The 25 movies we're most excited to see this summer
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Sun's out, fun's out! EW's 2022 Summer Preview has dozens of exclusive looks at the most anticipated TV shows, movies, books, and music of entertainment's hottest season. Continue to visit ew.com throughout the week for more previews of what you'll be watching, reading, and listening to in the months to come.
A proper summer movie season is upon us, for a change. Of course we're overjoyed about that, and even if going to theaters still feels a little unsafe (wear that mask whenever and wherever you feel like it), there's a palpable thrill to knowing that, soon enough, we'll be back in the frigid air conditioning among likeminded crowds, popcorn at the ready. What did this feel like again? In a word, it felt like the movies. The art form has always about forging a temporary community for a couple of hours, submitting to a shared group dream among strangers — and even if streaming is very much a part of our diets now, there's nothing like being back in a multiplex. Here's what you should be seeing.
Universal Pictures 'Jurassic World Dominion,' out June 10
Top Gun: Maverick (May 27, in theaters)
Feeling the need for speed? You should be: The sequel is everything you'd want from a return to the universe of Tom Cruise's first blockbuster. It's nostalgic, thrilling, even moving in parts, thanks to a vocally diminished but still-potent Val Kilmer. Read our interview with breakout star Glen Powell.
Fire Island (June 3, Hulu)
Comedian Joel Kim Booster pours his memories of vacation getaways into a Jane Austen-shaped rom-com that we're already thinking could become a new LGBTQ classic. Bowen Yang and Margaret Cho costar. Read our interview with Booster and see exclusive Polaroids from the shoot.
Phantom of the Open (June 3, in theaters)
When Mark Rylance, the genius actor of Bridge of Spies and Broadway's Jerusalem, commits to a leading role, attention must be paid. Here he plays the real-life Maurice Flitcroft, a Brit who, in 1976, became known as the world's worst golfer — though that didn't deter him from trying again.
Hustle (June 8, Netflix)
A passion project for star Adam Sandler, this one has the comedian in Uncut Gems mode as a savvy NBA recruiter shepherding an unknown (played by Utah Jazz forward Juancho Hernangómez) into the big leagues. Sharp and satisfying, it's not just for hoops fans. Jeremiah Zagar (We the Animals) directs. Read our exclusive Q&A with Sandler.
Jurassic World Dominion (June 10, in theaters)
Summer doesn't feel complete without dinosaurs. If you were waiting for the original trio of stars — Sam Neill, Laura Dern and leather-clad "chaotician" Jeff Goldblum — to reprise their roles as delectable raptor bait, your ship has just come in. Watch our exclusive video chat with Goldblum.
Netflix Jennifer Lopez in 'Halftime,' launching June 14 on Netflix
Halftime (June 14, Netflix)
Selected for the opening night of the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival, this celebratory profile takes stock of Jennifer Lopez's career to date, with a special emphasis on her 2020 Super Bowl halftime performance with Shakira. We're praying for as many Hustlers outtakes as they can cram in.
Father of the Bride (June 16, HBO Max)
The concept has already spawned two movies, both fizzy and delightful. But a new update injects marital discord, supplied by two performers reuniting for the first time since 2000's For Love or Country, Andy García and Gloria Estefan. Read our interview with García and Estefan, and watch the trailer.
Cha Cha Real Smooth (June 17, Apple TV+)
This year's buzziest Sundance sensation stars 25-year-old triple threat Cooper Raiff, who writes, directs and acts the role of a post-collegiate slacker who becomes a sizzling bar-mitzvah host to a young crowd that finds him effortlessly cool. Read our interview with Raiff.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (June 17, Hulu)
This sex-positive Sundance comedy stars Emma Thompson, boldly going full frontal as a widow who hires a sex worker (Daryl McCormack) for one night of rekindled passion. It's the best kind of summer counterprogramming — and, smartly, you can watch it at home.
Lightyear (June 17, in theaters)
Even animated characters get origin stories these days. When it comes to Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear, though, we hardly mind it. Chris Evans voices the gung-ho space ranger, supplying a decidedly different take than Tim Allen. Read our interview with veteran Pixar director Angus MacLane.
Universal Ethan Hawke in 'The Black Phone,' out June 24
The Black Phone (June 24, in theaters)
Ethan Hawke has a nice little side hustle in horror these days (Sinister, The Purge), and this ultra-creepy-looking thriller also has some serious bona-fides in its original source material, a short story by Joe Hill, a.k.a. Stephen King's incredibly accomplished author-son.
Elvis (June 24, in theaters)
Even with Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby in his filmography, Baz Luhrmann has made his Baziest movie ever with this impressionistic whirlwind: a stirred cocktail of screaming fans, pop-cultural incisiveness and a killer performance by Austin Butler. Read our Q&A with Luhrmann.
Flux Gourmet (June 24, in theaters)
Peter Strickland makes retro-styled movies with deceptively emotional cores (his In Fabric, a horror film about a haunted dress, is also a sad study of the dating game). The director's latest is his most wildly unconventional: a story about weird musicians, food and farts. You'll think about it for days.
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (June 24, in theaters)
The offbeat viral sensation — an adorable talking shell in sneakers, voiced with childlike wonderment by an inspired Jenny Slate — has become a faithful indie feature, true to the spirit of the original clips. A24 releases. Read our interview with Slate and co-creator Dean Fleischer-Camp.
Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8, in theaters)
Getting hammered with Chris Hemsworth's Asgardian hero has always been one of the most fun sidelines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thankfully, subversive director Taika Waititi returns, as does Natalie Portman in a freshly empowered role. Read our interview with Waititi.
IFC Films Fatma Mohamed in 'Flux Gourmet,' out June 24
The Gray Man (July 15, in theaters; July 22, Netflix)
Almost magically, Anthony and Joe Russo made the final two Avengers movies — weighted with expectations — seem fun and fleet. Their latest is a chatty spy thriller in an old-school Bond vein, starring Ryan Reynolds, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas. Read our interview with the Russos.
Persuasion (July 15, Netflix)
Dakota Johnson is on the roll of her career, stealing away The Lost Daughter from Olivia Colman in several sharp scenes, and finding a complex spin on the unattainable love object in this summer's Cha Cha Real Smooth. We'd be remiss not to also mention her upcoming take on Jane Austen.
Where the Crawdads Sing (July 15, in theaters)
As a novel, Delia Owens' swampy mystery-thriller was enormously popular, and for good reason; its satisfactions snuck up on you. The movie version stars Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones, graduating into deeper nuance and, hopefully, tons more work. Read our interview with Edgar-Jones.
Nope (July 22, in theaters)
Nope, we can't tell you what that trailer means either — aliens? Bad weather? We can say with confidence that writer-director Jordan Peele knows what he's doing, and we'll be first in line to get frightened to death. Read our Q&A with Nope star Keke Palmer, who spills what she can.
House Party (July 28, HBO Max)
Reginald Hudlin's 1990 comedy is a hip-hop time capsule blessed with extremely tall hair (courtesy of Kid 'n Play). This updated remake stars Jacob Latimore and Tosin Cole, and promises plenty of wild, youthful irresponsibility, a required part of every summer.
Ron Batzdorff/Warner Bros. D.C. Young Fly, Tosin Cole, and Jacob Latimore in 'House Party,' launching July 28 on HBO Max
Bodies Bodies Bodies (Aug. 5, in theaters)
Looks like the horror pendulum is swinging back toward Scream and funny — always a nice respite from too much "elevated-ness." A24's zoomers-in-peril comedy, starring Maria Bakalova and Pete Davidson, is riotous and nerve-shredding in equal measure. Read our interview with cast and crew.
Bullet Train (Aug. 5, in theaters)
Seven assassins on a speeding Japanese bullet train would be premise enough; add in Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry, Bad Bunny, Michael Shannon, and Sandra Bullock, and it's high-summer nirvana. Read our interview with stuntman-turned-director David Leitch, an action specialist.
Easter Sunday (Aug. 5, in theaters)
The impossibly charming Jo Koy stars in a busy celebration of Filipino-American pride, set during the title weekend in a household loaded with boisterous tensions. Jimmy O. Yang, Tia Carrere, Eva Noblezada, Tiffany Haddish, and director Jay Chandrasekhar costar.
Resurrection (Aug. 5, in theaters)
Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth seethe and circle as a former couple with an extremely bad past in this super-tense Sundance thriller about stalking and obsession. Writer-director Andrew Semans adds heat upon heat in a near-surreal psychological crucible, arriving at one of those WTF endings.
Emily the Criminal (Aug. 12, in theaters)
Aubrey Plaza radiates desperation in this tensely calibrated drama about a young woman trapped in debt who becomes enmeshed in a credit-card scam that solves her problems a bit too easily. The film does an unusually fine job of detailing the secret under-economy of a glitzy Los Angeles.
Universal Idris Elba in 'Beast,' out August 19
Also of interest: Benediction (June 3, in theaters), Crimes of the Future (June 3, in theaters), Mr. Malcolm's List (July 1, in theaters), Both Sides of the Blade (July 8, in theaters), Don't Make Me Go (July 15, Prime Video), I Love My Dad (August 5, in theaters), Beast (August 19, in theaters), The Bride (August 26, in theaters)
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