Say hello to summer movie season! As always, studios are bringing back familiar franchises — “Star Wars,” “Minions,” Marvel and “Toy Story” among them — to fuel the most profitable stretch for the industry. But Hollywood isn’t steering clear of new ideas over the next four months. Directors like Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg and Olivia Wilde will deliver original films that (gasp!) don’t have a numeral in their title. With the season underway, here are 10 summer movies we’re excited to see. Bring on the spandex-clad heroes, space-hopping adventurers and alien invasions — and brush up on your Homer!
The Mandalorian and Grogu
Image Credit: LUCASFILM LTD”
Director: Jon Favreau
Release date: May 22
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver, Martin Scorsese
Buzz factor: Movie fans haven’t ventured to a galaxy far, far away in a long, long time. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is the first “Star Wars” film in seven years, since 2019’s billion-dollar, saga- concluding tentpole “The Rise of Skywalker.” In the meantime, Disney+ became the go-to destination for space operas such as “Andor,” “Ahsoka” and, of course, “The Mandalorian.” Now the bounty hunter Mando (Pascal) and his cuddly companion Grogu (better known as Baby Yoda) are finally giving franchise fans a reason to get off the couch.
Scary Movie
Image Credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Director: Michael Tiddes
Release date: June 5
Cast: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, Regina Hall
Buzz factor: Horror and nostalgia have been all the rage at the box office, yet the last “Scary Movie” was released in 2013. There’s so much new material to spoof for the sixth entry, from “Get Out” and “Weapons” to “M3GAN,” “Longlegs” and even the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael.” (The timing is fitting because the King of Pop has been a frequent target of the franchise.) Along with Faris and Hall, whose characters haven’t returned since 2006’s “Scary Movie 4,” the latest installment brings back the Wayans brothers as co-writers and co-stars. (They haven’t been part of the franchise since 2001’s “Scary Movie 2,” when they were forced out by the Weinsteins.) It’s bound to be a bloody hilarious time at the movies.
Disclosure Day
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
Director: Steven Spielberg
Release date: June 12
Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo
Buzz factor: It’s Spielberg returning to his roots! Decades ago, he turned “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Jurassic Park” into multibillion- dollar franchises. More recently, though, Spielberg has favored prestige fare like “The Post,” “West Side Story” and “The Fabelmans.” Although the plot of “Disclosure Day” has been shrouded in secrecy — apparently the story involves a government conspiracy to cover up the arrival of extraterrestrial creatures — it’s impossible to not get excited about an original sci-fi story from Spielberg. After all, he looked up into the night sky with the likes of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Will the film’s high-wattage cast help Spielberg reclaim his title as the king of summer blockbusters?
Toy Story 5
Image Credit: Pixar
Director: Andrew Stanton
Release date: June 19
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Tony Hale
Buzz factor: Animated sequels have never been hotter, and “Toy Story” represents Pixar at its best. Most franchises would grow stale by this point, but the new installment — confronting the reality that kids care more about screens than toys — feels like a timely reason to reunite with Woody and Buzz Lightyear. If post-pandemic sensations like “Inside Out 2,” “Moana 2” and “Zootopia 2” are any indications, “Toy Story 5” should be one for the record books.
The Invite
Image Credit: Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival
Director: Olivia Wilde
Release date: June 26
Cast: Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton
Buzz factor: Rogen and Wilde play a bickering married couple who invite their far more free-spirited upstairs neighbors (Cruz and Norton) over for dinner. Like A24’s recent breakout “The Drama,” “The Invite” is the kind of gasp-inducing film that’s best enjoyed with a crowd. There’s a reason “The Invite” sparked a bidding war at Sundance: Wilde, best known for directing “Booksmart” and “Don’t Worry Darling,” has a knack for creating conversation. She might even be able to restore some faith in theatrical comedies.
Supergirl
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Director: Craig Gillespie
Release date: June 26
Cast: Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Corenswet, Jason Momoa
Buzz factor: It’s time for some new heroes to get the spotlight! After too many comic book sequels and reboots, this adaptation centers on a fresh face: Supergirl, aka Kara El-Zor, better known as Superman’s cousin. Alcock plays the plucky heroine, whose brief appearance — drunken and hilarious — at the end of 2025’s “Superman” is enough to stoke excitement for her stand-alone adventure. Plus, it’s being directed by Craig Gillespie (“I, Tonya” and “Cruella”) — so get ready for some fun needle drops.
Minions & Monsters
Image Credit: ‘Minions & Monsters’ Photo credit: Illumination & Uni
Director: Pierre Coffin
Release date: July 1
Cast: Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg
Buzz factor: Just when you thought those Minions couldn’t get into any more trouble,
this time they’re turning 1920s Hollywood on its head. They’re silent-era filmmakers in the newest animated adventure, which serves as a prequel in the wildly popular “Despicable Me” series and finds the highlighter-yellow creatures directing their own monster movie. Apparently, before they met Gru, the Minions were once the toast of showbiz — until everything went disastrously wrong. #GentleMinions, assemble!
Moana
Image Credit: Disney
Director: Thomas Kail
Release date: July 10
Cast: Catherine Laga’aia, Dwayne Johnson
Buzz factor: Back in 2016, “Moana” introduced one of Disney’s newer heroines (we know, she’s not
a princess!) and gifted the world earworms such as “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome.” Over the years, the oceanic-set adventure has become one of Disney’s most popular properties, racking up millions of hours on streaming and spawning an even more popular animated sequel. Sure, we could watch the original at home, but that version doesn’t have the flesh-and-blood Johnson, with those long, luscious locks, as the demigod Maui.
The Odyssey
Image Credit: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Director: Christopher Nolan
Release date: July 17
Cast: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron
Buzz factor: This generation’s most bankable director is taking on Homer’s epic poem — with help from Damon, Holland, Hathaway, Zendaya and too many other A-listers to name. Nolan has been a box office draw for decades, thanks to the “Dark Knight” trilogy, “Inception” and “Interstellar.” After he propelled the story of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to blockbuster status (“Oppenheimer” grossed a remarkable $975 million globally before winning the Oscar for best picture), the hype around his follow-up feature has been stratospheric. Imax, it’s your time to shine!
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Image Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Release date: July 31
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo
Buzz factor: Do we really need to explain this one? Sure, superhero movies have been on the fritz, but none of that applies to Spider-Man. At the end of 2021’s “No Way Home,” Peter Parker makes the shocking decision to erase his identity from the world. That film became the first post-pandemic smash with a heroic $1.9 billion worldwide, which means a lot of people are clamoring to find out what happens after Spidey makes the ultimate sacrifice.