What to Expect: An Overview at Summer 2025's Hottest Movie and TV Releases

With the summer movie and TV season fast approaching, I wanted to give an overview of what to look out for this summer. There are going to be some heavy hitters this summer from the launch of the new DC universe to two new Marvel movies and a new Mission Impossible film. This is sure to be a good summer for movies.

May Releases

Another Simple Favor: This is the newest Paul Feig film and is the sequel to A Simple Favor that came out in 2018. The movie stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively and follows Stephanie Smothers as she travels to Italy for the wedding of her former friend, Emily. The first film didn't exactly lend itself well to a sequel but I am still interested to see how this goes. Another Simple Favor will be released on May 1st on Amazon Prime Video.

The Four Seasons: This is a new romantic comedy TV show from Netflix. This show stars Tina Fey, Steve Carrel, Colman Domingo, and Will Forte and tells the story of three suburban couples who go on vacation together. However, tensions arise when one couple splits up and the husband brings a much younger woman along. This looks like a good show for Sarah and me to watch together. I can tolerate Rom-coms enough and this one slightly piqued my interest. The Four Seasons streams on May 1st on Netflix.

Thunderbolts: Thunderbolts is the newest MCU film and is essentially Marvel's Suicide Squad. The movie follows a group of antiheroes who are assembled to stop a world-ending threat after the Avengers aren't coming. The movie features John Walker, Red Guardian, Bucky Barnes, Ghost, Taskmaster, and Yelena. This is one of my most anticipated movies of the year and I am hoping it will be better than some of the other Marvel products of late. Thunderbolts will be released on May 2nd.

Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld: This is a new Star Wars animated show in the vein of Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire. This show features 6 shorts about Assaij Ventress and Cad Bane as they navigate the galaxy after the rise of the empire. I have enjoyed these little short series as they tell good stories about popular characters. Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld will stream on Disney+ on May 4th

Lilo & Stitch: Lilo and Stitch is the newest live-action remake from Disney. The movie follows the alien Stich after he crash lands on Earth and befriends the lonely girl Lilo. I was a bit skeptical of this movie at first but as more trailers come out, it is slowly starting to win me over. Lilo and Stick will be released on May 23rd.

Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning: This is supposedly the final movie in the Mission Impossible franchise. The movie follows Ethan Hunt and his team as they make one final attempt to take down The Entity and stop it from creating a world ending catastrophe. This is tied for my most anticipated movie of the year so I am very excited for this one. Mission Impossible- The Final Reckoning will release on May 23rd.

The Fountain of Youth: This is the newest film from Guy Ritchie. This movie is a classic adventure movie and follow two siblings who join forces to find the legendary fountain of youth. I just head about this movie a month ago and I like Guy Ritchie so I figured it would be worth a watch. The Fountain of Youth will release on Apple TV+ on May 23rd.

Karate Kid: Legends: This movie is the newest addition to the Karate Kid franchise. Karate Kid: Legends follows Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso as they train a new Kung Fu prodigy to compete in a big Karate tournament. This movie looks to be a sequel to the original Karate Kid and the reboot with Jaden Smith. I'm not a huge Karate Kid fan but the trailers caught my interest. Karate Kid Legends will be released on May 30th.

The Phoenician Scheme: This is the newest film from Wes Anderson. This movie tells a tale of espionage following a strained father daughter relationship within a family business. Wes Anderson is a more quirky filmmaker but I have been wanting to get into some more niche filmmakers. The Phoenician Scheme will release on May 30th.

June Releases

Ballerina: This the newest film in the John Wick franchise. This movie is a spin off story staring Ana De Armas as an assassin trained by the Ruska Roma organization as she seeks revenge for her fathers death. I loved all of the other John Wick films so I am excited to get another story from this world. Ballerina will release on June 6th.

How to Train Your Dragon: This is a live action remake of the DreamWorks animated film. The movie follows Hiccup, a young Viking who creates a bond with dragon. This movie feels a little unnecessary to me as the original film came out only 15 years ago but we shall see how it goes. How to Train Your Dragon will release on June 13th.

28 Years Later: This is a new sequel in the 28 days later franchise. The movie follows a group of survivors of the rage virus as they live on an island and rediscover what happened to the mainland. I have never seen any of the other films in the series but I am always up for a good zombie movie. 28 Years Later will release on June 20th.

Elio: This is the newest film from Pixar. The movie is about a lonely boy, Elio, as he strives to be abducted by aliens. When he is successful, he must navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions. Pixar is a fairly consistent studio so I am interested to see how their next film will turn out. Elio will release on June 20th.

F1: This is a new racing sports drama from the director of Top Gun Maverik and stars Brad Pitt. The movie follows a Formula One driver who comes out of retirement to mentor a team with a younger driver. This is a movie from Apple Studios which usually puts out pretty good films and I like the talent both in front and behind the camera. F1 will be released on June 27th.

Ironheart: This is the new MCU TV show from Disney+. This show follows Riri Williams as she continues to develop the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man. I liked her character enough in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever so I am interested to see where they take her story in this show. Ironheart will premier on June 24th on Disney+.

M3GAN 2.0: This is a sequel to the hit horror film M3GAN. This movie follows M3GAN as she is resurrected by her creator to take down Amelia, a military-grade weapon made from M3GAN's technology. The first movie was a lot of fun so I am pretty interested to see how the second movie goes. M3GAN 2.0 will be released on June 27th.

Squid Game Season 3: This is the final season of the very popular Netflix show. Season 3 will close out the story of Seong Gi-hun as he attempts to take down the organization that runs the Squid Game. After the cliffhanger of season 2, I am very interested to see how this season closes out. Squid Game Season 3 will release on June 27th on Netflix.

The Bear Season 4: This is the newest season of one of my favorite new shows. Season 4 of The Bear continues the story of Carmen Berzatto and his team as they continue to operate a high end restaurant in downtown Chicago. This show has been consistently excellent and I have no reason to believe this season will be any different. The Bear Season 4 is set to release in June on Hulu but has no specific date. My guess is that it will be released in the last week of June.

July Releases

The Old Guard 2: This is a sequel to the popular Netflix film that came out back in 2020. The movie stars Charlize Theron and continues the story of Andy as she leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. I haven't seen the original film but the premise looks interesting enough that I might have to get into this series. The Old Guard 2 will be released on July 2nd on Netflix.

Jurassic World: Rebirth: This is the newest addition to the Jurassic World franchise. The movie stars Scarlet Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali and tells the story of an expedition to extract DNA from three major dinosaurs. The Jurassic World franchise has had a bit of diminishing returns but I am always entertained with these. The movie will also somehow make a lot of money as people love their dinosaurs. Jurassic World: Rebirth will be released on July 2nd.

Superman: This is tied for my most anticipated movie of the year and is the launch of the new DC universe. The movie is a new retelling of the classic Superman story as Superman reconciles his heritage and works to serve truth, justice and the American way. I am beyond excited about this movie and trust James Gunn to do a great job. Superman will be released on July 11th.

Happy Gilmore 2: This is the long-awaited sequel to the classic Adam Sandler film. The movie of course stars Adam Sandler but also features Ben Stiller and Margaret Qualley. There isn't much known about the plot at this time. Long delayed comedy sequels don't always have the best track record but I am hoping that this one will be different. Happy Gilmore 2 will be released on July 25th on Netflix.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps: This is another one of my most anticipated films and is the final MCU film for the year. This movie stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quin, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach and follows the Fantastic Four as they defend the Earth against Galactus. I am very excited about this one. Hopefully, we will finally get a good Fantastic Four movie. Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released on July 25th.

August Releases

The Bad Guys 2: This is the new Dreamworks animated film. The movie follow The Bad Guys after they have embraced their lives as Good Guys when they are forced to come out of retirement for one final job. I haven't seen the original film but heard good things about it so figure this one may be worth a watch. The Bad Guys 2 will release on August 1st.

The Naked Gun: This is a reboot sequel of the 1980s screwball comedy of the same name. The movie stars Liam Neeson as Frank Dreblin Jr. as he works for the Police Squad to solve crimes. I haven't seen the original film but the trailer looked hilarious so I'm on board to see this one. The Naked Gun will release on August 1st

Eyes of Wakanda: This is the third MCU Disney+ show to be released this year. This show is an animated series that tells the story of Wakandan warriors throughout history as they retrieve dangerous vibranium artifacts. I'm interested to see how this show will build out the world of Wakanda. It is also directed by the director the Black Panther movies so I have some confidence about the quality. Eyes of Wakanda will premier on August 6th on Disney+.

Freakier Friday: This is the long awaited sequel to the early 2000's hit, Freaky Friday. This movie sees Lindsey Lohan and Jamie Curtis return to their roles and follows the mother- daughter duo as the reexperience a similar situation to what happened 22 years ago. I thought the original film was fine enough and I know Sarah will be into this one so figured it would be worth a watch. Freakier Friday will be released on August 8th.

Nobody 2: This is the sequel to the John Wick knockoff, Nobody, that came out in 2021. This movie stars Bob Odenkirk and continues the story of Hutch Mansell when he is pulled back into his violent past after a home invasion sets off a chain of events. I have not seen the original film but this is the type of genre that is right up my alley. Nobody 2 will be released on August 15th

Peacemaker Season 2: This is the newest season of the popular DCU show. The show stars John Cena and continues the story of Peacemaker as performs missions for Amanda Waller. I'm not sure how this show will work with the DC reboot but I'm hoping it will continue the charm that the first season had. Peacemaker Season 2 will premier on August 21st on Max.

Undated Summer Released

Alien: Earth: This is a new show in the Alien universe and is one of my most anticipated shows of the year. This show is set on modern day Earth and follows a group of soldiers that must defend the Earth against the Xenomorph threat that crash landed. I am very excited about this show. I am ready for a good Alien action horror show. There is no set release date for this show other than it will release this summer on Hulu.