Columbus Summer Fun 2022: 'Top Gun' sequel kicks off blockbuster movie season

During the summertime, many of us head outdoors to pools, parks or campgrounds. Others, though, find it the perfect time of year to head inside and go back to the movies.

This summer, Greater Columbus multiplexes will be chock-full of potential blockbusters, including the long-delayed sequel to “Top Gun,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” a thrilling new installment in the “Jurassic Park” franchise, “Jurassic World Dominion,” and the latest episode in the ever-unfolding Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Thor: Love and Thunder.”

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For audiences whose taste in film runs toward the classics, the CAPA Summer Movie Series will return to the Ohio Theatre, and for those who want to catch a great flick and feel the summer breeze, checking out one of numerous outdoor film series may be the best bet.

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• “Top Gun: Maverick,” May 27: Nearly four decades since the original film — not to mention three full years since the sequel was first scheduled for release — the long-anticipated “Top Gun: Maverick” will make its way to multiplexes. Tom Cruise resumes his role of Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, joined by Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and Jon Hamm.

• “Jurassic World Dominion,” June 10: In the latest movie in the series that kicked off with Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park,” dinosaurs and people commingle on the Earth — and the cast of the original “Jurassic Park” films (including Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum) is blended with the cast of the more recent “Jurassic World” films (including Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard).

• “Lightyear,” June 17: You thought that the saga of Buzz Lightyear wrapped up with “Toy Story 4.” Not so fast: The new computer-animated family film features the voice of Chris Evans as the “real” (not the toy) Buzz Lightyear. Also contributing vocal performances are Uzo Aduba, Peter Sohn and Keke Palmer.

• “Elvis,” June 24: Previous actors to play the King of Rock ’n’ Roll include Kurt Russell and Bruce Campbell. Now, in director Baz Luhrmann’s new biopic, up-and-coming actor Austin Butler — known for his supporting turn in “Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood” — will take on the role. Tom Hanks appears as Elvis’ manager and all-around guru, Colonel Tom Parker.

• “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” July 1: The miniscule yellow life forms are back in the computer-animated sequel. Vocal talent featured include Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin and Taraji P. Henson.

• “Thor: Love and Thunder,” July 8: As the Marvel Cinematic Universe rolls on . . . and on . . . .and on, Chris Hemsworth returns to the title role of the Norse god superhero. Incarnating other superhuman figures are Tessa Thompson, as Valkyrie; Natalie Portman, as Jane Foster/Mighty Thor; and Christian Bale, as Gorr the God Butcher.

• “DC League of Super-Pets,” July 29: The DC Comics universe of films will go to the dogs (and other animals) with this computer-animated feature boasting a menagerie of superhero pets, including Krypto the Superdog (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), Ace the Bat-Hound (Kevin Hart) and PB, a potbellied pig belonging to Wonder Woman (Vanessa Bayer).

• “Salem’s Lot,” Sept. 9: To usher in the autumn, “It Chapter Two” screenwriter Gary Dauberman writes and directs a fresh adaptation of Stephen King’s vampire novel. Lewis Pullman, Alfre Woodard and William Sadler star in the horror film reboot.

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Summer movie series venues

Many of the screenings take place outdoors starting at sunset.

John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons

East Rich and South High streets

• Free movie nights, 8:15 p.m. select days in May, June and July: The Commons will be the site of showings of the movies “Encanto” (May 28), “Frozen 2” (June 11), “The Lion King” (June 24) and “Sing 2” (July 22).

Contact: www.columbuscommons.org

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

4850 Powell Road, Delaware County

• “Zoombezi Bay Summer Nights,” 5-10 p.m. Fridays in July: Zoombezi Bay will keep its gates open late to host live entertainment as well as movie screenings at 8 p.m. The family-friendly lineup of flicks includes “The Incredibles 2” (July 1), “Iron Man 2” (July 8), “Sing 2” (July 15), “The Santa Clause 2” (July 22) and “Frozen 2” (July 29).

Contact: www.columbuszoo.org

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Genoa Park

303 W. Broad St., Downtown

• 21+ Outdoor Movie Series, at sunset on select Thursdays from June-October: The park will host screenings for a mature crowd. Most films are rated R, and highlights include “The Big Lebowski” (June 2), “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (July 28) and “Remember the Titans” (Aug. 25). Food trucks will be on-site, and wine will be for sale.

Contact: www.nightlight614.com

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Hinson Amphitheater

170 W. Dublin-Granville Road, New Albany

• “Family Flick Nights,” 7:30 p.m. select Tuesdays in June, July and August: The family-friendly movies “A Bug’s Life” (June 28), “Monsters, Inc.” (July 26) and “Finding Nemo” (Aug. 16) will be shown at the amphitheater.

Contact: www.newalbanyfoundation.org

Goodale Park

120 W. Goodale St., Victorian Village

• “Screen on the Green,” at sunset on select Fridays in July, August and September: Outdoor screenings of the movies “Labyrinth” (July 15), “Moulin Rouge” (Aug. 19) and “Coco” (Sept. 16) will take place on the softball field.

Contact: www.shortnorthcivic.org

Easton Town Center

160 Easton Town Center

• “Movies by Moonlight,” Tuesdays in June: The shopping complex will be the site of four outdoor film screenings: “Encanto” (June 7), “Inside Out” (June 14), “Trolls World Tour” (June 21) and “The Wizard of Oz” (June 28).

Ohio Theatre

39 E. State St., Downtown

• CAPA Summer Movie Series, June 16-Aug. 4: Following two summers with shortened schedules, the classic film series returns for nine weeks and some 25 feature films, including the opening weekend lineup of the Robin Williams-Nathan Lane comedy “The Birdcage” (June 16) and Francis Ford Coppola’s mafia masterpiece “The Godfather” (June 17-19). Other films include “Airplane!” (June 23-24), “My Fair Lady” (June 25-26), “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope” (July 8-9), Alfred Hitchcock’s “Notorious” (July 30-31) and “The Wrong Man” Aug. 11-12) and the Michael Keaton version of “Batman” (Aug. 5-6). Two programs of Saturday morning cartoon capers will take place on June 25 and July 30.

Contact: www.capa.com

South Drive-In

3050 S. HIGH ST.

• Screenings throughout the summer and into the fall: The summer movie season’s biggest new releases are sure to turn up at this drive-in landmark in southwestern Columbus.

Contact: www.drive-inmovies.com

Upper Arlington Parks system

• “Movies in the Parks”: Assorted parks in the community will host outdoor movie screenings through August, including “Free Willy” at Thompson Park, 2020 McCoy Road (June 24) and “Raya and the Last Dragon,” Sunny 95 Park, 4395 Carriage Hill Lane (July 8).

Contact: www.upperarlingtonoh.gov

Wexner Center for the Arts

1871 N. High St., OSU campus

• “Federico Fellini,” July 7-Aug. 18: The arts center on the campus of Ohio State University will mark the centennial of Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (1920-1993) two years after the fact: This major retrospective of Fellini’s much-admired films — including masterpieces succh as “La strada” (July 7), “8 1/2” (July 14) and “Juliet of the Spirits” (Aug. 4) — was originally slated for 2020, when Fellini would have turned 100, but was delayed due to the pandemic.

Contact: www.wexarts.org

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Summer movies in Columbus: New releases, classic film series