Here's your definitive guide to summer 2022's movie releases. After two years of heavy disruption, 2022 promises a relatively normal summer of cinema. Blockbusters are back on the menu thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home's mammoth success, while the opportunity to witness smaller indie flicks on the big screen is appreciated more now than it was pre-March 2020. Nevertheless, the pandemic has altered movie distribution irreversibly, meaning streaming and VOD services are now bigger cogs in the film industry than ever before.
What hasn't changed is the burning desire of filmmakers, writers and actors to create magic. Nothing demonstrates their passion better than summer 2022's upcoming movie releases - a diverse, eclectic, thrilling lineup of feature-length fables that cover the full range of cinema. There's your standard Marvel madness, comforting couch-worthy comedies, and ambitious animated art pieces, available both in movie theaters and on your personal device of choice.
As spring slowly fades into the rear view, the time to plan your summer 2022 movie schedule has arrived. Here are all the releases - of all shapes and sizes - worth your consideration over the coming months.
Marvel Studios' next superhero extravaganza is the Benedict Cumberbatch-fronted Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Though foremost a sequel to his 2016 solo debut, Doctor Strange's multiverse headache contains a much broader kaleidoscope of Marvel lore, incorporating established MCU favorites such as Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), parallel variants (Captain Carter, Maria Rambeau and Marvel zombies are among those confirmed), and imports from totally different franchises (Patrick Stewart's Professor X is a near-certain cameo). With Sam Raimi in the director's chair, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness promises a feast of trippy visuals and even trippier storytelling, while the ordeals Strange faces here will undoubtedly ripple across future Marvel releases.
Based on the Ben Macintyre book of the same name, Operation Mincemeat stars Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, and Jason Isaacs in a rousing World War II drama. Drawing from true events, the British attempt a daring ruse to trick Hitler's forces and invade Sicily without anyone noticing. After a UK theatrical release in April 2022, Operation Mincemeat lands on Netflix in select territories - the US included - on May 11. Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Operation Mincemeat is also significant for marking one of the final performances from Paul Ritter, who sadly passed away in April 2021.
The world can never have enough movies based on Stephen King novels, and the latest big screen adaptation of the iconic horror author's work is Blumhouse's Firestarter. Andy McGee must protect his pyrokinetic daughter, Charlie, from a shady organization known as The Shop. Zac Efron leads the cast as Andy, who must get his head in the game to break his daughter free. Firestarter's score is composed by none other than horror movie legend, John Carpenter, and despite releasing in theaters, Firestarter will premiere simultaneously on Peacock's streaming service on May 13. One way or another, Firestarter will be among the hottest summer 2022 movies.
You'd be excused for wondering whether 40-something Rebel Wilson is wise casting for a high school cheerleader, but that's sort of the point for Netflix's Senior Year. When young Stephanie Conway wakes from a coma after 20 years asleep, she decides to finish what she started - high school. Also starring Angourie Rice (Spider-Man: Homecoming) as the younger Stephanie and Alicia Silverstone as her teacher, Senior Year promises heartfelt teen comedy with a mind-melting young/old twist - essentially 17 Again in reverse. Get ready to crown a new Prom Queen on May 13.
Downton Abbey has morphed into a genuine international phenomenon since first airing in 2010, and the Earl of Grantham proved equally popular on the big screen with 2019's Downton Abbey movie. The period drama (steam) train shows little sign of slowing, as a sequel - Downton Abbey: A New Era - is almost upon us. Once again written by franchise creator Julian Fellowes, much of the original cast reprise their roles, but this time they're taking a trip to the sunny south of France, far away from England's rural estates. Set roughly around 1929, Downton Abbey fans can reasonably expect more of the same class-based comfort viewing. After premiering theatrically on May 20, Downton Abbey: A New Era lands on Peacock's streaming service 45 days later.
From Alex Garland comes a horror movie called Men (*shudder*), starring Rory Kinnear as... all of the men. Harper (Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley) takes a vacation to the English countryside following the death of her husband, seeking peace and solace during a traumatic time. Instead, she finds a village full of Rory Kinnears. Released by A24 and borne from the mind behind Ex Machina and Annihilation, Men looks primed to become one of the most original horrors on the summer 2022 movie slate. Men will debut first at Cannes Film Festival before premiering in US theaters later that month. Creepy, subversive and visually stunning, this should be a treat. Especially for Rory Kinnear fans.
Set 30 years after the beloved cartoon series that ended in 1990, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers brings everybody's favorite chipmunk detectives back for one more case (unless this comeback goes well, then two more cases). Starring John Mulaney (Chip) and Andy Samberg (Dale), this Disney+ reboot/revival shrewdly adopts a distinctive meta slant, taking place in an authentic live-action setting where "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" was just a show, and Dale now appears at fan conventions. It's an approach that should appeal equally to younger viewers and long-standing fans now in their 30s with kids of their own. The exciting supporting cast includes Eric Bana, Keegan-Michael Key, Kiki Layne, Seth Rogen, and J.K. Simmons.
Originally scheduled for July 2020, The Bob's Burgers Movie is one of the remaining few major movie releases still unreleased due to COVID-19. The premiere slipped back over and over like a greasy patty before eventually settling into the bun of May 27, 2022. Featuring all the original cast from Loren Bouchard's Bob's Burgers TV series - and with Bouchard himself co-directing and co-writing - The Bob's Burgers Movie begins when a sinkhole opens directly in front of the restaurant. Having survived a move from Fox to Disney and a global pandemic, the Belchers have weathered much worse. Fans can expect the usual brand of comedy, music and heart.
A whole 36 years later, Tom Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell returns in Top Gun: Maverick - another long-delayed blockbuster finally launching as part of summer's 2022 movie slate. Now a veteran pilot, Maverick finds himself out of touch in an ever-changing world, training up the next generation of aces. Alongside his pal Iceman (Val Kilmer), Cruise is joined by Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Glen Powell, and Jon Hamm, but arguably the biggest selling points of Top Gun: Maverick are the cutting-edge flight scenes, which promise to deliver Hollywood's most immersive aerial stunts yet. Early Top Gun: Maverick reactions have proven extremely positive thus far - a curious contrast to the original's mixed reaction back in 1986.
Nothing to do with Doctor Strange, Benediction captures the tragedy and triumph of British World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon, played by Jack Lowden (young Siegfried) and Peter Capaldi (old Siegfried). Matthew Tennyson appears as fellow poet and close friend Wilfred Owen, while Jeremy Irvine plays future award, Ivor Novello. Benediction premieres in the UK on May 20, followed by US theaters on June 3. Covering Sassoon's admission to a psychiatric hospital, his romantic endeavors, and that famous anti-war stance, don't expect too much in the way of lighthearted frolics from Benediction.
Screen Rant recently had the pleasure of dropping a first trailer for Frank & Penelope - a modern day, messed-up Bonnie & Clyde story written and directed by Sean Patrick Flannery. Frank is a drifter; Penelope is an exotic dancer. Together, they make a formidable, loved-up couple. But when Frank and Penelope encounter the villainous Table of Truth cult during a road trip, fun quickly turns to fear. Stuck in a creepy, desolate town with no cellphone service and no escape, can the titular protagonists survive Chisos' fanatics? Or will these two "sinners" be punished out in the desert?
Body horror master David Cronenberg returns to his roots with Crimes of the Future, starring Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart in a sci-fi/horror blend of creepy, dystopian awfulness. Cronenberg's concept revolves around humanity developing synthetic enhancements and losing itself in the opportunity to biologically engineer flesh and blood, landing relatively close to The Matrix, aesthetically. Crimes of the Future has nothing to do with the 1970 movie of the same name which, weirdly, was also directed by David Cronenberg.
The final installment of Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World sequel trilogy, Jurassic World Dominion brings old and new together, with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard joining franchise veterans Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. Following the conclusion of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, dinosaurs roam the Earth, fulfilling the central premise of Trevorrow's revival. Trevorrow's new dinosaurs will make increased use of traditional animatronics, and our starring attraction on this occasion is the Gigantosaurus, which the director has compared to Batman's Joker in terms of an insatiable desire for death and destruction. Suffering a delay due to the pandemic, Jurassic World Dominion will premiere exclusively in theaters on June 10, before later streaming on Peacock.
Adam Sandler's catalog of Netflix movies is nothing if not divisive. Although Uncut Gems proved Sandler still very capable of greatness, the actor's streaming output (Hubie Halloween, Murder Mystery, etc.) has invariably been panned by critics, despite enjoying obvious popularity among subscribers. Next up is Hustle - a basketball drama where ex-scout Stanley Beren (Sandler) recruits a controversial but talented player, giving them both a second chance at glory. Also starring Queen Latifah and Robert Duvall, Hustle counts LeBron James among its producers, and diverges from the goofy comedy Adam Sandler's Netflix fare has so often been criticized for. Could this sports flick be another uncut gem in the rough?
A remake of the 1991 remake to the 1950 adaptation of the 1949 novel, The Father of the Bride is a story many will already be familiar with - a man struggling to come to terms with the impending marriage of his precious daughter. However, HBO Max's 2022 retelling comes from a Cuban-American perspective, written by Matt Lopez and featuring a cast headed-up by Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan, as well as Sweet Girl's Isabela Merced. In addition to the Latin element, it'll be fascinating to see The Father of the Bride told within the context of our modern, tech-dominated lives.
Starring the legendary Emma Thompson, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is the story of Nancy, who hires a male sex worker (the titular Leo Grande, played by Daryl McCormack) to spice up her middle-aged life and deliver a month-long sexual awakening... complete with to-do list. Written by British comedian Katy Brand, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande was praised for its heart and humor, lead performances, and Sophie Hyde's emotive direction after showings at Sundance Film Festival back in January 2022, and will release as a Hulu original on June 17.
Following the hair-raising critical success of Turning Red, Pixar's attentions turn back to the world of Toy Story... sort of. Lightyear sees Chris Evans take over from Tim Allen as Star Command's top space ranger, but this isn't the character we watched strut, squirm and salsa through four Toy Story movies. This is an animated sci-fi adventure set in a galaxy where Buzz Lightyear actually is the laser-firing, Zurg-zapping hero Tim Allen's version believed he was. Joined by a crop of totally brand new characters like Hawthorne and Sox, Lightyear exists in a more dangerous, action-centric realm than Buzz usually occupies, but retains the classic Pixar humor and compassion. Though Pixar's past run of releases have all - somewhat controversially - premiered on Disney+, Lightyear falls with style back into theaters.
The Chris Hemsworth and Netflix partnership struck blood-soaked gold with Extraction in 2020, and they're now attempting to conquer the dystopian sci-fi genre with Spiderhead. Inspired by George Saunders' Escape From Spiderhead, Netflix's Spiderhead movie has been adapted by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool), and takes place in a near-future prison where inmates are subjected to emotion-controlling experiments. Hemsworth portrays chief warden Steve Abnesti, while Miles Teller (Jeff) and Jurnee Smollett (Rachel) play two prisoners making a daring escape from the titular facility. Typically known for his protagonists, Chris Hemsworth tackling a more morally questionable figure is reason alone to watch Spiderhead.
When Scott Derrickson exited Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a return to the horror genre seemed inevitable. Sure enough, the director is now teaming up with Ethan Hawke and Blumhouse for the devilishly creepy The Black Phone. Based on the short story by Joe Hill, The Black Phone is set in 1970s suburbia during a kidnapping spree committed by Hawke's evil "Grabber." His latest victim - a young baseball player called Finney - finds a mysterious phone (yup, it's black) after being locked in the Grabber's basement, and this discovery kicks off a tale of supernatural horror with the potential to outdo Derrickson and Hawke's Sinister, and become one of the best horrors on 2022's summer movie release slate.
The King of Rock & Roll has been a near-constant source of cinematic intrigue over the past 60 years (usually in the vicinity of Kurt Russell), but Hollywood still can't help falling in love with Elvis Presley. Wearing the blue suede shoes next is Austin Butler in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, which stars Tom Hanks as The King's manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Premiering at Cannes Film Festival ahead of a June 24 theatrical release, Elvis will move onto HBO Max following Warner Bros.' now-typical 45-day exclusivity window. Luhrmann has played down Elvis' status as a biopic, describing his depiction of the musical icon more like a fictional superhero tale than the life and times of a real figure.
A feature-length version of the 2010s YouTube videos released by Dean Fleischer-Camp, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On follows the tiny anthropomorphic shell on its search for family members - a journey helpfully documented by a filmmaker who accompanies Marcel every step of the way. Fleischer-Camp directs, writing the script alongside Jenny Slate (the voice of Marcel), Nick Paley, and Elisabeth Holm. Quirky, heartfelt, and beautifully constructed, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is already going down well among critics.
Shotgun Wedding is a romantic comedy... with a double-barreled difference. Jennifer Lopez's Darcy and Josh Duhamel's Tom are a couple deliberating over their rapidly impending nuptials, but all marital misgivings are interrupted when the wedding party is taken hostage by violent criminals. Shotgun Wedding has been beset by casting difficulties, first losing Ryan Reynolds, then having the misfortune of casting a pre-allegation Armie Hammer as a replacement. With Duhamel proving third time lucky, Shotgun Wedding is now firing on all cylinders, releasing exclusively on Amazon's Prime Video streaming service on June 29.
There's no stopping those chatty little mischief-makers. After a trio of Despicable Me movies and the 2015 Minions spinoff, Minions: The Rise of Gru proves that evergreen (everyellow?) popularity isn't vanishing anytime soon. Following a cameo towards the end of 2015's movie, Steve Carell reprises his role as a young Gru taking those first tentative steps into villainy... aided, of course, by his Minions. Boasting a star-studded voice cast that includes Taraji P. Henson, Danny Trejo, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Michelle Yeoh, Minions: The Rise of Gru sees its titular criminal upset a fiendish gang of criminals known as the Vicious 6. A hangover from the pandemic's delays, Minions: The Rise of Gru has been a long time coming, and is scheduled to land on Peacock within four months of its July 1 theatrical premiere.
Rivaling Pixar and Dreamworks in the animation stakes, Netflix's The Sea Beast tells the story of young wannabe monster hunter, Maisie Brumble. Sneaking onto the ship of a legendary beast-botherer, Maisie finally experiences the sea-faring life of adventure she always craved. Joining Zaris-Angel Hator among the voice cast are Karl Urban, Jared Harris, Dan Stevens and Kathy Burke, while Chris Williams of Big Hero 6 and Moana fame directs. Expect lush visuals, family-friendly laughs, and monsters ranging from cute blue blobs to veritable behemoths worthy of The Sea Beast's title.
Chris Hemsworth's fourth MCU solo movie (and the second directed by Taika Waititi), Thor: Love & Thunder picks up from Avengers: Endgame, with Thor riding alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy before retiring from superheroism altogether. Thanks to Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher, his retirement is short-lived. By introducing Zeus (Russell Crowe) and his pantheon of Greek gods, Thor: Love & Thunder will broaden the MCU's divine landscape, whilst also bringing Natalie Portman's Jane Foster back into the fold, transformed into the Mjolnir-wielding superhero known as Mighty Thor. Following in the same tonal vein as 2018's Thor: Ragnarok, the God of Thunder's latest solo release is an irreverent, lighthearted affair drenched in 1980s glam, and thanks to filming in The Volume (technology used for The Mandalorian), Thor: Love & Thunder promises an even more immersive visual palette.
An animated, animal-based retelling of Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles perhaps isn't what you'd expect among 2022's summer movies, but that's precisely what Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank offers. Michael Cera voices the eponymous character with support from Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, Michelle Yeoh, and George Takei, while Brooks himself features in the role of Shogun. The story sees Hank the dog seek to become a samurai under the tutelage of grizzled cat Jimbo (Jackson), as an evil Gervais-shaped threat looms over his village. More family-friendly than the original Blazing Saddles but with even more baked beans, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank gleefully riffs on popular culture and draws upon Japanese history to form a strikingly unique animated caper..
A crawdad, in case you didn't know, is a regional term for a crayfish. Whether or not they're singing matters little to young Kya - the girl at the heart of this Delia Owens novel adaptation. Where The Crawdads Sing spreads its narrative across two timelines, following Kya through her early childhood and teenage years, both of which bring troubling and traumatic challenges. Parts of Where The Crawdads Sing will undoubtedly be difficult to watch, but this compelling, heartbreaking story promises a haunting and deeply affecting cinematic journey nonetheless. With Taylor Swift contributing original music to the soundtrack, Reese Witherspoon producing, and the BAFTA-nominated Daisy Edgar-Jones starring, Where The Crawdads Sing has plenty working in its favor.
As Netflix continues to grow, so do the budgets, and The Gray Man comes labelled as the streaming service's most expensive original movie project yet. It's an MCU reunion behind the scenes, as sibling directors Anthony and Joe Russo team up with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to adapt Mark Greaney's 2009 The Gray Man novel. The star-studded cast puts even Red Notice to shame, featuring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, and Regé-Jean Page, but the real highlight is the premise of Gosling's CIA secret agent embarking on a cat-and-mouse chase against a wildly unpredictable ex-colleague (played by Evans), and a shadowy villainous organization. The Gray Man is getting a limited theatrical release followed by a Netflix debut one week later.
Jordan Peele's transformation from one half of a comedy double-act to one of modern cinema's most respected filmmakers is nothing short of astounding, and the hype currently surrounding Nope demonstrates his evolution perfectly. A spiritual follow-up to Peele's Get Out and Us, Nope tells a twisted, isolated horror story, and though trailers have done an excellent job of giving nothing away, extra-terrestrials and wild weather are among the most popular theories. Leading the cast are Steven Yeun, Kiki Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya - the latter pair playing ranch owners at the center of Nope's enigmatic extraordinary event. Audiences may have no idea what to expect, but Nope has nonetheless muscled its way to becoming one of summer 2022's most anticipated movie releases.
Credited with John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Hobbs & Shaw, David Leitch comes bearing a ridiculous action movie pedigree, so the prospect of him directing Brad Pitt in Bullet Train is undoubtedly a tantalizing one. Pitt's Ladybug is a retired assassin pulled back into the business for one final job (stop us if you've heard this one before...) by Sandra Bullock's Maria Beetle. This "one last job" involves stealing a briefcase during the titular train journey, but Ladybug must compete with rival assassins who include Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Zazie Beetz, Bryan Tyree Henry, and Bad Bunny. Bullet Train promises visceral, hard-hitting action and plenty of mercenary intrigue, but comes hampered by accusations of whitewashing from some quarters, since Asian characters from the original novel have been recast with non-Asian actors.
Need of a palette cleanser after The Batman? Warner Bros.' upcoming DC League of Super-Pets has you covered. Focusing on the less celebrated members of the Justice League (i.e. the animals), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as Krypto alongside Kevin Hart's Ace the Bat-Hound. Fret not, for the human heroes appear too - Josh Krasinski voices Superman, and Keanu Reeves performs Batman honors. Animated animal antics begin in earnest after Lex Luthor captures the Justice League, leaving Krypto assembling a crack team of super-powered animals for a daring rescue mission. Though obviously a sideways, kid-friendly take on DC lore, DC League of Super-Pets offers plenty for children and superhero-loving parents to enjoy.
Missing the titular Christian festival by a good few months, Easter Sunday finally arrives on August 5. Stand-up comic Jo Koy stars as a fictionalized version of himself - something of a trend right now, following Nicholas Cage's The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Joined by the likes of Tia Carrere and Tiffany Haddish, Easter Sunday sees Koy return home for the holiday, and centers around all the family drama the springtime celebration typically brings.
Rapidly becoming Hollywood's most in-demand child actor thanks to The Adam Project and a freshly-announced starring role in the upcoming Percy Jackson TV series, Walker Scobell's character believes his father is a superhero in Secret Headquarters, stumbling across a hidden base underneath their house. With the grown-up cast consisting of Owen Wilson, Michael Peña, and Jesse Williams, Secret Headquarters is written by MCU scribe Christopher Yost and directed by Paranormal Activity 3 and Catfish duo Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Summer 2022's movie slate is packed with superheroes, from snarky wizards and thunder gods to talking Kryptonian dogs, but Secret Headquarters promises something a little different.
A24's comedic slasher Bodies Bodies Bodies stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson alongside Borat 2's Maria Bakalova in a Scream-esque genre reinvention. Fully satisfying horror's rule book, Bodies Bodies Bodies sends a group of young party animals to a remote mansion, where their revels are interrupted by a mysterious murder. Premiering at SXSW festival in March 2022, reaction and reviews have been mostly positive so far, particularly toward the cast dynamic and satirical leanings, despite question marks over misguided attempts at Gen-Z integration (the poster even takes a shot at "safe spaces"). Regardless, Bodies Bodies Bodies promises a fun and bloody blend of murder mystery and slasher flick.
Jamie Foxx stars in Netflix's Day Shift, playing a father whose pool cleaning job is merely a cover for his real vocation - vampire hunting. Directed by JJ Perry, Foxx finds himself in the company of Dave Franco, Snoop Dogg, and Scott Adkins, cleaning up the San Fernando Valley one bloody pool at a time. As you might expect from the premise, Day Shift sits closer to What We Do In The Shadows than Blade on the spectrum of vampire movie seriousness, and arrives on Netflix August 12. You'll never look at your pool boy the same way again.
It's Idris Elba vs. the animal kingdom in Beast, as the British actor moves from hunting super-fast hedgehogs to super-hungry lions. Dr. Nate Samuels (Elba) takes his teenage daughters to a game reserve in South Africa owned by long-time friend Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley), but unexpectedly becomes prey to a rogue lion. This Jurassic Park-with-animals-that-still-exist survival thriller is directed by Baltasar Kormákur, and was filmed on location in South Africa.
Netflix's Me Time finds Kevin Hart playing Sonny - a stay-at-home dad who finally gets some much-needed "me time" when his wife and kids take a trip away without him. Sonny seizes this golden opportunity to reconnect with an old best friend (portrayed by Mark Wahlberg), and buddy comedy hi-jinks ensue, including a daring tracksuit-clad turtle heist. Released as part of the deal between Netflix and Kevin Hart's HartBeat production company, Me Time premieres on the platform August 26.
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Javon Walton and Martin Starr, Samaritan depicts a rugged world of superheroes, and begins when young Sam (Walton) discovers a legendary vigilante from the past (Stallone's Stanley Kominski) might be less dead than everyone believes. Delayed from its original 2020 release date due to the pandemic, Samaritan moved house when Amazon officially purchased MGM, but remains scheduled for a theatrical release on 2022's summer movie slate.
