Summer is generally known for big blockbusters, but it’s going to be a more subdued season than usual. Remember the (successful) Hollywood writer and actor strikes? In 2023, they shut down production on many films, resulting in release dates shifting to later this year or next summer. For example, “Beetlejuice” and Joaquin Phoenix’s “Joker” don’t return to theaters until the fall.
But don’t worry. There are still sequels and prequels galore between now and the end of August.
“The Fall Guy” kicked summer off earlier this month, though its $28 million gross left much to be desired. (GO SEE THIS MOVIE!) The following week brought the inferior “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” with a more impressive $58 million box-office haul.
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But if you’re a purist like me, the summer movie season officially begins Memorial Day weekend. Our choices include a Mad Max prequel and the latest reboot of my namesake’s nemesis, Garfield. Release dates are subject to change.
May 24
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA The Mad Max series gets an origin story about Furiosa, the hero of “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Anya Taylor-Joy takes over for Charlize Theron. Will her apocalyptic queen’s gambit pay off? Chris Hemsworth costars. I wish I liked this one more than I did.
HIT MAN Richard Linklater’s sexy, twisty neo-noir features a star-making turn by co-writer Glen Powell. “This is a somewhat true story,” the opening screen warns us. It’s also a damn good movie.
THE GARFIELD MOVIE Did somebody say Sam Jackson stars in a movie based on Jim Davis’s famous orange comic strip cat? That means I’ll hear Garfield say “that’s one tasty lasagna” and “Mondays? They’re a bleeperbleeper!” Oh wait, Chris Pratt is voicing Garfield. Never mind.
May 31
EZRA Bobby Cannavale stars as a terrible stand-up comedian who kidnaps his autistic son and drags him cross country to the Jimmy Kimmel show. Another Bobby — De Niro — plays Cannavale’s dad. One of the worst movies I saw last year.
ROBOT DREAMS Pablo Berger’s Oscar-nominated animated feature is a charmer about a dog and his robot in 1980s New York City. A must-see.
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Also opening: YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA
June 7
BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE Will Smith and Martin Lawrence star in the fourth film of the “Bad Boys” franchise. As their theme song asks: “Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatchagonnado?” The answer: Bring in boffo box office.
Also opening: THE WATCHERS
June 14
INSIDE OUT 2 In this sequel to the Oscar-winning 2015 film, we climb back into teenager Riley’s head to observe her emotions at work. New characters include Maya Hawke as Anxiety, Ayo Edebiri as Envy, and Adèle Exarchopoulos as French Boredom — I mean “Ennui.”
TREASURE Stephen Fry plays Edek, a Holocaust survivor who returns to Poland with his American journalist daughter, Ruth (Lena Dunham). Ruth seeks her family history, but Edek wants to sabotage her plans. To judge by the trailer, Fry’s Polish accent is as bad as the German accent Sir Laurence Olivier used in “The Jazz Singer.” Maybe it’s worse.
Also opening: FIREBRAND, GHOSTLIGHT
June 21
THELMA Ten years after her Oscar nomination for “Nebraska,” 93-year old June Squibb finally gets a star vehicle in this crowd-pleasing tale of a grandmother who seeks revenge after losing all her money in a phishing scam. She’s joined on her quest by Richard “Shaft” Roundtree, who is just wonderful in his final role. One of the year’s best movies.
KINDS OF KINDNESS After earning a second Oscar, for “Poor Things,” Emma Stone re-teams with director Yorgos Lanthimos and costar Willem Dafoe for this 164-minute, three-story anthology film. Knowing Lanthimos, the kinds of kindness you’ll see will be all kinds of messed up.
THE BIKERIDERS Jodie Comer and Austin Butler play an unlikely couple in director Jeff Nichols’s biker-gang movie set in 1968. Nichols movie stalwart Michael Shannon costars.
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THE EXORCISM After starring in “The Pope’s Exorcist,” Russell Crowe is back for more exorcising. Once again, the devil finds work.
June 28
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE Yet another prequel to a successful horror film series. At least this “A Quiet Place” installment has Lupita Nyong’o, who can do no wrong.
HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA — CHAPTER 1 Kevin Costner is back behind the camera to chronicle characters in the American West during the Civil War. This three-hour film features Costner alongside Sam Worthington and Jena Malone. Expect a Chapter 2 later.
DADDIO Passenger Dakota Johnson and hack Sean Penn share taxicab confessions as he drives her from JFK airport. Knowing how bad traffic is around there, it’ll be a long conversation and a hefty fare.
JANET PLANET Zoe Ziegler is very good as 11-year-old Lacy in this mother-daughter story from Massachusetts native Annie Baker. It’s the kind of twee, new-agey indie movie critics tend to love. I was not one of those critics.
July 3
DESPICABLE ME 4 Supervillain Gru (Steve Carell) and his “leetle gurls” are back for yet another installment of “Those Obnoxious, Annoying Minions!” As you know, I love the little yellow troublemakers. So I am not to be trusted on this one.
BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F Ed-DEEE! I want to talk to YOUUUU about why you keep making subpar sequels to your excellent original film. The fourth film in the franchise is on Netflix.
July 5
MAXXXINE After 2022′s slasher hit “X” and its prequel, “Pearl,” director Ti West and actor Mia Goth return for this sequel that follows Maxine as she finally gets her big break in the film industry. Alas, yet another killer is after her. Elizabeth Debicki joins the cast.
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Also opening: BONEYARD
July 12
LONGLEGS Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage star in this film about an FBI agent tracking a serial killer. Guess who plays the serial killer.
FLY ME TO THE MOON Scarlett Johansson plays among the stars in this comedy. Her NASA marketing maven has to fake the moon landing in case the real one isn’t successful. Channing Tatum stars as a launch director named Stanley Kubrick. Just kidding. His name is Cole Davis.
Also opening: NATIONAL ANTHEM, THE CONVERT, TOUCH
July 19
TWISTERS Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones star in this sequel to 1996′s “Twister.” As before, it’s about storm chasers. If there are no flying cows, I will be severely disappointed.
July 26
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE Two antiheroes walk into a bar and … seriously, do I need to continue here? More Marvel madness of the R-rated variety starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. If you don’t know who’s who, this isn’t for you.
Also opening: DIDI
Aug. 2
CUCKOO Audiences have been going cuckoo for Dan Stevens’s bonkers baddie Herr König in this horror movie about a sinister Bavarian resort. I can only tell you two things: “Euphoria”’s Hunter Schafer embodies the “final girl” trope. And, as the kids say nowadays, this movie is cray.
HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON Crockett Johnson’s beloved 1955 children’s book finally gets a big-screen adaptation. Harold is a 4-year-old whose magic purple crayon allows him to create worlds just by drawing them. Let’s hope he doesn’t draw any purple rain.
Also opening: THE INSTIGATORS
Aug. 9
IT ENDS WITH US Fans of Colleen Hoover’s novel will decide if this Blake Lively-starrer lives up to the book about a Bostonian who falls for an emotionally distant neurosurgeon. Hasan Minhaj costars.
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BORDERLANDS Kevin Hart and Oscar winner Cate Blanchett star in this video-game adaptation helmed by horror honcho Eli Roth. Blanchett plays a bounty hunter with a mysterious past. Jack Black and Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis round out the cast.
THE FIRE INSIDE “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins wrote the script for this film about Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, the first American female boxer to win an Olympic gold medal. Ace cinematographer Rachel Morrison (“Black Panther”) directs.
Also opening: TRAP
Aug. 16
HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA — CHAPTER 2 I told you there’d be a chapter 2!
ALIEN: ROMULUS I was ready to dismiss the latest entry in the tired “Alien” franchise until I saw that it was directed by Fede Alvarez (“Don’t Breathe”). I’m cautiously optimistic now.
THE UNION In this comedy starring Halle Berry, Mark Wahlberg plays a construction worker from New Jersey. If you can buy me as a Boston film critic, I suppose I can buy Marky Mark as a denizen of my home state. (Lightning strikes Odie.)
Aug. 23
THE CROW Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs star in this controversial remake of the 1994 comic book movie that starred the late Brandon Lee in his final role.
Also opening: SLINGSHOT, THE FORGE, BLINK TWICE
Aug. 30
REAGAN Dennis Quaid plays Ronald Reagan in this biopic. I’m as confused as you are about that casting.
Also opening: KRAVEN THE HUNTER
Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
