This summer’s movie season promises to deliver spectacular entertainment for audiences nationwide.
Cinema-goers can expect an impressive array of superhero adventures, beloved franchise continuations, and suspenseful films featuring familiar favorites like ‘Spider-Man,’ ‘Minions,’ ‘Star Wars,’ and ‘Toy Story.’ However, the most highly awaited release isn’t centered on superheroes, toys, or established franchises—it’s based on one of Western literature’s most ancient tales. Director Christopher Nolan’s version of ‘The Odyssey’ will arrive in cinemas on July 17, facing far calmer circumstances than the hero Odysseus encountered.
The Associated Press conducted interviews with more than 24 individuals connected to this summer’s major film releases, including studio heads, directors, screenwriters, performers, and multi-talented industry professionals to discuss their projects and the current state of cinema. Below are the main insights from AP’s Summer Movie Preview.
According to Nolan, ‘The Odyssey’ represented a fundamental story that warranted treatment on the grandest scale possible, utilizing every resource that contemporary Hollywood could provide.
‘There’s a massive amount of pressure,’ Nolan explained. ‘Anyone taking on The Odyssey is taking on the hopes and dreams of people for epic movies everywhere and that comes with a huge responsibility.’
The experience brought back memories of his work on the Batman series.
‘What I learned from that experience is that what people want from a movie about a beloved story, a beloved set of characters, is they want a strong and sincere interpretation,’ Nolan stated. ‘They want to know that a filmmaker has gone to the mat for it. I really tried to make the best film possible.’
Just three years ago, ‘Oppenheimer’ generated close to one billion dollars in revenue. ‘The Odyssey’ features epic battles, mythological deities, fantastical beings, and a stellar cast including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and Tom Holland. This marks the first production filmed completely using IMAX technology. Advanced ticket sales for certain IMAX 70mm screenings were completely purchased within 60 minutes, a full year before release.
The summer season launches May 1st with ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2,’ followed by ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’ on May 22, marking the franchise’s return to theaters after a seven-year absence. Subsequently, Steven Spielberg ventures back into science fiction with ‘Disclosure Day’ on June 12. Superhero enthusiasts can anticipate ‘Supergirl’ arriving June 26 and ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ on July 31.
Family-friendly PG-rated films have gained significant influence recently. This summer presents ‘Toy Story 5’ on June 19, ‘Minions & Monsters’ on July 1, a live-action ‘Moana’ on July 10, and ‘The Sheep Detectives’ on May 8.
Horror enthusiasts can discover franchise entries such as ‘Evil Dead Burn’ on July 10 and disturbing independent films like ‘Leviticus’ on June 19, plus a new Jane Schoenbrun production, ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ on August 7.
Smaller independent productions also deserve attention, including Daniel Roher’s ‘Tuner’ and Boots Riley’s vibrant shoplifting tale ‘I Love Boosters’ (both May 22), Olivia Wilde’s intimate comedy-drama ‘The Invite’ on June 26, and the good-naturedly crude comedy ‘Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass’ on July 10.
Regarding ‘The Odyssey’ length, Christopher Nolan commented: ‘One of the things that’s really important to me is to be showing the film wherever possible on IMAX film, projecting the format, because we shot the entire movie on IMAX film, and the longest we’ve ever been able to get onto the IMAX projector is three hours. So we know it’s less than three hours. I can say the film is shorter than Oppenheimer. It’s still an epic, it’s an epic film as the subject matter demands, but it is shorter.’
James Cameron discussed industry recovery: ‘Hope springs eternal … We still have a very robust theatrical industry at a time when it was kind of almost pronounced dead.’
DC co-chair and co-CEO Peter Safran addressed superhero cinema: ‘I never felt that there was superhero fatigue. I felt it was mediocre movie fatigue. You gotta try something new. You have to change the game a little bit. The essential story on which Supergirl is based is something cool and original and we haven’t seen before.’
Jon Favreau spoke about IMAX productions: ‘People have got great TVs at home. You’ve got to give them a reason to go out.’
Olivia Wilde discussed creative risks: ‘I think one of the reasons that audiences really enjoy the films that A24 are investing in and putting out into world is they can tell that risk is sort of part of the process for them … there’s something exciting about that.’
Marlon Wayans emphasized theatrical comedy: ‘The world needs comedy. It’s a shame that there haven’t been more comedies in the past 15, 20 years. I think it’s really hurting our world … I hope people come out to the theater and they feel good.’
While Hollywood no longer reserves all major releases exclusively for summer months, the 18-week period from early May through Labor Day continues as the industry’s most crucial timeframe, generating approximately 40% of annual ticket sales.
Summer box office has exceeded $4 billion only once since the pandemic began, achieving this milestone in 2023 with the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon. The previous summer reached just under $3.7 billion, with Disney’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’ leading sales. Similar results occurred in 2024, when Pixar’s ‘Inside Out 2’ dominated the charts.
