Whether you’re looking for something to watch, listen to, or play, this week brings a wave of new content across streaming platforms, music services, and gaming consoles. The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists have rounded up the highlights worth adding to your queue.
MOVIES & TV
Twenty years after the original film became a cultural touchstone, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” lands on Hulu and Disney+ on Wednesday, July 29. The sequel reunites Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt for another journey into the glamorous and cutthroat world of Runway Magazine in Manhattan. The film already proved a hit in theaters, pulling in more than $688 million worldwide. In the new story, Hathaway’s character Andy comes back to Runway in an effort to rescue it from a grim media fate. One reviewer noted that “mid-life career changes aren’t nearly as compelling or relatable as a newbie assistant thrown into the high-fashion fire.”
If box-office numbers are your measuring stick, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” topped them all — it became the first film to surpass $1 billion at the global box office earlier this year. The animated adventure, inspired by the beloved Nintendo video game, begins streaming on Peacock on July 30. AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr observed in her review that the push for merchandise takes priority over the story itself, “taking you out of the escape of this wondrous dream world and back into the realities of late-stage capitalism.”
Also arriving July 31 on HBO Max is “The Drama,” a dark comedy from director Kristoffer Borgli featuring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as an engaged couple whose relationship falls apart following a dinner-table confession. The film generated some buzz when it hit theaters this spring, though AP reviewer Mark Kennedy wrote that it “wastes two of the planet’s most gorgeous people and will surely get everyone involved in trouble for using a current American tragedy as a plot point.”
On the TV side, the comedy series “Diarra from Detroit” returns for Season 2 on Paramount+ beginning Wednesday, July 29, with two episodes dropping at once. Created by and starring Diarra Kilpatrick, the show follows a woman who seems to constantly find herself in the middle of chaos. In Season 1, she investigated a missing person after a date stood her up. This time around, a routine furniture delivery spirals into a homicide investigation, a treasure hunt, and the uncovering of a secret society. The new season runs eight episodes total.
Reality TV fans have a couple of new options as well. Stassi Schroeder, who spent eight seasons as a central figure on “Vanderpump Rules” before her departure from the show in 2020, is now the face of her own series, “House of Stassi.” Since leaving, she has gotten married, had two children, started a podcast, and appeared on “Vanderpump Villa.” All episodes of Season 1 drop Thursday, July 30 on Hulu.
Meanwhile, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson brings a new crime drama to Starz called “Fightland.” The eight-episode series follows Duke, a man who wins a boxing championship and loses everything in the same evening. After spending eight years behind bars, he returns to his hometown of London with revenge on his mind. The series premieres Friday, July 31.
MUSIC
Ariana Grande releases her new album “Petal” on Friday. It marks her first full-length project since her work on “Wicked” and comes two years after “Eternal Sunshine,” her seventh studio album. If the lead single “Hate That I Made You Love Me” is any indication, listeners can expect layered, arpeggiated synths and breezy pop choruses, crafted alongside her producer, Swedish hitmaker Max Martin.
Lollapalooza takes over Chicago’s Grant Park from Thursday through Sunday, with a headline lineup that includes Lorde, John Summit, Charli xcx, The Smashing Pumpkins, Olivia Dean, Jennie, Tate McRae, and The XX. For those who can’t attend in person, Disney+ and Hulu will livestream the festival throughout the weekend.
Country-rap artist Shaboozey releases his fourth studio album on Friday. The Virginia native made history with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for 19 weeks — a record matched only by Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.” The new album, “The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales,” is a concept record featuring collaborations with Kehlani, Gunna, Jamie Foxx, Sam Elliott, Teyana Taylor, and others.
Also dropping Friday is “Legacy,” the 10th studio album from Las Vegas hard rock band Five Finger Death Punch. The record marks two decades together for the group and carries a metallic sound that reflects on their long career.
GAMING
For gamers, “The Relic: First Guardian” arrives Friday, July 31, on PlayStation 5 and PC. The game is set in the once-flourishing fantasy world of Arsilthus, which was reduced to ruin after a powerful artifact known as the “great relic” was destroyed. Players must battle through numerous formidable bosses to gather the fragments needed to restore the world. South Korean developer Project Cloud says the game draws on Asian folklore, describing it as “a quest to lay troubled souls to rest and uncover their lost stories.”
