Remember last summer, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” took over the multiplexes, setting box-office records and giving all of us way more opinions than we thought we had on pink clothing, puns involving the name “Ken” and nuclear annihilation? (Yes, “Barbenheimer” made for strange bedfellows.) Anyway, that was last year, and surely every movie-theater owner out there is hoping for a repeat. What titles might get us flocking to our local cinemas this summer, popcorn in hand? Perhaps some of the following; note that all release dates are tentative and subject to change.
The familiar stuff: sequels and franchises
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” The Franchise That Will Never Die returns yet again, directed by Wes Ball (“The Maze Runner”) and set nearly 300 years after the last installment, “War for the Planet of the Apes.” (May 10)
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” Am I wrong that “Furiosa” would be a great cat name? Anyway: The latest “Mad Max” installment from writer/director George Miller is an origin story for Anya Taylor-Joy’s character. (May 24)
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die.” The fourth installment in the “Bad Boys” cop-comedy franchise features Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Vanessa Hudgens. (June 7)
“A Quiet Place: Day One.” This prequel to John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place” movies stars Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn. If it’s anything like the previous two, prepare to be silently freaked out. (June 28)
“Twisters.” Remember “Twister,” with Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton chasing tornadoes back in 1996? No? Anyway, this is a sequel starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and climate change; Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) directs. (July 19)
“Deadpool & Wolverine.” Apparently these two are frenemies? Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman team up, presumably to break the summer box office. (July 26)
“Alien: Romulus.” The space horror saga continues, with a young cast featuring Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”), Isabela Merced and Archie Renaux. (Aug. 16)
The true stuff: biopics
“Back to Black.” Thirteen years after Amy Winehouse’s death, here’s a film biography of the troubled British singer-songwriter, with the central role played by Marisa Abela. (May 17)
“Young Woman and the Sea.” If you liked “Nyad,” try this: Daisy Ridley plays Gertrude Ederle, the American athlete who in 1926 became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. (May 31)
“Firebrand.” Costume drama alert: Jude Law and Alicia Vikander star in a tale of Henry VIII and his sixth wife, Katherine Parr. (June 21)
“The Fire Inside.” The feature directorial debut of cinematographer Rachel Morrison (“Black Panther,” “Mudbound”), this film tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, the first American woman to win Olympic gold in boxing. (Aug. 9)
The wholesome stuff: family films
“IF.” This looks pretty dang cute: a family-friendly comedy about a little girl who vows to find new companions for left-behind imaginary friends. John Krasinski directs a cast that includes Ryan Reynolds and Emily Blunt. (May 17)
“The Garfield Movie.” Not to be confused with “Garfield: The Movie,” which is something else entirely; this is an animated comedy about the pizza-loving orange kitty (voiced by Chris Pratt) who reunites with his father (Samuel L. Jackson). (May 24)
“Inside Out 2.” Oh, this one makes me nervous, as I loved the original “Inside Out” so much. In this Pixar sequel, Amy Poehler voices Joy, one of many voices inside the head of a now-teenage girl named Riley. Please be good, please be good. (June 14)
“Despicable Me 4.” Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is back, this time with a Gru Jr. Need I say more? (July 3)
“Harold and the Purple Crayon.” The beloved children’s book finally comes to the screen, with a cast led by Zachary Levi, Lil Rel Howery and Zooey Deschanel. (Aug. 2)
The scary stuff: horror/suspense
“I Saw the TV Glow.” This one’s been making waves on the film-fest circuit: It’s a dark drama about two teens obsessed with a mysteriously canceled YA television series, directed by Jane Schoenbrun (“We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.”) (May 17)
“The Watchers.” Ishana Night Shyamalan (yes, she’s M. Night’s daughter) directs a fantasy/horror film set in an Irish forest, where curious creatures assemble come night. Dakota Fanning stars. (June 14)
“Maxxxine.” Mia Goth plays an adult film star in 1980s Hollywood in Ti West’s latest horror drama. (July 5)
“Longlegs.” Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe star in a serial killer-vs-FBI agent thriller, from writer/director Oz Perkins. (July 12)
“Trap.” M. Night Shyamalan’s latest involves a dad (Josh Hartnett) who takes his teen daughter to a concert, only to find that it’s a deeply sinister event. Been there, right? (Aug. 2)
The serious stuff: drama
“The Dead Don’t Hurt.” Viggo Mortensen directs and stars in this Western drama, set in 1860s San Francisco and co-starring Vicky Krieps (“Phantom Thread”). (May 31)
“Kinds of Kindness.” Emma Stone reunites with director Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”) for this three-film anthology, also starring Willem Dafoe and Hong Chau and premiering at this spring’s Cannes Film Festival. (June 21)
“Fancy Dance.” Oscar nominee (and Mountlake Terrace High School graduate) Lily Gladstone stars in Erica Tremblay’s drama about an Indigenous woman searching for her missing sister. (June 21)
“The Bikeriders.” From Jeff Nichols (“Loving”) comes this look at a 1960s Chicago outlaw motorcycle club, starring Jodie Comer and Austin Butler. (June 21)
“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1.” Kevin Costner directed and stars in this two-part Western set during the American Civil War. (June 28, Aug. 16)
“Dìdi.” This story of a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy, written and directed by Sean Wang, won a special jury award and the audience award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. (July 26)
“It Ends With Us.” Popular author Colleen Hoover’s romantic drama is the basis for this film, featuring Blake Lively, Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar. (Aug. 9)
“Tuesday.” Early reviews have been strong for this Julia Louis-Dreyfus-starring drama about a mother, her daughter and a talking bird. (Summer TBD)
“Sing Sing.” The closing night (May 18) selection of the Seattle International Film Festival, this prison drama stars Oscar nominee Colman Domingo (“Rustin”) as an incarcerated man who finds purpose by acting in a prison theater group. (Summer TBD)
The funny stuff: comedy
“Thelma.” Opening night (May 9) at the Seattle International Film Festival is this comedy about a 93-year-old woman (June Squibb, of “Nebraska”) determined to get her own back after she’s scammed by a hacker. (June 21)
“Fly Me To the Moon.” A romantic comedy, in midsummer? As Miranda Priestly would say, groundbreaking. This one’s set during the 1960s space race, and features Scarlett Johansson as a marketing exec selling the idea of a fake moon launch to a NASA director (Channing Tatum). Potentially cute? (July 12)
Movies starring Cate Blanchett that are based on video games
“Borderlands.” There’s a video game movie every summer, right? Eli Roth directs a cast that also includes Jack Black, Ariana Greenblatt, former local Cheyenne Jackson and Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis. (Aug. 9)