Is it just me, or does the summer movie season start earlier each year? This summer, it could be argued, got kick-started by the release of Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. It has already become the second-highest grossing film of all time. While it is doubtful any other release this summer will enjoy such success at the box office, there are plenty of films that will keep moviegoers heading to theatres this summer — and not just for the air conditioning.
This week we are looking at five major upcoming summer films.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (June 7)
You may have heard of this one, thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign. The sequel to the 2016 flick, this time Max (now played by Patton Oswalt, replacing Louis C.K.) has to deal with his owner getting married and having a baby. Later, Max meets a farm dog named Rooster (Harrison Ford). No, seriously, Harrison Ford is in this thing. Hijinks ensue, presumably. All you need to know is the kids will love it and it should at least be better than The Emoji Movie — although that’s not a high bar to clear.
Not looking for a kids’ movie? The Secret Life of Pets 2 will be going head-to-head with the latest X-Men flick, Dark Phoenix. Of course, given that franchise’s last outing (Apocalypse), it’s hard to get too excited. Also, now that the Fox and Disney merger is official, everyone is just killing time until our favourite mutants show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Toy Story 4 (June 21)
I’m not sure why this movie exists, since Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending for Woody, Buzz, et al. But at least it is not the most unnecessary Pixar sequel of all time (that goes to Cars 2, since the original wasn’t all that good to begin with).
This time, the gang meets Forky, which is a spork that has been turned into a toy. The group then embarks on a road trip but Forky gets lost, meaning Woody has to lead a rescue mission.
It’s a Pixar film, which means you’ll laugh, you’ll marvel at the animation, and you’ll cry. It is entirely unnecessary, but it will also probably be pretty great.
Also released on this day will be the remake/reboot of 80s horror franchise Child’s Play, so make sure your kids are going to the right movie about sentient toys.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 5)
Spider-Man is on a European vacation when he encounters a new threat. Once again, the world needs saving. The sequel to 2015’s Homecoming will feature Tom Holland returning as the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Mysterio, who is typically one of Spidey’s classic villains, although in this film he is being portrayed as an ally…at least in the previews. For now.
MCU favourites like Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), and Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan) all reprise their roles.
Will people be burned out after Endgame or will they only want to see more superhero action? I’m betting on the latter.
As long as this doesn’t have a Spider-Man dancing sequence, I’m all in.
The Lion King (July 19)
Despite being one of the largest entertainment companies in the world, thereby having untold resources at their fingertips, a few years ago the suits at Disney decided it was easier to remake old movies than come up with new ideas. Thus, we’ve received live action remakes of animated classics like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, Dumbo, and Aladdin (which is opening this weekend).
The Lion King is the latest “live action” remake. I put live action in quotation marks because there is no way this is a live action film; they didn’t teach lions and warthogs how to act. Really, this is just a different type of animation. And, according to the previews, it looks like an almost shot-for-shot remake. I'm not sure I understand this one.
The remake stars the voices of Donald Glover (Simba), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Scar), Beyoncé (Nala), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa), Billy Eichner (Timon), John Oliver (Zazu), and James Earl Jones, reprising as role as Mufasa.
I love the original as much as anyone, but I’m not sure I can get on board with this concept. Still, I’m confident it will make more money than the GDP of Micronesia.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (August 2)
This is the ninth film in the Fast & Furious franchise. NINTH. Someone enjoys them though because, combined, the films have made about $5 billion at the box office. I don’t pretend to understand it, but clearly this is a big deal for some people.
(I guess I just really don’t like cars on film — whether they are animated, talking beings or speedy ones driven by Vin Diesel).
This spinoff features Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs character teaming up with Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw character to take down a new baddie, played Idris Elba. By now you know what to expect from this: Cars! Explosions! Punches! Testosterone!
Whatever film you are looking forward to, I hope to see you at the theatre this summer!
