With the release of The Fall Guy this weekend, the summer movie season is finally upon us. While it’s a thinner summer than usual due to the dual writer and actors strike bringing movies to a standstill for much of 2023, there should still be a lot of stuff worth checking out, even if the summer seems short of anything that can aspire to Barbenheimer levels of success. Yesterday, we teased some of our most anticipated horror movies, so now we’re tackling the rest of the blockbusters in our 2024 summer movie preview!
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (May 10)
In my opinion, there’s never been a bad Planet of the Apes movie. Going all the way back to the classic 1968 original and its four sequels, through Tim Burton’s remake and the Caesar trilogy from Fox, all of the movies have at least been interesting. With Disney now owning 20th Century Studios, the hit-strapped studio hopes for a breakout franchise starter from director Wes Ball. So far, the early buzz has been promising, with CinemaCon audiences being treated with fifteen minutes of footage that promised perhaps the most visually stunning and immersive apes movie to date. But, without Andy Serkis as Caesar, will audiences embrace this new entry into the saga? We’ll have to wait and see, but I’m cautiously optimistic.
IF (May 17)
Ryan Reynolds is generally considered one of the biggest stars in the world. But, other than Free Guy, most of his movies have been on streaming lately, and the summer movie season is set to test his box office mettle not once, but twice. IF is seen as the riskier movie, with it a big, broad family film that teams him with director John Krasinski in this story of a man helping a child connect unwanted IFs (invisible friends) with new children. It sounds a bit twee. But, with Steve Carrell, Matt Damon and a who’s who of stars voicing the CGI invisible creatures, this could be a box office bonanza.
The Garfield Movie (May 24)
However, IF has one big piece of competition for family audiences – The Garfield Movie. Many are thinking this will be one of the biggest hits of the summer, with Chris Pratt voicing everyone’s favorite fat cat. The last time he voiced an animated film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it was a monumental smash. Clearly, the studio financing this one is hoping lightning will strike twice.
Furiosa (May 24)
Speaking of lightning striking twice, George Miller’s long-awaited Max Max: Fury Road prequel, Furiosa, is finally set to hit theaters. It’s worth noting that Fury Road, despite being seen as one of the greatest action movies of all time, was only a modest box office hit, so those predicting blockbuster numbers for Miller’s R-rated prequel might need to think again. However, even if it doesn’t break the bank, many of us are thinking that of all the movies coming out this summer, this one has the best chance of becoming a new classic.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (June 7th)
The fourth Bad Boys movie marks Will Smith’s first theatrically released feature since the infamous Oscar slap. It’s being seen as the test of whether or not audiences are going to be able to move past the controversy and embrace him as the big star he used to be. Certainly, Bad Boys: Ride or Die seems like a good bet, with the last Bad Boys movie being a surprise mega-hit.
Inside Out 2 (June 14)
Just like its parent studio, Pixar needs a hit. While everyone called Elemental a flop when it came out last summer, the movie still managed to eke out a respectable worldwide gross in the $500 million neighbourhood. Still, this is a far cry from the numbers Pixar used to post. Hence, all eyes are on the long-anticipated sequel, which reunites much (but not all) of the original voice cast in what’s considered Pixar’s biggest and best hope at regaining its former glory.
Horizon: An American Saga (June 28 & August 16)
Kevin Costner’s Horizon is like a unicorn in today’s risk-averse movie climate. It’s a mega-budget, multi-part Western epic and is so far removed from the kids of movies Hollywood makes nowadays the star had to largely finance the films himself. And yes, I said films because no matter how the first movie fares at the box office, WB has the sequel coming out less than two months later.
A Quiet Place: Day One (June 28)
I strongly feel this will be one of the summer’s highest-grossing movies. People love this franchise, with A Quiet Place: Part 2 managing to gross $160 million domestically despite being released during the pandemic. While director John Krasinski and star Emily Blunt are sitting this one out, the buzz on this prequel is sky-high. This depicts the initial invasion in New York City and stars Lupita Nyong’o and Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (July 3)
This is the only streaming movie I have on this list, as to me it’s the only one that has a chance of going toe-to-toe with the summer’s big blockbusters. Fans have been waiting thirty years for a proper Beverly Hills Cop 4, and the early trailers suggest this just might have been worth the wait.
Despicable Me 4 (July 3)
While that title may make more than a few of you groan, this franchise has minted money for Universal and Illumination, with audiences flocking to see Steve Carell’s Gru and his minions. Even if the franchise might have jumped the shark a few films back for some of us, I’d be shocked it this didn’t end up as one of the summer’s biggest moneymakers.
Twisters (July 19)
Universal’s putting a lot of faith into this big-budget sequel to Twisters, which boasts a newly minted megastar with lead Glen Powell, who co-stars with Fresh’s Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos. Minari director Lee Isaac Chung isn’t known for his blockbusters, but the early footage I saw at CinemaCon this year was epic, so this could be huge.
Deadpool and Wolverine (June 26)
That said, Twisters has a natural disaster of its own on its hands the next week, when Disney’s Deadpool and Wolverine is set to suck all the air out of the box office. If any movie on this list is a guaranteed smash, this is it. Many believe it will become the biggest summer hit and the only movie that could give last year’s duel Barbenheimer threat a run for its money. Given how dire folks expect the box office to be this season, some may well be calling the Merc With a Mouth the summer box office saviour by the time August rolls around.
Trap (August 9)
M. Night Shyamalan’s got what looks like a killer thriller hitting theaters this summer, with the early footage from Trap blowing away the audience at CinemaCon last month. The premise is awesome, with Josh Hartnett playing a suburban dad who brings his daughter to a concert, only to discover it’s all a ruse to capture a serial killer – and he IS that killer. This could be a huge comeback for Hartnett and one of the year’s sleeper hits.
Borderlands (August 9)
Eli Roth’s Borderlands has had a bit of a tortured production history. It started shooting three years ago, and Roth infamously stepped aside for reshoots last year in order to make Thanksgiving. The new trailers for this one have serious Guardians of the Galaxy vibes – so much so that you might even call it a clone. It’s also got a pretty unusual cast, with Cate Blanchett making her debut as an action hero in the lead.
Alien: Romulus (August 16th)
Will this be the summer that brings the Alien franchise back from the dead? Originally, Fede Alvarez’s Alien flick was supposed to debut on Hulu, but the runaway success of the Predator prequel, Prey, convinced Disney to give this a shot at big-screen glory. So far, the buzz is this is a gory throwback to the original movie, with hardcore R-rated action and chest-bursting xenomorphs galore.
The Crow (August 23)
And finally, will the summer end with a whimper or a bang as the controversial Crow reboot hits theatres? The reaction to the trailer has been divisive to say the least, with some (including original Crow director Alex Proyas) slamming this as “Crow Wick”. Yet, the studio (Lionsgate) seems high on it, and Bill Skarsgard showed promise as an action star in the largely unseen Boy Kills World. We’ll have to wait and see, I guess.
What summer movie are you most excited to see? Let us know in the talkbacks!