Summer may officially start on June 21, but Hollywood’s summer movie season kicks off a bit sooner than that. Summer flicks are big business for the film industry: Half of last year’s top 10 earners at the domestic box office were released from May through Labor Day.
With that in mind, here are the biggest movies releasing this summer that you should know about.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu – May 22
It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven years since Star Wars last found its way to theaters. Other than the franchise’s small-screen forays, the galaxy far, far away has felt a little anemic recently. Star Wars steward Disney is undoubtedly hoping that will change later this month with the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu.
The film will continue the adventures of the oft-helmed bounty hunter and his little, green (and eminently marketable) friend. While the film is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action, I’d be surprised if the content issues strayed too far from its streaming series progenitor. No doubt the House of Mouse hopes that this new film will rise to the jetpack-soaring heights of certain Star Wars properties rather than the Sarlacc-level lows of others.
The Breadwinner – May 29
Popular stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze is known for eliciting chuckles and guffaws with his clean, even family-friendly, comedy routines. Here’s hoping that trend continues as he makes the jump to the silver screen with PG-rated The Breadwinner.
Bargatze stars as a man struggling to adapt as a stay-at-home dad to three daughters while his wife is away on a life-changing (and prolonged) business trip. While the trailer seems to hint that Bargatze will lean into the “dumb dad” trope—not unlike how he portrays himself in his stand-up—the film looks primed to deliver some laughs and sweet messages about parenthood and family.
Backrooms – May 29
Backrooms is an A24 production inspired by a web anthology series that, in turn, was based on a 2019 “creepypasta” 4chan post. Confused? Just think of it as horror-themed, internet-inspired, Gen Z folklore. Regardless, the idea of “backrooms”—i.e., unsettling, empty liminal spaces reached by phasing out of reality—has become hugely popular since its conception, inspiring videos, games and now, a feature film.
While the concept may be low budget (how much would a bunch of empty, butter-yellow rooms cost, anyway?), the production quality seems anything but. Don’t be surprised if this horror flick hits with younger audiences, à la the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise. Backrooms is rated R, so don’t expect family-friendly fare with this one.
Disclosure Day – June 12
For the first time in four years, a Steven Spielberg-helmed pic will make its way to theater screens with Disclosure Day. The topic? Aliens. The 79-year-old director is no stranger to putting extraterrestrials in his films—and this film is definitely giving off Close Encounters of the Third Kind vibes. Fingers crossed that Disclosure Day’s visitors from another world are more E.T. than marauding Martians.
Spielberg is one of the great living filmmakers today and has created a number of classic films (many of which played on loop in my household growing up). Disclosure Day carries a PG-13 rating for action, violence and strong language, so families might want to wait until those content mysteries are disclosed by the Plugged In review before booking tickets for the whole family.
Toy Story 5 – June 19
Woody may be a cowboy, but he’s finding it awful difficult to ride off into the sunset—at least, for very long. And so, the pull-string sheriff returns in Toy Story 5 to face a new threat alongside his fellow toys: screen time.
While that premise sounds as though it was tailor-made for Plugged In, parents of younger viewers will also want to note that this is the first time that a Toy Story film has been given a PG rating by the MPA. (Each of the previous Toy Story films was rated G.) Pixar has never shied away from profound topics, even in its most kid-centric fare, so it’s yet to be seen what spurred that rating shift. For what it’s worth, the trailer makes it look like this film will still be full of family-friendly fun.
Supergirl – June 26
The Man of Steel flew through cinemas last summer, and now his younger cousin is getting her own flick. Supergirl follows Kryptonian Kara Zor-El as she tries to save her furry best friend, Krypto the Superdog.
While James Gunn isn’t at the helm of this pic, it seems to take a lot of inspiration from the DC boss’ take on Guardians of the Galaxy. We’ll have to see if some of the same content issues creep over as well. Kara’s cameo in Superman didn’t portray her in the most flattering (or sober) light, but this film could still have some positives by showing how Kara becomes a true hero despite wrestling with the grief of her home world’s destruction.
Minions & Monsters – July 1
Since Despicable Me was released in 2010, there have been six (!) movies that involve the now-iconic, little, yellow Minions. A seventh, Minions & Monsters, will be released at the beginning of July. The PG movie travels back to the 1920s, as the Minions try to procure a suitably scary monster for their own Hollywood picture.
If you’re a fan of Minion-related content, this will probably be more of the same, with slapstick violence and some toilet humor. However, the trailer hints at some thornier spiritual elements, as the Minions summon an eldritch (but cute) creature from an arcane book in their effort to find their movie-monster star.
Moana – July 10
The animated Moana isn’t yet 10 years old, but Disney decided in was high time for a live-action reboot. It seems to follow the story of the original movie pretty closely. Dwayne Johnson reprises the role of Maui, while newcomer Catherine Laga’aia takes over the title role from Auli’i Cravalho. I’m not sure what else I can say about this one: If your family enjoyed Moana and would like to see a live-action take on the seafaring tale, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
The Odyssey – July 17
“Each man delights in the work that suits him best,” Homer said. I would assume that Christopher Nolan delights in directing big-budget blockbusters, because the work suits him. Fresh off his Best Picture and Best Director wins for 2023’s Oppenheimer, Nolan aims to deliver another elevated adaptation in Homer’s The Odyssey.
With a predictably stacked cast captained by Matt Damon and an always admirable commitment to practical effects, The Odyssey hopes its journey to the box office will not be in vain. Nolan did fall to the siren’s call of problematic content in the R-rated Oppenheimer. Hopefully he, like Odysseus before him, will have restrained himself from sailing into those shipwrecked seas this time around.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day – July 31
Poor Peter Parker. Following the Spidey bonanza that was Spider-Man: No Way Home, everyone has forgotten ol’ Pete—literally. To set the multiversal mess right, Peter had to ask Dr. Strange to cast a spell that erased him from everyone’s memory, even those he loves the most.
If there’s an upside, it’s that Strange’s spell has made anonymous superhero work a lot easier. But that’s about the only upside Peter can see. The trailer hints that this will be a sadder Spidey than we’ve seen from Tom Holland thus far. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of web-swinging-and-slinging superhero action, too. Hopefully its web won’t include too many content bugs.
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie – August 14
What does the third installment of a popular TV series-turned-movie-franchise need to take it up a notch? Did you say dinosaurs? If so, take a bow!
To be fair, when I was the age of PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie’s target demographic, I thought everything could use more dinosaurs, too. The previous PAWPatrol films have proven to be plenty safe for kiddos, full of furry heroism and paw-sitive messages. PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie doesn’t look like it will deviate from that winning formula. (Plus, dinosaurs!)
Mutiny – August 21
Jason Statham is Adam Clay, a former, clandestine assassin who … No, wait. That’s not right. Let’s try this again: Statham stars as Levon Cade, an ex-Royal Marine Commando working as … Hold on. That’s not right either.
In the upcoming film Mutiny, Statham actually plays Cole Reed, a former Special Forces operative on the run who’s working to uncover an international conspiracy. It looks a bit like Die Hard on a boat—you can just pretend Under Siege didn’t already do that 34 years ago—as Statham’s character kills and maims his way through a ship full of gun-toting goons. While the film is not yet rated, the trailer, which includes a lot of violence and foul language, seems to indicate that Mutiny will be sailing into R-rated waters.
Coyote vs. Acme – August 28
After years of using faulty Acme products, resulting in significant (and cartoonishly funny) physical harm, does Wile E. Coyote have a legal case against the cheapjack corporation? That’s what we’ll find out in Coyote vs. Acme, where the cartoon canid joins forces with a down-on-his-luck attorney to make his case in court.
The film is rated PG, and you can bet there will be a plethora of Looney Tunes-style cartoon violence in store. But the rating also contains a notice about some language, too. So, just as with using any Acme products, parents with younger viewers will want to proceed with caution.
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