It’s been almost two years since the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon brought summer movies back in a massive way—and the box office has yet to reach those
It’s been almost two years since the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon brought summer movies back in a massive way—and the box office has yet to reach those same heights. But that could change in the summer of 2025, when multiplexes will be filled with crowd-pleasing wannabe blockbusters that promise up-to-date takes on venerable properties (and maybe some movies that will land on our “best movies of 2025” list too). We’re going to see James Gunn step up to the plate with a reimagined Superman; Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn suit up for a up-to-date, hopefully more successful take on the Fantastic Four; and Tom Cruise take his final (?) bow as Ethan Hunt. There’s even a chance we see an eventual Oscar contender emerge from the dog days, between Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby and Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing. Grab some popcorn, then peruse this list of the 25 summer movies—that is, releases between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend—we’re most excited to see.
Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning
Premiere date: May 23
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Noteworthy cast: Tom Cruise, Hannah Waddingham, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Angela Bassett
Is this the end of Ethan Hunt? Tom Cruise returns for potentially one final go as his lead agent for the Impossible Mission Force, the secret espionage team tasked with saving the world again and again in his beloved Mission: Impossible franchise. Shot back-to-back with Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One, The Final Reckoning will reportedly pick up where the seventh film left off and find Cruise’s Ethan Hunt attempting to battle his biggest foe of all: artificial intelligence. He’ll be joined by Mission: Impossible regulars like Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby, as well as newcomer Hannah Waddingham in an undisclosed role. Will Cruise finally live his dream and get to outer space? And if this is really Cruise’s final mission, who, if anyone, can take over the franchise? —Chris Murphy
Fountain of Youth
Premiere date: May 23
Director: Guy Ritchie
Noteworthy cast: John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Domhnall Gleeson, Eiza González
John Krasinski and Natalie Portman aren’t playing love interests in Guy Ritchie’s latest adventure. Instead, they’re cast as siblings searching for the fabled spring whose waters can turn back time. His name is Luke and hers is Charlotte, presumably because calling either of them “Ponce” would feel a little off. The trailer promises National Treasure–esque hijinks that will bring our heroes to a variety of global destinations, from Vienna to Bangkok to Egypt and beyond. And the film was apparently shot on location, which should give it a bit more texture than the average big-budget movie that goes straight to streaming. —Hillary Busis
Bring Her Back
Premiere date: May 30
Director: Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou
Noteworthy cast: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton
“A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.” It doesn’t get more A24 horror than that logline. This is the Philippou twins’ follow-up to their 2022 sleeper hit, Talk to Me, which still ranks as the distributor’s highest-grossing scary movie. Like that film, this one is an original story filmed in Australia. Will Bring Her Back do for Hawkins what Hereditary did for Toni Collette? One can only hope. —H.B.
Everett Collection.
The Phoenician Scheme
Premiere date: May 30
Director: Wes Anderson
Noteworthy cast: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Jeffrey Wright
How have we gotten this far into the 21st century without seeing Michael Cera do a German accent in a Wes Anderson movie? The Phoenician Scheme rights that historic wrong in a fancifully Andersonian way, with a sprawling cast that includes a variety of best- and supporting-actor Oscar winners (Benicio del Toro, Tom Hanks), best-actor Oscar nominees (Riz Ahmed, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston), and children of Oscar winners (Mia Threapleton, whose mother is Kate Winslet). The director’s signature style is on full display in the trailer, which teases the tale of a luxurious man, his estranged daughter, and an entire chorus of European weirdos. —H.B.
The Life of Chuck
Premiere date: June 6
Director: Mike Flanagan
Noteworthy cast: Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill
VF’s own Anthony Breznican described this film as a “feel-good Stephen King apocalypse movie,” a pithy description for the Fall of the House of Usher filmmaker’s first feature since 2019’s Doctor Sleep. Spending too much time on plot description would risk spoiling Flanagan’s ambitious project—winner of the People’s Choice Award at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival—so let’s just leave you with Tom Hiddleston’s summation of King’s original novella and Mike Flanagan’s adaptation: “Well, he’s written something very tender and very wise. I think there is a great wisdom in the soul of the story, which is that it takes courage to hold on to what is good in a world that feels like it’s falling apart.” —H.B.
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