Summer Movie Preview: What’s coming to theaters and streaming?

NOTE: HIGHLIGHTED ENTRIES HAVE BEEN EDITED AND FACT CHECKED

This year’s cinema has started off strong thanks to “genre-fluid” crowdpleasers like Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17. But summer is fast approaching, and with it studios will be dropping their splashiest, star-studded, spectacle-packed movies for us to eat up like so much buttery popcorn.

Summer 2025 will be bringing the heat. Not only will theaters get new superhero cinema like Thunderbolts*, Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Superman, but we’ll also see sequels to A Simple Favor, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Fear Street, The Naked Gun, M3GAN, and 28 Weeks Later. Plus, fresh films are coming from Nicolas Cage, Paul Rudd, Kerry Washington, Wes Anderson, Keanu Reeves, Ari Aster, Tom Hiddleston, Al Pacino, and Pedro Pascal.

Between theatrical releases and streaming debuts, it’s a lot to take in! But fear not, film lover. We got you covered.

Below are highlights from 2025’s summer movie schedule, listed chronologically by release. You’ll know what’s coming, how to watch it, and which stars are lighting up every single one.

May

Another Simple Favor

Leading ladies Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively reunite with director Paul Feig to serve up a splashy sequel to the funny thriller A Simple Favor. Set five years after the first film, Another Simple Favor reveals single mom Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) has gone from vlogging to true crime memoirist, but her book tour gets a major boost when her near-fatal frenemy Emily Nelson (Lively) is sprung from prison and bound to be wed in Capri. Naturally, this femme fatale wants her former bestie to be her maid of honor. What could go wrong?

In Mashable’s SXSW review of Another Simple Favor, I cheered the zany premise and all the wild twists it brings. “Like Emily Nelson, Another Simple Favor is a shapeshifting creature, transforming in tone moment to moment to revel in biting humor, relish in mob drama, plunge into the delicious depths of mad women in the psycho-biddy subgenre, and showcase fashion, telling, sensational, and shocking.” It mostly works, and it’s undoubtedly a good time. So raise a martini glass, and cheers to the bride! — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Elena Sofia Ricci, Alex Newell, Henry Golding, and Allison Janney

How to watch: Another Simple Favor debuts on Prime Video on May 1.

The Surfer

Nicolas Cage wages war on hostile Australian surfers who thieved his board in The Surfer, a film that’s as much about riding the waves as it is about unprocessed grief and toxic masculinity. Directed by Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) and written by Thomas Martin, this psychological thriller and coastal Western is set in the fictional beach suburb of Luna Bay. As the titular boardrider, Cage plays a man essentially trapped in a carpark of his own making, slowly melting into the actor’s signature brand of unhinged rage as he attempts to retrieve his property. But he’ll have to go through the gang’s beach-poncho-clad leader, Scally, played to chilling perfection by Julian McMahon.

As I wrote in my review for the film, “Everything about The Surfer‘s one-line pitch sounds ridiculous (Nicolas Cage versus mean Australian surfers), but the film itself is a haunting set piece about localism, repressed memory, and toxic masculinity, boasting the wild ride we’ve come to associate with Cage. It’s as far from a wipeout as you can get.” — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Nic Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand, and Justin Rosniak

How to watch: The Surfer opens in theaters on May 2.

Thunderbolts*

What superhero fatigue? The MCU is back again with its 36th installment, Thunderbolts*, which is sort of the Marvel version of Suicide Squad, boasting a star-stuffed cast playing chaotic antiheroes.

United by CIA director Valentina de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), misfits like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) take on an even bigger Big Bad. But don’t expect them to be all noble about it. They’re more about the snarking and the smoldering. Lucky us.* — K.P.

Starring: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen, Rachel Weisz, Wyatt Russell, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus

How to watch: Thunderbolts* opens in theaters May 2.

Fight or Flight

We’re absolutely loving Josh Hartnett’s repossession of his thriller faculties, with unsettling runs in Black Mirror, M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap, and now, in lighter thrills mode, James Madigan’s Fight or Flight. In the action film penned by Brooks McLaren and D. J. Cotrona, a bleach-blonde Hartnett plays Lucas Reyes, a man on a mission to track down a black hat hacker known as “The Ghost.” Problem is, the target has a worldwide bounty on their head, and the plane they’re suspected of being on is now full of contract killers eager for the gold — including Lucas. So, amid the plane bathroom punch-ups, he might need a little help from Bridgerton‘s Charithra Chandran as flight attendant Isha. — S.C.

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Charithra Chandran, Marko Zaror, and Katee Sackhoff

How to watch: Fight or Flight opens in theaters on May 9.

Friendship

Male bonding rises and falls at speed in Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship, a nightmare of fickle connection between comedy kings Tim Robinson (I Think You Should Leave) and Paul Rudd (Only Murders in the Building). The A24 film focuses on Craig Waterman (Robinson), a socially awkward guy whose wife Tami (Kate Mara) encourages him to befriend his charismatic neighbour Austin Carmichael (Rudd), who seems to be absolutely surrounded by male pals. When Austin suddenly bins their friendship, Craig’s sense of himself is sent into a volatile spin and he’s about to demand an explanation incredibly loudly. — S.C.

Starring: Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, Josh Segarra, and Billy Bryk

How to watch: Friendship opens in limited release on May 9 and nationwide on May 23.

Shadow Force

2025 loves a married spies story! First we had Netflix’s charming Back in Action, then Steven Soderbergh’s sexy thriller Black Bag, then the lackluster Robert Littell adaption The Amateur. Now, Kerry Washington and Omar Sy team up for their own action movie full of fighting and flirting.

Smokin’ Aces director Joe Carnahan helms Shadow Force, which centers on a couple who once led a spy unit named… you guessed it, “Shadow Force.” But after falling in love and having a son, Kyrah (Washington) and Isaac (Sy) bailed on their super-secretive jobs. And, as Mark Strong snarls in the trailer, there’s only one rule in Shadow Force: “No one leaves.” Discovered years later, this couple will need to risk their lives to save themselves and their son. Bring on the speedboat battles! — K.P.

Starring: Kerry Washington, Omar Sy, Mark Strong, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Cliff “Method Man” Smith

How to watch: Shadow Force opens in limited release on May 9.

Final Destination: Bloodlines

The Final Destination franchise has cheated death for 25 years, ever since Devon Sawa’s Alex and his classmates evaded a fatal plane crash in the original 2000 film. Now, the sixth installment of Jeffrey Reddick’s horror series, Final Destination Bloodlines, finds new, creative, horrible ways for people to perish through seemingly accidental circumstances.

Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, the film follows Stefani Lewis (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a student plagued by visions of her family’s horrific deaths from what looks like carelessness. She’s not the only one in the family with the gift, as her grandmother Iris (Gabrielle Rose) skipped out on an early exit herself in the past — and she’s got the creepy journal Stefani will need to survive. It’s notably one of the last cinema roles of late horror legend Tony Todd, reprising his Final Destination recurring character William Bludworth. — S.C.

Starring: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Gabrielle Rose, Brec Bassinger, Teo Briones, Tony Todd, Richard Harmon, Anna Lore, and Owen Joyner

How to watch: Final Destination: Bloodlines opens in theaters on May 16.

Fear Street: Prom Queen

Leigh Janiak’s superb, deeply referential slasher trilogy Fear Street is getting a spinoff with another foray into R.L. Stine’s seminal horror novels. From director and co-writer Matt Palmer, Fear Street: Prom Queen takes us back to the town of Shadyside, this time in 1988, where it looks like someone wants to win the senior prom crown enough to start killing off the competition. — S.C.

Starring: India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, David Iacono, Ella Rubin, Chris Klein, Ariana Greenblatt, Lili Taylor, and Katherine Waterston

How to watch: Fear Street: Prom Queen debuts on Netflix on May 23.

Lilo & Stitch

Disney’s live-action remakes continue with Lilo & Stitch, which revisits the beloved story of the unlikely friendship between human Lilo (newcomer Maia Kealoha) and alien Stitch (voiced by Chris Sanders, who co-directed and voiced Stitch in the original film). 

Now, If you’re feeling fatigued from Disney’s barrage of live-action films, I don’t blame you! But director Dean Fleischer Camp helmed 2022’s poignant Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, so I’m cautiously optimistic. Plus, Lilo & Stitch‘s trailers already look fairly charming, promising alien chaos and the enduring message that “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, Courtney B. Vance, Zach Galifianakis, and Maia Kealoha

How to watch: Lilo & Stitch opens in theaters on May 23.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning

Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, the sequel to 2023’s explosively entertaining Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.

Picking up where the seventh entry left off, this movie will chase Hunt as he seeks the key-like MacGuffin to topple a worrisome AI known as “The Entity.” That means facing off against power-hungry foes, putting his loyal team at risk, plunging into a flood submarine, and lots, and lots, and lots of running. What can we say? Mission: Impossible knows what we want.* — K.P.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Ving Rhames, Pom Klementieff, and Esai Morales

How to watch: Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning opens in theaters May 23.

Pee-wee as Himself

Come on in, and pull yourself up a chair — like Chairry! For decades, children and grown-ups alike have relished the wacky antics of Pee-wee Herman. But personal scandals repeatedly threatened to derail the career of Paul Reubens, and taint his artistic legacy. Pee-wee as Himself grapples with all of this over the course of two parts, with help from the late Reubens himself.

Director Matt Wolf had a difficult task ahead of him, not only in condensing Reubens’ rich life and complicated tabloid notoriety into two feature-length films, but also with Reubens himself. From the movie’s opening frames, the star pushes for control of his narrative, and that battle informs much of this deeply moving and thought-provoking doc.

Out of the film’s debut at Sundance 2025, I raved in my review for Mashable, “Pee-wee as Himself is not a simple love letter to the iconic character or Reubens. That would suggest Wolf goes easy on either, fawning over them without reservation. This is something greater.” — K.P.

Starring: Paul Reubens, Lynne Marie Stewart, Laurence Fishburne, Allison Berry, Debi Mazar, and David Arquette

How to watch: Pee-wee as Himself: Part One debuts May 23 at 8:00-9:40 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max. Part Two will follows at 9:40-11:20 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max.

Karate Kid: Legends

The original Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio, returns as Daniel LaRusso in Karate Kid: Legends. This, the sixth film in the martial arts franchise, brings together the stories of Karate Kid 1 to 3, plus the 2010 reboot, which starred Jackie Chan as a Mr. Miyagi-like mentor named Mr. Han.

In Karate Kid: Legends, Daniel and Mr. Han team up to train a new prodigy named Li Fong (American Born Chinese‘s Ben Wang), hoping to give him a path to a bright future. “Li means to me what you meant to Sensei Miyagi,” Han tells Daniel (aka Sensei LaRusso). Together, they’ll build more than a legend, they’ll build a family. — K.P.

Starring: Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, Ming-Na Wen, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ralph Macchio

How to watch: Karate Kid: Legends opens in theaters May 30.

Bring Her Back

In 2023, YouTubers and brothers Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou made their directorial debut with the haunting horror film Talk to Me. Now they’re back with a fresh vision of terror: Bring Her Back.

Sally Hawkins stars as a foster mom who takes in a brother and sister — they need a home but find a slice of hell on Earth instead. Based on the first trailer, we can’t be sure what is going on between all the blood, talk of angels, and strange ritualistic behavior. But we’re champing at the bit to see what the Philippou brothers do next. — K.P.

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, and Sally-Anne Upton

How to watch: Bring Her Back opens in theaters on May 30.

The Phoenician Scheme

Wes Anderson returns with a new film, stocked with visual splendor and a star-studded cast.

Co-written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, The Phoenician Scheme stars Benicio del Toro as a scheming businessman who is bringing his novitiate daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton) into the family business. As he exposes her to his complicated Phoenician Scheme, this confounding father-daughter duo will cross paths with eccentric titans of industry, sloppy assassins, a mild-mannered tutor, and a lot of hand grenades. Basically, if you ever wondered what a Wes Anderson espionage movie looks like, you’re closer than you’ve ever been before! And isn’t that thrilling? — K.P.

Starring: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Imad Mardnli, and Benedict Cumberbatch

How to watch: The Phoenician Scheme opens in limited release on May 30 before expanding wide June 6.

Mountainhead

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong makes his directorial debut with Mountainhead, a dark comedy whose concept may as well be ripped right from the headlines. The film stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef as four tech billionaires on a ski retreat. But just as their boys’ trip gets going, they receive news of global chaos (as well as a call from the president of the United States). What are these four titans to do? Will they contemplate the role their “racist and shitty” platforms have played in this crisis? Or will they celebrate and enjoy a lifetime without consequences? It sounds like an all-too-real stress bomb, but given Armstrong’s track record, we’re seated for some strong satire and killer one-liners. — B.E.

Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef

How to watch: Mountainhead premieres May 31 on Max.

June

Dangerous Animals

Sharks. A serial killer. Jai Courtney. Do you need anything else to be convinced Dangerous Animals is a must-see summer movie?

Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones, The Devil’s Candy) directs this gnarly thriller, which centers on the battle between a free-spirited swimmer (Hassie Harrison) and a shark-obsessed serial killer (Courtney) who treats the ocean as his slaughterhouse. Ready to dive in? — K.P.

Starring: Jai Courtney, Hassie Harrison, and Josh Heuston

How to watch: Dangerous Animals opens in theaters on June 6.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

The death of John Wick won’t slow this franchise down. Ready for a sexy spinoff?

Knives Out‘s Ana de Armas headlines Ballerina, which is set during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. New lore is unlocked as the assassin-packed world of The Continental grows.

Like John Wick, Eve (de Armas) is a trained killer on a mission. Where he was “Baba Yaga,” the latest trailer for Ballerina suggests she is Kikimora, a spirit that unfurls vengeance on the wicked to protect the good. Her quest may be mysterious, but we know it will involve plenty of action, gunplay, and Keanu Reeves reprising the role of John Wick for a face-off that’s sure to have audiences ecstatic. — K.P.

Starring: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves

How to watch: From the World of John Wick: Ballerina opens June 6.

The Life of Chuck

When people think of the work of Mike Flanagan (The Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Mass) or Stephen King, they don’t usually think life-affirming stories. But The Life of Chuck will change that.

Based on a King novella, this genre-bending wonder stars Tom Hiddleston as Chuck Krantz, whose life, at a glance, might be considered average. But in this rapturous movie, filled with a wonderful ensemble cast, King and Flanagan weave a tale of love, loss, and ghosts that’s sure to enthrall audiences.

In Mashable’s review out of the film’s Toronto International Film Festival premiere, I cheered, “The Life of Chuck is masterfully told. Like King’s most moving adaptations, it doesn’t play by standard rules of structure or audience expectations. It demands we follow the winding road through playful dialogue, painful lows, and rollicking highs to an unknown beyond. It’s surprising and upsetting, funny and profound. I laughed hard, cried ’til my eyes ached, and once gasped so loud that I heard it echo across a theater struck silent by a moment both shocking and tender.” Simply put, see it theaters, or you’ll be missing out. — K.P.

Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tom Hiddleston, Annalise Basso, Benjamin Pajak, Karen Gillan, Mia Sara, Matthew Lillard, Carl Lumbly, Samantha Sloyan, Harvey Guillén, Jacob Tremblay, Kate Siegel, and Mark Hamill

How to watch: The Life of Chuck opens in theaters on June 6.

The Ritual

Academy Award–winner Al Pacino joins with modern horror icon Dan Stevens for a tale of terror and religious trauma in The Ritual.

Mashable Top Stories

Based on true events, co-writer/director David Midell’s horror movie follows two priests in America who are battling Satan for the soul of a young girl. Now, if you’re thinking, “Hang on, isn’t that the plot of The Exorcist?” you’re not wrong. Both movies are inspired by real-life accounts of possession, but as the tagline for The Ritual boasts: Before there was The Exorcist, there was Emma Schmidt. An American woman believed to be possessed in 1928, Schmidt’s salvation lay in the hands of renowned exorcist Father Theophilus Riesinger, whom Pacino plays here. With a cast like this, you won’t want to miss this religious horror offering. — K.P.

Starring: Al Pacino, Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, Patricia Heaton, and Abigail Cowen

How to watch: The Ritual opens in theaters on June 6.

Materialists

If you’re one of the many Pedro Pascal fans who have been champing at the bit for the beguiling leading man to try his hand at romantic comedy, Materialists has come to answer your prayers. But that’s not all.

Dakota Johnson stars as a matchmaker who’s caught in a love triangle between a dashing millionaire (Pascal) and her broke but alluring ex (Chris Evans). If this cast plus that premise isn’t enough for you to be wooed by Materialists, what if I tell you this A24 offering comes from Celine Song, the renowned writer/director of the critically acclaimed Past Lives? Match made? I thought as much! —K.P.

Starring: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal

How to watch: Materialists opens in theaters on June 13.

How to Train Your Dragon

Cressida Cowell’s enchanting book series How to Train Your Dragon first launched a fleet of high-flying animated movies and spinoff cartoon series. Now, writer/director Dean DeBlois, who’s been at the helm of these movies since the first outing in 2010, is back with a live-action re-imagining.

The Black Phone‘s Mason Thames will step into the shivering shoes of Hiccup, while The Last of Us‘ Nico Parker will play his crush, Viking girl Astrid. Gerard Butler is reprising his role as Hiccup’s hard-nosed dad, Stoick the Vast, while Nick Frost, Y2K‘s Julian Dennison, and The Fall of the House of Usher‘s Ruth Codd join the cast as Vikings.* — K.P.

Starring: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gerard Butler, and Ruth Codd

How to watch: How to Train Your Dragon opens in theaters June 13.

28 Years Later

First, there was 28 Days Later, then 28 Weeks Later. Now, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland are back with 28 Years Later, delivering a devastating new dose of dystopia on a zombie-laden (well, infected-persons-laden) planet.

The film’s first trailer reveals that human civilization has been chucked back to humbler times, from Teletubbies for leisure to archery for survival. The infected still run and terrorize. But other horrors abound in the ravaged new world, including strange masked figures, gunfire fights, and mountains of human skulls.* — K.P.

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, and Cillian Murphy

How to watch: 28 Years Later opens June 20.

Elio

Disney and Pixar are offering audiences a fresh vision of alien-human interaction this summer with Elio.

Named for its eponymous underdog, Elio centers on a young boy who is mistakenly identified as the head of Earth, and so is swept away to meet an extraterrestrial delegation eager to understand our planet and its inhabitants. (Good luck!)

Representing not just all humans but all life on Earth puts a lot of pressure on this charismatic kiddo. But on this journey, he’s sure to make strange (and silly) new friends, and find his inner strength. And hijinks. We comfortably predict spacey hijinks.* — K.P.

Starring: America Ferrera, Yonas Kibreab, Jameela Jamil, Zoe Saldaña, and Brad Garrett

How to watch: Elio opens in theaters June 20.

F1

Brad Pitt drives into the high-octane world of Formula One racing with F1. Starring opposite The Banshees of Inisherin‘s Kerry Condon and Being the Ricardos‘ Javier Bardem, Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a former pro driver who comes out of retirement to mentor a new prodigy on the scene (Damson Idris).

Reuniting Top Gun: Maverick’s director Joseph Kosinski and writer Ehren Kruger, F1 is sure to offer action, macho drama, and a hero who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “quit.”* — K.P.

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Shea Whigham

How to watch: F1 opens June 27.

M3GAN 2.0

Among Mashable’s most anticipated movies of 2025 is Blumhouse’s sequel to M3GAN. This killer doll took “slay” to a whole new level, delivering homicide alongside some wicked dance moves. And as soon as we saw that ending, the Mashable team began to wish for a sequel, be it a full-blown horror musical or a M3GAN versus M3GAN face-off. From the looks of the new trailer, some of our wishes are definitely coming true.

M3GAN’s director Gerard Johnstone and writer Akela Cooper are back for this enticing sequel, as are Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, and Jenna Davis, who provides the killer doll’s perfectly prim yet menacing voice. This time M3GAN’s human family has saddled her in a cute doll seemingly less capable of homicide — that is, until they need her to face off against a ripoff bot named Amelia. To stop this new android on a rampage, M3GAN needs an upgrade. And we can’t wait to see how this horror franchise levels up. — K.P.

Starring: Allison Williams, Jenna Davis, Violet McGraw, Timm Sharp, Aristotle Athari, and Jemaine Clement

How to watch: M3GAN 2.0 opens in theaters June 27.

Sorry, Baby

Is it too soon to call a movie one of the year’s very best? Because it’s hard to imagine any comedy will hit as hard and as uniquely as writer/director/leading lady Eva Victor’s debut feature Sorry, Baby.

The internet-famous comedian reinvents herself with a touching tale of a grad student named Agnes (Victor), who’s struggling to cope after a bad thing happens to her. What’s the bad thing? And how does it shape this challenging but charming movie? In my rave review out of Sundance 2025, I dig into all that. But what you need to know now is: “Bittersweet, brilliant, and heartwarmingly funny, Sorry, Baby is a movie that is sure to find an audience beyond Sundance. And not just because A24 is a master of marketing offbeat cinema, but because Victor has a voice that is strong, strange, and demands to be heard.” — K.P.

Starring: Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi, and Kelly McCormack

How to watch: Sorry, Baby opens in theaters June 27.

July

Jurassic World Rebirth

The Jurassic Park franchise roars on, this time with a new group of kids and grown-ups who should know better to mess with dinosaurs at their own peril.

Set five years after Jurassic World: Dominion, the seventh installment in the Jurassic Park film series will follow an expedition to a tropical region, where three mighty prehistoric beasts could hold the cure to some of humanity’s woes. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali lead a star-studded cast, but we’re most excited about the return of Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp (Presence, Kimi, Death Becomes Her) to the series. Teaming with The Creator helmer Gareth Edwards, this dynamic duo could make these movies watchable again!* — K.P.

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo

How to watch: Jurassic World Rebirth opens in theaters July 2.

The Old Guard 2

In 2020, director Gina Prince-Bythewood delivered epic action in the sly superhero movie The Old Guard. For the long-awaited sequel, Victoria Mahoney (Yelling to the Sky) takes the helm, joined by returning cast members like Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Here’s the synopsis for The Old Guard 2, courtesy of Netflix:

Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of immortal warriors are back, with a renewed sense of purpose in their mission to protect the world. With Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) still in exile after his betrayal, and Quynh (Veronica Ngô) out for revenge after escaping her underwater prison, Andy grapples with her newfound mortality as a mysterious threat emerges that could jeopardize everything she’s worked towards for thousands of years. Andy, Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) enlist the help of Tuah (Henry Golding), an old friend who may provide the key to unlocking the mystery behind immortal existence. Directed by Victoria Mahoney, and also starring Uma Thurman, The Old Guard 2 is an emotional, adrenaline-pumping sequel, based on the world created by Greg Rucka and illustrator Leandro Fernandez.

— K.P.

Starring: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Veronica Ngô, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Uma Thurman, and Henry Golding

How to watch: The Old Guard 2 premieres on Netflix on July 2.

Superman

James Gunn relaunches the Man of Steel with Superman.

David Corenswet stars as the titular superhero, who struggles to find a balance between his derring-do and the far more average life of his alter ego, reporter Clark Kent. Thankfully, he has some friends on his side, like Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), his caped dog Krypto, and some Super Friends teased in the trailer above.

Brace yourself for action galore and a renewed debate about superhero fatigue. — K.P.

Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, and Nicholas Hoult

How to watch: Superman opens in theaters July 11.

Eddington

Most of us want to forget the horrors of 2020, but not Ari Aster! The Hereditary and Midsommar director revisits that dreaded year in his fourth feature, Eddington, which boasts an all-star cast including Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, and Austin Butler.

Phoenix and Pascal play the sheriff and mayor of the small town of Eddington, New Mexico. According to Eddington‘s official summary from A24, the pair face off in an explosive standoff in May of 2020. Plot details are otherwise pretty scarce, but the film’s first trailer nails the vibe of a 2020 doomscroll, so mark us down as scared and intrigued. — B.E.

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Luke Grimes, Austin Butler, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Clifton Collins Jr., William Belleau, Cameron Mann, Matt Gomez Hidaka, and Amélie Hoeferle

How to watch: Eddington opens in theaters July 18.

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Meditation has never been so menacing. In the first trailer for I Know What You Did Last Summer, a chic and clearly wealthy couple enjoys a quiet night in, complete with wine, a blood-colored bath bomb, a meditation track, and a homicidal home invasion. The hook-wielding killer from the 1997 hit is back, tormenting fresh meat — and by that we mean a new batch of pretty young friends with a dark secret to hide.

But before you think this is a reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer, clock the cast. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt, stars from the original movie, are back. Just like that, this sequel taps into our love of ’90s nostalgia and slasher horror. What more could you want, aside from a bucket of popcorn? — K.P.

Starring: Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, Austin Nichols, Lola Tung, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Jennifer Love Hewitt

How to watch: I Know What You Did Last Summer opens in theaters July 18.

Smurfs

Rihanna headlines the latest Smurfs movie, lending her Grammy–winning voice to Smurfette. But this new adventure is full of familiar voices.

When a strange portal pitches the Smurfs out of the cozy safety of their forests and into Paris, France, they must make new friends — including Papa Smurf’s surly brother (Nick Offerman) — in order to find their way home and their lost papa (John Goodman). And that’s not all. This time around, it’s not just the scowling Gargamel (JP Karliak) they’ll need to combat, but also the nefarious plans of his brother Razamel (also Karliak).

If you’re looking for family outings to cinemas this summer, you’ll want to mark your calendar for Smurfs. — K.P.

Starring: Rihanna, Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, JP Karliak, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Nick Kroll, James Corden, Octavia Spencer, Hannah Waddingham, Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Kurt Russell, and John Goodman

How to watch: Smurfs opens in theaters July 18.

Happy Gilmore 2

It’s been nearly 30 years since Adam Sandler first had audiences in fits of laughter over his golf comedy Happy Gilmore. Now he’s back, reprising the eponymous role for another round.

After having walked away from golf, Happy is an underdog as he looks to get back in the game. Along the way to the final hole, he’ll have to face old friends and enemies (Shooter McGavin!) and reconnect to his happy place. From the looks of the first teaser, it’ll be a heartwarming romp — with a bit of old man nipple play just for kicks. — K.P.

Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Dennis Dugan, Christopher McDonald, and Ben Stiller

How to watch: Happy Gilmore 2 premieres on Netflix July 25.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Pedro Pascal headlines a reboot of The Fantastic Four, joined by Stranger Things‘ Joseph Quinn, The Bear‘s Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and The Crown‘s Vanessa Kirby. And while the film’s first trailer paints a charmingly ’60s vibe of family bliss, this clan will be forced to face off against a cosmic god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his flashy henchperson, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).

Directed by Matt Shakman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps brings a new flavor to the MCU, offering a throwback look for a sincere sweetness. Could this bring rousing new life into the stories of Johnny “The Human Torch” Storm (Quinn), Ben “The Thing” Grimm (Moss-Bachrach), Reed “Mr. Fantastic” Richards (Pascal), and Sue “The Invisible Woman” Storm (Kirby)? And with Robert Downey Jr. coming back to the MCU — not as Tony Stark but as Fantastic Four foe Doctor Doom — might we anticipate he’ll pop up here? We can’t wait to find out. — K.P.

Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn

How to watch: The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters July 25.

August

The Naked Gun

It’s time for action movies to get deeply, blissfully stupid again.

The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, co-writer/co-director of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping has resurrected the Naked Gun franchise, made famous by brilliantly doofy comic actor Leslie Nielsen. But 2025’s The Naked Gun isn’t a reboot of the Police Squad movie spinoffs. It’s a sequel, starring the one and only Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Nielsen’s now dearly departed character.

From the look of the first teaser, Neeson knows just what this funny action franchise demands, gladly mugging for the camera, killing with candy, then flashing some man panties. That bank robbery sequence had us sold, and the O.J. Simpson joke at the end? We’re seated. — K.P.

Starring: Liam Neeson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston, and Cody Rhodes

How to watch: The Naked Gun opens in theaters Aug. 1.

Together

In 2020, Dave Franco proved he could helm nerve-shredding horror with the vacation house thriller The Rental. Now, he reteams with his leading lady (and wife) Alison Brie for a body horror movie that earned major buzz out of its debut at Sundance 2025.

Written and directed by Michael Shanks, Together stars Franco and Brie as a couple that’s absolutely elated to move to the countryside, where life should be quieter, simpler, and easier. But even the teaser for Together suggests their new home is anything but. Considering the scares Franco and Brie delivered with The Rental and the hype out of Sundance, Together is a must-see for any horror fan. — K.P.

Starring: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, and Damon Herriman

How to watch: Together opens in theaters Aug. 1.

Sketch

What if Inside Out and Jurassic Park had a low-budget baby? Well, then you’d have Sketch, a monster movie that’s equal parts charming, touching, and deeply bonkers.

The feature directorial debut of Seth Worley, Sketch centers on 11-year-old Amber (Bianca Belle), who is coping with the death of her mother by scribbling creatures in a notebook. But when a bit of magic brings her imaginary monsters to life, they begin to bring some very real havoc to a cozy small town. Crisply comedic co-stars Tony Hale and D’Arcy Carden lend terrific support, playing the girl’s loving dad and no-nonsense aunt.

In Mashable’s review out of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, I cheered, “Sketch is a fantastically fun and heartwarming movie with a slathering of weird that makes it a real treat.” — K.P.

Starring: Tony Hale, D’Arcy Carden, Bianca Belle, and Kue Lawrence

How to watch: Sketch opens in theaters Aug. 6.

Weapons

It’s not often a spec script gets Hollywood so excited it sparks a multi-million-dollar bidding war, but when that script is for Barbarian writer/director Zach Cregger’s latest horror film, it starts to make more sense. The picture grows even clearer when you watch the teaser for Weapons, which is both deeply creepy and reveals the movie’s core premise: A group of children from the same community all disappear at the same time on the same night, leaving their homes seemingly of their own free will and running off into the darkness. If this is anything like Barbarian, expect shocks and twists aplenty. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor

Starring: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan

How to watch: Weapons opens in theaters Aug. 8.

Freakier Friday

Get ready for a nostalgia bomb, because Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are switching bodies again. That’s right, 2003’s Freaky Friday has a sequel, aptly titled Freakier Friday. But this time, it’s not just mother-daughter pair Tess (Curtis) and Anna (Lohan) who are in on the switcheroo. Instead, we’re getting a four-way swap with Tess, Anna, Anna’s daughter Harper (Julia Butters), and Anna’s soon-to-be stepdaughter Lily (Sophia Hammons). Twice the swaps means twice the chaos — and hopefully twice the life lessons. — B.E.

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Rosalind Chao, Chad Michael Murray, Mark Harmon, Vanessa Bayer, Christina Vidal, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Lucille Soong

How to watch: Freakier Friday opens in theaters Aug. 8.

Nobody 2

In 2021, Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk became an action hero in Nobody, a dark comedy about a former assassin turned office worker who falls back into that violent life — whether he likes it or not. Well, one good turn (at the box office) deserves another, so Odenkirk is reprising his role as Hutch Mansell, former contract killer.

Much of the old gang is back, including Connie Nielsen as Hutch’s wife, Becca, and RZA as his brother, Harry. New to the team is The Shadow Strays director Timo Tjahjanto, who’s taken up the helm. Anticipate action that is jaw-dropping, if not downright jaw-breaking.* — K.P.

Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Christopher Lloyd, Sharon Stone, Colin Hanks, and John Ortiz

How to watch: Nobody 2 opens Aug. 15.

Honey Don’t!

From Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, the dynamic duo that brought us Drive-Away Dolls, comes Honey Don’t!, a crackling crime comedy about a small town detective on a curious case involving a mysterious church. The Substance star Margaret Qualley headlines as private eye Honey O’Donahue.

Ahead of the movies premiere within the Cannes Film Festival’s Midnight section, details are slim on this one. But Drive-Away Dolls was such a wild ride that we’ll follow Coen and Cooke anywhere. Plus, look at this cast! — K.P.

Starring: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Charlie Day, Billy Eichner, and Chris Evans 

How to watch: Honey Don’t opens in theaters Aug. 22.

Lurker

The early buzz on Lurker is great, with the indie boasting a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score out of its film festival run. So what’s it’s deal?

Written and directed by Alex Russell (Beef, The Bear), Lurker is a Los Angeles-set psychological thriller following a lonely retail clerk (Théodore Pellerin) who creeps his way into the entourage of a rising pop star (Saltburn’s Archie Madekwe). Celebrity culture and parasocial relationships get a chilling exploration in this film, coming from The Substance‘s distributors MUBI. — K.P.

Starring: Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Sunny Suljic, Havana Rose Liu, Zack Fox, and Daniel Zolghadri

How to watch: Lurker opens in theaters Aug. 22.

The Thursday Murder Club

Do you like your crime cozy and your stars aged like a fine wine? Then you’ll love Netflix’s upcoming comedy thriller.

Based on the first novel in Richard Osman’s popular book series, The Thursday Murder Club centers on a motley crew of pensioners whose shared hobby is solving murder cases. And each of them has a particular set of skills that make them a crucial member of this crime-fighting crew. Joyce (Celia Imrie) was a nurse. Ron (Pierce Brosnan) was a union leader. Elizabeth (Helen Mirren) was a spy, and Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley) is a semi-retired psychiatrist. Their age and charming demeanor might have them underestimated by the criminals, but one clever young cop (Naomi Ackie) is quick to realize this club is deadly sharp!

If the movie is half as fun and heartwarming as Osman’s books, The Thursday Murder Club will be a must-see. — K.P.

Starring: Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Paul Freeman, and Richard E. Grant

How to watch: The Thursday Murder Club premieres on Netflix on Aug. 28.

The Toxic Avenger

Almost two years after its world premiere at 2023’s Fantastic Fest, The Toxic Avenger finally gets to see the light of day. So strap in for what is sure to be the goriest, gloppiest superhero movie of the year.

A remake of Troma Entertainment’s 1984 cult classic of the same name, The Toxic Avenger introduces down-on-his-luck janitor Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage), who finds himself with super strength (and an unfortunate toxic makeover) following a chemical accident. Said accident leads Winston on a bloody rampage for justice and vengeance against the evil bigwigs running his town, played to exquisite evil perfection by the likes of Kevin Bacon and Elijah Wood. What follows is a madcap antidote to superhero fatigue, even if The Toxic Avenger still plays it safer than its predecessor.

As I wrote in my review out of Fantastic Fest, “Once The Toxic Avenger truly gets the ball rolling, you’re in for the kind of sheer, stupid insanity you won’t find in other major superhero IP. Let the blood and guts rain down — here, there’s no such thing as overkill.” — B.E.

Starring: Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon, Elijah Wood, Taylour Paige, Jacob Tremblay, and Jane Levy

How to watch: The Toxic Avenger opens in theaters Aug. 29.

The Roses

Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch fall in love and then face off in The Roses, a dark comedy based on Warren Adler’s 1981 novel The War of the Roses. (Yep, the same novel that was the basis for Danny DeVito’s 1989 black comedy The War of the Roses, starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas!)

When their marriage bloomed, Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch) built a beautiful home together, where they raised their children. But as the years go by, the thorns begin to rise alongside resentments. And wacky neighbors (Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg) have added little comfort.

While the previous adaptation is still wickedly entertaining, we’re stoked to see what two-time Academy Award–nominated screenwriter Tony McNamara (Poor Things, The Favourite) will bring to Adler’s tale. Plus, helmed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me), The Roses seems primed to be a laugh riot. —K.P.

Starring: Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andy Samberg, and Kate McKinnon

How to watch: The Roses opens in theaters Aug. 29.