Blockbusters and beyond: Your summer movie guide

Fresh off the box office’s highest-grossing Memorial Day weekend in a decade, led by “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” and “Lilo & Stitch,” the summer film season is fully in swing. After last year’s box office saw a 30-year Memorial Day low, Hollywood is hopeful that the coming months will follow this weekend’s lead and be full of financial and critical successes. Here are some of the upcoming summer’s most highly anticipated films, spanning every genre. 

“Karate Kid: Legends”  - May 30

“Karate Kid: Legends” is the sixth installment in the martial arts film series, and takes place  after “Cobra Kai,” six-season television run. The film stars Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, reprising their roles as Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso, respectively, and Ben Wang as the titular “karate kid.” The two hour long, PG-13 film follows Wang’s Li Fong, an immigrant kung fu prodigy looking to fit in and help his classmates.

“From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” - June 6

Set between the events of 2019’s “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” and 2022’s “John Wick: Chapter 4,” “Ballerina” is an action thriller following Ana de Armas’s Eve Macarro, a ballerina assassin seeking revenge for the death of her father. Keanu Reeves will reprise his role as John Wick, and the movie is sure to feature intense action sequences and choreographed fights during its 2 hour and 5 minute runtime.

“How to Train Your Dragon” - June 13

This live-action remake of the 2010 animated film will feature Mason Thames as Hiccup, a teen living in the fictional Berk, a village with a storied tradition of dragon slaying. Just like in the original, Hiccup is unable to kill the dragon Toothless, and instead befriends him. This family-friendly, two-hour-long film is directed by Dean DeBlois, co-director of the original film.

“Elio” - June 20

As the seventh overall film in the “Jurassic Park” franchise and the fourth installment in the “Jurassic World” series, “Rebirth” is, of course, another science fiction action film about the disastrous results of bringing dinosaurs back to life. The movie has an entirely new cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey of “Bridgerton” and “Wicked.” 

“Superman” - July 11th

Following the difficult production process of 2017’s “Justice League,” which was part of the DC Extended Universe, DC Studios has opted to reboot the franchise with James Gunn’s “Superman,” starring David Corenswet. Gunn’s film will be the 10th “Superman” movie to come out, and will follow Clark Kent/Superman’s origin story once again. 

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” - July 25th

This third attempt at bringing “The Fantastic Four” to film is the 37th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the beginning of the MCU’s Phase 6. Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Invisbile Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are tasked with protecting a 1960’s-inspired retro-futuristic version of Earth — a parallel universe to Earth-616, where most Marvel storylines take place.

In addition to these, other films that are sure to be highlights of the summer include “The Phoenician Scheme” (May 30), the newest Wes Anderson film, complete with a star-studded cast and his signature cinematographic style; “28 Years Later” (June 20), the latest addition to the post-apocalyptic horror film series; “Smurfs” (July 18), the live-action film featuring Rihanna’s first solo music release in three years; and “Freakier Friday” (August 8), a direct sequel to the 2003 “Freaky Friday” starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. With the Hollywood summer now underway, be sure to go catch any and every film that interests you!

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