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Mufasa: The Lion King
Mufasa: The Lion King
Summer 2024 Movies
By Larry Widen
In the last 50 years, the summer months and the winter holidays have emerged as the two time periods when the studios fight like cats and dogs for the coveted weekends in which to release their films. The kids aren’t in school and theater attendance increases. The green visored pencil-pushing bookkeepers in Hollywood have known for decades that most theatrical releases have just 10 days in which to make money. If a film grosses $50 million in its opening weekend, it will gross $25 million in week two. After that, studios are done with it. Exceptions to the rule include bona fide box office hits like Top Gun: Maverick, Frozen II and Titanic made money week after week before finally running out of gas. Looking ahead to the 2024 lineup, maybe A Quiet Place: Day One or Despicable Me 4 could still be selling tickets in week three or four. About 40% of these releases look like one and done.
Action
The Fall Guy start the summer movie season with a comedy-action-romance about a retired Hollywood stuntman who saves his ex-girlfriend’s blockbuster movie from bankruptcy. The film is a reboot of Lee Majors’ hit television show of the same name. Early preview screenings have audiences already anticipating this one. Best of all, Majors has a cameo appearance. Ryan Gosling. Emily Blunt. May 3
Deadpool and Wolverine features the foul-mouthed superhero bickering with former enemy Wolverine while restoring equilibrium to some universe somewhere. The beloved Wolverine died at the end of 2017’s “Logan”, but nobody is better than Marvel at bringing their guys back to life. The studio desperately needs a hit, and this could be it. Watch for some A-list favorites in surprise cameos. Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner. May 3
Bad Boys: Ride or Die The latest installment of Bad Boys has all the summer movie action and hilarious comedy that fans of the first three films expect from the franchise. This one has hard-boiled Miami detectives Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett battling dangerous drug kingpins as they attempt to stop the circulation of illicit drugs in their city. With Will Smith trying to put that controversy from the 2022 Oscars behind him, he’s hoping a return to the franchise will bring forgiveness and a barrel full of money. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Joe Pantoliano. June 7
The Bike Riders is a gritty portrayal of biker culture in the early days of the movement when club members fought the establishment and crossed the line into violence. It’s a bloody saga set in 1967, and the great soundtrack featuring the Animals, Shangri-Las and more will take you back. Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Norman Reedus. June 21
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F The fourth entry in the popular franchise has been on ice for years while star Eddie Murphy clashed with script writers and producers on the film’s plot, casting, director, and more. Believe it or not, this is what they came up with: Detective Axel Foley left Beverly Hills 30 years ago, much to the relief of stressed-out detectives Billy Rosewood and John Taggart. He now has a daughter who partners with a young law enforcement officer to expose a conspiracy run by bad guys. Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Paul Reiser, Kevin Bacon. Currently the film will premiere July 3 on Netflix.
Rwisters is based in part on the original summer classic film from 1996. A former storm chaser, haunted by a devastating tornado experience, crosses paths with a reckless social media superstar who thrills his fan base with increasingly dangerous stunts. The daredevil and the scientist are caught in a terrifying weather phenomenon converging over central Oklahoma .Glenn Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Maura Tierney. July 19
Family Friendly
If follows a young girl who sees all her imaginary friends left behind as their real-life counterparts grow up. Written and directed by John Krasinski. Ryan Reynolds, Steve Carell, Matt, Damon, Emily, Blunt, and the late Lou Gossett Jr. May 17
Inside Out 2, Disney and Pixar’s continuation of the 2015 film, follows the teenage Riley just as headquarters is making way for new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. Amy Poehler, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith. June 24
Despicable Me 4’s Gru, the world’s favorite supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain League-agent, returns for a new era of Minions mayhem. But this time, the family dynamic has changed as they welcome a new boy who is intent on tormenting his dad. When Gru faces a nemesis in Maxime Le Mal, the family is forced to go on the run. Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig. July 3
Harold and the Purple Crayon: Inside of his book adventurous Harold can make anything come to life simply by drawing it. After he grows up and draws himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world. When the power of unlimited imaginations falls into the wrong hands, it will take all of Harold and his friends’ creativity to save both the real world and his own. This is the first film adaptation of the beloved children’s classic that has captivated young readers since 1955. Zooey Deschanel, Alfred Molina, Ravi Patel. August 2
Beetlejuice: It took a long time, but finally a sequel to Tim Burton’s brilliant horror comedy from 1988 has arrived. Burton directed the project and reunited with long-time collaborator Danny Elfman for the score. Early reviews from critics praise the visual effects and stop-motion animation. Hopefully the actors bring the requisite black humor laughs and maybe a Harry Belafonte song. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Willem Dafoe. September 6.
Horror
Tarot: When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of tarot readings—never use someone else’s deck—they unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. As the future is revealed in each card, they come face-to-face with terrifying entities. May 10.
The Strangers: Chapter 1’s prequel to the terrifying 2008 horror hit has a very similar plot to the original film (no surprise there). After their car breaks down, a young couple find shelter in an abandoned cabin, only to be terrorized by three masked strangers who attack without reason. The film could be a hit in a potentially good summer for horror movies. Directed by Renny Harlin. May 17
The Watchers is a horror thriller about an artist who finds herself hopelessly lost in an Irish forest. When she comes upon three people in the same situation, she feels safe until they tell her scary creatures watch them every night. Directed by M Night Shyamalan. Dakota Fanning June 14
Long Legs: A female FBI agent is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that reveals evidence of occult practices. A spooky theatrical trailer with quick edits suggests a nightmare with unsettling religious imagery and terrifying ax murders. Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt. July 12
The Trap: Director M Night Shyamalan’s new thriller begins with a father and daughter attending a rock concert. The father sees a heavy police presence and is told they’ve tracked a serial killer to the venue. Although more information is contained in the trailer, anything written after this is a spoiler alert. Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills. August 9.
The Crow: More supernatural violence from the franchise that capitalized on the 1993 death of martial artist Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon. When two lovers’ past catches up with them, they’re found murdered. What follows is a otherworldly quest for revenge and the desire to bring the murderer to justice. Release scheduled for August.
Sci-fi
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes takes place several generations after the highly intelligent ape Caesar marshalled all breeds of simians into the dominant species on Earth. Hunted by the apes, humans retreated to living in the shadows. When a tyrannical leader builds an unstoppable new empire, one renegade ape questions the past and chooses a new future for apes and humans alike. Fans will recognize the fourth installment in the series as a tie-in to the classic 1968 film. William H. Macy, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand. May 10
Furiosa: A mad Max Saga: As the world fell into an apocalyptic hell, a young Furiosa is kidnapped by the warlord of a violent biker gang who invade the Wastelands run by another despot. As the two tyrants fight for dominance, Furiosa survives several dangerous encounters as she attempts to find her way home. Chris Hemsworth, Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy. May 24
A Quiet Place: Day One is a prequel depicting the origins of the invasion through the eyes of a new group of survivors. The story relocates the action from upstate New York to the chaos of Manhattan. Story by John Krasinski. Djimon Hounsou, Nupita Nyong'o. June 28
Alien: Eomulus takes place sometime in the 57 years between Alien and Aliens. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise, and while Ridley Scott isn’t the director, an excellent trailer hint at one of 2024’s of the summer‘s biggest surprises. Early reviews report the film as mean, violent, and incredibly scary. Andrea Arcangeli. August 16
Something Different
Back to Black examines the extraordinary genius, creativity and honesty that infused everything Amy Winehouse did on a journey from the craziness and color of the 1990s to global adoration. The film crashes through the looking glass of celebrity to see what Amy saw and feel what she felt. Marisa Abela. May 17
Horizon: An American Saga Kevin Costner’s ambitious four-part cinematic adventure, explores the expansion of the old west through the blood, sweat and tears of countless individuals. Covering 15 years of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West, the film depicts a country at war with itself and how it affects pioneers, settlers, Native Americans, criminals and lawmen. Coming in at $950 million, the venture is a courageous undertaking for the actor/director. Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Michael Rooker, Jeff Fahey, Part 1 on June 28, Part 2 on August 16. Parts 3 & 4 dates TBA.
Sing Sing: Coleman Domingo has been earning rave reviews on the festival circuit for his performance as an innocent man in jail. He finds solace by acting in a theater group alongside other incarcerated men. Sing has been earning rave reviews on the film festival circuit and Coleman Domingo looks to be on track for his second Oscar nomination in a row. July 12
Reagan follows Ronald Reagan's life from his childhood in Dixon, Illinois, to his acting career in Hollywood, to the U.S. presidency and domination of the world stage. Reagan served as president from 1981 to 1989 and died in 2004 from Alzheimer's disease. Jon Voight, Dennis Quaid. August 30
