Take 2: Summer movie guide

This is Part 2 of the 2025 summer movie guide. Part 1 is here.

July is supercharged with “Jurassic World Rebirth,” “Superman” and “Fantastic Four: The First Steps.” And August closes out the season with comedies, big (“The Naked Gun”) and dark (“The Roses”), horror (“Weapons”) and a lighthearted body-swap (“Freakier Friday”).

JULY MOVIE RELEASES

July 2
“Jurassic World Rebirth” (Universal, theaters): Filmmaker Gareth Edwards (a “Jurassic Park” superfan and the director of “The Creator”) is ushering in a new era of “Jurassic” movies and harkening back to the Steven Spielberg originals in this film with Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey. Much about the film is being kept top secret, but Edwards said David Koepp’s script read like a love letter to Spielberg’s early work. “It’s basically a mission story where these military types go to this island to get this DNA, then there’s a twist,” Edwards said. “This family ends up involved and it becomes a story of survival. It’s like one giant roller coaster ride, and once it gets going, it sort of doesn’t stop.”

“The Old Guard 2” (Netflix, streaming): Charlize Theron is back with her immortal team for a new mission. KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli also reprise their roles.

“40 Acres” (Magnolia, theaters): Danielle Deadwyler and Michael Greyeyes lead this postapocalyptic thriller about a plague that has caused worldwide famine.

July 10
“Brick” (Netflix, streaming): In this German horror, a couple wakes up to find they’re trapped in their apartment.

July 11
“Superman” (Warner Bros., theaters): James Gunn is ushering in a new era of Superman, with a fresh face in David Corenswet and the promise that he’s a different Superman than what audiences have seen before. Gunn told the AP that this is “a Superman that’s both more grounded in his own personality and his relationship, which is much more complex than has been in the past. And then also the big magic world of Superman being in the world of the DC Universe with flying dogs and robots and giant monsters.” There’s romance with Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, and a “pretty scary” Lex Luthor in Nicholas Hoult. “He’s actually going to kill (Superman),” Gunn said. “And that’s cool to see.”

“Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” (Sony Pictures Classics, theaters): Actor Embeth Davidtz directs and stars in this critically acclaimed adaptation of Alexandra Fuller’s bestselling memoir of growing up on a farm in the former Rhodesia before and after the 1980 election, as the colonial system crumbles. The story is told through the eyes of 8-year-old Bobo (Lexi Venter).

“Tyler Perry’s Destination Wedding” (Netflix, streaming): Madea goes to the Bahamas.

“Skillhouse” (Fathom, theaters): 50 Cent stars in this horror about influencers who are lured into a “content house” and forced to compete in deadly challenges.

July 18
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” (Sony Pictures, theaters): Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprise their roles from the 1997 slasher in this new installment featuring an eerily similar situation and a cast of pretty young up-and-comers including Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King and Tyriq Withers.

“Smurfs” (Paramount, theaters): Rihanna produced and stars as Smurfette in this new musical adventure. “There’s a purity to the Smurfs mythos,” said Nick Offerman, who voices Papa Smurf’s brother Ken. “That, I think, is what makes their appeal so timeless. They’re a benevolent group of wee blue villagers who, you know, want to love one another and lead productive lives while fending off the world’s forces of evil, usually represented by the machinations of some wizards out for ill-gotten gains.”

“Eddington” (A24, theaters): Ari Aster reteams with Joaquin Phoenix for this film about a standoff between a small-town sheriff and a mayor in the early months of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler also star.
“Unicorns” (Cohen Media Group, theaters): A young, single father from Essex (Ben Hardy) is disarmed when he falls for a drag queen.

July 25
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Disney, theaters): Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach unite to play “Marvel’s first family” in this retrofuturistic world set in 1960s New York. Director Matt Shakman (“WandaVision,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) said they are the only superheroes in their world and are the leading lights of their age. While the scale and world building were on another level, Shakman said, “it’s also no different from all of the great comedies and dramas that I’ve done — in the end, it comes down to character, to relationships and to heart and humor.”

“Happy Gilmore 2” (Netflix, streaming): Adam Sandler returns to the green (and one of his most beloved roles) after almost 30 years, along with Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), Hal (Ben Stiller), Virginia (Julie Bowen) and Doug (Dennis Dugan) and an army of newcomers, including some Gilmore offspring. “The first one is so iconic, we all kind of knew the world that we were stepping into,” said Conor Sherry, who plays one of his sons. “We were like the newest additions to a long, long, long family.”

“Oh, Hi!” (Sony Pictures Classics, theaters): Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman lead this dark romantic comedy about a married couple’s first romantic weekend getaway.

“Diciannove” (Oscilloscope, theaters): Luca Guadagnino produced this coming-of-age film about a 19-year-old’s journey of self-discovery.

July 30
“Together” (Neon, theaters): Real life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie play a frighteningly codependent couple in this inventive body horror that had Sundance crowds raving.


AUGUST MOVIE RELEASES

Aug. 1
“The Bad Guys 2” (Universal, theaters): Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina and Anthony Ramos return for another animated heist, but this time they’re teaming up with a new squad called the Bad Girls (voiced by Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova and Natasha Lyonne).

“The Naked Gun” (Paramount, theaters): Liam Neeson flexes his particular set of comedy skills as Frank Drebin Jr. in this irreverent new entry from Lonely Island veteran Akiva Schaffer, featuring Paul Walter Hauser and Pamela Anderson.

Aug. 6
“Sketch” (Angel Studios, theaters): This horror comedy about a girl’s drawings that come to life stars Tony Hale and D’Arcy Carden.

Aug. 8
“Weapons” (Warner Bros., theaters): Children are disappearing in filmmaker Zach Cregger’s eerie follow-up to “Barbarian,” starring Josh Brolin, Julia Garner and Alden Ehrenreich.

“Freakier Friday” (Disney, theaters): Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are back as the body-swapping mother and daughter duo.

“My Mother’s Wedding” (Vertical, theaters): Kristin Scott Thomas directs and stars in this drama about a woman getting married for the third time, which is an occasion for her three daughters (Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Emily Beecham) to come home.

Aug. 13
“Fixed” (Netflix, streaming): An adult animated comedy from Genndy Tartakovsky about a dog’s quest for one last adventure before being neutered.

Aug. 15
“Nobody 2” (Universal Pictures, theaters): Bob Odenkirk’s former assassin Hutch Mansell can’t catch a break. This time, Keanu Reeves joins the bloody fun.

“Clika” (Sony Pictures, theaters): A small-town musician (Jay Dee) goes viral in this drama set in the world of Mexican American music. It’s the debut feature of Rancho Humilde CEO Jimmy Humilde’s production company.

“East of Wall” (Sony Pictures Classics, theaters): Kate Beecroft’s debut film about a young horse trainer grappling with financial insecurity and grief in the South Dakota Badlands won the audience award in the NEXT section at the Sundance Film Festival.

“Eli Roth Presents: Jimmy and Stiggs” (Iconic Events, theaters): A low budget “splatter fest” for horror devotees. Joe Begos wrote, directed and stars.

“Witchboard” (Atlas, theaters): Jamie Campbell Bower of “Stranger Things” stars in this supernatural horror set in New Orleans (a remake of a 1986 cult classic).

Aug. 22
“Lurker” (MUBI, theaters): Another Sundance gem, this paranoid thriller is the feature debut of “The Bear” and “Beef” writer Alex Russell, about celebrity, fandom and being very online, featuring a buzzy young cast led by Théodore Pellerin and Archie Madekwe.

“HONEY DON’T!” (Focus Features, theaters): Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Charlie Day, Billy Eichner and Chris Evans star in this dark comedy from Ethan Coen about a small-town private investigator and a string of mysterious deaths.

“Americana” (Lionsgate, theaters): This Sydney Sweeney-led crime thriller, a revisionist Western set in South Dakota, debuted at South by Southwest in 2023 and concerns the theft of a valuable artifact.

“Eden” (Vertical, theaters): Ron Howard directs Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby and Sydney Sweeney in this survival thriller set in the Galapagos after the first World War.

“Relay” (Bleecker Street, theaters): Riz Ahmed plays a corporate fixer in this contemporary riff on the paranoid thriller from “Hell or High Water” filmmaker David Mackenzie.

“Grand Prix of Europe” (Viva Pictures, theaters): “F1” for the preschool set? This animated film is also set in the world of car racing.

Aug. 28
“The Thursday Murder Club” (Netflix, streaming): Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie play retirees who spend their time solving cold cases in this adaptation of Richard Osman’s bestseller, directed by Chris Columbus.

Aug. 29
“Caught Stealing” (Sony Pictures, theaters): Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky’s film is written by and based on the Charlie Huston books about an ex-baseball player (Austin Butler) who gets tangled up in New York’s criminal underworld in the 1990s. Zoë Kravitz, Regina King, Liev Schreiber, Matt Smith and Bad Bunny also star.

“The Roses” (Searchlight Pictures, theaters): The modern reimagining of “The War of the Roses” stars Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch as the feuding couple. It was written by Tony McNamara, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Poor Things” and creator of “The Great,” and directed by Jay Roach.

“The Toxic Avenger” (Cineverse and Iconic Events Releasing, theaters): Peter Dinklage stars as the titular superhero in this supremely gory and graphic film, which sat on the shelf for a few years in search of a distributor. Elijah Wood, Jacob Tremblay, Kevin Bacon and Taylour Paige also star.