July is here, and with it an abundance of superhero blockbusters, exciting (but mayhaps unnecessary) additions to major movie franchises, and award-winning local films that all deserve a trip to the closest cinema. Over the next month, cozy up with some popcorn and a jumbo-sized soda, and leave your troubles behind. Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps promise to both be the biggest superhero blockbusters of the year. Sunshine, director Antoinette Jadaone’s latest drama, sees Maris Racal delivering her most heartbreaking performance yet.
Below, we’ve listed nine new releases coming to cinemas nationwide this month, and each one brings a little more hope that audiences are making their way back to theaters.
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ (July 2)
In the latest cinematic addition to the Jurassic Park universe, the ambitious operations expert Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) is on a mission to create a drug that will bring life-saving benefits to mankind. The only problem is that, to make the drug, she needs to collect the DNA of three of the largest dinosaurs across air, land, and sea. She enlists the brilliant Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey, slutty little glasses included) for help on her mission, but things quickly go sideways when they find themselves stranded on an island filled with — what else — hungry dinosaurs.
‘Superman’ (July 9)
The Man of Steel is back, but this time with a new sense of hope, optimism, and director James Gunn’s signature upbeat spin on the superhero blockbuster formula. Superman (David Corenswet) is trying his best to protect and save the world, but, as his fellow reporter-slash-love interest Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) loves reminding him, he hasn’t quite figured out that there are consequences to his actions. He must go toe-to-toe with supervillains like billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) while also coming to terms with balancing his Kryptonian heritage and his life as the human Clark Kent. Oh, and Krypto the Superdog is in here, too.
‘Smurfs’ (July 16)
I never thought we’d live in a world where Rihanna plays Smurfette, but here we are. When Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is kidnapped (or smurf-napped) by evil wizards Razamel and Gargamel (both voiced by JP Karliak), Smurfette steps up to lead the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him. Smurfs boasts an array of high-energy song numbers and an all-star voice cast, including Nick Offerman, Dan Levy, Natasha Lyonne, Hannah Waddingham, Octavia Spencer, and more.
‘Bring Her Back’ (July 16)
If late-night rituals, obsessive mothers, and a light dash of body horror sound like a good time to you, then you’re in luck. Bring Her Back, A24’s latest horror drama from the directors of Talk to Me, centers around Andy (Billy Barratt) and his low-vision sister Piper (Sora Wong) as they enter the care of their new foster mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins). However, the siblings realize that not everything is as it seems when Laura, whose daughter’s tragic death clearly still looms over her head, spends her nights conducting a strange ritual.
‘Sunshine’ (July 23)
Maris Racal has proven time and time again that she is a capable actress (Incognito, And the Breadwinner Is…), but her performance in Sunshine firmly establishes her as one of the most promising actors of her generatione. It follows the eponymous aspiring gymnast, whose Olympic career is in jeopardy when she discovers that she’s pregnant. Directed by Antoinette Jadaone, Sunshine took home the prestigious Crystal Bear Award for Best Film in Berlinale Film Festival’s Generation 14plus section in February.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ (July 23)
The Fantastic Four has never been an easy Marvel comic book franchise to bring to the silver screen. There was 2005’s Fantastic Four, arguably the most decent of the adaptations, that laid the groundwork for a trilogy that ultimately never materialized. Then there was the 2015 adaptation, which was so poorly received that, as of writing, it has a nine percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. But director Matt Shakman’s upcoming take on the heroes promises to be a much-needed course correction. The Fantastic Four: First Steps will see Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) defending Earth from the ravenous space god Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his Herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).
‘The Bad Guys 2’ (July 30)
In this follow-up to DreamWorks Animation’s well-received comedy hit, the Bad Guys are now trying to be the good guys (emphasis on trying). But as they struggle to maintain their new, crime-free lives, they find themselves hijacked into a globe-trotting, high-stakes heist by a new team of evil masterminds: the Bad Girls. The Bad Guys 2 features a stacked cast of actors lending their voices to the film, including Sam Rockwell, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, and more.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (July 30)
Nearly 20 years after the last film of the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise was released and met with reviews so bad that it currently has an astounding zero percent Tomatometer rating, a new film is on the horizon, and with it, a chance at redemption. Following the format of the last three films, I Know What You Did Last Summer centers around a group of friends who inadvertently cause a deadly car accident. A year later, a gruesome killer stalks each of them one by one, hell-bent on revenge.
‘P77’ (July 30)
P77 is a mind-bending psychological horror based on an original story by Green Bones writers Angeli Guidaya-Atienza and Kristian Julao. It follows Luna (Barbie Forteza), who takes a new job as a housekeeper for a wealthy older woman (Gina Pareño). While cleaning the house, Luna is haunted by relentless spirits that seem to know too much about her past than they should.
