Summer movie guide: 15 biggest films to watch in theaters during May, June and July

Summer is just around the corner, which, among other things, means a new slate of blockbuster movies soon hitting the big screen.

The summer movie season kicks off next week with the latest Marvel film “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Fellow Marvel movie “Thor: Love and Thunder” is also set for release later this summer, along with new “Jurassic Park” and “Top Gun” sequels and a few original properties such as Jordan Peele’s latest film “Nope.” And unlike the last two summer movie seasons, which were majorly affected by the pandemic, nearly all this year’s blockbusters will once again debut exclusively in movie theaters, though they’ll also head to streaming services faster than before.

Here are the 15 biggest movies set for release in May, June and July, presented in chronological order. And be sure to read our weekly movie picks column, where you'll see many of these films over the next three months, along with arthouse releases and streaming service titles.

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More: Top 5 movie picks for Sarasota-Bradenton: April 21-27

‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (May 6)

The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film follows Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he delves further into the multiverse, a concept central to last year’s blockbuster “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” with Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) also a main character in this movie. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” also marks the first MCU film directed by Sam Raimi – whose first two “Spider-Man” films rank among the best superhero movies ever made – and reportedly incorporates horror elements that should be right in the wheelhouse of the “Evil Dead” director.

‘Firestarter’ (May 13)

Horror production company Blumhouse is behind the latest cinematic adaptation of author and Sarasota County resident Stephen King’s 1980 novel, previously made into a 1984 film starring Drew Barrymore, about a father trying to protect his daughter with pyrokinetic abilities from a government agency pursuing her. Zac Efron and Ryan Kiera Armstrong play the respective lead roles in this reboot, which is set to debut simultaneously in theaters and on the streaming service Peacock.

‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ (May 20)

The TV series that was followed by a 2019 film continues with another movie, documenting an English estate inhabited by the Crawley family in the early 20th century, with original cast members such as Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Smith joined by new faces including Dominic West and Hugh Dancy. A historical character drama normally wouldn’t be considered blockbuster fare, but the first “Downton Abbey” film was a big commercial success, grossing nearly $200 million on a less than $20 million budget.

‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’ (May 27)

The Emmy-winning Fox animated series following the Belcher family that runs a burger joint (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman and Dan Mintz) heads to the big screen for the first time. “Bob’s Burgers” is one of the best animated sitcoms on air (and, 12 seasons in, now among the longest-running), and hopefully it can sustain that quality expanding from 30-minute episodes to feature film length.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (May 27)

Tom Cruise reprises his role as pilot Maverick in this sequel to the 1986 blockbuster, as he’s put in charge of training a group of Top Gun graduates that includes Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late friend Goose. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, who previously worked with Cruise on the 2013 sci-fi action film “Oblivion,” “Top Gun: Maverick” promises to feature the same sort of jaw-dropping stunts that Cruise has pulled off in the “Mission: Impossible” movies.

‘Jurassic World Dominion’ (June 10)

The latest entry in the “Jurassic Park” franchise takes place in a world where dinosaurs now roam the globe, with “Jurassic World” stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard and director Colin Trevorrow returning along with Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill from the original 1993 film. Though Steven Spielberg’s work remains the highpoint of the series, the free-range dinosaurs premise does sound fun, and hopefully all three leads of the first film signing on for this sequel is an indication of quality.

‘Lightyear’ (June 17)

While the name will already be recognizable to Pixar fans, “Lightyear” isn’t about the “Toy Story” character Buzz Lightyear voiced by Tim Allen, but rather a fictional character of the same name (voiced by Chris Evans) who the action figure is based on. Though the film’s premise and its trailer haven’t been too thrilling, and Pixar’s sequels and prequels tend to be weaker than their original concepts, the animation studio’s overall track record remains strong enough that it should be given the benefit of the doubt.

‘The Black Phone’ (June 24)

Blumhouse is also behind this adaptation of the 2004 short story by Stephen King's son and fellow author Joe Hill, centering on a child who’s abducted by a masked serial killer (Ethan Hawke) and trapped in a basement, where he starts receiving calls from previous victims through a disconnected phone. Reuniting Hawke and director/co-writer Scott Derrickson after they worked together on the 2012 horror film “Sinister,” “The Black Phone” premiered at last year’s Fantastic Fest, where it received positive reviews.

‘Elvis’ (June 24)

Baz Luhrmann directs this biopic of Elvis Presley, played by Austin Butler, with Tom Hanks portraying his manager Colonel Tom Parker. It should be interesting to see a relative newcomer like Butler (until now probably best known for playing Manson Family member Tex Watson in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood") in a role as big as Presley. And while Luhrmann’s filmography has ranged in quality from the Oscar-winning hit “Moulin Rouge!” to the swiftly forgotten “Australia,” it’s almost guaranteed to be a visual and musical spectacle.

‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ (July 1)

From kids’ movies to grandparents’ Facebook memes, the yellow creatures clad in overalls known as Minions have been inescapable in pop culture since they first appeared in the 2010 film “Despicable Me.” Now they’re set to return to the big screen in “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which centers on a 12-year-old version of the Minions’ boss Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) as he dreams of becoming a supervillain, with a voice cast that also includes Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh and Alan Arkin.

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ (July 8)

Chris Hemsworth reprises his role as the titular Marvel superhero, with Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson also returning, the Guardians of the Galaxy appearing in the movie, and Christian Bale joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the villain Gorr the God Butcher. Also returning to the series is director and co-writer Taika Waititi, who helmed 2017’s well-received “Thor: Ragnarok” before winning an Oscar for his follow-up film “Jojo Rabbit.”

‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ (July 15)

Daisy Edgar-Jones stars in this adaptation of Delia Owens’ best-selling 2018 novel about a girl who grows up in the North Carolina marshes after being abandoned by her family and later becomes a suspect in the death of a man who romantically pursued her. Also produced by Reese Witherspoon and featuring an original song by Taylor Swift, “Where the Crawdads Sing” should, if nothing else, be a welcome showcase for Edgar-Jones and Harris Dickinson, the “Beach Rats” standout who plays another lead role.

‘Nope’ (July 22)

Oscar-winning “Get Out” writer-director Jordan Peele reunites with that film’s star Daniel Kaluuya for his latest movie, which follows the residents of a California town including two ranch owners (Kaluuya and Keke Palmer) who witness a mysterious and unusual event. The specifics of the movie’s plot are still largely being kept under wraps, but based on the quality of “Get Out” and Peele’s follow-up film “Us,” “Nope” should be considered one of the must-see films of the summer.

‘Bullet Train’ (July 29)

Brad Pitt leads an ensemble cast that also includes Brian Tyree Henry, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Joey King, Zazie Beetz, Bad Bunny and Sandra Bullock in this action-comedy adaptation of the Japanese novel, following a group of assassins on the same bullet train who learn their objectives are connected. “Bullet Train” is directed by David Leitch, whose filmography includes the standout action movies “John Wick” and “Atomic Blonde,” whose ranks this film will hopefully join.

‘DC League of Super-Pets’ (July 29)

After a string of dark and/or R-rated comic book movies including “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” “The Suicide Squad” and “The Batman,” DC goes in the opposite direction onscreen with this animated film following Krypto the Superdog (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) as he forms a team of superpowered animals when Krypto’s owner Superman and the rest of the Justice League are in trouble. The cast also includes Johnson’s frequent collaborator Kevin Hart, who voices Ace the Bat-Hound, Batman’s dog.

Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Summer movie guide: 15 biggest films to watch in May, June, July 2022