The Odyssey<\/a>\u201c<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUniversal Pictures<\/p>\n
\t\tThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie (Universal)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0April 3\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0Generations\u00a0of gamers have\u00a0traveled\u00a0to the\u00a0Mushroom Kingdom,\u00a0a familiarity that\u00a0helped turn\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Super Mario Bros.\u00a0Movie\u201d\u00a0into\u00a0a billion-dollar smash.\u00a0The\u00a0follow-up\u00a0should get a similar reception, particularly as\u00a0it has the spring box office\u00a0more or less\u00a0to itself.\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Video game adaptations like \u201cA Minecraft Movie\u201d and \u201cSonic\u00a0the\u00a0Hedgehog\u201d have been one of the only genres that have\u00a0reliably\u00a0worked.\u00a0Could\u00a0we be nearing\u00a0oversaturation?\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0Who are we kidding? The Nintendo brand is king, and those mustachioed siblings are its most\u00a0beloved\u00a0ambassadors. <\/p>\n
\t\tToy Story 5 (Disney)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0June 19\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0\u201cToy Story\u201d\u00a0represents\u00a0Pixar at its best, and this installment\u00a0\u2014\u00a0which confronts the reality that children\u00a0would rather play with\u00a0screens than dolls\u00a0\u2014\u00a0feels like\u00a0a timely\u00a0reason to revisit\u00a0the animated world of talking toys.\u00a0\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Maybe the\u00a0tech-forward\u00a0premise\u00a0will hit too close to home for parents who\u00a0prefer\u00a0to\u00a0park\u00a0their kids in front of iPads at restaurants?\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0Woody and Buzz might be afraid of smart tablets, but they\u00a0needn\u2019t\u00a0worry about box office grosses. \u201cToy Story 5\u201d will be the biggest family film of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\tThe Odyssey (Universal)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0July 17\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0Christopher Nolan turned the life story of J. Robert Oppenheimer into a\u00a0silver-screen sensation.\u00a0The Trojan War sounds a lot more commercial, and it helps that the\u00a0actors filling out the tunics\u00a0include A-listers like Matt Damon, Tom\u00a0Holland\u00a0and Zendaya.\u00a0\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Homer? During the summer?\u00a0Sounds\u00a0like homework.\u00a0\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0July belongs to Nolan, who has debuted\u00a0blockbusters such as \u201cThe Dark Knight\u201d\u00a0and \u201cDunkirk\u201d\u00a0at\u00a0the height of popcorn season.\u00a0\u201cThe Odyssey\u201d\u00a0will\u00a0join the club.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\tSpider-Man: Brand New Day (Sony) \t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0July 31\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0Tom Holland is\u00a0dusting off\u00a0his Spidey\u00a0suit for the first time since 2021\u2019s \u201cNo Way Home\u201d became a\u00a0bonanza\u00a0with\u00a0$1.9 billion. That film ended on a massive cliff-hanger, meaning\u00a0a lot\u00a0of people have been waiting to see what happens after Peter Parker makes the difficult decision to erase his identity from the world.\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0\u201cNo Way Home\u201d became a cinematic event in part because multiversal shenanigans allowed two prior Spider-Men, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire,\u00a0to\u00a0save the day with Holland. Will hype be as high with just one Spidey on-screen?\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0Marvel might be waning in box office popularity, but Spider-Man\u00a0remains\u00a0on the comic book A-list.<\/p>\n
\t\tSafe Bets\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tBaby Yoda in \u201cThe Mandalorian and Grogu\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLUCASFILM<\/p>\n
\t\tThe Mandalorian and Grogu (Disney)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Mandalorian and Grogu\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Disney\u00a0
Release date:\u00a0May 22\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0The last\u00a0\u201cStar Wars\u201d movie,\u00a02019\u2019s billion-dollar\u00a0blockbuster\u00a0\u201cThe Rise of Skywalker,\u201d\u00a0was released seven\u00a0long\u00a0years ago.\u00a0In the time since, Baby Yoda (n\u00e9\u00a0the Child n\u00e9\u00a0Grogu) has become a household name through the\u00a0very popular\u00a0Disney+ series \u201cThe Mandalorian.\u201d\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Lucasfilm has struggled for\u00a0what feels like eons\u00a0to get a theatrical\u00a0release\u00a0off the ground.\u00a0Meanwhile, Disney+ has become the go-to destination for\u00a0all things\u00a0set in a\u00a0galaxy far, far away with\u00a0shows\u00a0ranging from\u00a0\u201cThe Book of Boba Fett\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cAhsoka\u201d\u00a0to\u00a0\u201cAndor.\u201d\u00a0Do audiences\u00a0still\u00a0associate \u201cStar Wars\u201d with\u00a0the cinematic experience, or\u00a0is it a franchise they now\u00a0prefer to watch at home?\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0\u201cThe Mandalorian and Grogu\u201d will\u00a0benefit\u00a0from\u00a0goodwill\u00a0and brand recognition. However,\u00a0not every \u201cStar Wars\u201d spinoff will feel the box office\u00a0Force.<\/p>\n
\t\tAvengers: Doomsday (Disney)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0Dec. 18\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0Downey\u00a0and\u00a0Evans return to the MCU, bringing the two mightiest heroes back into the fold.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0joined by fan-favorite characters from \u201cThe X-Men\u201d and \u201cThe Fantastic Four\u201d in\u00a0a\u00a0true \u201cthe gang\u2019s all here\u201d extravaganza.\u00a0\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Superhero fatigue is real, and Marvel\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0seem to shake it. The studio\u2019s last few films\u00a0\u2014\u00a0\u201cThunderbolts,\u201d\u00a0\u201cCaptain America: Brave New World\u201d and \u201cThe Fantastic Four: First Steps\u201d\u00a0\u2014\u00a0all disappointed at the box office.\u00a0\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0Absence makes the heart grow\u00a0fonder.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0been six years since the last \u201cAvengers\u201d\u00a0adventures, and\u00a0Evans and\u00a0Downey\u2019s\u00a0presence\u00a0will make this sequel a\u00a0bona fide\u00a0event.<\/p>\n
\t\tVerity (Amazon MGM)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0Oct. 2\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0Colleen Hoover might be the new box office whisperer after \u201cIt Ends\u00a0With\u00a0Us\u201d became a sleeper success for Sony, and \u201cRegretting You\u201d was\u00a0one of\u00a0Paramount\u2019s only 2025 releases\u00a0to turn a theatrical profit. \u201cVerity,\u201d which follows a struggling\u00a0writer hired\u00a0to complete a popular book series after the\u00a0potentially unhinged\u00a0author becomes\u00a0injured, promises\u00a0deliciously campy performances from\u00a0stars\u00a0Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway.\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Adult-oriented fare is,\u00a0alas, always a risk in post-pandemic times.\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0Twisty thrillers are fun to watch with crowds, so \u201cVerity\u201d will become a breakout\u00a0with\u00a0women in the vein of \u201cThe Housemaid\u201d or \u201cA Simple Favor.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\tQuestion Marks\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tRyan Gosling in \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tScreenshot courtesy YouTube\/Amazon MGM<\/p>\n
\t\tProject Hail Mary (Amazon MGM)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0March 20\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are returning to the director\u2019s chair for the first time since 2014\u2019s\u00a0\u201c22 Jump Street.\u201d With \u201cProject Hail Mary,\u201d the very funny filmmakers\u00a0team\u00a0up\u00a0with the endlessly charming Ryan Gosling on a sci-fi adventure about an amnesiac astronaut tasked with saving the world from Armageddon.\u00a0\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Amazon MGM\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0have\u00a0a track record\u00a0of launching original properties, and with a hefty $150 million budget, \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d\u00a0needs to\u00a0pack\u00a0\u2019em\u00a0in\u00a0to justify its price tag.\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0Gosling, a versatile actor who should have won an Oscar for his performance of \u201cI\u2019m Just Ken\u201d at the Academy Awards ceremony,\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0a bankable star. After all,\u00a0his\u00a02024\u00a0action comedy\u00a0\u201cThe Fall Guy\u201d\u00a0misfired\u00a0theatrically\u00a0despite\u00a0great reviews.\u00a0That means quality\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0be\u00a0enough to get people to\u00a0multiplexes.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0up to the studio\u2019s marketing department to turn the film into a must-see cinematic event. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\tDisclosure Day (Universal)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0June 12\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0For decades,\u00a0Steven Spielberg\u00a0has been\u00a0synonymous with blockbuster entertainment. Now, the man who\u00a0made\u00a0\u201cIndiana Jones\u201d and \u201cE.T.\u201d returns to spectacle-style filmmaking with\u00a0an\u00a0alien-invasion adventure.\u00a0\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Does\u00a0the old master\u00a0still have it?\u00a0Spielberg\u2019s spent most of the\u00a0past\u00a020 years\u00a0directing Oscar\u00a0bait like \u201cBridge of Spies\u201d and\u00a0\u201cLincoln.\u201d Has he outgrown his populist roots?\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0The title sounds like a bad airplane novel, but the trailer\u00a0delivers plenty of thrills.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0just hard\u00a0to convince people to turn out for something that\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0based on a game or\u00a0a\u00a0known\u00a0property.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\tClayface (Warner Bros.) \t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0Sept. 11\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0With comic book adaptations, audiences are fine with familiar faces but clearly\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0settling for more of the same story.\u00a0In that respect, \u201cClayface,\u201d a body-horror film about a struggling actor with a disfigured face who takes drastic measures to transform his body into clay, feels vastly different\u00a0from\u00a0\u201cBrave New World,\u201d \u201cThunderbolts\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0the family-friendly \u201cSuperman.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Has anyone, on this planet or\u00a0any\u00a0other, ever heard of\u00a0Clayface?\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0James Gunn and Peter Safran may have revived the DCU with \u201cSuperman,\u201d but not every comic book character is worthy of the big-screen treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\tPractical Magic 2 (Warner Bros)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0Sept. 18\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0Nearly 30\u00a0years after the first \u201cPractical Magic\u201d became a cult hit on home entertainment\u00a0\u2014\u00a0remember VHS?\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman\u00a0reunite for another supernatural rom-com.\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0worth noting that \u201cPractical Magic\u201d flopped when it\u00a0was released\u00a0in 1998.\u00a0Given Bullock and Kidman\u2019s price tags, Warners is\u00a0probably banking\u00a0on them casting a stronger spell on moviegoers\u00a0in 2025.\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0Nostalgia\u00a0is\u00a0powerful\u00a0\u2014\u00a0just look at other long-gestating sequels like \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d and\u00a0\u201cBeetlejuice, Beetlejuice.\u201d But this follow-up feels random.\u00a0Besides Bullock and Kidman\u2019s agents,\u00a0who\u2019s\u00a0asking for this?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\tBiggest Risks\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tJessie Buckley as Frankenstein\u2019s monster\u2019s betrothed in \u201cThe Bride\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n
\t\tThe Bride! (Warner Bros.)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0March 6\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0Audiences\u00a0have been flipping for auteur-driven horror films such as Ryan Coogler\u2019s \u201cSinners\u201d and Robert Eggers\u2019\u00a0\u201cNosferatu.\u201d Maggie Gyllenhaal, who impressed with her directorial debut,\u00a0\u201cThe Lost Daughter,\u201d is offering up a bold vision with her steampunk take on \u201cFrankenstein.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Guillermo del Toro\u00a0just\u00a0did his own thing with Mary Shelley with\u00a0last\u00a0fall\u2019s \u201cFrankenstein.\u201d Some stories\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0need to be revived\u00a0again and again.\u00a0\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0The buzz on the\u00a0$80 million production has been\u00a0frightful. Unless critics\u00a0swoon, audiences\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0showing up to see this\u00a0undead\u00a0couple in action.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\tHoppers (Disney)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0March 6\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0Family\u00a0films have, for the most part,\u00a0been\u00a0all the rage. And\u00a0the most recent\u00a0animated\u00a0adventure\u00a0was\u00a0December\u2019s \u201cSpongeBob\u201d sequel,\u00a0so\u00a0\u201cHoppers\u201d\u00a0should\u00a0benefit\u00a0from pent-up demand.\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0Pixar\u00a0hasn\u2019t\u00a0successfully launched a new animated film\u00a0since 2017\u2019s musical hit \u201cCoco.\u201d Even last year\u2019s positively reviewed \u201cElio\u201d cratered at the box office. Plus, the plot \u2014 revolving around scientists who can\u00a0transfer\u00a0human consciousness\u00a0to robotic animals \u2014 sounds kind of confusing.\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0\u201cHoppers\u201d needs to be\u00a0undeniably great\u00a0and\u00a0marketable to parents of youngsters. Otherwise, Pixar is doomed to retreat into the world of sequels and\u00a0possibly\u00a0forced\u00a0to send anything new to streaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\tDigger (Warner Bros.)\t<\/p>\n
\n\tRelease date:\u00a0Oct. 2\u00a0
Thrill factor:\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0been\u00a0a while\u00a0since Tom Cruise, who once worked with Spielberg and Scorsese,\u00a0put himself in the hands of a true master.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0got one of the greatest who ever slid behind a camera in\u00a0Alejandro G. I\u00f1\u00e1rritu.\u00a0
Chill factor:\u00a0These two are partnering on\u00a0the\u00a0story of a powerful man who tries to save humanity from a disaster\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0unleashed. We just lived through Elon Musk and DOGE. Oh, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a comedy.\u00a0\u00a0
Verdict:\u00a0Execution dependent. Cruise\u2019s movies are pricey, so unless he gave WB a big bargain, he and I\u00f1\u00e1rritu better deliver the next \u201cTropic\u00a0Thunder.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For long-suffering movie theaters, salvation\u00a0always\u00a0seems to be just\u00a0around the corner.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In 2026, many of the biggest film franchises in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":221988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[11445,146,85,46,397,12825,64098],"class_list":["post-221987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-avengers-doomsday","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-movies","tag-spider-man-brand-new-day","tag-the-odyssey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}