While the 2024 summer movie lineup felt a little flat, a number of franchises — along with a few newcomers — should have film fans heading to theaters this summer.
"Superman," "Jurassic Park" and even "The Karate Kid" are in the mix, along with the final (unlikely) installment in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise.
Co-hosts Bruce Miller and Terry Lipshetz discuss what is on the way and which films have them most excited.
Here is Miller's breakdown of the biggest movies:
APRIL
A MINECRAFT MOVIE (April 4) – At long last, a movie. Jack Black and Jason Momoa star as Steve and Garrett.
THE AMATEUR (April 11) – A decoder (Rami Malek) decides to take matters into his own hands when the CIA won’t investigate a terrorist attack that claimed his wife. Rachel Brosnahan (the star of summer) co-stars.
WARFARE (April 11) – Familiar faces turn up as soldiers embedded with an Iraqi family. Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland wrote and directed this “verite” look at war.
DROP (April 11) – How’s this for a first date: You get messages during dinner that says you’ve got to do something about the man across the table. Like kill him. Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar star.
SNEAKS (April 18) – A designer sneaker (no kidding, a shoe) has to find his sister after she has been stolen by a collector. Bringing a ragtag band of shoes together, he heads to New York to move in for the kill. Yup, it’s animated.
SINNERS (April 18) – Just when you thought those Gothic vampires had gone under, Ryan Coogler pops up with drama about twin brothers who return to their home to deal with things that are fang-tastic.
THE RITUAL (April 18) – Al Pacino gets involved in an exorcism. (And to think he could have done this back in the 1970s.)
PRIDE & PREJUDICE (April 20) – Yup, this has been done before. But it has a blue-chip crowd of actors telling the Jane Austen story. Keira Knightley and Judi Dench star.
THE ACCOUNTANT 2 (April 25) Ben Affleck returns as the crime solver. This time, he’s looking for the person who killed an acquaintance. He calls on his brother (Jon Bernthal) to help.
MAY
THUNDERBOLTS* (May 2) – With the Avengers out of commission there’s a need for superheroes to do the government’s bidding. Unfortunately, they’re not exactly the cream of the crop, nor are they particularly united. Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Florence Pugh star.
ROMEO & JULIET (May 9) – Rebel Wilson, Jason Isaacs, Dan Fogler and the Ruperts (Graves and Everett) try their hands at a different version of the classic. Like “Moulin Rouge,” it uses modern music.
CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (May 9) – As much as Frendo might seem like a nice guy, he could be behind a series of teen disappearances. Set in the Midwest, it might be that “Children of the Corn” sequel you were seeking.
HURRY UP TOMORROW (May 16) -- Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan in this story of a musician who just can’t sleep.
LILO & STITCH (May 23) – Disney’s gameplan: If an animated film is successful, turn it into a live-action one. If a live-action one works, try animation. That’s what’s behind this live-action version of the E.T.-like bonding between a Hawaiian girl and an alien. Maia Kealoha plays Lilo.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (May 23) – For those of you who forgot, there was a second part to “Dead Reckoning,” the last “Mission: Impossible” film. Here, Tom Cruise gets to go to even more locations to hang from dangerous buildings/mountains/you name it in an effort to fight the Entity. In case you don’t remember a thing, look at the first film and you’ll be just as confused.
KARATE KID: LEGENDS (May 30) – Ralph Macchio gets back to business in this look at a troubled kid and a karate competition.
JUNE
FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK: BALLERINA (June 6) – How do you get John Wick back in a film? You back things up and tell a side story. In this case, it’s the training of Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas). Yup, Keanu makes an appearance.
THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME (June 6) – Wes Anderson gets Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks and Jeffrey Wright back together for a story about a rich man, his daughter and her tutor.
THE MATERIALISTS (June 13) – A New York matchmaker has a little fence mending of her own to do. Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans star. Celine Song writes, directs and stars.
ELIO (June 13) – In this Pixar film, a kid gets beamed up to Communiverse, an interplanetary organization where he’s expected to deliver.leads the cha
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