort.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
I must admit to being slightly skeptical about this one. Don't get me wrong, it looks terrific. Michael Dougherty is a fun director and seems like the right person to make a great GODZILLA film, but the franchise's track record in North America ain't great. I mean, I know this has a great trailer, but so did the last GODZILLA movie. I really, really want this to be great – but I'm not gonna get my hopes up until the reviews start to drop.
Dark Phoenix
It's the end of an era with this the last high-profile Fox produced Marvel film to hit theaters now that Disney's in charge and presumably will be bringing the characters into the MCU. DARK PHOENIX has series producer Simon Kinberg in the director's chair (taking over for the disgraced Bryan Singer) with him reaasembling the big-name cast, including James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and more – although it's Sophie Turner who takes center stage this time as Jean Grey.
MIB International
Here's a hot take – the original MEN IN BLACK movies are just…fine. Thus, I'm not altogether offended by Sony's decision to reboot the series with Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson leading things as the MIB's new go-to agents. The big question mark is whether director F. Gary Gray will be able to put his own spin on the universe without getting too bogged down imitating Barry Sonnefeld. And oh yeah, Liam Neeson's in this. Considering his new infamy, will this be a deterrent?
Aladdin
While I think Disney's making a mistake by crowing the market with two live action adaptations of their most iconic movies opening within weeks of each other, ALADDIN stands as my favorite Disney animated film of all time. That said, whether Guy Ritchie's live action version does it justice is a big question mark. For most, Will Smith's Genie will be what makes or breaks this pricy adaptation.
Rocketman
ROCKETMAN seems poised to be everything BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY was not. Coming from EDDIE THE EAGLE's Dexter Fletcher, who also was Bryan Singer's replacement on BH, this is pegged to be a warts-and-all, defiantly R-rated look at the life of Elton John, with Taron Egerton in the lead (he sings too!). As a long time Elton fan, I'm pretty psyched.
Shaft
It's a shame that it's taken nineteen whole years to get another Samuel L. Jackson SHAFT movie, with him once again donning the iconic leather jacket of the baddest mutha (shut yo' mouth!) out there, with Jessie T. Usher as Shaft Jr. In fact, Jackson is technically Shaft Jr., with Richard Roundtree himself once again playing the real deal private dick. Can ya dig it? Hell yes I can.
Child’s Play
I have very mixed feelings on this one. I love the Don Mancini originals, especially when they got really campy (BRIDE OF CHUCKY is my fave), but this one isn't related to those at all and seems a little pointless. That said, the cast is very interesting, with Aubrey Plaza and Brian Tyree Henry pretty solid leads. I'm also enthused by the idea of Mark Hamill doing Chucky, although it'll be hard to make fans forget Brad Dourif.
Annabelle Comes Home
So I must admit to getting a little bit out of whack with my CONJURING spin-offs. Apparently, this is a sequel to the first two ANNABELLE movies, which was in-turn a "side-quel" to THE CONJURING, with this one bringing Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga's Earl and Lorraine Warren back into the fray, somewhat, as the titular doll comes home. I missed the last ANNABELLE and THE NUN, but if Wilson and Farmiga are back I might give this one a shot.
Good Boys
So it's SUPERBAD for kids, right? Well, yes and no, with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg producing this hardcore comedy that's so racy the trailers poked fun at the fact that the kids who star in it, including Jacob Tremblay, aren't actually old enough to go see it in theaters. The buzz out of SXSW was good, although one wonders if it may get over-shadowed by the summer's other racy comedies, including LONG SHOT and BOOKSMART.
Stuber
I'm pretty surprised that it's taken two whole years for Hollywood to finally craft a worthy follow-up star vehicle for Kumail Nanjiani following THE BIG SICK, but at long last here it is. This one pairs him with Dave Bautista is what looks to be a fun hommage to eighties buddy-cop movies. I'm especially excited by the fact that GOON's Michael Dowse is directing.
The Dead Don’t Die
Pop quiz- how does a zombie movie get Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Tom Waits, and Iggy Pop to be part of the cast, as well as the opening night slot at the Cannes Film Festival? The answer is you get Jim Jarmusch to direct in what's pegged to be one of his more accessible films, along the lines of BROKEN FLOWERS and PATTERSON only, ya know, with zombies.
Brightburn
What if Superman was evil? Wasn't that exactly what Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor warned us all about in BATMAN V SUPERMAN? Here, James Gunn takes the Superman mythos into darker territory, with this film he produced having a baddie with more than a few similarities to the last son of Krypton. As for me, I'm just excited that one of my all-time favorite actresses Elizabeth Banks is back in front of the camera for a rare starring role (as she's more of a director these days).
Booksmart
While the previews make it look somewhat like a gender-swapped version of SUPERBAD, apparently Olivia Wilde's directorial debut is a dazzlingly original take on the teen comedy genre. LADY BIRD co-star Beanie Feldstein is getting raves, as is co-star Kaitlyn Dever in what's being tipped as a classic in the mold of DAZED & CONFUSED – for young millennials. My hopes are high!
Tolkien
A long awaited J.R.R. Tolkien biopic starring Nicolas Hoult, this happens to be the first Fox Searchlight release of the Disney era and, given the subject, not an inappropriate one. Fact is – Searchlight does these kind of elevated, mass-appeal indies quite well, and this looks to be at the very worst – decent.
Midsommar
HEREDITARY director Ari Aster is back without another "arthouse horror" flick designed to give us all a summer full of sleepless nights. Florence Pugh stars with Will Poulter and Jack Reynor in what's being called a horror outing set amidst a pagen cult in Sweden. Ok then – I'm more or less sold.
Yesterday
What if you were a struggling musician and – one day – you woke up and no one remembered The Beatles? Cha-ching, right? That's the premise of this new Working Title comedy directed by none other than Danny Boyle. Himesh Patel stars with Lily James, Kate McKinnon and a whole boatload of Beatles songs.
Long Shot
Lionsgate has high hopes for this Seth Rogen/ Charlize Theron rom-com. Rogen plays a journalist turned speechwriter who falls in love with Theron's Secretary of State. Apparently this was one of the breakout hits at this year's SXSW and Rogen's a pro at this kind of thing. Having Theron attached could only elevate what I'm sure all involved hopes will be a sleeper hit in the vein of NEIGHBORS.
Ma
True story – I saw the trailer for MA at HAPPY DEATH DAY 2, and the audience of teens I saw this with were going nuts all through the trailer, making me think this is money in the bank for Blumhouse. It's a change of pace for THE HELP director Tate Taylor, who reteams with Octavia Spencer for this grisly horror-comedy.
21 Bridges
Will this cop thriller starring Chadwick Boseman and produced by The Russo Brothers make it's July 12th release date? Given how close we're getting, my hunch is that STX will save it for the fall, but no matter, the buzz on this out of CinemaCon is that this is shaping up to be a cool thriller, with J.K. Simmons, Taylor Kitsch and Sienna Miller co-starring.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Not much is known about this chiller except that it's based on a popular (much banned) series of children's books from the mid-eighties. The pedigree for this one is pretty great, with Guillermo del Toro producing and high profile screenwriter John August having a hand in the screenplay of this PG-13 horror flick.
Blinded by the Light
This might have been the best movie I saw at Sundance this year. It's a coming of age story from Gurinder Chadha about a Pakistani boy living in 1980's Britain who discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen. Even non-fans of The Boss (does such a thing exist?) should love this. Warner Bros/New Line spent a pretty penny on this, and clealry have confidence in it giving it a prime June release date.
I Am Mother
Here's a solid little sleeper I saw at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Newcomer Clara Rugaard stars as a young woman raised since birth by a robot, Mother (voiced by Rose Byrne) in a post-apocalyptic future. One day, a rogue stranger (Hilary Swank) infiltrates their bunker and she realizes she's been lied to her whole life. Weta designed the "Mother" robot – this one bows on Netflix this summer.
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