When the temperatures rise and the only safe haven is air conditioning with a side of buttery popcorn, you know that summer movies season has arrived. We cannot wait to spend every possible weekend at the movies this year and that’s mostly down to the fact that all of the 2019 summer movies coming out from May until August look fun as hell. Start saving up your money because once you read our summer movie preview, you’re going to be buying a lot of movie tickets.
From super fun comedies like Long Shot and Late Night to rousing adventures like Aladdin and Toy Story 4 to big genre movies like Dark Phoenix and Men In Black: International, we are so hyped for what coming to theaters this summer. There will definitely be something for everyone to enjoy, which is great because going to the beach gets real old, real fast. Here are all of our top recommendations, rounded up into one epic preview.
Long Shot (May 3)
Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen are making sure our summer starts off right with their new romantic comedy, Long Shot. Theron plays a female politician whose presidential campaign is stalling out and Rogen plays a journalist hired to be her speechwriter and hopefully inject some life into her campaign. Oh, and did we mention that she used to be his babysitter? Yeah, things are about to get all kinds of zany in Long Shot and we couldn’t be more ready.
The Hustle (May 10)
Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson team up for a remake of 1988’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. This time around, it’s all about women pulling off a big con in the French Riviera as Hathaway’s veteran con artist (taking over in the role originated by Michael Caine) teaches upstart con woman Wilson (who tackles the role originated by Steve Martin) how to win big with their targets — obscenely rich men — without getting caught. Expect all the hijinks to ensue when this film lands in theaters in early May.
Booksmart (May 24)
Beanie Feldstein (Ladybird) and Kaitlyn Dever (Beautiful Boy) star in actor Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, Booksmart. Feldstein and Dever play Molly and Amy, besties and overachievers who chose to stay in and study during high school instead of having traditionally rowdy and exploratory experiences like their friends. Molly decides its time to change that before the pair head off to college and wrangles Amy into having one final, wild night before graduation. Reminiscent of Superbad, this film is going to be the perfect comedy to kick off your summer.
Aladdin (May 24)
Disney kicks off its incredible summer lineup right with a live-action remake of Aladdin. Directed by Guy Ritchie (King Arthur, Sherlock Holmes) and starring relative newcomers Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott alongside everyone’s favorite Will Smith, the story of Aladdin is brought to life in vibrant technicolor. Early trailers (like the one above) teases some of the most exciting setpieces from the animated film, including Aladdin (Massoud) entering into the Cave of Wonders and meeting Genie (Smith) as well as Aladdin and Jasmine (Scott) going on a magic carpet ride. We can’t wait!
Rocketman (May 31)
The life and music of Elton John gets the big screen treatment in Rocketman. Starring Taron Egerton as John, Rocketman follows the rise of John’s early career and — even better — uses his biggest hit songs to help bring it to life. Expect to see a big, brash, bold musical with an energetic performance from Egerton in Rocketman that will have you dancing in your seat.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31)
Stranger Things Milly Bobby Brown makes her feature film debut in the next great monster movie, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Costarring Vera Farmiga, Kyle McLachlan and Bradley Whitford, King of the Monsters is all about every mythical kaiju monster we’ve seen in films of old rising up and attempting to reclaim the planet. The humans quickly figure out that only way to stop these monsters is to resurrect the best of the best, Godzilla, to ensure the survival of the humans and the world they love.
Dark Phoenix (June 7)
The X-Men franchise is going strong with Dark Phoenix, which reunites James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan and Sophie Turner and brings in Jessica Chastain to play the film’s big bad. Following X-Men‘s iconic Dark Phoenix story arc, the film version follows Jean Grey (Turner), who is involved in an accident that amplifies her already incredible powers and turns her into an unstoppable force that the X-Men must contain at all costs.
Late Night (June 7)
The Mindy Kaling-penned Late Night will arrive in theaters in early June and will be perfect if you’re looking for a fun, female-led comedy that is decidedly different from the big box-office genre fare that usually populates theaters this time of year. Starring Emma Thompson as a veteran late-night TV host who is in dire need of a career revival and Kaling as the new writer that finds a way to help reinvigorate her career as well as the show, Late Night is the perfect movies for you and your girlfriends to go watch when you need to beat the heat.
Men In Black: International (June 14)
It’s time to suit up, y’all, because the world needs saving. Men In Black is another exciting franchise getting some new life injected into it. This time around, Agent K and Agent J are gone, leaving room for two new agents (played by Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth, who were last seen together in Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Ragnarok) to take on the mantle as the MIB’s top agents going off on a globetrotting adventure to stop evil aliens.
Murder Mystery (June 14)
Netflix is getting a big dose of comedy, adventure and murder when the super fun Murder Mystery arrives in mid-June. Starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler as a married couple finally finding time to take their honeymoon after 15 years of marriage, the two find they are suddenly the lead suspects in a murder case in Europe. This movie looks all kinds of delightful and will make it feel like the movie theater is right in your home.
Toy Story 4 (June 21)
Woody and Buzz Lightyear are back! The latest (and probably final) installment in the beloved Disney franchise, Toy Story 4 picks up after 2010’s Toy Story 3, with Woody, Buzz and the entire gang living in their new home with little Bonnie. When a new toy, Forky (voiced by Veep‘s Tony Hale), arrives on the scene but has some doubts about joining the group, Woody finds himself on a new adventure alongside old and new friends that reminds just how much we love these toys.
Yesterday (June 28)
What would the world be like if The Beatles never existed? That’s the question at the heart of the warm, funny musical dramedy Yesterday. The film follows a musician with a stalled career and dreams of something bigger who gets into an accident and wakes up in the hospital only to discover he’s the only one who knows about The Beatles. Armed with this secret knowledge, he begins releasing The Beatles’ songs as his own and, as was the case with Liverpool’s most famous foursome, becomes one of the most famous musicians in the world.
The Lion King (July 19)
The second live-action Disney remake of a Disney Renaissance film will be The Lion King. Featuring photo-realistic animals, the music we all fell in love with when the original Lion King came out back in 1994, director Jon Favreau directs a truly all-star cast, including Donald Glover, James Earl Jones, Beyonce, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner and Chiwetel Ejiofor, in what will no doubt be the highlight of summer at the movies.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (July 26)
Quentin Tarantino is taking us back to the 1960s with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows a fading Hollywood star (DiCaprio) and his stuntman (Pitt) trying to revive their careers in 1969 Hollywood, which is set amidst the rise and tragic fall of young movie star Sharon Tate (Robbie).
Where’d You Go, Bernadette (August 16)
As the summer enters its last days, you can find Cate Blanchett starring in Richard Linklater’s (Boyhood) latest film, an adaptation of the novel Where’d You Go, Bernadette?. Bernadette is, by all accounts, a devoted wife, mother and friend who one day, without warning, ups and disappears. When everyone realizes she might be gone for good, everyone rallies to find Bernadette and figure out what is really going on. The film costars Billy Crudup and Kristen Wiig, making this a lovely, light way to wind down this summer at the movies.
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