'Thunderbolts*,' 'Mission: Impossible,' 'Superman,' 33 more great summer movies coming soon

Coming to Long Island theaters this summer: thrillers, comedies, family films and a few movies you’d ordinarily see only in New York City.

That's the formula as Hollywood enters a summer of uncertainty. Earlier this year, box-office predictions for 2025 were coming in at around $9.5 billion, potentially an 11% increase over last year but down roughly 15% from pre-pandemic levels according to data at BoxOfficeMojo. That was before "A Minecraft Movie" shattered expectations with a $162 million domestic opening in early April — but that was also before the launch of a global tariff war that seems likely to hike prices and tighten wallets. Now more than ever, the movie studios need hits.

Among the top contenders are "F1," a racing movie starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski ("Top Gun: Maverick"), a new version of "Superman" starring newcomer David Corenswet and Tom Cruise’s latest (and last?) go-round as agent Ethan Hunt in "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning." For kids, there are live-action versions of "Lilo & Stitch" and "How to Train Your Dragon," along with the animated features "Smurfs" and "The Bad Guys 2." The horror genre continues its hot streak with at least a dozen titles, from Ari Aster’s "Eddington" to the long-awaited sequel "28 Years Later."

Smaller films are also making inroads into the multiplexes. "The Roses," a dark comedy starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, comes from Searchlight, a boutique studio whose titles often first test the waters in New York City — but it'll go into nationwide release right out of the gate. Ditto for the arty-looking drama "Hurry Up Tomorrow," featuring The Weeknd, and a long-delayed remake of the cult horror film "The Toxic Avenger," starring Peter Dinklage.

Here are 36 big movies coming this summer:

MAY 2

ROSARIO When her beloved grandmother dies, a Wall Street stockbroker (Emeraude Toubia) begins to suspect her family has been cursed. With David Dastmalchian.

RUST

The indie Western that resulted in an accidental on-set shooting, and manslaughter charges against producer-star Alec Baldwin (his charges were dismissed), arrives in theaters and on VOD. Baldwin plays an outlaw who must save his young nephew from a hanging sentence.

THE SURFER On a secluded beach in Australia, a man and his son are drawn into a war with territorial locals. Nicolas Cage stars in this already well-reviewed psychological thriller.

THUNDERBOLTS* 

Disney-Marvel’s latest assembles a sort of superhero supergroup featuring Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) and others. Jake Schreier ("Robot & Frank") directs.

MAY 9

CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD Now there’s a title that says it all. The director of this indie horror film is Eli Craig, a son of Sally Field, who wrote with Carter Blanchard. The cast includes Katie Douglas, Kevin Durand and Will Sasso.

MAY 16

FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES The sixth film in the horror franchise about fearful premonitions — and the futility of changing one’s fate — will be released in IMAX. With Kaitlyn Santa Juana and Owen Patrick Joyner.

HURRY UP TOMORROW Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye plays an insomniac musician in this companion piece to his recent album of the same name. He also wrote the screenplay with Reza Fahim ("The Idol") and director Trey Edward Shults ("Krisha").

MAY 23

LILO & STITCH

 A live-action version of Disney’s 2002 animated film about a Hawaiian girl and her fugitive alien sidekick. Starring Maia Kealoha, Tia Carrere and Zach Galifianakis. Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp ("Marcel the Shell with Shoes On").

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — THE FINAL RECKONING

The eighth — and "final?" — installment in the hit franchise reunites director Christopher McQuarrie with Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and recent addition Hayley Atwell.

MAY 30

BRING HER BACK In the home of their new foster mother, a brother and sister encounter strange goings-on. Starring Sally Hawkins. Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, the Australian twin YouTubers behind 2022’s horror hit "Talk to Me."

KARATE KID: LEGENDS

When young kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) relocates to New York City and runs into trouble, he teams up with sensei Han (Jackie Chan) and onetime underdog Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio).

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME

Wes Anderson’s latest centers on an eccentric European business owner (Benicio Del Toro) and his family. With Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera and Tom Hanks.

JUNE 6

THE LIFE OF CHUCK The rare heart-tugger to be based on a Stephen King novella features Tom Hiddleston in the title role and Jacob Tremblay as the younger version. Also with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mark Hamill. Written and directed by Mike Flanagan ("Doctor Sleep").

THE RITUAL Another demonic-possession horror film, though this one has a powerhouse cast of Al Pacino, Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene and Patricia Heaton. Based on the story of Emma Schmidt, a documented exorcism case from 1928.

BALLERINA

In this "John Wick" spinoff, Ana de Armas plays a dancer who begins to train as an assassin. The film was delayed for a year, reportedly while franchise overseer Chad Stahelski made improvements. Directed by Len Wiseman ("Live Free Or Die Hard").

JUNE 13

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON The live-action version of Universal's much-loved animated film casts Mason Thames as Hiccup, a Viking boy who adopts a very unusual pet. Original director Dean DeBlois returns.

MATERIALISTS Dakota Johnson plays a New York matchmaker torn between a handsome millionaire (Pedro Pascal) and her less-than-perfect ex (Chris Evans). Written and directed by Celine Song ("Past Lives").

JUNE 20

28 YEARS LATER

Director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting") and writer Alex Garland ("Civil War") reunite for a sequel to their sped-up zombie classic "28 Days Later." With Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes.

BRIDE HARD While serving as maid of honor at a friend’s wedding, a secret agent (Rebel Wilson) springs into action when mercenaries take the guests hostage. Directed by Simon West ("Con Air").

ELIO A young space nerd is beamed up to an interplanetary organization called the Communiverse, then realizes he has been mistaken for Earth’s leader. Disney-Pixar’s animated comedy features Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña and Brad Garrett.

JUNE 27

F1

Brad Pitt plays Formula One racer Sonny Hayes, who after a career-derailing accident in the ‘90s returns to coach a losing team. With Javier Bardem and Damson Idris. Joseph Kosinski  ("Top Gun: Maverick") directs.

M3GAN 2.0 In the sequel to Universal’s $181 million hit from 2022, a murderous AI doll is resurrected as a military-grade weapon. Returning are cast members Allison Williams and Violet McGraw, plus director (and now writer) Gerard Johnstone.

JULY 2

JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH The seventh film in the franchise gets rid of the old cast and brings in Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Rupert Friend. Gareth Edwards (2014’s "Godzilla") directs.

    JULY 11

SUPERMAN

Newcomer David Corenswet plays the title role while Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane in this hotly anticipated feature from writer-director James Gunn (now also a CEO at DC Studios). Nicholas Hoult plays the bald head of Luthorcorp.

JULY 18

EDDINGTON Ari Aster ("Midsommar," "Hereditary") enters Western territory with this story of a sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and a mayor (Pedro Pascal) who square off in a small New Mexico town. Also with Emma Stone and Austin Butler.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER A sequel (of sorts?) to the 1997 horror film of the same name. Once again, several friends who cover up a fatal car crash begin dying one by one. With Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders and original stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr.

SMURFS The little blue critters visit Paris in this animated/live-action hybrid. With the voices of John Goodman as Papa Smurf and Rihanna as Smurfette.

JULY 25

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Marvel’s First Family — Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) — must save Earth from the evil space god Galactus (Ralph Ineson). Matt Shakman ("WandaVision") directs.

AUG. 1

THE BAD GUYS 2 The sequel to Universal’s animated, anthropomorphic spin on "Reservoir Dogs" brings back Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake and the gang for one last job. The voice cast includes Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz and Awkwafina.

THE NAKED GUN

The dormant comedy franchise reawakens with Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., son of Leslie Nielsen’s infamously bumbling cop. The cast includes Pamela Anderson and Long Island’s Busta Rhymes. Akiva Schaffer directs.

AUG. 8

FREAKIER FRIDAY The sequel to the 2003 body-switching comedy (itself a remake) reunites Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as a mother and daughter — now also a grandma and mom, respectively. Nisha Ganatra directs.

AUG. 15

NOBODY 2 Bob Odenkirk returns as Hutch, the boring guy who was once an assassin. This time, his family vacation is wrecked by a corrupt theme park owner (John Ortiz) and his ruthless boss (Sharon Stone).

AUG. 22

EDEN Between the two World Wars, a group of Europeans decamp to a remote island in the Galapagos, only to watch their utopia unravel. Starring Jude Law, Ana de Armas and Sydney Sweeney. Based on a true story. Directed by Ron Howard.

AUG. 29

CAUGHT STEALING From director Darren Aronofsky ("The Whale") comes a drama about a former baseball player exploring the criminal underbelly of ‘90s-era New York City. Starring Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz and Bad Bunny. Charlie Huston wrote the screenplay from his novels.

THE ROSES A seemingly perfect marriage begins to fray when the wife’s career takes off and the husband’s tanks. Starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. Jay Roach ("Meet the Parents") directs this second adaptation of Warren Adler’s novel.

THE TOXIC AVENGER The legendary gonzo-splatter comedy from 1984 gets a reboot with Peter Dinklage playing a luckless janitor whose exposure to chemical toxins turns him into a deformed superhero. The movie debuted at Fantastic Fest in 2023 but did not find a distributor until this past March. Directed by Macon Blair.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com