Man, it used to be that the summer blockbuster season kicked off…y’know…during the summer! Nowadays, it seems like Marvel tells us when it’s summer time and we just go from there. So, I’m probably late to the game here considering Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (check out Brandon’s review here) has already mowed down the box office and has people saying ‘the summer blockbuster season is here!‘ But, I’m here nevertheless! I wanted to save this piece for the week of Memorial Day, which I consider the official unofficial start to summer, but what Marvel started, Universal is continuing, as Fast X is dropping this week.
I can’t risk falling too far behind, so here we are. Whether you believe summer starts with a new superhero movie in theaters or when they open up the pool in your neighborhood, we’re just going to have to put that aside and talk about movies hitting theaters from next week through August. And, to clarify that this is written with my own personal flair, these are just the movies that I’m going to be interested in seeing in theaters this summer. Whether I actually get to or not remains to be seen, but if you know, you know. Without further ado, here’s my 2022 summer movie preview.
2023 Summer Movie Preview
May
5/26: The Little Mermaid – I hate the ocean. I hate movies that have a lot of singing in them. But, my wife is going to make me take her to see this, so I guess I have to list it here.
June
6/2: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – We’re back with another installment in the Spider-Verse saga. I’m stoked for this one. The first one was a ton of fun, and a true testament to the creative spirit. Throw in Oscar Isaac as Spider-Man 2099, and I’m sold.
6/9: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – I don’t think this looks good at all, but if you’re a 36 year old like me who grew up with Transformers toys, aren’t you at least a little nostalgic for the old Beast Wars toys???
6/16: Pixar’s Elemental – Any time a new Pixar flick drops, it’s bound to be an event. That is brand recognition, baby. It doesn’t even matter what this movie is about, and I’m not even going to look. I just know the new Pixar movie is out on 6/16, and I’ll probably go see it.
6/16: The Flash – I’ll go see it. I mean, at this point, it feels like we just have to get through these last few DC movies before we get the official reboot from James Gunn. But, I’m just really not all that into it. I probably wouldn’t have even gone to see it in theaters if not for the recent previews that hype up Michael Keaton.
6/16: Asteroid City – I recently discovered that Wes Anderson is actually my favorite filmmaker on a recent episode of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. So, while this might not scream “summer blockbuster” to most, I’m tempted to go camp out at The Belcourt ahead of its release.
6/30: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – I have only seen one Indiana Jones movie, and it’s the crystal skull gimmick that everyone hates. Nonetheless, this is a swan song for Harrison Ford’s iteration of the character, so I can’t help but get at least a little bit caught up in the nostalgia of it. I can see myself catching up on the franchise and then heading out to theaters in late June.
July
7/12: Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning, Part One – Read what I wrote about Indiana Jones and apply it to the Mission: Impossible franchise.
7/21: Barbie – The hype for this movie is reaching a fever pitch, with some folks suggesting Ryan Gosling damn well might get some ‘Best Supporting Actor’ love come awards season. Between the cast, the production design, and Greta Gerwig going balls to the wall with this IP, I can’t wait. I can’t fucking wait!
7/21: Oppenheimer – This is going to be a massive showdown between Oppenheimer and Barbie on July 21st. When a new Christopher Nolan movie drops, it’s an event too. Oppenheimer looks no different. I never would’ve thought that I’d pass up a Nolan film to see a movie about Barbie, but I think that’s where I’m leaning right now.
7/28: Disney’s Haunted Mansion – When I first heard that Disney was rebooting the Haunted Mansion property again (this time without muppets, no less), I groaned. They be rebootin’ everything these days. But, when the trailer dropped, I realized they have *a cast* for this one, and it looks a little more edgy, darker, and flat out cooler. Both the Eddie Murphy joint and the Muppets joint are among my Spooky Season favorites, and I can already see that at least from a style perspective, this reboot could join the list.
August
8/11: Gran Turismo – You know…I can’t decide if this is actually going to be good or if it’s just another IP grab. But, man…I have to admit that I watched that first trailer and thought “shit, they might have something here.”
8/18: Blue Beetle – Like I said about The Flash, this year’s run of DC movies just feels pointless, but when the Blue Beetle trailer dropped, I thought it looked pretty damn fun. This is low key one of my favorite DC comic book characters, so I can’t wait to see him on the big screen.
Power Ranking Level of Interest in this summer’s slate:
- Asteroid City
- Barbie
- Oppenheimer
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Haunted Mansion
What are you looking forward to seeing this summer? Let me know in the comments.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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