Ethan Hunt's last mission? A new Superman? Happy Gilmore as a dad? Three genre-spanning Pedro Pascal movies, including a romance, a superhero movie and an A24 Ari Aster thriller? Hollywood is pulling out the stops this summer movie season.
July is supercharged with "Jurassic World Rebirth,” "Superman” and "Fantastic Four: The First Steps.” And August closes out the season with comedies, big ("The Naked Gun”) and dark ("The Roses”), horror ("Weapons”) and a lighthearted body-swap ("Freakier Friday”).
Here's The Associated Press' (AP) guide to help make sense of the many, many options in theaters and at home.
"Another Simple Favor” (Prime Video, streaming): Chill those martini glasses, Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick reunite with their "A Simple Favor” director Paul Feig for this Italy-set sequel.
"Thunderbolts” (Disney, theaters): Marvel’s antiheroes Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Red Guardian (David Harbour) kicked off the summer movie season in superhero style. "It’s a group of misfit toys that have been essentially thrown away at the beginning of the movie and have to figure out if they can work together to get themselves out of that mess,” director Jake Schreier told the AP.
"Pavements” (Utopia, theaters): Alex Ross Perry takes an experimental approach to the traditional music biopic in his portrait of the indie rock group Pavement that’s better experienced than described.
"Rust” (Falling Forward Films, theaters and VOD): The Alec Baldwin Western "Rust” is actually coming out after years in limbo and litigation. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on set in October 2021 and director Joel Souza was wounded during a rehearsal. Souza said at the film’s premiere at a festival in Poland in November that it was Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, who wanted the film to be finished.
"The Surfer” (Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions, theaters): Tensions are high on a "locals-only beach” when Nicolas Cage and his son return to try to catch some waves.
"Magic Farm” (MUBI, theaters): Amalia Ulman directs this absurdist comedy about a documentary crew who ends up in the wrong town, starring Chloë Sevigny, Alex Wolff and Simon Rex.
"Vulcanizadora” (Oscilloscope, theaters): A black comedy following friends on a dark mission deep in the woods of Michigan.
"Friendship” (A24, theaters): Paul Rudd and "I Think You Should Leave” comedian Tim Robinson star in this absurd, comedic film about male camaraderie.
"Shadow Force” (Lionsgate, theaters): Kerry Washington and Omar Sy star in this Joe Carnahan-directed action thriller about a couple of ex-assassins running from their old boss (and trying to protect their young son).
"Nonnas” (Netflix, streaming): Vince Vaughn stars in this Stephen Chbosky-movie based on a true story of a Brooklyn guy who hires Italian grandmothers to be the chefs at a restaurant after the loss of his own mother. Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire and Linda Cardellini also star.
"Fight or Flight” (Vertical, theaters): Josh Hartnett, sporting bleached blonde hair, is a mercenary on a flight full of assassins in this bloody action-comedy at 30,000 feet.
"Caught by the Tides” (Janus Films): Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke takes footage spanning 22 years to tell a story of love and longing that had Cannes critics raving last year. Zhao Tao stars.
"Juliet & Romeo” (Briarcliff Entertainment, theaters): Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers get the (pop) music treatment in this colorful take starring Clara Rugaard and Jamie Ward.
"Clown in a Cornfield” (RLJ Entertainment): This slasher from director Eli Craig ("Tucker & Dale vs. Evil”) features a killer named Frendo.
"Lilly” (Blue Harbor Entertainment, theaters): Patricia Clarkson plays equal pay activist Lilly Ledbetter in this biographical drama.
"Final Destination: Bloodlines” (Warner Bros., theaters): It’s been 25 years since the "Final Destination” franchise kicked off and they’re still finding new horrifying ways to kill off their characters.
"Hurry Up Tomorrow” (Lionsgate, theaters): The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) plays a fictionalized version of himself in this psychological thriller about an insomniac musician from Trey Edward Shults, co-starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
"Sister Midnight” (Magnet Releasing, theaters): This black comedy about an unhappy arranged marriage and a series of chaotic events was a Cannes selection in 2024.
"The Ruse” (Seismic Releasing, theaters): This thriller centers on a caregiver and the mysterious patient she’s caring for in a remote home on the sea.
"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning” (Paramount, theaters): Nothing ever really ends in the land of franchise filmmaking, but the "final” in the title suggests this could actually be Tom Cruise’s last ride as Ethan Hunt. Even if it isn’t, audiences can trust it’ll be full of death-defying spectacles worthy of the big screen.
"Fountain of Youth” (Apple TV , streaming): Natalie Portman and John Krasinski play siblings on a dangerous quest for the fountain of youth in this globe-trotting adventure from Guy Ritchie.
"Pee-Wee As Himself” (Max, streaming): This riveting two-part documentary about the life of Paul Reubens was crafted from some 40 hours of interviews and thousands of hours of archival footage.
"Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” (Sony Pictures Classics, theaters): A Parisian bookseller gets invited to the Jane Austen writers’ residency in this contemporary Austen-inspired romantic comedy written and directed by Laura Piani.
"Fear Street: Prom Queen” (Netflix, streaming): Prom queen candidates begin to vanish in this latest "Fear Street” installment, set in 1988.
"The Last Rodeo” (Angel Studios, theaters): Neal McDonough plays a retired cowboy who decides to return to the ring in a bid to pay his son’s medical bills.
"Karate Kid: Legends” (Sony Pictures, theaters): Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio unite for the newest "Karate Kid” film, set three years after "Cobra Kai” and focusing on a new kid, Li, played by Ben Wang. "It kind of harkens back to the previous entries in the franchise,” Wang said. "It’s a kid who is a fish out of water who comes to a new city and has to face down bullies.”
"Bring Her Back” (A24, theaters): "Talk to Me” filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou return with this creepy new movie about death, resurrection and the arrival of an adopted kid who is not quite right. Sally Hawkins plays the mother.
"Ghost Trail” (Music Box Films, theaters): Jonathan Millet directed this revenge thriller about a Syrian man in France who is in pursuit of the man who tortured him at an infamous military prison.
"Tornado” (IFC Films, theaters): Kōki, Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira and Tim Roth star in this revenge thriller set in 1790s Britain.
"Ballerina,” (Lionsgate, theaters): Ana de Armas leads this "John Wick” spinoff about a deadly (and classically trained) assassin.
"The Ritual” (XYZ Films, theaters): Al Pacino and Dan Stevens as men of the church performing exorcisms? Sure, why not.
"Dangerous Animals” (IFC Films, theaters): Jai Courtney plays a serial killer who feeds his victims to sharks in this bonkers-sounding movie.
"I Don’t Understand You” (Vertical, theaters): Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells are a couple vacationing in Italy in this dark comedy with an escalating body count.
"Straw” (Netflix, streaming): Taraji P. Henson leads this Tyler Perry drama about a single mother.
"Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye” (GKIDS, theaters): More adventures of Momo and Okarun in this series based on the popular manga by Yukinobu Tatsu.
"Deep Cover” (Prime Video, streaming): Bryce Dallas Howard plays an improv comedy teacher recruited by an undercover cop (Sean Bean) for a mission for which she enlists two of her students (Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed).
"Echo Valley” (AppleTV , streaming): Claire (Sydney Sweeney) shows up on her mother’s (Julianne Moore) doorstep covered in someone else’s blood in this thriller from Brad Ingelsby.
"The Unholy Trinity” (Roadside Attractions, theaters): Pierce Brosnan and Samuel L. Jackson lead this Western, set in 1870s Montana.
"Prime Minister” (Magnolia, theaters): This documentary follows Jacinda Ardern through her tenure as prime minister of New Zealand.
"Sally” (NatGeo/Disney , streaming): Blue Origin who? Sally Ride, the first American woman to go to space, is the focus of this new documentary that chronicles her professional accomplishments and her lesser-known personal life.
"28 Years Later” (Sony Pictures, theaters): The original team behind "28 Days Later,” including director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, return with a new entry featuring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes.
"Elio” (Disney/Pixar, theaters): This intergalactic adventure centers on an 11-year-old earthling (Yonas Kibreab) who is abducted by aliens and assumed to be a world leader. Oscar-winner Zoe Saldaña is part of the voice cast.
"Sovereign” (Briarcliff, theaters): Dennis Quaid, Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay lead this crime thriller about anti-government extremists and a police standoff.
" Bride Hard” (Magenta Light Studios, theaters): Rebel Wilson is a secret agent whose skills come in handy at her friend’s wedding when a hostage situation emerges in this Simon West-directed comedy.
"Everything’s Going to Be Great” (Lionsgate, theaters): Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney are lifelong actors in regional theater trying to raise their very different sons.
"Alma and the Wolf” (Republic Pictures, theaters): Ethan Embry and "Sinners” breakout Li Jun Li star in this psychological horror about a mysterious wolf attack and a police officer’s missing son.
"KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix, streaming): An animated action comedy about K-pop superstars who also hunt demons on the side.
"F1” (Warner Bros./Apple, theaters): Brad Pitt plays "the best that never was,” F1 driver Sonny Hayes, who's recruited to mentor a young up-and-comer (Damson Idris) in this high-octane film from "Top Gun: Maverick” filmmaker Joseph Kosinski. Real racing cars were used, driver Lewis Hamilton consulted and a new camera system was developed to give audiences an immersive experience. "It’s a story about a last-place team, a group of underdogs, and Sonny Hayes in his later years having one more chance to try to do something he was never able to do, which is win a race in F1,” Kosinski said.
"M3GAN 2.0” (Universal, theaters): The creepy, dancing doll is back - as is an even more dangerous version on a killing spree whom she has to stop. Any questions?
"Hot Milk” (IFC Films, theaters): Things heat up on the Spanish coast, where Sofia (Emma Mackey) and her mother (Fiona Shaw) have gone in hopes of helping her mysterious illness. There Sofia meets a beguiling stranger (Vicky Krieps). This Berlin selection is based on a novella by Deborah Levy.
"Jurassic World Rebirth” (Universal, theaters): Filmmaker Gareth Edwards (a "Jurassic Park” superfan and the director of "The Creator”) is ushering in a new era of "Jurassic” movies and harkening back to the Steven Spielberg originals in this film with Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey. Much about the film is being kept top secret, but Edwards said David Koepp's script read like a love letter to Spielberg's early work. "It's basically a mission story where these military types go to this island to get this DNA, then there’s a twist,” Edwards said. "This family ends up involved and it becomes a story of survival. It's like one giant roller coaster ride and once it gets going, it sort of doesn’t stop.”
"The Old Guard 2” (Netflix, streaming): Charlize Theron is back with her immortal team for a new mission. KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli also reprise their roles.
"40 Acres” (Magnolia, theaters): Danielle Deadwyler and Michael Greyeyes lead this post-apocalyptic thriller about a plague that has caused worldwide famine.
"Brick” (Netflix, streaming): In this German horror, a couple wakes up to find they're trapped in their apartment.
"Superman” (Warner Bros., theaters): James Gunn is ushering in a new era of Superman, with a fresh face in David Corenswet and the promise that he's a different Superman than what audiences have seen before. Gunn told the AP that this is "a Superman that’s both more grounded in his own personality and his relationship, which is much more complex than has been in the past. And then also the big magic world of Superman being in the world of the DCU with flying dogs and robots and giant monsters.” There's romance with Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, and a "pretty scary” Lex Luthor in Nicholas Hoult. "He's actually going to kill (Superman),” Gunn said. "And that's cool to see.”
"Tyler Perry's Destination Wedding” (Netflix, streaming): Madea goes to the Bahamas.
"Skillhouse” (Fathom, theaters): 50 Cent stars in this horror about influencers who are lured into a "content house” and forced to compete in deadly challenges.
"I Know What You Did Last Summer” (Sony Pictures, theaters): Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprise their roles from the 1997 slasher in this new installment featuring an eerily similar situation and a cast of pretty young up-and-comers including Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King and Tyriq Withers.
"Smurfs” (Paramount, theaters): Rihanna produced and stars as Smurfette in this new musical adventure. "There’s a purity to the Smurfs mythos,” said Nick Offerman, who voices Papa Smurf's brother Ken. "That, I think, is what makes their appeal so timeless. They’re a benevolent group of wee blue villagers who, you know, want to love one another and lead productive lives while fending off the world’s forces of evil, usually represented by the machinations of some wizards out for ill gotten gains.”
"Eddington” (A24, theaters): Ari Aster re-teams with Joaquin Phoenix for this film about a standoff between a small-town sheriff and a mayor in the early months of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler also star.
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Disney, theaters): Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach unite to play "Marvel's first family” in this retro-futuristic world set in 1960s New York. Director Matt Shakman ("WandaVision,” "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) said they are the only superheroes in their world and are the leading lights of their age. While the scale and world building were on another level, Shakman said, "it’s also no different from all of the great comedies and dramas that I’ve done - in the end, it comes down to character, to relationships and to heart and humor.”
"Happy Gilmore 2” (Netflix, streaming): Adam Sandler returns to the green (and one of his most beloved roles) after almost 30 years, along with Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), Hal (Ben Stiller), Virginia (Julie Bowen) and Doug (Dennis Dugan) and an army of newcomers, including some Gilmore offspring. "The first one is so iconic, we all kind of knew the world that we were stepping into,” said Conor Sherry, who plays one of his sons. "We were like the newest additions to a long, long, long family.”
