Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow and the rest of The Avengers are already in theatres thwarting Ultron’s attempts to destroy them and making new friends along the way, so that means Summer Movie Season has officially kicked off.
With that in mind, here’s a look at 10 more flicks headed to a theatre near you this summer that should be high on your list of movies to see between now and the end of August.
Tomorrowland (May 15)
From director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) and Disney, this futuristic action-adventure was written by Bird and Damon Lindelof (Lost) and stars George Clooney, Britt Robertson and Hugh Laurie. Visually stunning (from what the trailers show) and sure to be entertaining given the Bird/Disney team-up, Tomorrowland should be an energetic, but not too aggro way to ease into the summer.
—
Entourage (June 3)
Yes, the series ran too long on HBO and it has been several years since Vince, E. and the boys were last seen hugging it out with Ari. That being said, two hours and change of the Queens Crew reunited on the big screen with tons of cameos and Ronda Rousey playing a medium-sized role sounds like a nice way to spend part of your Friday night or Saturday afternoon.
—
Jurassic World (June 12)
It doesn’t matter that the setup is a familiar one – dinosaurs get loose, people in danger, someone has to stop them – or that it has been years since we last traveled to Isla Nublar, the combination of Chris Pratt and the advances in technology that will no doubt make this new generation of dinosaurs look even more badass and amazing than they did in the originals is worth the price of admission. This might be the best popcorn movie of the summer.
—
Magic Mike XXL (July 1)
Scoff all you want at the inclusion of the male stripper sequel on this list, but here’s the thing: the first film did $113M domestic and another $50M+ worldwide, so you knew they were coming back and you can’t just be dragging your significant other to stereotypical guy flicks all summer long, so why not mix in Channing Tatum & Co. bumpin’ and grindin’ and see where that leads?
—
Ant-Man (July 17)
Earlier this year, it looked like Marvel’s stand alone about Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) as a miniature superhero was going to be the studio’s first dud, but then the marketing campaign kicked in, a couple slick trailers started making the rounds and now Ant-Man could very well turn into a “better than expected” hit for the comic book adaptation masters. That’s a good thing, since Ant-Man is probably going to be involved in other projects from Phase 3 in the future.
—
Trainwreck (July 17)
If you’re looking for a movie that might end up being the “surprise of the summer,” Amy Schumer’s feature film debut as a serial dater/bar-hopper who doesn’t believ in monogamy should be high on your list. With the criminally underrated Bill Hader as the male lead, LeBron James and John Cena playing actual roles – OK, LeBron plays himself, but it’s not just a cameo – and Judd Apatow et al behind the project, this is going to be a hit.
—
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (July 31)
You may not be a big Tom Cruise fan. You may be wondering how a series that started all the way back in 1996 – before Jerry Maguire – is still pumping out new installments. You may think, “It won’t be that good.” It will be. They always are – that’s why nearly 20 years after Cruise first played Ethan Hunt, the Mission: Impossible team is still making movies. And honestly: the last one, Ghost Protocol, was the best of the bunch, so it’s not like they’re just cranking out junk with a familiar name attached to it. Watch the trailer and try not to get excited.
—
Southpaw (July 31)
The first feature film script from Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, this is a mid-summer potential Oscar nomination for Jake Gyllenhall as a boxer that hits rock bottom after being at the top and has to work his way back up again. It looks very good and has an outstanding cast. The only problem is that the trailer kind of lays everything about the movie out there in the span of two-and-a-half minutes. Maybe there are some unexpected wrinkles that will pop up in theatre, but probably not. Either way, Sutter’s a super talented dude and Gyllenhall is starting his “become a megastar” crescendo, so we’re in.
—
The Fantastic Four (August 7)
A Marvel Studio’s reboot of a great comic book team with a bunch of amazing youngish actors playing the familiar roles? What’s not to like? Directed by Josh Trank (Chronicle) and starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell, this version of the group that inhabits the Baxter Building should be far better than the unit that made up the two FOX movies from earlier this century.
—
Straight Outta Compton (August 14)
A biopic on one of the most influential and important musical acts of the last 25 years lands at a time when sadly, a lot of the issues that pulsed through their lyrics are once again front and center. While there are certainly films on this list that will do bigger box office numbers, F. Gary Gray’s (The Italian Job) look at the rise of N.W.A. is the one I’m looking forward to the most.
