The 46 Most Anticipated Movies of Summer 2022

As the temperature rises, movies tend to become cooler. This summer’s list of most anticipated movies include existential superheroes, killer animals, unsettling horror, family comedies, weird arthouse fare, inspiring documentaries, stranger-than-fiction biopics, and the return of the Tom Cruise blockbuster. Whether you’re heading to an air-conditioned movie theater in the weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day, or relaxing in the comfort of your own home, these are the 46 films you’ll want to keep an eye out for this summer.
Maverick: Top Gun (May 27)
Take another ride into the danger zone with Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Maverick, thirty years later from the original film’s events, is still training some of the most dangerous missions around the globe. These new recruits include his late partner Goose’s son, played by Miles Teller.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie (May 27)
Skip the family BBQ to hang out with the Belchers—Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene, and Louise—as they try to solve the mystery of the sinkhole that is blocking the door to their restaurant. There will be burger jokes, but also mayhem.
Crimes of the Future (June 3)
David Cronenberg is back to his roots of body horror in his new film, his first since almost a decade. This futuristic, masochistic movie follows Viggo Mortensen (a Cronenberg favourite), as he transforms organ harvesting into performing art. His fame makes him a great specimen for a National Organ Registry investigator (Kristen Stewart), as well as promoting the next phase in human history.
Fire Island (June 3)
Joel Kim Booster plays a queer version of Elizabeth Bennet as Joel Kim Booster Pride and Prejudice Placed on the barrier island just off Long Island. SNL’s Bowen Yang and Margaret Cho co-star in the modern rom-com headed to Hulu.
Phantom of the Open (June 3)
Mark Rylance plays the “world’s worst golfer” in this heartfelt comedy based on the true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a middle-aged English shipyard crane operator who, in the late ‘70s, decided to become a professional golfer—and a very bad one at that.
Watcher (June 3)
It follows star Maika Monroe plays a young actress who swears she’s being watched by her noisy neighbor. In this paranoid thriller, no one believes her. It will leave you wanting to close your curtains.
Halbtime (June 14)
Netflix’s documentary on Jennifer Lopez shows the multihyphenate pop singer in action. It examines how she went from Jenny From The Block to headline the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show. It also features appearances from those who know her best, including her fiancé Ben Affleck.
Hustle (June 8)
Stanley Sugarman (Adam Sandler), a struggling basketball scout, believes he has discovered the next great NBA star in this Netflix show. All he needs now is to convince others that the elite Spanian prospect he’s pursuing in the NBA has what it takes.
Janes (June 8)
The timely HBO documentary takes a closer look at the underground group that helped women access safe abortions in a pre-Roe v. Wade world—and were deemed outlaws for doing so.
Jurassic World Dominion (June 10)
The OG is waiting for you! Jurassic Park The gang consisting of Sam Neill and Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum return to save Owen (Chris Pratt), and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), in the last installment of the series. Jurassic era.
Father of the bride (June 16)
Andy Garcia plays the dad who’s not ready to take his daughter on the wedding day in the HBO Max version of the comedy. Tell his children that he is getting divorced from Gloria Estefan’s mother.
Cha Cha Real Smooth (June 17)
Cooper Raiff wrote and directed this AppleTV+ romance about a recently graduated college student who soon becomes a popular party DJ in New Jersey. You can think Garden StateThe Bar Mitzvah crowd.
Leo Grande, good luck! (June 17)
Hulu’s insightful comedy stars Emma Thompson playing a strict teacher who hires the title sex worker (played here by Daryl McCormack), to help her grow wild oats.
Marge and Jerry Go Large (June 17)
In this feel-good Paramount+ film, Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening play Jerry and Marge Selbee, the real-life “Lottery Hackers,” who took advantage of a loophole in the Massachusetts lottery to rake in millions.
Lightyear (June 17)
The Pixar film Buzz Lightyear is the real story. This Pixar film tells Buzz Lightyear’s true story. He was the man, myth and legend that inspired the Space Ranger dolls. Chris Evans sounds almost exactly like Captain America.
Official Competition (June 17)
Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas co-star in this biting Spanish-language satire about a team of pretentious filmmakers looking to make an Oscar-winning movie.
Spiderhead (June 17)
This Netflix sci-fi thriller stars Chris Hemsworth as a selfish pharmaceutical genius. The Netflix movie is inspired by a George Saunders story, in which prison inmates in the distant future get emotion-altering drug in return for reduced sentences.
Civil: Ben Crump (June 19)
It’s likely you’ve seen civil rights attorney Ben Crump on television representing the families of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, And Ahmaud Arbery. In this Netflix documentary, he pulls back the curtain on his life and a career that earned him the nickname “Black America’s attorney general.”
Read More: Inside Ben Crump’s Quest to Raise the Value of Black Life in America
Elvis (June 24)
There’s a whole lot of shaking going on in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic, which stars Austin Butler as the King of Rock and Roll and Tom Hanks as his overbearing manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Elvis’ daughter Lisa Marie Presley has already given it two thumbs up, calling the film “nothing short of spectacular.”
Flux Gourmet (June 24)
Peter Strickland’s bizarre dark comedy of food, fine art, and flatulence looks at a troupe of experimental performance artists (played by Fatma Mohamed, Ariane Labed, and The Sex Education’s Asa Butterfield) who excel in the art of “sonic catering,” or the disturbing sounds certain foods make. Important note: Do not eat dinner before watching this film.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes (June 24)
Jenny Slate voices the adorable little Mollusk Shell, more than 10 years after he first delighted people online. Marcel and a bit of help from 60 minutes’ Lesley Stahl, embarks on a cross-country journey to find his family. Perhaps viewers will find themselves looking for tissues.
Black Phone (June 24)
Ethan Hawke gives It’s Pennywise a run for his money in this horror movie about a creepy mask-wearing black balloon-carrying sadist who kidnaps local children for fun.
Gru is on the Rise: Minions (July 1)
The silly sequel to 2015’s MinionsHow to look at it Despicable Me’s Gru (Steve Carell) became the super villain he is today. It’s not surprising that these yellow men had much to do.
Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8)
Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is having a bit of an existential crisis following the events of Avengers: EndgameNow, he is determined to take his place in this strange world. Jane (Natalie Portman), his ex-girlfriend, suddenly appears to have the power to hold his hammer.
Don’t Make Me Go (July 15)
Max, the single father of Max (John Cho), discovers that he has brain cancer and sets out to find the woman who left him in this Amazon Prime Video tearjerker.
Gray Man (July 15)
When Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), a skilled CIA assassin, uncovers the agency’s darkest secrets, he finds himself on the run from his psychopathic former colleague Lloyd Hansen (a mustachioed Chris Evans) who will stop at nothing to bring him back dead or alive. Lloyd, however might choose the latter in this Russo brothers action thriller. You can stream the film or watch it in theatres on July 22, but you won’t be able to see it in cinemas.
Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down (July 15)
This documentary was created by RBG directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West looks at the former Arizona congresswoman’s recovery after surviving a failed assassination attempt and mass shooting in 2011, which turned her into an outspoken gun control activist.
Persuasion (July 15)
DAKOTA JOHNSON is ANNE-ELLIOT in PerSUASION. Photo Credit: Nick Wall/Netflix © 2021
Nick Wall/Netflix—© 2021 Netflix, Inc.
Netflix’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s posthumous final novel stars Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliott, a 28-year-old woman who is stuck living with her snobby family as she pines for the one who got away. She is forced to make a hard decision when he suddenly returns.
The Crawdads sing Wherever the Crawdads Are (July 15)
Unter dem Banner of Heaven’s Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as a reclusive North Carolina woman who is accused of murdering a former lover in this Southern-fried crime thriller based on the controversial Delia Owens novel of the same name.
Nope (July 22)
Jordan Peele returns to his family Move OutFor a strange sci-fi thriller, Daniel Kaluuya stars as the leading man.
Vengeance (July 29)
The Office’s B.J. Novak directs his first comedy-mystery. It is about Novak, a true crime podcaster who goes to West Texas in order to investigate the murder of a woman with whom he was once intimate.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (Aug. 5)
This tongue-in-cheek horror movie could make a teen’s game night into a gruesome murder mystery. It stars Amandla Strenberg, Lee Pace and Pete Davidson.
Bullet Train (Aug. 5)
Brad Pitt portrays a reluctant assassin who is assigned to retrieve a briefcase belonging to a Japanese bullet train. It appears to be a simple mission until he realizes he’s not the only one onboard looking to steal that particular attaché. Bad Bunny is joined by Joey King and Brian Tyree Henry. Zazie Begetz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Sandra Bullock complete the cast.
Easter Sunday (Aug. 5)
Comedian Jo Koy plays a struggling actor heading home for the holiday he calls “the Filipino Super Bowl” in this heartfelt dysfunctional family comedy starring Tiffany Haddish, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Wayne’s World’s Tia Carrere.
My Dad is my best friend (Aug. 5)
Chuck, a desperate man who wants to connect with his son (Patton Oswalt), pretends to be a waitress to get him back together. He falls in love with her. The real twist might be that the film is inspired by the film’s writer, director, and star James Morosini’s relationship with his own dad.
Resurrection (Aug. 5)
Rebecca Hall portrays Margaret. She seems like she has it all until she meets Tim Roth, who plays a mysterious man from her history. You will learn more about this psychological thriller that is slow and sombre.
They/Them (Aug. 5)
This Blumhouse-produced slasher movie takes place at a conversion therapy camp where it’s unclear who’s scarier: the unidentified killer or the staff trying to scare queer kids straight. Peacock’s horror film features Carrie Preston and Anna Chlumsky.
Day Shift (Aug. 12)
THE DAY SHIFT. JAMIE FOXX and BUD JABLONSKI. CR. PARRISH LEWIS/NETFLIX
PARRISH LEWIS/NETFLIX—© 2022 Netflix, Inc.
By day, pool cleaner and by night vampire hunter. The Netflix movie stars Jamie Foxx. It’s a comedy about a dad who seems cooler than he really is.
Emily, the Criminal (Aug. 12)
Emily, who is saddled by student loan debts, (Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza) turns to a life of credit card scamming in this tense Sundance thriller from director John Patton Ford.
Beast (Aug. 19)
It’s Idris Elba vs. a bloodthirsty lion in this killer-animal thriller that should confirm whether this big cat gone rogue is the real king of the jungle.
You Time (Aug. 26)
Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart play fathers who, while their families are away, decide to have their first guy’s night out in years. Let’s just say things get real rowdy real quick in this Netflix comedy that is basically Date Night for girl dads.
892 (Aug. 26)
These are the best Dog Day AfternoonThe true story behind this horror-film is that of Brian Brown Easley, an ex-Marine who held onto a Wells Fargo branch in Atlanta in 2017 to get a missing-disability check. John Boyega, Connie Britton and Michael K. Williams are the stars.
Three Thousand Years Of Longing (Aug. 31)
Mad Max: Fury RoadGeorge Miller, director, returns to this story about a lonely scholar (Tilda Swifton), who is vacationing in Istanbul when she meets IdrisElba, a genie that will grant her three wishes. The only problem is, she can’t think of a single thing to wish for.
Love and Fire (TBD)
Sundance’s legendary Sundance document about the volcanologists Katia Krafft (Maurice Krafft) asks this question. would you die for science?
Beauty (TBD)
Lena Waithe addresses the music industry in this Netflix documentary. It asks whether an artist is able to keep their own voice and identity after they sign a recording contract.
Aftershock (TBD)
Tonya Lewis and Paula Eiselt take a deeper look at Black maternal health in America by sharing the stories of Shamony Gibson, a 30-year-old woman who died after giving birth to a child. It will stream live on Hulu, Disney+ and Disney+.
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