Anecdotally, this looks like the most loaded summer of movies in a long time, possibly ever. The big franchises are supplemented by surprising legacy comedy sequels and – most excitingly – followup horror efforts from filmmakers who delivered breakthroughs in recent years.
Is it enough to get people back to theaters? Probably not, since we know the wait is short for home viewing. Still, I’ll include a Get Off My Couch (GOMC) level (from 10 down to 0) to rate my degree of excitement.
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” (May 18), “Fear Street: Prom Queen” (May 23, Netflix) and “I Know What You Did Last Summer 4” (July 18)
“FD” gets its first entry since its Naughties run from 2000-11, aiming for a new generation of fans who I feel might be too squeamish, but we shall see. I never thought we’d see another movie to follow 2021’s “Fear Street” trilogy, and the 1988 prom setting could tap into the fun of the Eighties “Prom Nights.” “IKWYDLS” had a good but truncated TV reboot in 2021, and now is doing that thing of going back to the OG storyline. The slicker slasher was definitively ousted in part three, so make room for a copycat. I expect something fun, meta but slightly empty in the vein of the recent “Screams.” GOMC level: 6
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (May 23)
In the 21st century, no other franchise has more prided itself on unthinkable action sequences combined with clever and sometimes heady sci-fi plots. The latter point especially applies to this “Dead Reckoning” duology conclusion, which some think might mark 62-year-old Tom Cruise’s swan song as Ethan Hunt. GOMC level: 10
“Bring Her Back” (May 30) and “Weapons” (Aug. 8)
“Bring Her Back” is the Australian Philippou brothers’ followup to “Talk to Me,” my favorite horror movie of 2023. And “Weapons” is Zach Cregger’s followup to “Barbarian,” my favorite horror movie of 2022. There have been a lot of smash horror debuts in the past decade, but a lot fewer followed up by another great one. But I have a good feeling about these two. GOMC level: 9
“Karate Kid: Legends” (May 30)
It will be interesting to see how the worlds of two previously separate “KK” franchises meld, without the benefit of a multiverse wormhole. The bulk of the “Cobra Kai” cast is absent, but Ralph Macchio is back, along with Jackie Chan, the best part of the 2010 entry. GOMC level: 6
“From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” (June 6)
A ballerina … trained as an assassin … played by Ana de Armas … in the highly choreographed style of “John Wick.” Even with the absurd title that’s terrified of people not knowing it’s in the “Wick”-verse … yes, please. GOMC level: 9
“The Life of Chuck” (June 6)
It’s the latest Mike Flanagan adaptation of a Stephen King short story. That’s enough in terms of getting me to watch. One interesting note, though: This one isn’t in the horror genre, instead being a study of Tom Hiddleston’s grieving title character. GOMC level: 7
“28 Years Later” (June 20)
“28 Days Later” came out in 2002, and they made us wait 260 weeks for “28 Weeks Later,” but now are giving us “28 Years Later” five years early. Writer-director Danny Boyle and co-writer Alex Garland return, so it’s unlikely this will be (un)dead on arrival, although it’s hard to imagine what new things can be done with zombies. GOMC level: 5
“Jurassic World Rebirth” (July 2)
The seventh “Jurassic Park” film is using that old standby of saying they are course-correcting from recent entries that fans bemoaned. Although I liked the “Jurassic World” trilogy and found it did deliver some scares in isolated moments, hopefully “Rebirth” will remind kids that innocent people – like Richard Schiff and Katie McGrath — sometimes get eaten by dinosaurs. A point in its favor: Writer David Koepp returns to the saga for the first time since “The Lost World.” GOMC level: 10
“Superman” (July 11)
It’s the new “Superman” movie, but the pitch that works on me is it’s the new James Gunn movie. This writer-director simply doesn’t misfire, although he has new weight on his shoulders with creative control of the DC Universe saga. David Corenswet continues the (successful so far) tradition of a mostly unknown playing Supes. Also of note is “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s” Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. GOMC level: 7
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (July 25)
Every 10 years “Fantastic Four” gets a fresh start, and frankly that’s getting a little old for me. I don’t loathe the franchise; I just prefer ongoing stories. I’m willing to give this one a shot the next time I go on an MCU kick, but I can’t say I’m even twitching on my couch. GOMC level: 3
“Happy Gilmore 2” (July 25, Netflix), “The Naked Gun 4” (Aug. 1) and “Freakier Friday” (Aug. 8)
For decades now, Adam Sandler has unapologetically used comedy filmmaking as a friend hangout rather than an outlet to craft elite humor. There’s no reason to think that will change with “HG2,” but on the other hand it’s a sequel to a stone-cold classic. So is the fourth “NG,” with Liam Neeson playing Frank Drebin’s son, but a peek at the trailer shows the new filmmakers don’t understand the OG’s comedy style. “Freakier Friday,” though, seems super cute, perhaps with three generations of body swapping! It’s probably too much to hope it marks Lindsay Lohan’s return to the mainstream, but at least she gets a buzzworthy film again. GOMC levels: 4, 1, 8
Also on my radar: “Dangerous Animals” (June 6), a shark movie also boasting a scary human; “Predator: Killer of Killers” (June 6, Hulu), an animated entry in the saga; “Nobody 2” (Aug. 15), Bob Odenkirk’s sequel to the decent 2021 Wick-ian actioner; and “The Toxic Avenger” (Aug. 29), an attempt at a less-cheap version of the filthy superhero.