Many parts of the country are still in the grip of cold weather, but according the calendar, spring has almost sprung itself out.
This coming movie summer offers some wrinkles we haven’t seen before. Fuel prices are still at near-record highs thanks to the U.S. getting involved in a land war in Asia. As a result, would-be travelers might be forgoing vacations requiring air travel. Hollywood no doubt hopes that translates to more butts in seats for the coming blockbuster season.
The good news is there are some interesting properties sprinkled in with the usual cape movies and legacy sequels. Hopefully these can offer some kind of distraction from the realization your trip to the theater cost you $20 in gas.
Without further ado, here’s your 2026 Summer Movie Preview:
Obsession – May 15
I remember seeing the trailer for this and thinking writer/director Curry Barker must have watched that Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror” episode about the monkey’s paw.” And I was right!
“Bart gets a monkey paw and causes a bunch of chaos,” Barker says. “I was thinking that I’ve never seen a straight crazy horror where … we’ve seen ‘Be careful what you wish for’ tons of times. But we’ve never seen my version of it. I instantly started thinking about what I could do with that.”
You see, this is why wishes have to be so carefully worded. If the main character ever played D&D, he would’ve known that. Kids these days.
Is God Is – May 15
Not gonna lie; when I first heard of this I thought it was going to be one of those Angel Studios things starring Neal McDonough and Kevin James. This is pleasantly not that, and looks intriguing as hell. Aleshea Harris adapts her own Obie-winning play about sibling revenge.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu – May 22
Man, these toy commercials just get more elaborate, don’t they?
Masters of the Universe – June 5
As an Elder Gen X, I was a bit too old for He-Man, Skeletor, She-Ra, and … Fisto? That can’t be right. Anyway, Amazon MGM looks like they’re leaning into the campiness of the original cartoon. All the same, I really don’t plan on — [touches earpiece] — what’s that? Morena Baccarin is playing Sorceress? ShutUpAndTakeMyMoney.gif
Scary Movie – June 5
In the latest of a seemingly endless series of examples of Hollywood’s creative bankruptcy, they’re rebooting a parody franchise that debuted 26 years ago.
Disclosure Day – June 12
[Navin Johnson voice] The new Spielberg’s here! The new Spielberg’s here![/Navin Johnson voice] Steven Spielberg returns to his extraterrestrial roots with longtime collaborators John Williams and screenwriter David Koepp, which stars Spielberg newbies Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor.
Aaaaaand that’s about all I know about it. Spielberg has teased that the movie will be more cerebral than films like E.T. or War of the Worlds. Still holding out hope Colin Firth gets anally probed.
Toy Story 5 – June 19
This cautionary tale about the dangers of too much technology debuts in June, but will unironically be available on the Disney+ app and its streaming service shortly thereafter.
The Death of Robin Hood – June 19
“He was no hero.” Nice to see even our most timeworn public domain properties aren’t immune to the grimdark treatment. And I don’t just mean the lighting in that trailer.
Supergirl – June 26
Speaking of grimdark, Superman was a welcome return to form for a character unfairly tarnished by the Zach Snyder Effect. This looks like good fun, and I can only imagine how a certain (Bat)fanbase must be wetting their Depends because the first Gotham-set film in the new DCU is … Clayface.
Jackass: Best and Last – June 26
In deference to the crew’s advancing age and advanced concussion syndrome, this will be a combination of the greatest (groin) hits of yesteryear and new stunts, also (probably) mostly involving groins.
Is this truly the “last” Jackass movie? The death of Ryan Dunn and the firing of Bam Margera, both original members, didn’t stop things. Johnny Knoxville seems unable to help himself, so the only philosophical question that remains is: is there such thing as a lethal crotch shot?
Spoiler: there is.
Minions & Monsters – July 1
Each of the previous Minions movies has grossed $900K – $1 billion. No wiseass comment I make here or subsequent review I write asking flat-out why a bunch of homunculoids who gravitate towards the “most despicable” villains imaginable somehow missed Hitler and Mao Zedong is going to make an iota of difference. Moving on.
Evil Dead Burn – July 10
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy was a modest box office success earlier this year. This summer, Cronin returns to the Evil Dead fold after directing Rise in 2023. From the looks of the trailer (yeesh), he’s not planning to return to Sam Raimi’s comedy underpinnings anytime soon.
Moana – July 10
Dwayne Johnson returns as Maui alongside newcomer Catherine Laga’aia. At the current rate of Disney remakes, look for a live-action reboot of The Rescuers, starring Tom Cruise, Timothy Spall, and Johnson as Orville the albatross in 2038.
The Odyssey – July 17
A new Nolan is always cause for excitement (okay, maybe not Tenet). Expect epic battles, impressive mythological figures, and a muddy audio mix.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day – July 31
It’s been a relatively silent Phase Six for the MCU. Fantastic Four: First Steps dropped last summer, and this is the only table setter for the franchise before Avengers: Doomsday comes out in December. Don’t expect a lot of universe building in Brand New Day, which focuses on Peter Parker (Tom Holland), still anonymously (following Dr. Strange’s spell in No Way Home) fighting crime as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Super Troopers 3 – August 7
As someone who watched original Super Troopers way too many times (the first 15-20 minutes, at least), I’m pleasantly surprised this looks like it has an actual plot. Previous attempts by Broken Lizard to branch out from the ST franchise (Club Dread, The Slammin’ Salmon) have been a mixed bag, so it’s nice to see them return to form.
And I’m aware there’s a second Super Troopers movie. I honestly don’t remember if I’ve seen it.
The End of Oak Street – August 14
Anne Hathaway is having a year. Her A24 debut, Mother Mary, dropped last month, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is poised to rake in big bucks, and we already talked about The Odyssey, where she plays Penelope. This movie, co-starring Ewan McGregor and helmed by It Follows and Under the Silver Lake director David Robert Mitchell.
Insidious: Out of the Further – August 21
I think I saw the first two Insidiouses (Insidii)? Pretty cool that Lin Shaye keeps getting work in these, considering her character died in the first one.
Mutiny – August 21
You can spot a Jason Statham movie from the logline alone:
Cole Reed was in the Special Forces and served as a New York police officer in a former life.
“Former Special Forces” describes Statham’s last three characters (The Beekeeper, A Working Man, Shelter) as well as his next two (Mutiny, The Beekeeper 2). In the words of Samir Nagheenanajar, it would be nice to have that kind of job security.
Coyote vs. Acme – August 28
Warner Bros. hairball in chief David Zaslav initially gave this the Batgirl treatment, planning to shelve it for a tax write-off. WB relented after intense industry pressure, and we’ll finally get to see the finished product this summer, courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment. Beep beep.
