2025 Summer Movie Preview

On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, 2025 has finally arrived at the greatest point of every cinephile’s annual indulgence, the summer movie season!! This year theaters are trying to kick back into gear with blockbusters like Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch, Superman, Thunderbolts*, Elio, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Nobody 2, Fantastic Four: The First Steps, 28 Years Later, Ballerina, How To Train Your Dragon, and also insightful smaller films like Dangerous Animals, Materialists, Sovereign, Bring Her Back, Eddington, and a whole lot more.  But with so many films coming out at this time, how is any self-respecting fan supposed to know what to see when there are so many options available? We’re here to help with our 2025 Summer Movie Preview!

We discuss each month in detail and every major and many minor releases. May, June, July, and August all receive their fair due as we elaborate and debate on over 60 titles coming to theaters, as well as those independent and streaming gems to look for.

Grab a pen and paper or your favorite app, because this is one episode you will want to take notes on. THIS is our 2025 Summer Movie Preview!

*Editor’s Note: Release dates and titles were based on the schedule as of the date of recording, and are subject to change

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2024 Summer Movie Schedule

Releasing in theaters unless stated otherwise

May 1

Another Simple Favor – Prime

Continued adventures of widowed single mother Stephanie (Kendrick) and vlogger Emily (Lively).  A murder transpires at Emily’s extravagant wedding to an Italian businessman on the island of Capri, Italy. This sequel follows Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson as they head to Capri for Emily’s ultra extravagant wedding – but when things go very wrong they’re off an another whodunit adventure.

 

May 2

Thunderbolts*

Revolves around a group of supervillains who go on missions for the government.

Rust – Theaters + VOD

Western outlaw Harland Rust (Alec Baldwin), who has a bounty on his head, discovers his 13 year-old grandson is convicted of an accidental murder and sentenced to hang. Rust travels to Kansas to break his Grandson out of prison, and the two fugitives must escape bounty hunters and a legandary U.S. Marshal

The Surfer

In the psychological thriller directed by Lorcan Finnegan, a man (Nic Cage) returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. But his desire to hit the waves is thwarted by a group of locals whose mantra is “don’t live here, don’t surf here.” Humiliated and angry, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising in concert with the punishing heat of the summer and pushes him to his breaking point.

 

May 9

Clown in a Cornfield 

In a fading Midwestern town, the local legend of Frendo the clown becomes all too real as teenagers start to go missing one by one, before meeting spectacularly sticky ends

Juliet & Romeo 

A modern reimagining of one of the most beloved love stories of all time.

Nonnas – Netflix

Following the loss of his mother, a man (Vince Vaughn ) opens up an Italian restaurant with a group of local grandmothers as chefs

Shadow Force

Follows an estranged couple with a bounty on their heads. They must go on the run with their son to avoid their former employer.

Fight or Flight 

A mercenary (Josh Hartnett) takes on the job of tracking down a target on a plane but must protect her when they’re surrounded by people trying to kill both of them.

 

May 16

Final Destination: Bloodlines 

The sixth movie of the horror franchise in which death hunts down those who have cheated death.

Hurry Up Tomorrow 

A musician plagued by insomnia is pulled into an odyssey with a stranger who begins to unravel the very core of his existence.

 

May 23

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

An eight installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Lilo & Stitch 

A tale of a young girl’s close encounter with the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial.

Fear Street: Prom Queen – Netflix

As the Shadyside High School prom queen candidates are brutally murdered one by one, leaving only one, everyone speculates as to whether she will be the killer’s next target

Fountain of Youth – Apple TV

Revolves around the mythical Fountain of Youth — where if you drink from it, you live forever.

 

May 30

Karate Kid: Legends

Described as “the return to the original Karate Kid franchise.”

Bring Her Back

A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

 

JUNE 6

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

A female assassin bent on revenge hunts down those responsible for killing her family.

The Ritual

Tells the story of two priests from different backgrounds who must work together to perform an exorcism that will aim to help a possessed young woman.

Dangerous Animals 

When Zephyr, a savvy and free-spirited surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below. « less

The Phoenician Scheme 

Benicio del Toro stars in the film as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe while Mia Threapleton plays his daughter and Michael Cera portrays her tutor in this Wes Anderson film.

Mike Flanagan’s mind-bending adaptation of Stephen King’s novella, told in reverse chronological order. It’s a “feel-good apocalypse” story following the life of an ordinary man named Chuck (played by Tom Hiddleston) from his death back to his childhood.

Predator: Killer of Killers – HULU

A three-part animated anthology that showcases Yautja warriors hunting human prey across global history.

 

June 12

Deep Cover – Prime

The movie takes place in London’s criminal underworld. Three improv actors are hired by the police to help with undercover operations. They end up getting involved with a criminal gang.

 

June 13

How to Train Your Dragon 

On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast, Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.

Materialists

Follows a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker who finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.

Echo Valley – Apple TV+

A tense thriller starring Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney. Moore plays a mother whose troubled daughter comes home covered in someone else’s blood, forcing her into a desperate fight to protect her family.

 

June 20

28 Years Later

A sequel trilogy to 28 Weeks Later – with Alex Garland writing and Danny Boyle directing.  Nearly three decades after the rage virus outbreak, survivors live in a heavily fortified island colony – until a risky mainland mission reveals mutated horrors among both the infected and other survivors​

Elio

Meet Elio: A boy finds himself transported across the galaxy and mistaken for the intergalactic Ambassador for our planet Earth

Sovereign

Follows a father and son (Offerman and Tremblay) who identify as Sovereign Citizens, a group of anti-government extremists, as they venture across the country and find themselves in a standoff with a chief of police (Dennis Quaid) that sets off an intense manhunt with tragic consequences.

Bride Hard

Badass secret agent Sam has been tasked with one of her hardest missions yet – being a Maid of Honor for her childhood best friend.

 

June 27

F1

A Formula One driver comes out of retirement to compete alongside a rookie driver and the titans of the sport. Stars Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick)

M3GAN 2.0

Unbeknownst to them, the underlying tech for M3GAN has been stolen and misused by a powerful defense contractor to create a military-grade weapon known as Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno), the ultimate killer infiltration spy. But as Amelia’s self-awareness increases, she becomes decidedly less interested in taking orders from humans. Or in keeping them around.

With the future of human existence on the line, Gemma realizes that the only option is to resurrect M3GAN (Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) and give her a few upgrades, making her faster, stronger, and more lethal. As their paths collide, the original A.I bitch is about to meet her match

Sorry, Baby

An indie dramedy that earned buzz at Sundance 2025 for writer-director-star Eva Victor. It’s a sharply funny, heartfelt story of a young woman dealing with an unexpected pregnancy and wavering between her carefree past and responsible future.

 

July 2

Jurassic World Rebirth

Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures within that tropical biosphere hold the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.

The Old Guard 2 – Netflix

A sequel to the hit 2020 action film The Old Guard. Charlize Theron and her team of immortal mercenaries return

Heads of State – PRIME

The UK Prime Minister (Idris Elba) and US President (John Cena) have a public rivalry that risks their countries’ alliance. But when they become targets of a powerful enemy, they’re forced to rely on each other as they go on a wild, multinational run. Allied with Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), they must find a way to thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world.

 

July 11

Superman

The story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

 

July 18

Eddington

Set in 2020 in the small town of Eddington, New Mexico, it depicts a powder-keg conflict where a dispute between a sheriff with higher aspirations and a mayor escalates. Directed by Ari Aster

Smurfs

A Smurf-tastic musical story.

I Know What You Did Last Summer 

Original stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprise their roles as Julie and Ray, now parents, when a new generation of teens in their small town commits a fatal mistake and finds themselves stalked by a hook-wielding killer.

 

July 25

Fantastic Four: The First Steps

Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.

Happy Gilmore 2

Happy finds himself mentoring a young new golfer while facing off against old rival Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) on the pro tour

 

August 1

The Bad Guys 2 

The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do ‘one last job’ by an all-female squad of criminals.

The Naked Gun

It’s the single most important Naked Gun movie since the other Naked Gun movies. Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead Police Squad and save the world! Liam Neeson stars in this as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., son of the original Frank Drebin

Together

A couple move to a new home that holds a secret to eternal co-dependency, and it’s not for the squeamish.

 

August 6

Sketch

When 10-year-old Amber’s comically dark drawings start coming to life, her small town descends into chaos. Now, her family must face Amber’s living nightmares head-on before her creations destroy everything. It looks like it could be quite a sweet film.

 

August 8

Freakier Friday

More adventures of mother Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan).

Weapons 

“A chilling mystery has gripped the small town of Maybrook after 17 children voluntarily left their homes Wednesday morning…” Where did they go? What happened to them? Why can’t anyone find them? WHAT IS GOING ON?! This is the very creepy premise behind the new horror thriller movie titled Weapons, the next movie from acclaimed genre filmmaker Zach Cregger following his breakout hit Barbarian.

North Star

Three sisters return to their childhood home for a momentous weekend: the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother, Diana Frost. The three daughters are from very different walks of life: Georgina is a hospice nurse; Victoria is a Hollywood star; and Katherine is a Captain in the Royal Navy. Over the weekend, the family gathers to celebrate the new marriage, but mother and daughters alike are forced to revisit the past and confront the future, all with help from a colorful group of unexpected wedding guests.

 

August 15

Nobody 2 

Continuing adventures of Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk), a seemingly ordinary suburban father who suppresses his past as a deadly government assassin.

Witchboard

A couple’s plans to open a New Orleans café take a dark turn with the discovery of an ancient Witchboard, a mystical artifact once used to summon spirits, that soon draws them into a race against time to break its deadly curse.

 

August 22

Americana 

Follows local outsiders and outcasts in a small South Dakota town whose lives violently intertwine after a rare artifact falls onto the black market

Eden 

Ron Howard’s passion-project thriller based on the true “Galápagos Affair.” Set in 1930s on a remote Galápagos island, it stars Jude Law, Ana de Armas, and Vanessa Kirby as part of a group of European settlers whose tropical utopian dreams devolve into paranoia, betrayal, and murder​.

Relay

Tom (Ahmed) is a world class “fixer” who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from potential client Sarah (James), needing Tom’s protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.

Honey Don’t!

The film, which stars Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans, is about Honey O’Donahue, a small-town private investigator who delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church. Charlie Day and Billy Eichner also star in the project, with a script by Coen and Tricia Cooke.

 

August 28

The Thursday Murder Club – Netflix

Directed by Harry Potter & Home Alone’s Chris Columbus, and based on Richard Osman’s book, the film is set in an English retirement community and follows a former spy (Helen Mirren), union activist (Pierce Brosnan), shrink (Ben Kingsley), and nurse (Celia Imrie) as they spend their free time solving cold cases. But when a murder shows up at their front door, the game is truly afoot!

 

August 29

The Roses

The chandelier-shattering legacy of Barbara and Oliver Rose is passed down to their children. Josh marries Victoria, only to see the marriage fall apart over an incident involving missing Milky Way bars; and Evie is a promiscuous over-eater carrying her own shrapnel. The result is deceit, violence and destruction.

The Toxic Avenger

Meet Melvin, a skinny, weak, wimpy janitor at the local health club in a small town in New Jersey. He is teased and taunted by the beautiful men and women of the club until Melvin is exposed to chemical waste and becomes the Toxic Avenger, righter of wrongs, and foe to pollution!

Caught Stealing

Hank Thompson, a burned-out former baseball player, unwittingly plunges into a wild fight for survival in the downtown criminal underworld of 1990s NYC.

 

*Descriptions courtesy of MovieInsider.com

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