42 Movies You Must See in Summer 2019

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Image Credit: Sony/Disney/Amazon/Lionsgate/A24/IFC

Although “Avengers: Endgame” is getting a jump on the summer movie season with its April 26 release date, the official season begins May 3 and lasts through Labor Day. As is the case every year, the summer period is bringing together its usual blend of massive Hollywood tentpoles, Sundance favorites, and potential sleeper hits. IndieWire digged through the release calendar and found the 42 movies moviegoers absolutely can’t miss this year. Click through the gallery for our picks.
“Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” (May 3)

Image Credit: Netflix

Zac Efron becomes infamous serial killer Ted Bundy in Joe Berlinger’s “Extremely Wicked,” which was picked up by Netflix after receiving positive buzz at the Sundance Film Festival. While Efron brings star power, Berlinger’s script is more focused on Bundy’s live-in girlfriend (Lily Collins) and the journey she took as the killer’s trial became a national talking point.
“Non-Fiction” (May 3)

Image Credit: Cannes

Olivier Assayas reunites with his muse Juliette Binoche for a winning comedy about a writer (Vincent Macaigne) who blends fact and fiction when he uses his real life love affair with an actress (Binoche) as the source of his new novel. The actress just so happens to be the wife of his editor (Guillaume Canet).
“Long Shot” (May 3)

Image Credit: Lionsgate

Charlize Theron rarely gets to show off her ace comedy skills on the big screen, so the chance to see the Oscar winner let loose opposite Seth Rogen should prove irresistible this summer movie season. Theron plays the Secretary of State. Rogen is her new speechwriter. Let the unlikely sparks fly.
“Wine Country” (May 8)

Image Credit: Colleen Hayes

Amy Poehler makes her feature directorial debut with this Netflix comedy about a girls trip that reunites the filmmaker with some of her most beloved “Saturday Night Live” co-stars, including Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Paula Pell, and Emily Spivey.
“The Biggest Little Farm” (May 10)

Image Credit: Neon

Utopian vision meets harsh reality in John Chester’s documentary about his journey with his wife of launching a sustainable farm outside Los Angeles. The result is an environmental documentary that’s both deeply human and impressively cinematic.
“Asako I & II” (May 10)

Image Credit: Venice

Ryūsuke Hamaguchi returns with this impressive drama about a woman who falls for two men who could pass for twins. Strange and playful, “Asako I & II” should make for valuable counter-programming to just about every other film being released this summer.
“Wild Rose” (May 10)

Image Credit: TIFF

Jessie Buckley is bound to be one of the summer movie season’s breakout performers thanks to “Wild Rose,” in which she plays a single mother recently released from prison who makes a play at country music stardom in Nashville.
“Detective Pikachu” (May 10)

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

The summer’s first must-see tentpole arrives with “Detective Pikachu,” a live-action/animated hybrid that finds Ryan Reynolds voicing the world’s most beloved Pokemon. “The Get Down” breakout Justice Smith plays a young man who teams up with Pikachu to solve the case of his missing father.
“The Souvenir” (May 17)

Image Credit: Sundance

Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” earned critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. Honor Swinton Byrne delivers a breakout performance as an aspiring filmmaker who falls for an unpredictable junkie (Tom Burke). Part romance drama and part memory play, “The Souvenir” is one of the top indie offerings of the summer.
“John Wick: Chapter 3” (May 17)

Image Credit: Lionsgate

Keanu Reeves’ “John Wick” franchise gets the ultimate sign of confidence by heading into the blockbuster summer movie season for the first time. The third installment, “Parabellum,” finds Reeves’ assassin with a bounty on his head and the world’s deadliest killers trying to hunt him down. Halle Berry joins the franchise as a woman from John’s past who can hold her own in a fist fight.
“The Sun Is Also A Star” (May 17)

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Ry Russo-Young pairs Yara Shahidi and “Riverdale” favorite Charles Melton in this story of New York teens who fall in love over the course of a single day. The movie is adapted from the young adult novel of the same name written by Nicola Yoon.
“Booksmart,” (May 24)

Image Credit: Annapurna

Olivia Wilde makes her feature directorial debut with the laugh-out-loud high school comedy “Booksmart.” Rising stars Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein play two bookworms who decide they need to experience a night of partying before their senior year comes to end. Let the hilarity ensue.
“Godzilla: King of Monsters” (May 31)

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Godzilla goes head to head with iconic movie monsters such as Mothra, Rodan, and the three-headed King Ghidorah in this follow-up to 2014’s “Godzilla.” Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, and Millie Bobby Brown star.
“Ma” (May 31)

Image Credit: Blumhouse

Octavia Spencer becomes a full-fledged movie villain in Blumhouse’s summer chiller “Ma,” directed by Tate Taylor. The filmmaker and Spencer last worked together on “The Help,” which won her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, but “Ma” is a change of pace as Spencer takes on the role of a lonely woman who becomes obsessed with a group of high school students.
“Rocketman” (May 31)

Image Credit: Paramount

Taron Egerton takes on Elton John in the musical fantasy “Rocketman,” which looks like it’s part “Bohemian Rhapsody” and part “Across the Universe” as the musician’s life story is told through imaginative music numbers that use his songbook. Dexter Fletcher, who took over from Bryan Singer on “Bohemian Rhapsody,” directs.
“Late Night” (June 7)

Image Credit: Emily Aragones

Amazon spent big money on “Late Night” at the Sundance Film Festival and is surely hoping to make the comedy one of the summer movie season’s big hits. Mindy Kaling plays an aspiring comedy writer who becomes the first woman invited to join the writers room for a legendary late night TV show host, played by Emma Thompson.
“This One’s for the Ladies” (June 7)

Image Credit: Indiegogo

This inside look at a New Jersey male strip club should be a sleeper hit for Neon this summer. Billed as the real “Magic Mike,” “This One’s for the Ladies” is a documentary dance extravaganza following the lives of hunky exotic male dancers at a Newark nightclub and their devoted and enthusiastic female customers.
“Dark Phoenix” (June 7)

Image Credit: Fox

Will “Dark Phoenix” be the final “X-Men” movie starring the current cast of actors? It seems likely, which makes this swan song for James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Sophie Turner, and more a must-see this summer. Fortunately, “Dark Phoenix” looks like a smaller scale character thriller that should be a counterpoint to the bombast of “X-Men: Apocalypse.”
“The Last Black Man in San Francisco” (June 7)

Image Credit: A24

“The Last Black Man in San Francisco” won newcomer Joe Talbot the US Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance earlier this year, and it arrives in theaters this summer thanks to A24 with some of the best reviews of the year. Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, Danny Glover, Tichina Arnold, and Rob Morgan star.
“The Dead Don’t Die” (June 14)

Image Credit: Focus Features

Jim Jarmusch returns with a wacky zombie comedy starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, and Chloe Sevigny as local police officers who must face off against the undead in their sleepy town. “The Dead Don’t Die” is opening the Cannes Film Festival.
“Men in Black International” (June 14)

Image Credit: Sony

Any reservations one might have about re-launching the “Men in Black” movie franchise should be thrown out the window considering the upcoming entry reunites “Thor: Ragnarok” favorites Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. If the two manage to capture half the chemistry they showed off in their Marvel movie then “MiB International” will be a summer blast.
“Child’s Play” (June 21)

Image Credit: Orion Pictures

Chucky is back as the “Child’s Play” franchise returns with Aubrey Plaza, Bryan Tyree Henry, and the voice of Mark Hamill as the world’s deadliest doll. The horror film comes from “It” producers David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith.
“Toy Story 4” (June 21)

Image Credit: Disney

Disney and Pixar are bringing Woody and Buzz back to the big screen for a fourth outing in their hugely successful “Toy Story” franchise. The new film introduces a spork-turned-toy named Forky (voices by Tony Hale), whose identity crisis sets in a motion an adventure for Pixar’s lovable characters.
“Yesterday” (June 28)

Image Credit: Universal

Danny Boyle teams up with beloved “Love Actually” screenwriter Richard Curtis for this romance drama about a man who wakes up to discover he’s the only person who remembers The Beatles and their hit songs. Lily James and Kate McKinnon co-star.
“Midsommar,” July 3

Image Credit: A24

“Hereditary” director Ari Aster returns with a new nightmare about a couple (indie favs Florence Pugh and Jack Reyner) who unravel when a pagan cult takes control of their summer vacation.
“Spider Man: Far From Home” (July 5)

Image Credit: Disney

Nobody knows where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going after “Avengers: Endgame,” but moviegoers will have their first taste with the release of “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Tom Holland returns as the web-slinger in this Jon Watts-directed tentpole that also brings Jake Gyllenhaal into the MCU.
“The Farewell” (July 12)

Image Credit: A24

Lulu Wang’s family comedy-drama “The Farewell” was one of the most beloved titles at Sundance this year and should be an indie sensation when A24 opens it in theaters this July. Awkwafina shows off impressive dramatic chops as a Chinese-American woman who heads to China after her grandma is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. The catch is that the grandma does not know, and her family has set up a fake wedding as an excuse to bring everyone together.
“Sword of Trust” (July 12)

Image Credit: SXSW

A decade after solidifying her improv-heavy approach with “Humpday,” indie favorite Lynn Shelton returns with another endearing misadventure about bored, wistful people compelled to gamble on a reckless proposition. Marc Maron, Jillian Bell, and Michaela Watkins star.
“The Art of Self-Defense” (July 12)

Image Credit: Bleecker

Riley Stearns directs Jesse Eisenberg in this sinister dark comedy about a karate-obsessed loser on the brink of losing his mind. A deadpan character study about coming out of one’s shell, “The Art of Self Defense” features the wildest performance of Eisenberg’s career.
“Stuber” (July 12)

Image Credit: Fox/Disney

Action comedy “Stuber” pairs Dave Bautista and Kumail Nanjiani in this wild story of an Uber driver named Stu (Nanjiani) who picks up a determined cop (Bautista) on the trail of a killer. Directed by Michael Dowse, “Stuber” aims to give the 2019 summer season a dose of the mismatched buddy-action comedies that ruled the 1980s.
“David Crosby: Remember My Name” (July 19)

Image Credit: Sundance

Documentaries about famous musicians are a dime a dozen, but rarely are these access-in-exchange-for-control films able to scrape past the surface of Biopic 101. What’s refreshing about “David Crosby: Remember My Name” is not simply the film’s honesty, but the honesty of the subject himself.
“The Lion King” (July 19)

Image Credit: Disney

Jon Favreau’s adaptation of Disney’s 1994 animated blockbuster uses photorealistic VFX to make the film’s African savannah and animal characters appear as lifelike as possible. The voice cast includes Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, and James Earl Jones. Expect “The Lion King” to be one of the season’s top grossers.
“Skin” (July 26)

Image Credit: TIFF

Jamie Bell delivers a powerful leading performance as a Neo-Nazi attempting to escape the white supremacist movement after finding a good woman who loves him. The character’s attempts are thwarted by both his ruthless skinhead family and the scores of “white power” tattoos that cover his face and body.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (July 26)

Image Credit: Sony

Quentin Tarantino. Brad Pitt. Leonardo DiCaprio. Margot Robbie. Need we say more? When it comes to studio movies for adults this summer, nothing will top “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” The 1969-set film centers around two actors who somehow get mixed up with Sharon Tate and the Manson family murders while trying to break big in Hollywood.
“The Nightingale,” (August 2)

Image Credit: IFC

Jennifer Kent makes her long-awaited return after “The Babadook” with this grisly revenge thriller about a young woman in 1825 Tasmania. The higher the body count rises, the more Kent tightens her grip over the audience. Buckle up for this one.
“The New Mutants” (August 2)

Image Credit: Fox

Will “The New Mutants” actually be released in theaters after multiple delays? At this point Disney still has the “X-Men” spinoff movie set for August. Directed by Josh Boone, the movie brings the superhero tentpole into the horror genre as it focuses on mutants trying to escape the lab facility in which they are being housed as test subjects.
“Hobbs and Shaw” (August 2)

Image Credit: Universal

After eight films that have amassed almost $5 billion worldwide, the “Fast & Furious” franchise releases its first stand-alone vehicle as Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their roles in what is bound to be the most insanely pleasurable action film of the summer.
“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” (August 9)

Image Credit: Annapurna

Richard Linklater’s adaptation of Maria Semple’s 2012 novel finds Cate Blanchett in the title role as an agoraphobic architect who vanishes without explanation, forcing her teen daughter (Emma Nelson) to go search for her. Linklater and Blanchett make an ideal pairing on paper, so here’s hoping this Annapurna release delivers on the big screen.
“The Kitchen” (August 9)

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Featuring Elisabeth Moss, Tiffany Haddish, and Melissa McCarthy as a motley crew of would-be criminals who are forced to take over their husbands’ mob empire in 1970s New York, “The Kitchen” takes the format of “Widows” and broadens it up for what could be a summer sleeper hit.
“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (August 9)

Image Credit: Lionsgate

Guillermo del Toro executive produces this adaption of the popular horror children’s book series of the same name. Set in small-town America circa 1968 and featuring a cast of relative unknowns, it could end up surprising people and being a late summer hit that makes audiences afraid to actually go to sleep.
“Blinded By the Light” (August 14)

Image Credit: Nick Wall

A glorious indie film about a repressed British Pakistani teen in 1987 Luton whose mind explodes when he discovers Bruce Springsteen, Gurinder Chadha’s “Blinded by the Light” mixes the earnestness of a Bollywood musical with the relatable pleasures of the coming-of-age genre.
“Aquarela” (August 16)

Image Credit: SPC

Director Viktor Kossakovsky takes a breathless look at water — as crashing waves, as ice floes, as driving rain — in this cinematic portrait on how H20 shapes all existence on earth. This beautiful documentary will make you look at water in a whole new way.

summer_preview

“Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” (May 3)

“Non-Fiction” (May 3)

“Long Shot” (May 3)

“Wine Country” (May 8)

“The Biggest Little Farm” (May 10)

“Asako I & II” (May 10)

“Wild Rose” (May 10)

“Detective Pikachu” (May 10)

“The Souvenir” (May 17)

“John Wick: Chapter 3” (May 17)

“The Sun Is Also A Star” (May 17)

“Booksmart,” (May 24)

“Godzilla: King of Monsters” (May 31)

“Ma” (May 31)

“Rocketman” (May 31)

“Late Night” (June 7)

“This One’s for the Ladies” (June 7)

“Dark Phoenix” (June 7)

“The Last Black Man in San Francisco” (June 7)

“The Dead Don’t Die” (June 14)

“Men in Black International” (June 14)

“Child’s Play” (June 21)

“Toy Story 4” (June 21)

“Yesterday” (June 28)

“Midsommar,” July 3

“Spider Man: Far From Home” (July 5)

“The Farewell” (July 12)

“Sword of Trust” (July 12)

“The Art of Self-Defense” (July 12)

“Stuber” (July 12)

“David Crosby: Remember My Name” (July 19)

“The Lion King” (July 19)

“Skin” (July 26)

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (July 26)

“The Nightingale,” (August 2)

“The New Mutants” (August 2)

“Hobbs and Shaw” (August 2)

“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” (August 9)

“The Kitchen” (August 9)

“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (August 9)

“Blinded By the Light” (August 14)

“Aquarela” (August 16)