Variety is the spice of this summer movie season
It’s almost the “lusty month of May,” and that means the official start of the summer movie season, the time of year when Hollywood unleashes an array of wannabe blockbusters teeming with special effects and glamorous stars. Offerings include superhero fare along with animated flicks for the kids, remakes, sequels and a handful of potential Oscar contenders. To help you sort through this plenitude, here is a list of the films with the best chances of keeping those box-office registers ringing, keeping in mind that all dates are subject to change:
MAY 2
Thunderbolts
A new batch of Marvel superheroes convene in hopes of recreating the success of the “Avengers” franchise. But word is that this bunch doesn’t quite measure up. We shall see. Florence Pugh and Oscar-nominee Sebastain Stan (“A New Man”) lead the ensemble.
Another Simple Favor
Anna Kendrick and the headline-grabbing Blake Lively reprise their roles from the 2018 original in anticipation of Emily’s (Lively) impending wedding on the island of Capri. Murder and intrigue ensue. But no, Justin Baldoni is not the victim.
Rust
The tragic backstory of this Western is likely to overshadow any potential to succeed. But the family of doomed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is urging people to honor her memory by purchasing tickets. Alec Baldwin, the actor who pulled the trigger on the “prop gun” that killed her, co-wrote the script with director Joel Souza. He also stars, portraying an outlaw who travels to Kansas to save his teenage grandson (Patrick Scott McDermott) from being hanged for murder.
The Surfer
Nicolas Cage plays a wave-rider whose plans to go surfing with his son on the idyllic beach of his youth are waylaid by a group of militant locals who refuse to let non-residents walk their sand.
MAY 9
Juliet & Romeo
Writer-director Timothy Scott Bogart reimagines one of Shakespeare’s most enduring plays as a pop musical, with Jamie Ward and Clara Rugaard as the star-crossed lovers. Rebel Wilson, Rupert Everett and Jason Isaacs co-star, and Grammy-winner E. Kidd Bogart pens the score.
Fight or Flight
Josh Hartnett is a disgraced CIA agent seeking redemption when he finds himself aboard an airliner full of assassins on a flight from Bangkok to San Francisco. James Madigan directs.
Friendship
Tim Robinson pursues a bromance with his handsome, talented new neighbor (Paul Rudd, from the eerily similar “I Love You, Man”) in this offbeat comedy from Andrew DeYoung.
MAY 16
Final Destination: Bloodlines
Empty of new ideas, the hugely successful franchise goes back to the start in this quasi-remake. Kaitlyn Santa Juana stars.
Hurry Up Tomorrow
Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan headline this production that inspired The Weeknd’s album of the same name, with Trey Edward Shults (“Krisha,” “Waves”) on board as its writer-director. In it, The Weeknd, aka Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, plays a sleep-deprived musician beginning to unravel.
MAY 23
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Tom Cruise makes his alleged exit from the hugely successful franchise in an extension of the AI plotline that began with “Reckoning: Part 1.” Expect more of the same blend of personal relationships and intense action as Cruise and the franchise’s invaluable writer-director, Christopher McQuarrie, aim to go out with a bang.
Lilo & Stitch
Disney execs are praying the studio’s latest live-action remake of an animated classic isn’t the poisoned apple “Snow White” turned out to be. On the plus side, this entry – about a young Hawaiian girl and her alien friend – is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp of “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” fame.
Fountain of Youth
Guy Ritchie directs this thriller starring John Krasinski and Natalie Portman as estranged siblings involved in the search for the mythical wellspring.
Karate Kid: Legends
Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan share top billing in this martial arts actioner set three years after the events that transpired in the Netflix series “Cobra Kai.”
Bono: Stories of Surrender
The U2 frontman brings his acclaimed one-man, autobiographical show to the big screen before it launches on Apple TV+ the following Friday.
MAY 30
The Phoenician Scheme
The newly crowned Oscar-winner Wes Anderson delivers another star-studded comedy, this one involving a family of international arms dealers. The impressive ensemble includes Benicio del Toro, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeffrey Wright and Scarlett Johansson.
Bring Her Back
When young siblings arrive at a new foster home, they are threatened by the evildoings of their occult-worshipping guardians. Oscar-nominee Sally Hawkins stars.
JUNE 6
The Life of Chuck
As the apocalypse approaches, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s alcoholic sad sack, Marty, searches for his ex-wife, but soon becomes fixated on the cryptic messages he encounters, all featuring a wide-grinned gentleman named Chuck (Tom Hiddleston). But who is Chuck? Thus begins a three-part odyssey told in reverse chronology, capped off by a sentimental ending that moved viewers enough to earn the dramedy the coveted audience award at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
The Ritual
First, there was “The Two Popes.” Now comes the two priests, with Al Pacino and Dan Stevens donning the cassocks for a little good cleric-bad cleric schtick of service to a young woman in desperate need of an exorcism.
I Don’t Understand You
A couple (Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells) on the verge of adopting their first child question the stability of their relationship after finding themselves stranded in the Italian countryside amid a heavy rainstorm, soaked and unable to communicate with the local townsfolk.
Ballerina
Ana de Armas is ready to kick some serious ass in a “John Wick” spinoff in which her character swaps her tutu for an automatic weapon. Set in the same period as “John Wick: Chapter 3,” de Armas’ Eve Maccaro trains in the ways of the powerful, criminal organization, Ruska Roma, under the tutelage of Anjelica Huston. Lee Wiseman directs.
JUNE 13
How to Train Your Dragon
Not to be outdone by Disney, DreamWorks offers its own cash-grab by converting a beloved animated classic to live-action. Let’s hope this one is more of a Hiccup than Toothless.
Materialists
Writer-director Celine Song follows up her acclaimed debut, “Past Lives,” with a less-serious romance involving a love triangle between a Manhattan matchmaker (Dakota Johnson), her “perfect guy” (Pedro Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Chris Evans).
Echo Valley
A dedicated mother (Julianne Moore) freely circumvents the law to assist her troubled daughter (Sydney Sweeney) after the young woman shows up on her doorstep covered in blood. Michael Pearce (“Beast”) directs.
JUNE 20
28 Years Later
Danny Boyle expands on his beloved zombie flick, “28 Days Later,” with a long-in-gestation sequel. Cillian Murphy, Ralph Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson star.
Elio
Hallelujah! Finally, a Pixar release that’s not a sequel. But it does seem to borrow a bit from “Close Encounters” when an alien fanatic engages with extraterrestrials after he’s mistaken for Earth’s leader. So, imagine his surprise when he’s whisked off to the Communiverse for a galactic conference of epic importance.
Bride Hard
In this June wedding, the maid of honor (Rebel Wilson) is a secret agent on the most challenging mission of her career – trying to rescue her childhood best friend from armed mercenaries who’ve taken the bride hostage. Simon West directs a cast that includes Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Anna Chlumsky, Anna Camp and Stephen Dorff.
Sovereign
In a fact-based story, Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay star as a father and son whose anti-government activities have sparked the interest of a local police chief (Dennis Quaid), leading to violent consequences.
JUNE 27
F1
In one of the more preposterous film plots, Brad Pitt plays a Formula 1 driver from the 1990s pulled out of retirement to become the lead driver for a nearly bankrupt team owned by Javier Bardem’s Ruben Cervantes. Now more than 30 years older than his competitors, Pitt’s Sonny Hayes is expected to not just turn the corner on his misfortunes, but also those of a rookie teammate (Damson Idris) nursing a swollen head. To bolster the film’s verisimilitude, much of it was shot on location during last year’s F1 world tour. Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”) directs.
M3GAN 2.0
The lethal little girl droid is resurrected by her creator (Allison Williams) in a last-ditch effort to stop an even more malicious AI doll, built by a defense contractor using the stolen blueprints for M3GAN.
Sorry, Baby
The Waldo Salt screenwriting award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival went to Eva Victor, who wrote, directed and stars in this character study of a young university professor forced to confront her traumatic past when her former best friend (Naomi Ackie) arrives in the college town for a visit.
JULY 2
Jurassic Park Rebirth
Expect more of the same raging CGI dinos devouring stupid humans in this franchise reboot set five years after the previous film. In it, Scarlett Johansson leads a mission to retrieve the DNA used to resurrect the prehistoric creatures. But things don’t go as planned after she and her party (including Mahershala Ali) become trapped on an uncharted island overrun by killer beasts. Gareth Edwards (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”) directs.
The Old Guard 2
Few people clamour for this sequel, but Netflix insisted it be made. In it, Charlize Theron reprises her role as Andy, leading her team of immortals in a battle to rid the earth of yet another evil foe.
JU:Y 11
Superman
James Gunn, of “Guardians of the Galaxy” fame, helms what aspires to be a flagpole franchise, with David Corenswet assuming the dual role of Clark Kent and the Man of Steel. In this outing, Clark attempts to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his masquerading as a newspaper reporter on Earth. Rachel Brosnahan fills the sensible shoes of Lois Lane, while Nicholas Hoult tries Lex Luthor on for size.
JULY 18
Eddington
Director Ari Aster (“Hereditary,” “Midsommar”) reunites with his “Beau Is Afraid” star, Joaquin Phoenix, for a white-knuckle tale about an escalating feud between a New Mexican sheriff (Phoenix) and the town’s mayor (Pedro Pascal) during a deadly pandemic.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
History repeats itself when five teenagers are once again hunted by an unknown force after they’re involved in a fatal car accident that they fail to report to the police. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprise their roles from the 1997 original.
Smurfs
“Puss In Boots” director Chris Miller oversees this animated tale involving Papa Smurf (voice of John Goodman), who is Smurf-napped, leaving it up to Smurfette (Rhianna) and her friends to rescue him.
JULY 25
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Fans of these Marvel superheroes are hoping the fifth time’s the charm for getting the franchise off the ground cinematically. The previous four all went belly up, either critically or narratively. This one certainly features a solid cast with Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby as Reed Richards and Sue Storm, respectively. But director Matt Shakman doesn’t have a very good track record, coasting on a resume that only includes “Cut Bank” and “Meet the Hollowheads.” Let us hope.
Happy Gilmore 2
Adam Sandler attempts to keep on course with this sequel set nearly 30 years after the original. But will it be a hole in one or a double bogey? Netflix is hoping for the former, rolling out the green to facilitate its successful return with much of the cast intact.
AUGUST 1
The Naked Gun
Liam Neeson has some pretty large, flat-footed shoes to fill in taking over for the immortal Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Frank Drebin. But if the trailer is a bellwether, he more than holds his own, playing the son of Nielsen’s character. And who better to replace George Kennedy as Frank’s straight-man partner than Paul Walter Hauser? Pamela Anderson co-stars, and Akiva Schaffer, who helmed the superb “Palm Springs,” directs.
The Bad Guys 2
The gangsters are all here for this sequel to the 2022 surprise hit featuring Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell as the voice of Mr. Wolf, leader of a band of criminal critters. As we rejoin the menagerie, they’re trying hard to remain on the straight and narrow. But then, along comes their female counterparts to entice them with a heist to top all heists. Can they, or we, resist?
Together
Dave Franco and real-life wife, Alison Brie, play a troubled married couple forced to work together when they are targeted by a supernatural force in their new rural residence.
AUGUST 8
Freakier Friday
Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis return for a “Freaky Friday” sequel 22 years in the making. Expect bigger and better body swapping, with the majority of the cast returning from the 2003 original.
AUGUST 15
Nobody 2
Bob Odenkirk is back as the formerly spineless Hutch Mansell, ready to blow off a few heads after thugs dare to disrupt his family vacation. Connie Nielsen and Christopher Lloyd also return, as Hutch’s wife and father. Timo Tjahjanto directs.
AUGUST 22
Eden
The reviews were brutal when Ron Howard debuted this wacky survivalist tale at the Toronto International Film Festival. So, consider that a big, fat “buyer beware.” But the opportunity to see an impressive ensemble – including Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby and Ana de Armas – on screen, certainly is tempting. Less alluring is its true story about a wigged-out 1920s German professor establishing an idyllic colony in the Galapagos Islands and then watching it implode.
Americana
More than two years after its premiere at South by Southwest, this dark comedy starring Sydney Sweeney and Paul Walter Hauser finally opens in theaters. The two play a couple of Midwestern outlaws who use any means necessary to procure an invaluable artifact.
Lurker
Alex Russell makes his writing-directing debut with this nasty little tale about a retail clerk (Theodore Pellerin) worming his way into the entourage of a budding pop star (Archie Madekwe). What could possibly go wrong? At its Sundance debut, this treatise on the have-nots butting up against the haves drew largely glowing reviews. We shall see.
AUGUST 29
Caught Stealing
Director Darren Aronofsky follows up his Oscar-winning “The Whale” with a quirky tale about a washed-up professional baseball player (Austin Butler) unwittingly entwined in the New York City underworld. Zoe Kravitz, Regina King and Liev Schreiber co-star.
The Roses
Jay Roach directs this remake of the classic 1989 hit “The War of the Roses,” with Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman assuming the roles of Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in a film in which divorce escalates into a border conflict. Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig and Allison Janney co-star.
The Toxic Avenger
Peter Dinklage, Kevin Bacon and Elijah Wood star in a dark comedy about a lowly janitor (Dinklage) transformed into a superhero after being exposed to a chemical spill.
