Last year was the summer of Barbie and Oppenheimer, but this time around it is all about film franchises.
Sequels to Bad Boys, Deadpool, Inside Out and Bollywood film Stree will grace the big screen, alongside stand-alone entries from other popular franchises such as Twisters, Alien: Romulus and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Yet amid the franchise fervour, there's still excitement for original titles such as M Night Shyamalan's Trap, The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt (who both respectively starred in last year's biggest hits), the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us and Indian sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 AD.
Here's a list of the anticipated films (arranged by release date) not to miss this summer.
The Fall Guy
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Date: May 2 (UAE), May 3 (US)
Out now, this action-comedy follows Colt Seavers, a down-on-his-luck stuntman, who faces a career-threatening injury following a botched stunt. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when a big star, for whom he once worked as a body double, mysteriously disappears. As the mystery deepens, Colt finds himself entangled in a dangerous plot, leading him on an adrenalin-fuelled journey to unravel the conspiracy.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Starring: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon
Date: May 8 (US), May 9 (UAE)
Set 300 years after the events of 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes, the new film sees ape civilisations having flourished, while humanity has regressed into a primitive state. But when the ape king Proximus Caesar twists the teachings of the original leader Caesar to enslave other clans using advanced human technology, chimpanzee hunter Noa embarks on a perilous journey alongside a human girl named Mae. Together, they confront the looming threat and strive to shape the destiny of both apes and humans in this evolving world.
Srikanth
Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Jyothika, Alaya F, Sharad Kelkar
Date: May 10 (India), TBA (UAE)
The biographical film tells the story of Srikanth Bolla, a visually impaired Indian entrepreneur who is the founder of Bollant Industries. The company is a ground-breaking enterprise that provides employment opportunities for unskilled and differently abled individuals to create eco-friendly products. The film chronicles Srikanth's own struggles as he was born blind in the village of Seetharamapuram in the then undivided Andhra Pradesh, India, before graduating from the prestigious MIT Sloan School of Management.
If
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Date: May 16 (UAE), May 17 (US)
The live-action animated fantasy was written and directed by John Krasinski. The film follows a young girl named Bea who experiences traumatic events and suddenly develops a unique power: the ability to see people's imaginary friends (referred to as “Ifs” for short), who have been abandoned by the children they once helped. Bea then discovers that her neighbour, Cal, has the same ability. Together, they join forces to reunite the Ifs with their former companions.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke
Date: May 23 (UAE), May 24 (US)
Taking place 15 to 20 years before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road, the film centres on a young Furiosa. She is violently taken by the Biker Horde, led by warlord Dementus from the Green Place of Many Mothers. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by Immortan Joe, which leads the two groups fighting for dominance. As the world around her crumbles, Furiosa vows vengeance while also seeking a way to return home.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig
Date: June 6
The fourth instalment of the popular franchise follows Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett as they investigate corruption in their police department – their late captain is posthumously is implicated in alleged involvement with drug cartels. However, a set-up turns them into fugitives as they need to work outside the law to clear their name.
Inside Out 2
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adele Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser
Date: June 13 (UAE), June 14 (US)
Nine years after the original film, the sequel follows Riley, now a teenager, as she turns 13 and experiences new emotions. While Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust are still around, they are now joined by Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment.
Ahl Al Kahf (People of the Cave)
Starring: Khaled El Nabawy, Reem Mostafa and Muhammad Farrag
Date: June 16 (Egypt)
The fictional historical epic is adapted from a book of the same name by author Tawfiq Al-Hakim. It tells the story of three characters who mysteriously wake up after three centuries of sleep. They find themselves in a different time, facing an unrecognisable world from the one they once knew, and must struggle to adapt.
It Ends With Us
Starring: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar
Date: June 21 (US), TBA (UAE)
Adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2016 popular novel of the same name, the film follows Lily, a woman who moves to a new city following her college graduation. She meets and falls in love with a man named Ryle. However, her newfound joy is short-lived as her first love returns, disrupting the new life she's trying to build.
Kalki 2898 AD
Starring: Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone
Date: June 27 (India), TBA (UAE)
The sci-fi action film follows a modern-day avatar of Vishnu, a Hindu god, who is believed to have descended to earth to protect the world from evil forces. Inspired by Hindu mythology, the film is set in a post-apocalyptic world in 2898.
A Quiet Place: Day One
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou
Date: June 28 (US), TBA (UAE)
The film is a prequel and takes place before the post-apocalyptic events of 2018’s A Quiet Place. It follows new characters who are trying to survive an alien invasion in New York City and shows how the extraterrestrial monsters first pushed humanity to the point of extinction.
Twisters
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos
Date: July 19 (US), TBA (UAE)
A stand-alone sequel to 1996’s Twister, it follows Kate, a former storm chaser, who is haunted by an encounter with a tornado during her college years. Now in New York City, she studies storm patterns but is lured back to Oklahoma by her friend Javi to test a new tracking system. There, she encounters Tyler, a daring social media influencer who calls himself a “tornado wrangler”. As storm systems converge in Oklahoma, they have to find a way to survive the chaos together.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Date: July 25 (UAE), July 26 (US)
The sequel is the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It follows Deadpool and Wolverine after they are pulled out of their timelines by the Time Variance Authority, an organisation that was first introduced in the Disney+ show Loki.
Trap
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Hayley Mills, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka
Date: August 9 (US), TBA (UAE)
The psychological mystery thriller follows a serial killer named “The Butcher” who joins his teenage daughter at a concert of pop star Lady Raven, unaware that it's a trap set up by the police. As he notices law enforcement presence clustering at the venue, tension mounts. He learns from a merch-stand employee the true nature of the concert – a police scheme to catch the killer.
Borderlands
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Bobby Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, Edgar Ramirez
Date: August 8 (UAE), August 9 (US)
Based on the popular video game of the same name, Borderlands follows notorious bounty hunter Lilith, who reluctantly returns to her chaotic home planet Pandora. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of the universe's most powerful figure, Atlas. Lilith forms an unlikely alliance with a diverse group that includes a seasoned mercenary, muscle-bound protector and oddball scientist.
Alien: Romulus
Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced
Date: August 16 (US)
The seventh film in the Alien franchise is set between the events of 1979’s Alien and 1986’s Aliens. It focuses on a group of young people who live in a distant world and are confronted by a deadly and terrifying Xenomorph (also known as Alien).
Stree 2
Starring: Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee
Date: August 30 (India), TBA (UAE)
A sequel to 2018’s Stree, this is the fourth instalment in the Maddock Supernatural Universe. Based on an urban legend, the film tells the story of a witch who kidnaps men at night when they are by themselves and only leaves behind their clothing.
