Summer movie preview: Indiana Jones, Barbie and The Flash heat up the screen

The summer movie season at the multiplex is already off to a bang, thanks to such blockbusters as “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Fast X,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”

We’ll see if Hollywood can keep the momentum going for the rest of the summer. Here’s a look at what’s coming our way (dates and titles are subject to change):

JUNE 9

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” — The seventh installment in the Transformers film series is a direct sequel to 2018’s “Bumblebee,” (we’ll see if it can keep the same good humor) and is set in 1994 Brooklyn, where an ex-military electronics expert and an artifact researcher get swept up in a conflict between the Maximals, Predacons and Terrorcons as they aid Optimus Prime and the Autobots in a war to protect Earth from Unicron’s arrival. No, I did not make any of that up.

JUNE 16

“The Flash” — Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without superheroes, forcing him to race for his life to save the future. Yeah, I didn’t understand any of that, either. Somehow, Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton return as Batman, probably in dueling mega-verses or something.

“Elemental” — Disney/Pixar’s latest takes place in a city where fire, water, land and air residents live together, and a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy are about to discover how much they actually have in common.

“The Blackening” — This horror/comedy follows a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer.

JUNE 23

“God is a Bullet” — Taking matters into his own hands, a detective (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) tries to infiltrate an evil cult to save his kidnapped daughter and avenge the murder of his wife.

“No Hard Feelings” — On the brink of losing her home, a young woman (Jennifer Lawrence) finds an intriguing job listing by parents looking for someone to bring their introverted 19-year-old son out of his shell before college.

“Asteroid City” — Writer/director Wes Anderson assembles his favorite stars for this comedy about a “Junior Stargazer” convention that gets spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events. Starring are Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie and more.

JUNE 30

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” — The fifth and final installment in the Indiana Jones film series (there they go, throwing that “final” word around like it means anything) picks up with daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), who races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter, he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a former Nazi who now works for NASA. Of course he does.

“Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” — DreamWorks Animation presents this tale of a shy teenager who discovers that she’s part of a legendary royal lineage of mythical sea creatures and that her destiny is bigger than she ever dreamed. “Release the Teenage Kraken!”

JULY 7

“Insidious: The Red Door” — To put their demons to rest once and for all, a family must face its dark past and a host of new and more horrifying terrors that lurk behind a red door. Patrick Wilson returns to star, and this is also his directorial debut.

“Joy Ride” — This comedy follows four Asian-American friends as they bond while traveling through Asia in search of one of their birth mothers.

JULY 12

“Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One” — The “final” installment in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise gets milked for all its worth — I mean, ahem, gets the two-part treatment — as Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team embark on their most dangerous mission yet (of course) — to track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands.

JULY 14

“Psycho-Pass Providence” — This Japanese anime film follows a Chief Inspector of the Public Security Bureau, who receives a report that an incident occurred on a foreign vessel, spawning a big and unexpected case.

JULY 21

“Barbie” — This much anticipated live-action take on the classic Mattel doll Barbie (a perfectly cast Margot Robbie) and her overly photogenic boyfriend, Ken (an absolutely glowing Ryan Gosling) looks super fun, and should spawn a whole new generation of fans of the toys.

“Oppenheimer” — Director Christopher Nolan’s latest tells the story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. A top-notch cast also includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Gary Oldman and Josh Hartnett.

JULY 28

“Haunted Mansion” — A single mom (Rosario Dawson) hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest, and a historian to help exorcise her newly bought mansion after discovering it is inhabited by ghosts. Also starring LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito.

“Talk to Me” — When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. Talk to the hand!

AUG. 4

“The Meg 2: The Trench” — The colossal, prehistoric sharks return to wreak havoc on Jason Statham and his oceanic crew.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” — The heroic Turtle brothers return as they work to earn the love of New York City while facing down an army of mutants.

AUG. 11

“Gran Turismo” — The ultimate wish fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo video game player whose gaming skills win a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver. Based on a true story.

“The Last Voyage of Demeter” — Dracula’s unholy presence dooms the crew of the merchant ship Demeter as it sails from Carpathia to London.

AUG. 18

“Blue Beetle“ — A Mexican teenager (Xolo Maridueña, from Netflix’s “Cobra Kai”) finds an alien beetle that gives him superpowered armor.

“Strays” — An abandoned dog teams up with other strays to get revenge on his former owner. With the voices of Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx.

“The Hill” — The true-life story of Ricky Hill (Colin Ford), who overcomes a physical handicap in order to become a Major League Baseball player. Dennis Quaid also stars.

AUG. 25

“White Bird” — A spin-off, prequel, and “companion piece” to 2017’s “Wonder,” this film catches up with young Julian after he leaves Beecher Prep for good. He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, when she was hidden from the Nazis by a classmate and his parents.