OK, so there’s nothing YUGE. There isn’t that movie right around the corner that’s so big it’s all some folks will be talking about.

In May 2026, on the other hand, movie goers will be treated to the biggest Marvel movie in years, “Avengers: Doomsday,” which boasts a cast the size of a small village, and the first big-screen “Star Wars” offering since 2019’s “Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker” in “The Mandalorian & Grogu.”

Still, the 2025 summer movie season is bringing what could be the final entry in the long-running “Mission: Impossible” franchise, a couple of intriguing Marvel Cinematic Universe affairs, a new Superman and a few sequels coming years after their predecessors.

Plus, there’s this, that and the other that should pique the interests of movie fans.

Here’s a look at some of what’s coming to a theater near you — and to the streaming box in your living room — through August. And remember that, as always, dates are subject to change.

“Another Simple Favor” | May 1 | Prime Video >> Paul Feig is back in the director’s chair for this straight-to-streaming sequel to the enjoyable 2018 black comedy “A Simple Favor.” Stars Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively and Henry Golding are returning, as well. This time, there’s a murder at the wedding of Lively’s Emily.

“The Surfer” | May 2 | Theaters >> Nicolas Cage stars in this well-received psychological thriller that debuted in autumn at the Toronto International Film Festival

“Thunderbolts*” | May 2 | Theaters >> Four times since 2012, an “Avengers” movie from Disney-owned Marvel Studios has served as the unofficial kickoff of the summer movie season, with megahits “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” in 2018 and ’19, respectively, getting things going in April instead of the more traditional first weekend in May. “Thunderbolts*,” which — and we say this lovingly — looks to be a poor man’s version of an “Avengers” flick, with a rougher-around-the-edges gang of MCU heroes getting together. Jake Schreier is at the helm for this adventure featuring Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova; her colorful father, David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian; Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker/U.S. Agent and a mix of new and semi-familiar faces. The villain is a newcomer, The Void, portrayed by Lewis Pullman.

“Clown in a Cornfield” | May 9 | Theaters >> Eli Craig directs a cast led by Katie Douglas and Carson MacCormac in this seemingly self-explanatory horror comedy.

“Juliet & Romeo” | May 9 | Theaters >> Clara Rugaard and Jamie Ward star in this musical reworking of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

“Nonnas” | May 9 | Netflix >> Vince Vaughn’s Joe Scaravella, with some grandmotherly help, opens an Italian restaurant to honor his late mother in this comedy helmed by Stephen Chbosky, who wrote and directed the 2012 adaptation of his novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

“Shadow Force” | May 9 | Theaters >> Joe Carnahan (“Narc,” “The A-Team”) is at the helm of this action thriller about a multinational special forces outfit that stars Kerry Washington and Omar Sy.

“Final Destination: Bloodlines” | May 16 | Theaters >> Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon and Owen Patrick Joyner star in this sixth big-screen entry in the supernatural horror franchise, whose roots trace back decades, to creator Jeffrey Reddick’s spec script for an episode of “The X-Files.”

“Hurry Up Tomorrow” | May 16 | Theaters >> Given the talents of filmmaker Trey Edward Shults (“It Comes at Night,” “Waves”) and music star The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye, you can’t help but be intrigued by this film. Billed as a musical psychological thriller, it stars Tesfaye as a heightened version of himself, the singer going on a mystical journey, with Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan playing secondary figures. Tesfaye — who, as The Weeknd, released an album of the same name in January — co-wrote the screenplay with Shultz and another scribe.

“Fear Street: Prom Queen” | May 23 | Netflix >> The streaming giant welcomes you back to Shadyside High in this prom-season installment of the “Fear Street” franchise, the cast of which features India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, Chris Klein, David Iacono, Ella Rubin, Ariana Greenblatt, Lili Taylor and Katherine Waterston.

“Fountain of Youth” | May 23 | Apple TV+ >> Guy Ritchie directs the latest Skydance Media film with some big names to debut on Apple’s streaming platform, in which estranged siblings (John Krasinski and Natalie Portman) go looking for the legendary Fountain of Youth. The supporting cast boasts Eiza Gonzalez, Stanley Tucci and Domhnall Gleeson.

“Friendship” | May 23 | Theaters >> Getting a limited release on May 9 before going wider two weeks later, this comedy stars Paul Rudd and the namesake of the sketch show “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.”

“Lilo & Stitch” | May 23 | Theaters >> Disney continues to work through its library of animated films to reimagine as live-action affairs, and next up is 2002’s “Lilo & Stitch,” built around the bond between a child and an alien. Maia Kealoha portrays Lilo, a 6-year-old orphan, while extraterrestrial Stitch is voiced again by Chris Sanders. Dean Fleischer Camp, director of 2021’s offbeat and adorable “Marcel the Shell With Shoes on,” is at the helm, and the supporting cast includes the reliably funny Zach Galifianakis.

“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” | May 23 | Theaters >> The trailers have seemed intent on convincing you that this film — the sequel to 2023’s “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” and the eighth installment in the “M:I” franchise — will be the, well, final chapter. And we do think that’s the case — unless, you know, Paramount Pictures believes a ninth movie will be at all profitable and series star Tom Cruise is physically up for another taxing shoot. (Um, he’s Tom Cruise. He doesn’t age. He WILL be up for it.) With its sillier-than-standard AI menace-driven plotline, “Dead Reckoning” was a tad underwhelming. However, we trust that Cruise and filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie — who have been making the “Impossible” possible cinematically since 2015’s “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” — will deliver the action-packed, table-turning goods again this time. “Reckoning” will boast lots of familiar faces, including Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby and Hayley Atwell.

“Karate Kid: Legends” | May 30 | Theaters >> Early on, it sounded as if this first “Karate Kid” film since 2010’s “The Karate Kid” would — despite the presence of the original Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio, exist in a universe parallel to that of Netflix’s successful sequel series “Cobra Kai.” Now, it’s said this film — which also features Jackie Chan, a star of the 2010 flick — is set a few years after the events of “Cobra Kai.” (This is all very exciting, isn’t it?) Anyway, look for Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso and Chan’s Mr. Han to help a new young hero, Ben Wang’s Li Fong achieve martial arts greatness.

“The Phoenician Scheme” | May 30 | Theaters >> Working with frequent writing collaborator Roman Coppola, endlessly creative filmmaker Wes Anderson offers this latest comedy, In which a wealthy man (Benicio del Toro) entrusts his estate to his daughter, a nun (Mia Threapleton, daughter of Kate Winslet), with outsiders wanting a piece of that action. As usual, Anderson has put together an outstanding ensemble, this one including Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hanks.

“Tornado” | May 30 | Theaters >> In this film set in 1790s Britain and helmed by John Maclean, a young Japanese woman (Kōki) finds herself caught in a perilous situation when she and her father (Takehiro Hira) cross paths with a gang of ruthless criminals led by Sugarman (Tim Roth). The cast also boasts “Slow Horses” star Jack Lowden.

“Ballerina” | June 6 | Theaters >> The idea for this action film, alternatively titled “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” and starring Ana de Armas as a deadly dancer, dates back years, to a script inspired by but not yet part of the action franchise centered around Keanu Reeves’ seemingly unkillable assassin, John Wick. Reeves will appear in “Ballerina” — likely briefly — while the key supporting players include Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McShane and Norman Reedus. Lee Wiseman (“Underworld”) directs.

“Dangerous Animals” | June 6 | Theaters >> Hassie Harrison’s Zephyr, a rebellious surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer (Jai Courtney) and held captive on his boat. She must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below in this survival drama directed by Sean Byrne.

“Straw” | June 6 | Netflix >> The latest effort from prolific director Tyler Perry is a drama thriller about a single mother (Taraji P. Henson) who faces a series of unfortunate events that lead her down an unexpected path and circumstances beyond her control. Fueled by desperation,” press materials from Netflix state, “she finds herself at the center of suspicion in a world that seems indifferent to her existence.”

“Deep Cover” | June 12 | Prime Video >> Bryce Dallas Howard and Orlando Bloom head the cast of this British crime comedy about improv actors being recruited to work in police stings. It counts “Jurassic World’ pals Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly among its writers.

“How to Train Your Dragon” | June 13 | Theaters >> Dean DeBlois, who directed the animated “How to Train Your Dragon” trilogy, is back for this live-action update of the 2010 series launcher. But while Gerard Butler returns to portray the character he’s voiced, Stoic the Vast, his son — awkward saga hero Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, who, of course, befriends a dragon — is portrayed by newcomer Mason Thames of “The Black Phone.” The animated movies, based on Cressida Cowell’s book series, has its legion of fans, so DeBlois and company had better not screw up a good thing. (Universal Pictures obviously believes they have not, as evidenced by the studio having a sequel on the slate for June 2027.)

“Bride Hard” | June 20 | Theaters >> We’ve all thought it, right? That 1988 action classic “Die Hard” should be crossed with the uproarious 2011 comedy gem “Bridesmaids”? That’s what we appear to be getting with this action comedy starring “Bridesmaids” alum Rebel Wilson. She’ll share the screen with her “Pitch Perfect” pal Anna Camp, “Only Murders in the Building” and “The Holdovers” standout Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Justin Hartley (“This Is Us,” “Tracker”) and others. This one might be stronger in the action department than you’d expect, with Simon West (“Con Air,” “The Expendables 2”) directing.

“Elio” | June 20 | Theaters >> The latest effort from Disney-owned Pixar Animation Studios looks to play off that fantasy you have as a kid involving encountering otherworldly beings and having a great adventure. That’s what happens to the alien-obsessed titular character in “Elio” (voiced by Yonas Kibreab), who is believed by visitors from space to be our planet’s leader. Will this be the next great effort from the studio behind classics including “Toy Story,” “Up” and “Soul”?

“28 Years Later” | June 20 | Theaters >> It hasn’t quite been 28 years since acclaimed filmmakers Danny Boyle and Alex Garland teamed up, as director and writer, respectively, for “28 Days Later.” That post-apocalyptic film, about the breakdown of society after myriad humans are infected with a virus, was followed in 2007 by “28 Weeks Later,” with others steering the ship. However, Boyle and Garland are back with this third entry, which features actors Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes.

“F1” | June 27 | Theaters >> Brad Pitt may be behind the wheel of a high-performance machine as a Formula One driver looking to mentor a younger racer (Damson Idris), but it no doubt will be “Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski who will be putting the pedal to the metal to deliver the high-octane thrills an action drama like this demands. The supporting cast features Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem and Tobias Menzies.

“Hot Milk” | June 27 | Theaters >> Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw and Vicky Krieps star in this romance drama “set in the scorching heat of a Spanish summer” that’s directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz.

“M3GAN 2.0” | June 27 | Theaters >> She’s back, the little human-like robot who kills, and she’s been upgraded. (Gulp.) Returnees for the sequel to 2022 horror hit “M3GAN” include star Allison Williams, director Gerard Johnstone and writer Akela Cooper. We may all want to unplug for a stretch after this one.

“Heads of State” | July 2 | Prime Video >> In this action comedy, John Cena portrays the American president and Idris Elba the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The leaders will have to team up to save the world in an affair boasting a nice supporting cast that includes Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jack Quaid, Carla Gugino, Stephen Root and Paddy Considine, who was amazing as King Viserys Targaryen in the first season of “House of the Dragon.” “Nobody” director Ilya Naishuller is at the helm.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” | July 2 | Theaters >> “Godzilla” director Gareth Edwards now gets to play with dinosaurs in the seventh “Jurassic” flick, which is being positioned as a stand-alone to 2022 guilty pleasure “Jurassic World Dominion.” (Call us cynical, but if this one does dino-sized business at the box office, we’re expecting a follow-up affair.) The cast is led by the two-headed monster of Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali. The story is set five years after “Dominion,” with the Earth’s dinosaurs having retreated to secluded, more hospitable tropical locations. The action centers on an island where a team of humans go hunting for dinosaur DNA, an endeavor that surely will go flawlessly.

“The Old Guard 2” | July 2 | Netflix >> We have a soft spot for 2020’s “The Old Guard,” an unusual superhero offering headlined by Charlize Theron, as it was one of the better streaming options at a time — early summer — when going back to the theaters was still a bit theoretical and more than a little scary. In the sequel, Andy (Theron) and her team of immortal warriors are back to protect the world from a new threat.

“Madea’s Destination Wedding” | July 11 | Netflix >> Tyler Perry is back to direct and star in his latest “Madea” affair about fast-approaching nuptials in the Bahamas.

“Superman” | July 11 | Theaters >> The DC Universe — the successor to DC Comics and Warner Bros. Pictures’ DC Extended Universe — gets underway with this new heroes-packed adventure. But with apologies to the likes of Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl and Anthony Carrigan’s Rex Mason/Metamorpho, the action will revolve around David Corenswet’s Man of Steel. Rachel Brosnahan is portraying Supes’ traditional love interest, Lois Lane, while a bald Nicholas Hoult will cause Earth’s most powerful adopted son a lot of trouble. The film is written and directed by James Gunn (Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies), the co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios. Word of not-so-hot reactions to test screenings for the film have surfaced, but we’ll believe Gunn — a longtime admirer of Superman — has dropped the proverbial ball here when we see it.

“Eddington” | July 18 | Theaters >> Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix star in this contemporary blend of a Western and a black comedy from gifted filmmaker Ari Aster (“Hereditary,” “Midsommar”).

“I Know What You Did Last Summer” | July 18 | Theaters >> This fourth film in the slasher franchise is said to be a direct sequel to the 1998 film of the same name that launched the series, with alums Jennifer Love Hewitt reprising their roles and being surrounded by a cast of newcomers including Madelyn Cline (“Outer Banks”).

“Smurfs” | July 18 | Theaters >> Our little blue buddies get the computer graphics-meets-live action treatment again in this franchise reboot, which sees music star Rihanna voicing Smurfette and a host of other notable names voicing the myriad other Smurfs, including the great Nick Offerman as Papa Smurf’s brother, Ken. (Ken the Smurf? We don’t think this is a “Barbie” tie-in, but we’ll see.)

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” | July 25 | Theaters >> While some of the players from the season’s earlier MCU entry, “Thunderbolts*,” have been announced as being part of summer 2026’s highly anticipated “Avengers: Doomsday,” this is poised as the more significant lead-in, with the latter movie’s big bad, Dr. Doom — played (gasp!) by Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. — likely to be introduced, possibly in a post-credits scene. Regardless, with Marvel Studios finally able to use comic book staples the Fantastic Four, following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, which had held the movie rights to the characters, the quartet may finally get the big-screen treatment it deserves. The casting appears to be, well, fantastic, with Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and “The Bear” standout Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. In this other part of Marvel’s multiverse on an alternate Earth, the Fantastic Four will battle giant foe Galactus (Ralph Ineson) before (presumably) arriving on Earth-616. Matt Shakman, who has been involved with great TV projects — such as “The Great” and the first MCU series, “WandaVision” — directs.

“Happy Gilmore 2” | July 25 | Netflix >> Man, time flies like a golf ball soaring toward a fairway. Adam Sandler introduced us to hockey player-turned-golfer Happy Gilmore way back in 1996. He’s back in this sequel for his pals at Netflix, as is Julie Bowen, as his “Happy Gilmore” love interest, Virginia Venit, and Christopher McDonald, as everybody’s favorite cocky golf pro, Shooter McGavin. Scads of actual professional golfers are said to show up in the romp, as well.

“The Bad Guys 2” | Aug. 1 | Theaters >> Set five years after the events of the 2022 animated hit about a gang of animal criminals-turned-good guys, “The Bad Guys 2” sees voice work by returnees such as Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina and Craig Robinson and newcomers including Natasha Lyonne and Maria Bakalova, both of whom voice members of the Bad Girls. Pierre Perifel also returns to direct.

“The Naked Gun” | Aug. 1 | Theaters >> Liam Neeson passing as the son of the bumbling but beloved Frank Drebin, played by Leslie Nielsen in the zany comedy series? … Maybe? The teaser trailer looks … OK-ish? Are you sick of ellipses? … Probably? One person who seems wholly uninterested in the franchise’s first entry since 1994’s “Naked Gun 33⅓” is the director of the first two movies, “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (1988) and “The Naked Gun 2½” (1991), David Zucker. (“I can’t unsee it,” Zucker reportedly said of the aforementioned teaser.)

“Freakier Friday” | Aug. 8 | Theaters >> The summer of sequels arriving decades after their predecessors continues with this follow-up to 2003 Disney fave “Freaky Friday.” We still do not know a ton of story details, but Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are back as Tess and Anna Coleman, who are now a grandmother and a mother, respectively, and who somehow ensnare a couple of younger family members into the body-swapping fun. This “Freakier Friday” is directed by Nisha Ganatra (“The High Note”).

“Weapons” | Aug. 8 | Theaters >> If you’ve seen writer-director Zach Cregger’s 2022 horror thriller “Barbarian,” you likely haven’t been able to shake a few of the jump-out-of-your-seat moments. And perhaps you and whomever you watched it with still say “Mama” a certain way. (If you know, you know.) This new scary affair involves the disappearance of several kids one night in a small town and features Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich and Benedict Wong, among others.

“Animal Friends” | Aug. 15 | Theaters >> This is said to be a live-action-meets-digital animation road trip comedy for adults and features Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Vince Vaughn, Lil Rel Howery, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy and other fun folks. Call us intrigued.

“CLIKA” | Aug. 15 | Theaters >> Jay Dee stars as Chito, a small-town musician determined to make it big whose break comes when one of his songs go viral. But trying to carve his niche in the new world of Mexican-American music proves to be dangerous in this film from “Live” director Michael Greene.

“Nobody 2” | Aug. 15 | Theaters >> Bob Odenkirk’s assassin-turned-suburbanite Hutch Mansell is pulled back into the world of violence and killing in this sequel to 2021’s decent “Nobody,” which features other returnees including Connie Neilsen and Christopher Lloyd and newcomers such as Sharon Stone and Colin Hanks.

“Americana” | Aug. 22 | Theaters >> This rural crime drama starring Sydney Sweeney and Paul Walter Hauser, written and directed by Tony Tost, made its debut all the way back at the South by Southwest festival back in March 2023

“Eden” | Aug. 22 | Theaters >> Ron Howard directs this survival thriller set at the turn of the 1930s that he co-wrote with Noah Pink (“Tetris”), which stars Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney and Daniel Brühl. After debuting at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the film recently was acquired by entertainment company Vertical and given this late-summer release date.

“Honey Don’t” | Aug. 22 | Theaters >> As he did with last year’s colorful “Drive-Away Dolls,” director Ethan Cohen wrote the script for this film with spouse Tricia Cooke. “Dolls” star Margaret Qualley is back as a detective in this second film in Cohen and Cooke’s “lesbian B-movie trilogy,” which also boasts Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans and Charlie Day.

“Relay” | Aug. 22 | Theaters >> Riz Ahmed and Lily James star, respectively, as a fixer and a woman in need of his protection in this thriller from “Hell or High Water” director David Mackenzie that premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

“The Thursday Murder Club” | Aug. 22 | Netflix >> Already sharing the screen as husband-and-wife crime family heads in the Showtime/Paramount+ series “MobLand,” Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren star along with Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie as amateur sleuths out to solve a murder in this crime comedy from director Chris Columbus. It’s based on Richard Osman’s 2020 bestselling novel

“Caught Stealing” | Aug. 29 | Theaters >> Bold but hit-and-miss director Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan,” “Mother!”) helms this crime thriller about a former basketball player getting into some hot water. Austin Butler, Matt Smith, Zoë Kravitz, Regina King and Vincent D’Onofrio play some of the key characters in the film, adapted by Charlie Huston from his 2004 novel of the same name.

“The Roses” | Aug. 29 | Theaters >> Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman star as a seemingly ideal couple with issues simmering below the surface in this new take on the 1981 Warren Adler novel “The War of the Roses,” which was made into a 1989 movie. Tony McNamara, who penned 2023’s “Poor Things,” also a book adaptation, did the screenwriting honors here, with Jay Roach (“Bombshell”) directing.

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