‘Superman,’ ‘Fantastic Four,’ ‘Jurassic World,’ and 45 More Films to Get Excited About

Even just after four months, 2025 has already been a pretty solid year at the movies. Films like A Minecraft Movie and Sinners have been huge box-office successes, and we’ve already seen new movies from Bong Joon Ho, David Cronenberg, Osgood Perkins, and two different Steven Soderbergh films. But 2025 is about to really go wild with this summer season. This summer is packed with highly-anticipated blockbusters like Superman, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, Thunderbolts*, How to Train Your Dragon, and many more, not to mention exciting smaller films like The Phoenician Scheme, The Life of Chuck, Materialists, and Eddington.

Basically every week this summer, there are several films to get excited about over the next few months. With that in mind, here are 48 movies coming out this summer that we’re looking forward to.

‘Another Simple Favor’

May 1

Seven years after A Simple Favor became a surprise hit, Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, and director Paul Feig reunite for the aptly-titled sequel, Another Simple Favor. This time around, Stephanie (Kendrick) and Emily (Lively) go to Capri for Emily’s wedding. But of course, that would be too easy for this series, as there are twists and murder afoot as well. The first film was a fun, stylish, and mysterious movie that had quite a bit of fun with its pulpy plot. It will also be great to see what Feig can do with this world, as this his first sequel, despite having made such iconic comedies like Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Spy. Another Simple Favor seems like more of what we loved about the original, and that’s exactly what this needs to be. — Ross Bonaime

‘Thunderbolts’

May 2

While Marvel seemed to have had a streak of box office bummers and bland TV series over the last few years, things are finally looking up for the MCU in 2025 with several new releases. Not least of which is Thunderbolts*, the newest team-up movie featuring the likes of Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Sebastian Stan, as well as Lewis Pullman in a not-so-mystery role as the aptly named Bob (His second character with that name, actually). A follow-up to a number of the MCU’s earlier projects, including Black Widow, Hawkeye, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, just to name a few, it’s not your usual team-up, bringing together the scrappy misfits of the cinematic universe to take on an as-yet-undiscovered foe.

With stars that have already proven themselves in the MCU — plus one who rose to fame in one of the biggest blockbusters of the last five years — Thunderbolts* seems like a near-perfect hit for Marvel. It’s filled to the brim with fan-favorites, and if The Avengers proved anything ten years ago, it’s that everyone loves watching mismatched characters come together to defeat a greater evil…even if that evil is just Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Maybe then we’ll find out what that asterisk is for. — Maggie Boccella

‘Friendship’

May 9

Friendship might very well be the funniest film to come out in 2025. Tim Robinson stars as Craig, a suburban dad who starts a friendship with his new neighbor, Austin (Paul Rudd). After a few good hangs though, Austin decides to break off the friendship, which understandably upsets Craig. If you’re a fan of both Robinson and Rudd, Friendship is a brilliant presentation of what makes these two so hilarious. Craig feels like he could’ve easily come out of an I Think You Should Leave sketch, while Austin almost seems like a cooler version of Brian Fantana from Anchorman. Put them both together in writer-director Andrew DeYoung‘s hilarious film and you have comedy gold. A24 quickly picked up Friendship after its premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and it definitely has all the makings of a new comedy classic. — Ross Bonaime

‘Final Destination Bloodlines’

May 16

Where the hell has Death been? For 14 years, the world has had to keep spinning without a new Final Destination installment. Beginning with a tragic flight to Paris in 2000, the five-movie series turned Death into an invisible slasher, gruesomely claiming the lives of those Death feels cheated by. Because of this series, horror fans can never look at tanning beds, log trucks, or gymnastics uneven bars the same again.

The upcoming sixth film, Final Destination: Bloodlines, promises to pull off a pretty major retcon of the franchise. In the 1960s, a woman prevented a mass accident, saving multiple lives. As it turns out, all of the people we’ve seen killed throughout the franchise are all relatives of those who were saved in this almost-tragedy. The focus of Bloodlines is the immediate family of the woman whose heroism kicked off a bloody chain reaction. The late great Tony Todd will return as the foreboding but wise William Bludworth, with Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein directing a script from Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor. — Emma Kiely

‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’

May 16

The Weeknd (the stage name of Abel Tesfaye) has already brought fictionalized variants of his musical persona into a number of projects, from playing a shady cultish record producer in The Idol to creating a haunted house inspired by his music and videos for Hollywood Horror Nights. In Hurry Up Tomorrow, based on and sharing a title with his sixth studio album, he plays a world-famous version of himself who can’t sleep. The musical insomniac meets a mysterious woman (Jenna Ortega) who provokes a surreal and dangerous journey that could save or destroy him.

Also starring Barry Keoghan, the reality-bending film will be directed by Trey Edward Shults, who wowed with the tense drama Waves and masterfully portrayed the paranoid dangers of apocalyptic isolation in It Comes At Night. The latter showcased Shults’ magnificent eye for horror-thriller visuals and ability to work with a talented cast for great tension. With his vision, The Weeknd’s charisma, and Ortega and Keoghan’s mastery of multifaceted characters in dangerous situations, it’s sure to be an unforgettable cinematic ride. — Jeff Ewing

‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’

May 23

The literary world of R.L. Stine has seen quite the resurgence in the last few years, with movies and series adapting his works for new audiences, while still trying to appeal to the 30-somethings who grew up with him. Netflix’s Fear Street Parts One to Three hit the ground running, releasing back to back and delivering some solid slashers that paid homage to the greats like Friday the 13th and Scream. While writer/director Leigh Janiak captained the trilogy, continuing her penchant for horror and teen screams, the Fear Street franchise has gone in a new direction, despite Janiak’s plans to expand on it.

After four years, a new Fear Street, based on Stine’s book The Prom Queen, is just around the corner. The slasher trend has certainly not slowed down in the years since the trilogy was released, and as the world grows darker, the need for nostalgic entertainment is more profound than ever. Fear Street: Prom Queen is sure to deliver a slasher in the vein of ‘70s and ‘80s classics like Carrie and, of course, the Prom Night movies. Now in the hands of up-and-comer Matt Palmer, here’s hoping that he can infuse the material with the same heart and conscience that Janiak did. — Luna Guthrie

‘Fountain of Youth’

May 23

Guy Ritchie has been absurdly busy in recent years, as in the last two years, he’s put out three movies: Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre, The Convenant, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Ritchie has often thrived with impressive ensembles, but his latest film, Fountain of Youth, might be his best team yet. John Krasinski and Natalie Portman play an estranged brother and sister who lead a team to try and find the Fountain of Youth. The cast also includes Eiza González, Domhnall Glesson, Carmen Ejogo, and Stanley Tucci, with a script by James Vanderbilt, who wrote Zodiac and White House Down. Apple TV+ has plenty of big blockbusters coming out this summer, but it’s going to be interesting to see Ritchie take on a crowd-pleasing adventure at this level. — Ross Bonaime

‘Lilo & Stitch’

May 23

Lilo & Stitch is one of Disney’s most compelling original stories because it tackles a feeling we can all understand: finding one’s place. The original animated film centers on a troubled little girl and an alien gone rogue who must learn to become a family. What makes the film so unique is that it doesn’t shy away from Lilo or Stitch’s rebellious nature (something often glossed over in kid’s films), but instead does a terrific job in showing why both of them are so troubled, and gives them the character arcs that push them to be better. Like most of Disney’s classics, we’re getting a live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, which hopes to recapture the spirit of the original.

Maia Kealoha takes on the role of the adorable yet stubborn Lilo while Chris Sanders returns as the chaotic alien experiment 626 (Stitch). A strong cast and a little blue alien that doesn’t look like nightmare fuel mean that this film is off to a terrific start. It will be challenging for the film to replicate the original’s charm outright, but as long as it conveys the meaning of Ohana and delivers some great laughs, it will serve as yet another solid family film. — Mike Thomas

‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’

May 23

Your mission, should you choose to accept it this summer, will be to watch Cruise’s Ethan Hunt deal with the fallout of Dead Reckoning, which included attempting to destroy the omnipotent and dangerous A.I. system known as the Entity, facing off against his former (and current) foe, Gabriel (Esai Morales), and reckoning with the devastating loss of Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). While the plot of Final Reckoning is being kept under tight wraps, it has been revealed that Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Hayley Atwell will reprise their roles as Benji, Luther, and Grace, respectively. Additionally, Mark Gatiss, Charles Parnell, and Rolf Saxon will return alongside newcomers Nick Offerman, Holt McCallany, Hannah Waddingham, and Katy O’Brian.

Previously titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the highly anticipated follow-up to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and the eighth film in the Tom Cruise-led Mission: Impossible franchise. With Cruise’s star power and the guaranteed high-octane action sequences on the horizon, it’s easy to see why Final Reckoning is one of Collider’s most anticipated films of 2025. — Maggie Lovitt

‘Bring Her Back’

May 30

In 2023, Australian YouTubers-turned-directors Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou released one of the scariest, most devastating, and original horror movies of the past 20 years with Talk to Me. Immediately after the film got a wide release (following months of awards circuit acclaim), audiences wanted to know what the twin filmmakers were going to do next. While a Talk to Me sequel is in the works, the Phillippous’ sophomore feature is Bring Her Back.

Starring Sally Hawkins, the trailer promises a horror experience just as gutwrenching, thematic, and bloody as Talk to Me. When two siblings lose their mother, they’re taken in by Hawkins’ Laura, and they meet Oliver, who also lives with Laura, and presents some unsettling behaviour. Just like in Talk to Me, Bring Her Back looks set to combine the trauma and suffering of grief with supernatural horror, as its title also relates to the gap between the living and the dead, and how, when one crosses that gap, an unruly nightmare can unfold. The Philippou brothers are the It boys of modern horror after just one movie, so to say the expectations for Bring Her Back are high would be a major understatement. — Emma Kiely

‘Karate Kid: Legends’

May 30

The Karate Kid has become one of the most beloved franchises with a surprisingly solid amount of legacy sequels under its black belt. In 1984, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) won the All Valley title with the most iconic kick in movie history. The lessons that Daniel learned from his karate master, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) are incredibly similar to what Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han shared with Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) in 2010’s (kung fu-inspired) remake of the film. Now the student becomes the master as Daniel and Mr. Han join forces to teach the next newest karate kid, Li Fong (Ben Wang).

Karate Kid: Legends is the fifth film in the franchise (sixth title if you include Cobra Kai), so it might be a challenge to find something new to add to the series, but that’s a task director Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F***ing World) is embracing. Li is a young man trying to find his place, and the idea of balance is a core part of Mr. Miyagi’s teachings. Daniel and Mr. Han must teach Li these two different forms of martial arts, while also helping him find peace within himself. It’s a coming-of-age story with a ton of kicks and way more heart; what more can you want? — Mike Thomas

‘The Phoenician Scheme’

May 30

A new Wes Anderson film is always cause for celebration, and after a 2023 that gave us Asteroid City and four Roald Dahl shorts, Anderson is back in 2025 with The Phoenician Scheme. Anderson’s latest is a story of espionage centered around a father-daughter relationship within the family business. As with pretty much every Anderson film, The Phoenician Scheme is simply jam-packed with actors, including Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rupert Friend, Willem Dafoe, Bryan Cranston, and of course, Bill Murray. Asteroid City was certainly proof that Anderson could take a gargantuan cast and make them all fit into a hilarious, often moving story, and we can’t wait to see if he does the same with his latest. — Ross Bonaime

‘Mountainhead’

May 31

After the conclusion of Succession, many have wondered what the show’s creator, Jesse Armstrong, would do next. I mean, how do you follow up one of the best shows of the 21st century? With Mountainhead, Armstrong once again takes on the wealthy, as a group of rich friends (played by Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef) get together during an ongoing financial crisis. It feels like ripe material for Armstrong, as he’s always been great at making fun of people in power (he also received an Oscar nomination for the hilarious political satire In the Loop), and the last film he wrote, 2020’s Downhill, a remake of Force Majeure, also had a group dealing with their issues at the top of a mountain. Armstrong writng and directing a bunch of rich douchebags in a house together sounds like a recipe for success. — Ross Bonaime

‘From the World of John Wick: Ballerina’

June 6

John Wick will go down as one of the best action franchises ever put to screen. Director Chad Stahelski gave each film its own style, and Keanu Reeves’ stoic and deadly assassin constantly left us in awe. The action sequences showed that even a book is just as lethal as a gun in the right hands. Looking at the first spinoff film in the series, I can only help but wonder if the franchise, like the aforementioned gun, is in the right hands.

The baton has been passed as Stahelski and Reeves take a step back, with director Len Wiseman (Underworld) and Ana de Armas (No Time to Die) taking the lead. Set during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Ballerina follows Eve Macarro (de Armas) as she begins her journey into becoming an assassin. This film opens up a new side of the John Wick world and fleshes out the mythos by introducing us to new and old faces. Eve is not set to become a “female John Wick”; instead, the story will focus on her character, which is independent of John. While only time will tell if Ballerina will match the heights of its processor, the trailer showcased that it’s, at the very least, set to be one of the most entertaining action films of the summer thanks to its incredible stunt work set pieces. — Mike Thomas

‘The Life of Chuck’

June 6

You wouldn’t think that a film written and directed by Mike Flanagan, based on a short story by Stephen King, would be one of the loveliest, powerful films of the summer, but The Life of Chuck is an immensely beautiful look at a life lived and the moments and people who comprise all of us. The Life of Chuck takes place in three parts, each one giving us a deeper look at the life of Chuck (played as an adult by Tom Hiddleston). Without spoiling where this story goes, Flanagan has crafted a staggering look at the lives we lead and what makes us who we are, connecting who we are from our youth to our final days. This fantastic cast also includes Jacob Tremblay as young Chuck, Chiwetel Ejifor, Karen Gillan, Matthew Lillard, Carl Lumbly, Nick Offerman, and Mark Hamill, amongst others. The Life of Chuck won the People’s Choice Awards at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and the last twelve winners of that award have ended up earning a Best Picture nomination, so it’s entirely possible we will be talking about Flanagan’s masterwork come award season. — Ross Bonaime

‘Predator: Killer of Killers’

June 6

The Predator franchise is Dan Trachtenberg’s oyster. Ever since he swung for the fences with Prey, there is a new level of possibilities for the world of Predator. As we wait for the new live-action movie, Predator: Badlands, fans are getting even more Predator with the surprise animated anthology movie, Predator: Killer of Killers, coming exclusively to Hulu.

Fans loved seeing the Predator face off against Naru (Amber Midthunder) in a pre-colonial time period. Killer of Killers takes that aspect of Prey and dares to ask: what if the Predator faced off against a samurai, a World War II fighter pilot, and Vikings? Each of these challengers represent different eras, technology, and fighting styles to explore. Thanks to the medium of animation, the universe is the limit of what is possible through these encounters; given its R-rating, the action is expected to be as brutal as the live-action Predator movies. However, more than that, it’s Trachtenberg’s attention to character-driven narrative that we should anticipate each story to bring something meaningful to the Predator world while equally being badass. – Meredith Loftus

‘The Ritual’

June 6

What would the first half of the year be without an exorcism movie? And hey, this year, it doesn’t even star Russell Crowe! With The Ritual, Al Pacino stars as Father Theophilus Riesinger, who is dealing with a crisis of faith, and Father Joseph Steiger (Dan Stevens), who is struggling with his past, who put aside their personal differences to attempt an exorcism on a supposedly possessed woman (Abigail Cowen). Pacino and Stevens sounds like a fun combination, and who doesn’t want to see Pacino go all-in as an exorcist priest? — Ross Bonaime

‘Echo Valley’

June 13

While we don’t know much about Echo Valley yet, it certainly has an interest concept and a fantastic cast and crew behind it. Julianne Moore stars as Kate, a mother whose life is shaken when her daughter (Sydney Sweeney) returns home, covered in someone else’s blood. Kate has to figure out what happened and discover what she’ll do to protect her child. In addition to Moore and Sweeney, Echo Valley also stars Domhnall Gleeson, Kyle MacLachlan, and Fiona Shaw. But maybe most interesting is that Echo Valley is written by Brad Ingelsby, creator of Mare of Easttown, and director Michael Pearce, who last directed the Riz Ahmed-starring thriller, Encounter. Coming to Apple TV+ in June, Echo Valley could be a fascinating surprise in this summer’s streaming offerings. — Ross Bonaime

‘How to Train Your Dragon’

June 13

Fifteen years after DreamWorks’ impressive animated feature How to Train Your Dragon soared into theaters, the epic adventure is returning this summer in live-action. In a move that surprised fans of the original trilogy and the three-series spin-off, the announcement that Dean DeBlois would be returning to helm the project came as a complete surprise. With most animation-to-live-action films, the creative teams are entirely different, which has lent itself to varying degrees of success. DeBlois co-wrote and co-directed the first installment in the franchise, before returning to helm the rest of the trilogy, and his return to the franchise has left fans with a lot of hope that the live-action remake may just be one of the better ones.

How to Train Your Dragon will see Gerard Butler reprise his role as Stoick the Vast, opposite franchise newcomer Mason Thames who stars as his overlooked son, Hiccup. Like the original film, the remake is set on the fantastical and rugged Isle of Berk, where dragons and Vikings have been rivals for generations. Hiccup defies tradition by befriending his dragon Toothless, rather than engaging in age-old dragon-fighting training, and in doing so, he challenges—and changes—the very foundations of Viking society. Along the way he befriends (and falls in love with) Astrid Hofferson (Nico Parker), a fellow dragon-fighting student, who is along for the ride in discovering that everything they know about dragons has been wrong. If the animated feature is any indication, How to Train Your Dragon is sure to be one of the best family-friendly films of 2025. — Maggie Lovitt

‘Materialists’

June 13

Past Lives from writer-director Celine Song, was our best film of 2023, a tremendous debut centered on an incredible trifecta of performances. So, naturally, Song’s follow-up had to make out list of most anticipated films for 2025. In Materialists, a matchmaker gets involved with a wealthy man, but struggles to shake her feelings for a broke actor and waiter from her past, a trio played by Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal. While we don’t know much else about Song’s latest, we can’t wait to see what Song does next, and with a cast like this, Materialists could easily be one of the best films of 2025. — Ross Bonaime

’28 Years Later’

June 20

The trailer for the third installment of the 28 Days Later franchise is the second most-watched horror trailer of all time! That’s most certainly partly due to the fact that we all got gaslit into thinking that Cillian Murphy is playing an emaciated zombie in the film, but it’s also a reflection of how excited people are for Danny Boyle’s forthcoming zombie flick, 28 Years Later. It’s unknown what part Murphy will have in the movie, as the trailer focuses on the characters played by actors new to the franchise. Aaron Taylor-Johnson will play Jamie, who looks to be our classic action hero trying to survive the decades-spanning zombie outbreak and protect a young child, as well as a very buff Ralph Fiennes. Joining them is Jodie Comer, who has the enviable task of giving birth to a child within the hysteria, and Jack O’Connell. The film arrives not quite 28 but 23 years after Boyle’s seminal film, and 18 years after the sequel, 28 Weeks Later. The trailer promises the same hopeless, gritty zombie action the first did to exceptional success, emphasized by the chilling narration of a poem that has an even bleaker meaning than you can imagine. Boyle brings the Romero brand of zombie back to the bleak realism of desolate Britain, and, hopefully, it’ll be as effective as the original. — Emma Kiely

‘Elio’

June 20

Original projects have had a rough go at Pixar for the last few years, as the studio seemingly wants to shift towards more sequels in the future. Their last original project, Elemental, had a slow start in theaters, and films like Turning Red, Luca, and Soul had the misfortune of being released during the COVID pandemic. But hopefully their latest film, Elio, will turn that around for Pixar. Yonas Kibreab voices Elio Solis, an eleven-year-old boy who is obsessed with space, then gets beamed up and is mistaken for Earth’s leader. The film also features the voice talents of Zoe Saldaña, Brad Garrett, Jameela Jamil, and Shirley Henderson. But also exciting is that Elio is directed by a great team of Pixar greats, including Madeline Sharafian (story artist for Coco and Turning Red), Adrian Molina (co-director and co-writer of Coco), and Domee Shi (director and co-writer of Turning Red). As Pixar leans more into sequels in the future, it’ll be great to see another original project coming out of Pixar again. — Ross Bonaime

‘F1’

June 27

In 2022, director Joseph Kosinski made Top Gun: Maverick, a film in which the title character is tasked with helping a group of young recruits become as good as he is. The result was one of the most critically and commercially successful films of the year, and a reminder that people really like watching A-list stars in exciting action films. With his latest film, F1, Kosinski seems ready to stick with this formula, as the film stars Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) a former racing legend, who is brought out of retirement to help a Formula 1 racing team. In particular, Sonny is asked to mentor a young rookie, Joshua Pearce (Snowfall’s Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix Team. F1 also includes a cast that features Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem, and Shea Whigham, as well as all ten Formula One teams and drivers. Top Gun: Maverick was a massive success for Kosinski, and with F1, we’ll see if lightning can strike twice for his action films. — Ross Bonaime

‘M3GAN 2.0’

June 27

In late 2021, a trailer showing a murderous dancing lifesize doll was unleashed on the world, and we were never the same. The marketing campaign and lead-up to Blumhouse’s M3GAN was, admittedly, a bit more fun than the movie itself. The story of Alison WIlliams’ robot creator who must take in her niece after a great tragedy, only to be then tormented by a life-size robot doll who goes on a killing spree, wasn’t as fun as it should’ve been. But, as we know, studios will make that sequel if it keeps the money flowing, and of course, we’re getting M3GAN 2.0. The cast from the first film all return, as well as director Geraldine Johnstone. Originally slated for a January release like its predecessor, it’s been moved back to May. We know nothing of plot details, but let’s hope the sequel ratchets up the campiness of the first movie, as well as the killer dance moves of this creepy little doll. — Emma Kiely

‘Sorry, Baby’

June 27

Making a movie is hard, and making your first movie is even harder, which is why it’s so impressive when directors manage to knock their debut out of the park. There have been several notable instances of this in the last few years, from Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun to Celine Song’s Past Lives. Eva Victor will no doubt join the ranks with her stunning film Sorry, Baby, which explores the trauma of sexual assault in an authentic, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful way.

The movie was my favorite thing I saw at Sundance — and apparently quite a few other people’s, too, as it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the festival. Victor proves herself a true triple threat, writing, directing, and starring as a young academic named Agnes. The film is refreshingly restrained, non-exploitative, and peppered with moments of much-needed levity that make it something truly special. The focus on the friendship between Agnes and Lydia (Naomi Ackie) feels particularly genuine and beautiful. It’s a masterful film, not to mention an important one that’s sure to make many people feel seen and less alone. – Taylor Gates

‘Heads of State’

July 2

At the peak of the summer, there’s nothing like some dumb, fun in the form of a wild action film that inherently seems ridiculous. That certainly seems to be the case with Heads of State, an action-comedy in which the US President (John Cena) and the UK Prime Minister (Idris Elba), who are usually rivals, have to team up against a powerful enemy. The concept alone? Chef’s kiss. Inject this into my veins in the summer months, absolutely. Teaming up Cena and Elba? Absolutely, no questions there. This is perfectly bonkers summer action that we need more of. Heads of State is also directed by Ilya Naishuller, who previously directed Nobody and Hardcore Henry, and also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Carla Gugino, Stephen Root, Sarah Niles, Paddy Considine, and the hardest working man in 2025 movies, Jack Quaid. Heads of State sounds like just the great, unhinged summer action blockbuster we need. — Ross Bonaime

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’

July 2

It’s been three decades since the Jurassic Park franchise had any sense of integrity or true cinematic quality, and plenty of fans hate what it has become over the years. As a dinosaur connoisseur and film-lover, I totally get it. But as a purveyor of brainless popcorn entertainment, I kinda love what the Jurassic series now offers. Sure, it’s no longer the intelligent and thought-provoking work of an actual doctor who knows what he’s talking about, or of a director who understands what truly wonderful cinema looks like, but it is a hell of a lot of fun. Who could not enjoy the spectacle of a room full of billionaires being thrown around by rampaging dinosaurs, or seeing an actual operational dino theme park?

The Jurassic World trilogy dragged its feet as much as possible, and offered many more questions than it did answers, so Dominion felt like it couldn’t really be the end of the series. Thankfully, Rebirth is on its way to give us a glimpse into what a world of cohabiting humans and dinosaurs really looks like. Moreover, it will deliver a whole new ensemble cast, which is something of a relief, with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard having run their course with the franchise. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali will take the lead as Jurassic World meets Deep Blue Sea, with dinosaurs supposedly holding the key to a new life-saving drug. Sounds like a silly, sci-fi B-movie trapped in an A-movie’s body, and I can’t wait! — Luna Guthrie

‘The Old Guard 2’

July 2

When The Old Guard was released in 2020, it was a massive action hit for Netflix, and after five years, we’re finally getting the sequel with The Old Guard 2, bringing back a cast that includes Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, and Matthias Schoenaerts. With The Old Guard 2, Theron plays Andy, who leads their immortal warriors against a new enemy, which makes their mission to protect huamnity much more difficult. Taking over the series from Gina Prince-Bythewood is Victoria Mahoney, and this sequel also features Chiwetel Ejiofor, Uma Thurman and Henry Golding. Coming out this July, The Old Guard 2 looks like the type of fun fantasy-action film that will be perfect for the season. — Ross Bonaime

‘Superman’

July 11

We live in a world where superheroes have taken over pop culture. From the MCU to The Boys, there’s always been a comic book adaptation that had its grip on the entertainment industry. With claims of superhero fatigue, a world overtaken by cynicism, and rocky cinematic universes, the genre needed to go back to basics. We needed the return of Superman.

In a lot of ways, James Gunn’s Superman film is still a part of the superhero machine. It’s the first film in the new DC Universe and must help the studio rebound after several box office disasters. How can the film launch a new universe, avoid superhero fatigue, and become a box-office success? The answer is simple: unbridled optimism. DC Studios hopes to remind us of the joy we felt when we discovered these characters for the first time. David Corenswet’s Clark Kent saves those in trouble not because he’s a Hero for Hire or a government agent but because it’s the right thing to do.

Superman is all about having hope in humanity and being a shining light in a world shrouded by darkness. Out of the countless comic book adaptations, this is one of the few that actually focuses on what it means to be a hero. From Rachel Brosnahan’s fiery Lois Lane to Nicholas Hoult’s refreshing take on Lex Luthor, Superman is shaping up to be one of the biggest films of the year and will remind us how it feels to believe a man can fly. — Mike Thomas

‘Eddington’

July 18

In 2023, writer-director Ari Aster collaborated with Joaquin Phoenix in what might’ve been the strangest film either of them had ever made, Beau Is Afraid. The two will reunite in 2025 with Eddington, a film that Aster has been trying to make for years—even considering making it his directorial debut. While not much is known about Eddington it “follows a small-town New Mexico sheriff with higher aspirations.” In addition to Phoenix, this also features an incredible cast that includes Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Micheal Ward, and Clifton Collins Jr. A Western directed by Aster and produced by A24 is an exciting prospect, and knowing Aster, this is going to be unlike any Western we’ve seen before. — Ross Bonaime

‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’

July 18

It wouldn’t be a summer without a big, glossy horror IP release now, would it? The next horror franchise to get a legacy reboot is probably the best slasher to emerge out of the post-Scream boom, 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer. After a bizarre Bahamas-set sequel and a direct-to-video third film not even worth mentioning, the series is being brought back to life, with original stars Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt returning.

Starring a line-up of Gen Z it boys and girls, the lead cast includes Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks), Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio), Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid), Tyriq Withers (Tell Me Lies), Sarah Pidgeon (Tiny Beautiful Things), and more. The trailer brings us back to Southport where a new group of young adults/teens are stalked by a killer in a fisherman trench coat wielding a hook. The helpless victims learnt his has happened to their down before — enter Hewitt’s Julie and Prinze Jr.’s Ray. What did these kids do last summer? Can they defeat another hook-yielding killer, and can Sony keep making money from it? July will bring us our answers! — Emma Kiely

‘Smurfs’

July 18

It’s sort of wild that the Smurfs have been around since the 1950s, and apparently still going strong, with a previous series of films being quite successful in the 2010s, and now, the movies are being rebooted once more with Smurfs. In the film, Papa Smurf is kidnapped by wizards Razamel and Gargamel, and Smurfette must lead a team of Smurfs to go save him. It seems like Smurfs is taking a page out of the Trolls playbook with a surprisingly great voice cast in revitalizing this once-beloved brand, as the film stars Rihanna as Smurfette, as well as James Corden, Nick Offerman, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, JP Karliak, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Mariduena, Kurt Russell, and John Goodman. It’s going to be smurfing interesting to see how a new Smurfs movie does in 2025, but with that cast, it seems like it could be a surprise summer hit. — Ross Bonaime

‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’

July 25

A new Fantastic Four movie! Are you also feeling a sense of déjà vu? For some unexplainable, baffling reasons, one of Marvel’s most popular superhero groups, The Fantastic Four, has been nearly impossible to get right on the big screen. In one case, it was impossible, as Roger Corman‘s bizarre, low-budget version in 1994 was never released. 2005 and 2007 saw the releases of 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, both led by Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, and Michael Chiklis in the titular roles. These movies might not have been Oscar-worthy masterpieces by any stretch (no pun intended), but, at least for a certain age group (myself included), their obvious flaws are overlooked thanks to their cheesy charm and shameless attempts to bring such cartoonish comic book characters to life. However, it’s 2015’s darker, grittier take on the beloved characters that remains one of Marvel’s messiest misfires.

And — deep breath — Marvel is trying once again to do this hot IP justice. If you winced upon hearing the announcement that we’d be getting yet another movie starring Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Thing, and Human Torch, well, you’re not alone. But if we’re nervous about how the next adaptation is going to turn out, just imagine how Marvel must feel. From the expansive cast and small plot points that have been revealed, though, Fantastic Four: The First Steps has us purely excited to reunite with Marvel’s First Family. The core four will be played by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and, if that’s not exciting enough, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, Ralph Ineson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Julia Garner round out the cast. Plus, the Fantasticar!? Phase 6 of the MCU is (hopefully) going to be off to a fantastic start. — Emily Bernard

‘Happy Gilmore 2’

July 25

Considering how many hugely successful comedies Adam Sandler has been in, it’s sort of shocking how few of his films have actually received sequels. But one of Sandler’s most iconic comedies is finally getting a sequel with Happy Gilmore 2, bringing back Sandler, as well as Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, and Ben Stiller from the original. The rest of the cast seems delightfully ridiculous, as Bad Bunny will play Happy’s caddie, while we’ll also get appearances from Kid Cudi, Margaret Qualley, Benny Safdie, Eminem, Travis Kelce and others. Happy Gilmore is directed by Kyle Newacheck, who previously directed Sandler in Murder Mystery, and like the original film, is written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy. It’s going to be very interesting to see if Happy Gilmore 2 can live up to the adoration of the original, but it’s going to be great to see Happy tap it in one more time. — Ross Bonaime

‘Oh, Hi!’

July 25

One of the more intriguing comedies to come out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Oh, Hi! centers around a romantic getaway that gets out of hand when there’s a difference in opinion on what this “relationship” actually is. For Iris (Molly Gordon), it’s a beautiful start to a potential love story; but for Isaac (Logan Lerman), they’re just having fun. Well, that is until Iris straps Isaac to a bed and tries to prove why she’d be a good girlfriend. Written and directed by Sophie Brooks, and also featuring hilarious performances from John Reynolds and Geraldine Viswanathan, Oh, Hi! is a wild take on the classic rom-com, and could be a sleeper hit this summer. — Ross Bonaime

‘The Bad Guys 2’

August 1

A mere three years after The Bad Guys took audiences by storm with the surprisingly heartwarming adaptation of Aaron Blabey’s humorous young adult graphic novel, The Bad Guys 2 is set to ignite theaters this summer with another thrilling installment. While the sequel was already high on my list of most-anticipated titles this year, it skyrocketed to the top after the film’s director, Aaron Pierre, teased it as Mission: Impossible for kids.

The Bad Guys 2 will see Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), and Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) face their match as they go up against the “Bad Girls” — which includes Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks), Doom (Natasha Lyonne), and Pigtail (Maria Bakalova) — in an Ocean’s 8-style team-up, which sounds like the peak of hilarity. The Bad Guys quickly became a comfort film for a lot of people, and the sequel is bound to be just as much fun as the first. While the story and vocal performances are sure to be a delight, one of the largest draws with the franchise is the awe-inspiring animation, which — based on the trailers alone — seems to be firing on cylinders. Animation remains one of the purest forms of cinema, and it’s clear that Pierre and the team at Universal Pictures are keen to go all-in on what it’s capable of achieving with this one. — Maggie Lovitt

‘The Naked Gun’

August 1

“Hey, it’s Enrico Pallazzo!” Okay, not quite, but it is Liam Neeson playing the son of Leslie Nielsen’s intrepid (and incredibly stupid) police detective, Frank Drebin, who anchored the three original Naked Gun films in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Known for its endlessly quotable quips, riotous sight gags, and the fact that it featured O.J. Simpson in a starring role (yikes), The Naked Gun trilogy was the biggest franchise to spring from the minds of Airplane! directors David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker – the kings of the movie spoof back when those were still very much in vogue. Now, the question is: Can that kind of comedy still work in 2025 without ZAZ’s involvement? This summer’s new version of The Naked Gun will try to answer that query, but a good early sign is that the man in charge is director/co-writer Akiva Schaffer, a member of his own successful comic triumvirate in Lonely Island. Based on the teaser trailer, Neeson seems game to play against his tough-guy image (basically by leaning into it to an absurd degree), and the fact that the funniest part of the footage released so far addresses the whole O.J. thing head-on seems to prove that there’s no place this movie will be afraid to go. So, yeah, sure … we’re willing to give this new version of Police Squad a chance. After all, critics say there’s a 50/50 chance it’s going to be just as funny as the original films, though there’s only a 10 percent chance of that. – Robert Brian Taylor

‘Together’

August 1

Okay, this label gets thrown around a lot and is frankly a bit annoying, but facts are facts: Alison Brie and Dave Franco are truly a Hollywood power couple. Both stars have proven time and time again that they have impressive range and can elevate any genre with ease. Brie, of course, is best known for her work in Community and GLOW, and Franco likely first landed on your radar with either Scrubs, 21 Jump Street, or Neighbors. Since then, the duo has branched out into multiple different genres, and their upcoming movie — ominously titled Together — is surely their most daring collaboration yet.

The couple has worked together several times before — most notably Franco’s two feature directorial efforts The Rental and Somebody I Used To Know — but this time, Franco’s in front of the camera for writer and director Michael Shanks‘ directorial debut. The upcoming body horror, which had its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, follows Tim (Franco) and Millie (Brie), a couple who throws caution to the wind, moves to the countryside, and tries to keep their relationship intact. One thing that gets in the way of all that? An otherworldly force that “threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.” I’m sat. — Emily Bernard

‘Sketch’

August 6

If your dream summer movie includes doodle monsters rampaging across the screen with heart-punching family feels and a dash of old-school Spielberg magic, Sketch has you covered. First premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, Seth Worley’s irresistible directorial debut takes one sweet little grieving girl’s wild imagination and unleashes it into a full-blown monster mash with hilarious, heartfelt, and genuinely awe-inspiring results. Set to become the breakout modern classic of the year, Sketch feels like Inside Out meets Jurassic Park doodled all over each other and came to life. What starts as a chaotic explosion of wild creatures and small-town havoc slowly evolves into one of the most touching, emotionally honest stories you’ll see this year.

Starring Tony Hale, D’Arcy Carden, and a ridiculously talented young cast, Worley taps into that raw childhood wonder (and terror) that most blockbusters have forgotten how to capture with vibrant visuals, scrappy heart, and some seriously twisted creature designs. The 92-minute family film follows Amber, a young girl coping with her mother’s death by channeling her dark emotions into some rather alarming drawings. That is, until her notebook falls into a magical pond and suddenly, the anxieties and pain she couldn’t put into words manifest into some genuinely bizarre creations. As her family struggles to contain the crayon-fueled monsters overrunning their town, they’re forced to confront their grief and heal together. It’s messy, moving, and magical, all at once. Beyond the fun, Sketch digs deep into grief and the big scary emotions kids often can’t put into words, rather beautifully and it does it without ever feeling heavy-handed or sappy. Instead, it sneaks up on you, delivering emotional gut-punches between bursts of crayon-colored chaos. — Tania Hussain

‘Freakier Friday’

August 8

When a remake becomes the definitive version of a movie, it almost seems like capturing lightning in a bottle. Mark Waters’ beloved Freaky Friday remake tapped into something special in 2003 with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan delivering some of the best comedic performances of their careers. So now, 22 years later, we are cautiously optimistic as their rendition of the heartwarming body-swapping tale is finally getting a long-awaited sequel in 2025’s Freakier Friday. Already off to a good start with a clever title, the sequel sees the return of original writers Leslie Dixon, Heather Hach, and Mary Rogers. Stepping in to direct is Nisha Ganatra, who’s helmed several nuanced comedies for both film and television including Late Night, Chutney Popcorn, Brooklyn 99, and Better Things. With Curtis and Lohan returning in the lead roles, it seems entirely possible that lightning may actually strike twice.

While little is known about who’s swapping with who, the sequel sees Anna (Lohan) now building a family of her own as she has her own teen daughter and a soon-to-be stepdaughter to contend with as they navigate the challenges of merging families. The Acolyte star Manny Jacinto joins as Anna’s fiancé, while Chad Michael Murray is also set to reprise his role as Jake. Freakier Friday is due out on August 8, 2025, and I for one can’t wait to see if the team behind one of the most iconic comedies of the early aughts can strike another magical chord when the sequel arrives. — Samantha Coley

‘Weapons’

August 8

It’s hard to process that it’s been nearly three years since the release of Zach Cregger’s Barbarian. Before then, Cregger was known for his work on the raunchy sketch comedy series The Whitest Kids U’Know, but much like Jordan Peele did with Get Out, he showed a whole different side to himself by stepping into the world of horror. It’s one of the best horror films of the last decade, and one that is still in desperate need of a physical release.

It’s safe to say that a lot of eyes are on Cregger’s next film, Weapons, which has been described as Magnolia but horror. It’s apparently so good that Warner Bros. shifted the movie off of its January 2026 release and moved it all the way up to this summer. The recently released teaser doesn’t give much away, but the plot seems to kick off when a class of children gets up at 2:17 am, runs out of their homes, and disappears. The early marketing for the movie has been simple, yet creepy, feeling reminiscent of the marketing for last summer’s horror hit Longlegs. While that film may have been divisive once it was finally released, it seems like Weapons may be a special movie. It also happens to have a killer cast, including Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, and Benedict Wong. — Nate Richard

‘Nobody 2’

August 15

The first Nobody was a pleasant surprise when it was released in the spring of 2021, turning Bob Odenkirk into a bona fide badass and action star. It’s kind of like John Wick, but he’s a suburban dad and played by the star of Better Call Saul. Since it was released a year into the Pandemic, it didn’t really make much of a dent at the box office, but it’s become one of the movies that has built up a fanbase through streaming and cable reruns.

Nobody 2 has Timo Tjahjanto, the man behind The Night Comes for Us and The Shadow Strays, stepping behind the camera, for a movie that has been described as National Lampoon’s Vacation, but as an R-rated action movie. The new movie will see Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell taking his entire family on a vacation, but he must take a detour when a dangerous crime lord, played by Sharon Stone, pursues him. While Nobody wasn’t a movie that demanded a sequel, it’s one that did have franchise potential, and with a filmmaker like Tjahjanto on board, Nobody 2 could potentially surpass its predecessor. — Nate Richard

‘Eden’

August 22

The latest film from Ron Howard, Eden, follows the cohabitation of three groups of bourgeois — Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) and his wife Dora Strauch (Vanessa Kirby); Margret (Sydney Sweeney) and Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Brühl); and Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (Ana De Armas), along with her attaché — as they settle in the Galápagos Islands. Eden almost sounds like a more twisted and historical version of The White Lotus. Eden is certainly one of Howard’s darker projects, and with a phenomenal cast, it’s a wild ride that is unbelievably based on a true story. — Maggie Lovitt

‘Honey Don’t!’

August 22

Last year, director and co-writer Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke teamed up for the first film in what they called their “lesbian B-movie trilogy” with Drive-Away Dolls. Now, the pair is back for the second title in this trilogy with Honey Dont!, once again starring Margaret Qualley, as well as Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Charlie Day, and Billy Eichner. While little is known about the plot so far, Qualley plays a private investigator, Evans plays a cult leader, and Plaza is simply a “mystery woman.” It’s been especially interesting to see what projects the Coen brothers have taken on now that they’re working separate, and Honey Don’t! sounds like another fascinating comedy in line with Drive-Away Dolls. — Ross Bonaime

‘The Thursday Murder Club’

August 28

With the latest Knives Out film a few months away, there’s no better way to end the summer than with a star-studded murder mystery. The Thursday Murder Club, based on the popular novel of the same name by Richard Osman, has several amateur sleuths in their 70s trying to solve a murder. The cast includes Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie as the club, in addition to David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, and Tom Ellis. Directed by Chris Columbus and coming to Netflix, The Thursday Murder Club should be a charming mystery to wrap up the summer with. — Ross Bonaime

‘Caught Stealing’

August 29

Darren Aronofsky may have received awards attention with his atypical recent drama The Whale, but his next outing is an exciting return to familiar territory. Caught Stealing is set in the 90s-era criminal underworld of NYC, based on Charlie Huston’s bestselling novel. The thriller follows Hank Thompson, played by the ever-charismatic Austin Butler, a retired baseball player who is unwittingly pulled into a dangerous situation when a pair of mobsters think he has something he doesn’t. It’s a violent, high-octane Hitchcockian thriller with a host of classic thriller tropes, from dirty cops to mysterious cash and a growing pile of bodies. It’s supported by a stacked cast of A-listers, including Zoë Kravitz, Regina King, Matt Smith, and a host of other top-shelf performers.

Most exciting, perhaps, is that the genre-hopping Aronofsky excels at thrillers following besieged and increasingly frantic protagonists, like aged wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) in The Wrestler, the high-strung but ambitious ballerina Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), or the titular, symbolic mother (Jennifer Lawrence) in mother!. As Hank Thompson goes on the run, beset by danger on all sides, it has everything it needs to be a world-class thriller. — Jeff Ewing

‘The Roses’

August 29

Remaking a cult classic is a daunting task, indeed. Danny DeVito’s 1989 The War of the Roses might just be the meanest black comedy of the ‘80s, and that’s saying something. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner starred as a couple going through a nasty divorce, whose battle escalates to truly heinous levels. The film was a considerable critical and commercial success, so logically, a remake was bound to happen eventually.

Jay Roach is a truly bizarre choice to direct a new take on this project, but screenwriter Tony McNamara should do a good job of exploring the viciousness at the center of this tale. The real standouts, however, are Benedict Cumberbatch and the mighty Olivia Colman as the protagonists. It’s hard to think of any two actors more suited to the type of physically demanding, witty, dark, and rather cruel tone this story demands. Colman and Cumberbatch promise to take this story to new heights, and the trailer proves The Roses won’t shy away from the type of nasty humor that made the original such a remarkable cult classic. Time will tell (Roach’s filmography is wildly uneven), but everything suggests The Roses might just be the comedy to end all comedies in 2025. — David Caballero

‘The Toxic Avenger’

August 29

The Toxic Avenger is finally coming out, and for a while, it almost seemed like this remake of a cult-classic was never going to release. Macon Blair’s horror comedy has been in and out of development hell for several years now, with star Peter Dinklage even telling Collider’s own Steve Weintraub that fans of Toxie should write to their local congressperson to get the film out to the masses. Why exactly the film has been shelved for as long as it has isn’t explicitly clear, but the lucky few who have gotten to see it have praised Macon Blair’s film as a devlishly fun update to the original Troma film.

Much like the 1984 B-Movie masterpiece of the same name, The Toxic Avenger follows the unexpected journey of a lowly janitor named Winston (Peter Dinklage). Winston was recently diagnosed with an aggressive terminal illness, leaving him desperate to find a cure, even if it means striking a bargain with the cruel boss of his company, Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon). Things take an unusual turn when Winston is exposed to chemicals that mutate his body while also giving him incredible strength, setting the former janitor up as an unlikely superhero who is as heroic as he is violent. — Aidan Kelley