"The joys of going to the movie theater in person are making their way back in style, but a new way to enjoy new releases has entered the movie world. From Netflix to HBO Max and more, streaming services are growing in popularity with straight-to-streaming movies that make their way to home screens immediately or within weeks of theater releases. This new feature makes it so the movie experience can be enjoyed both in the theater or in the comfort of your own home.
While many have a preference on which movie-watching experience is best based on atmosphere, convenience, prices, and quality of popcorn, no matter where you watch them, movies are undeniably one of the best pastimes. If you’re looking for ways to escape the heat this summer or maybe searching for your next date night idea, mark your calendars for the 24 most anticipated movies of summer. They’re action-packed, mind-bending, belly-roll funny, and hopelessly romantic—everything you want in a summer blockbuster.
1. Kinds of Kindness
The award-winning pair from Poor Things, director Yorgos Lanthimos and actress Emma Stone, reunite for another comedy drama. Kinds of Kindness is an original film that follows three stories that all seem to revolve around one man. The star-studded cast, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Plemons, Hunter Schafer, Margaret Qualley, and more, bring to life the stories of a man who tries to take control of his own life, a policeman whose wife seems like a different person, and a woman who is in search of someone with a special ability.
2. Thelma
Grandmas rule the world! 93-year-old Thelma Post, played by June Squibb, falls victim to a con artist phone scam pretending to be her grandson in trouble. This modern comedy follows Thelma and her friend on their treacherous quest across the city to retrieve what was taken from her. With help from their motorized scooters and friends along the way, this witty comedy will make you fall in love with grandmas all over again.
3. A Family Affair
From the producers of Anyone but You, Netflix brings us another surprising romance. A young assistant, Joey King, her celebrity boss, Zac Efron, and her mother, Nicole Kidman, find themselves in a complicated situation as they face the complications of love, sex, and identity after King’s character discovers her mother is secretly dating her boss. Filled with witty comedy and juggling complex relationships, A Family Affair is a love story for everyone and their mother.
4. Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1
The first part of this epic four-part saga will dive into how the West was won—with the bloodshed of the Civil War acting as the backdrop of westward expansion. Featuring stars Kevin Costner, Jamie Campbell, and Ella Hun, Horizon: An American Saga follows the hardships and challenges faced by the people living in the midst of a country at war. If you find yourself enraptured by this cinematic journey, Chapter 2 will be out in August.
5. Beverly Hills Cops: Axel F
After his daughter’s life is threatened, Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to his work in Beverly Hills. With the help of a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals, Detective Axel gets back in the game. From helicopter crashes to stealing snow plows this adrenaline-filled film will join the ranks of our favorite classic action-comedy duo flicks.
6. Despicable Me 4
Gru welcomes a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who’s intent on tormenting his dad. However, their peaceful existence soon comes crashing down when criminal mastermind Maxime Le Mal escapes from prison and vows revenge against Gru. Gru’s family is in danger, and there’s only one group of small yellow creatures that can save them. The Minions!!
7. Space Cadet
In a series of unlikely events, Florida party girl, played by Emma Roberts, turns out to be the only hope for the NASA space program after a fluke puts her in training with other candidates who may have better resumes but don’t have her smarts, heart, and moxie. This movie follows her journey to becoming a space cadet for NASA.
8. MaXXXine
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. However, as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Los Angeles, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past. A24 Studios brings us a can’t-look-away mystery of a young girl on her scandalous journey to becoming a movie star.
9. Fly Me to the Moon
Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson bring to life the love story of Cole Davis and Kelly Jone in Fly Me to the Moon. This stylish comedy-drama is set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Sparks fly as astronaut Davis is challenged to make the trip to the moon possible through science and marketing master Jones, who is tasked by the White House to sell the mission to the public in order to avoid failure. Even if it means staging a fake moon landing. The countdown begins to see whose moon landing makes it into history.
10. Longlegs
Nicholas Cage stars as the terrifying and mysterious serial killer Longlegs in this Horror/Mystery, and he’s bringing the scare factor to summer. Longlegs follows the story of FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), who is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes an unexpected turn, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.
11. Touch
Two young lovers from different cultures find themselves falling in love, and then suddenly it all vanishes. Spanning over several decades and continents, Touch follows one man’s emotional journey to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago, before his time runs out. Definitely a must-watch for any hopeless romantics.
12. Twisters
Twisters is not only about chasing thrills. This update to the 1996 film Twister centers on the story of former storm chaser Kate Cooper and reckless social media superstar Tyler Owens. Along with their respective teams, the two storm chasers find themselves in the heart of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma. Stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (Kate) and Glen Powell (Tyler) take a ride with danger in this thrilling film in the hopes of saving lives from these monstrous storms.
13. Deadpool and Wolverine
What’s summer without a superhero movie? The worlds of two comic classics collide when Deadpool seeks Wolverine’s help to save those he loves and his world. Although reluctant to help, Wolverine brings the X-factor, while Deadpool provides the comedic relief in this epic Marvel film. There are bad guys, good guys, some in between, old friends, and, of course, iconic fight scenes.
14. Man & Witch: The Dance of a Thousand Steps
This movie brings nostalgic fantasy back from the Disney Channel days. Man & Witch is a heartwarming homage to the lo-fi fantasy films of the 80s and a comic adventure that both fulfills and subverts the expectations of what a fantasy universe can be. A lonely goater is looking for love, convinced he is cursed, he seeks out a witch to help him on his search. The witch anoints him with three impossible tasks that he must complete to find true love. This adventure is filled with ogres, talking animals, witches, a dance of a thousand steps, and, of course, true love.
15. Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
As someone with best friends who can quote almost any episode from Spongebob by heart, I know I will be seeing this movie. The film follows the story of Spongebob and Sandy Cheeks who embark on an adventure to save Bikini Bottom after it has been stolen by an evil CEO. Sandy and SpongeBob must go on an epic quest to Sandy’s home state of Texas and enlist her family to help save Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and the rest of the gang before time runs out.
16. Cuckoo
Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer stars as an American teenager, Gretchen, who reluctantly moves with her dad and his new family to the German Alps. Upon arriving, Gretchen is greeted by Mr. Köng, her father’s boss who takes a strange liking to her mute half-sister Alma. Things take a turn toward eerie mystery when Gretchen is plagued by strange visitors and bloody visions. This blood-soaked and mind-bending thriller is great for those seeking an adrenaline rush this summer.
17. It Ends with Us
The much-anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling book It Ends with Us is finally making its way to the big screen, and the trailer features music by Taylor Swift! Blake Lively stars as Lily Bloom, a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by Justin Baldoni, sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ relationship. When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan, played by Brandon Sklenar, suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice.
18. Daughters
This heart-wrenching documentary centers on four little girls and their stories of attending a father-daughter dance in Washington D.C., but there’s a catch. All of their fathers are incarcerated. This intimate and humanistic documentary brings a new sentimental approach to the lives of those with incarcerated parents. Daughters will leave you emotional before, during, and after. Catch a glimpse of inmates enjoying the privileges of fatherhood during this newly implemented father-daughter dance program, which has proven to reduce reincarceration rates and has the potential to be implemented in prisons around the nation.
19. Jackpot!
Stream on Prime Video August 15
You have to play to win! Or so they say. Set in the very near future, the Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? Kill the winner before sundown and you can legally claim their prize. New LA transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (John Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion dollar prize, all while dealing with Noel’s protection rival Louis Lewis (Simu Liu) who also wants to get her to sundown in order to claim his rich protection commission.
20. The Union
Mike, played by Mark Walberg, is a down-to-earth construction worker from Jersey who is quickly thrust into the world of super spies and secret agents when his high school ex-girlfriend Roxanne (Halle Berry) recruits him on a high-stakes U.S. intelligence mission. This classic spy movie is sure to be a great at-home watch.
21. The Crow
Bill Skarsgård returns to the big screen as The Crow in a modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr. Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right. This movie is the epitome of love makes you do crazy things.
22. Blink Twice
When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It’s paradise, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. Something is wrong with this place. She’ll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive. Blink Twice is this summer’s Glass Onion.
23. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
He’s back! From the mind of Tim Burton, Micheal Keaton and Wynona Ryder return to their iconic roles of Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz, but many years have passed since their first meeting. After an unexpected family tragedy, o-so-spooky Beetlejuice is threatening to be re-summoned by rebellious teenager Astrid (Jenna Ortega). The world of the living and the dead collide while trouble brews in both realms. This end-of-summer sequel is sure to bring the strange and unusual to the screen.
24. Never Let Go
Out in Theaters September 27
A family consisting of a mother (Halle Berry) and her twin sons has suffered from the torment of a malicious spirit for many years. They learn to survive their new life after the end of the world by tying themselves to ropes attached to their family home to stay safe. However, when one of the boys starts to doubt the existence of the evil, the family’s sacred bond is broken, leading to a dangerous fight for survival. This American survival horror movie will test the limits of trusting one’s family.