The 25 Genre Films We’re Most Excited for This Summer

Famous songs will tell you “the most wonderful time of the year” is the holiday season, but we disagree. No, the most wonderful time of the year is the summer because it means summer movies. Oh, sure. The summer movie season is kind of all year round these days, but studios still generally hold their biggest and best crowd pleasers for when the kids are home from school, and this year is no different.

Below, we’ve dug through the mountain of movies coming to theaters from now through the end of August and ranked the 25 genre films we are most excited to see. Can you guess number one without looking? Probably. Here’s the list.

25. Minions and Monsters (July 1)

As someone born in the 1980s, I’ve never been excited for any movie featuring Minions. But this new film somehow speaks not just to fans of the characters, but to me as well. It’s a prequel set in the 1920s as the Minions find themselves becoming movie stars in classic Hollywood. Lots of Charlie Chaplin jokes. Lots of Buster Keaton jokes. And, yes, we’d imagine lots of banana jokes.

24. Affection (May 8)

Rising scream queen Jessica Rothe stars in what seems to be a horror blend of Memento and 50 First Dates as a woman with a memory issue has to figure out what the heck is going on with a man claiming to be her husband.

23. Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe (May 15)

Gundam returns to theaters with the sequel to 2021’s Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway, picking up in the beloved mecha anime’s primary “Universal Century” timeline to follow the adventures of the titular Hathaway Noa, as he begins to question his campaign against the corrupt grip of the Earth Federation after a chance encounter with a mysterious woman.

22. Colony (August 28)

What would happen if a zombie outbreak began at a biotech conference and everyone who was there got locked inside? That’s the premise of the new film from Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho. And while we can’t all relate to being at a biotech conference, the terror of an outbreak at any big event, convention, etc., and being locked in just gives us chills.

21. The Dog Stars (August 28)

If we hadn’t seen the trailer for this new post-apocalyptic thriller from director Ridley Scott, it would be ranked higher. That’s because while the idea of this film—Jacob Elordi blindly flies a plane into an unforgiving world looking for help—sounds much better than the trailer looks. But, we’re still holding out hope.

20. Passenger (May 22)

The best horror comes from situations any of us can relate to, and this new film, from director André Øvredal (Troll Hunter), is exactly that. It follows a couple who see a horrific accident while on a road trip and find themselves haunted by an evil being called “the Passenger” who won’t leave them alone.

19. The Death of Robin Hood (June 19)

We’ve seen a million different Robin Hood movies in seemingly every single genre. But we’ve never seen Hugh Jackman as the character and especially not in a tale of what happened to Robin Hood after all the mythic heroism ended. Here, we’ll see him at the end of his life, passing along what he’s learned.

18. Insidious: Out of the Further (August 21)

The excellent Insidious franchise has taken a dip with the last few installments, but this sixth entry has us thinking it might be back. Lin Shaye is at least, and this time, she’s helping a woman who can not only visit the Further, but bring the Further back into our world. That certainly opens things up in a horrific way, does it not?

17. Ice Cream Man (August 7)

Anytime Eli Roth makes a horror film, we take notice. The man behind Thanksgiving, Hostel, and Cabin Fever always brings fun and gore, and his new film feels like that, with a cherry on top. It follows characters in a suburban neighborhood where the ice cream man starts serving dessert that makes the kids into killers. It’s a great premise. Plus, it makes us think of the 1995 Clint Howard movie with the same title, so that’s a bonus.

16. The Sheep Detective (May 8)

Another summer movie where Hugh Jackman dies (assuming he dies in The Death of Robin Hood). This time, though, he has a bunch of sheep on the case. Yes, this title is very literal. It’s about sheep exploring the death of their master, and it looks like an absolute delight with an amazing voice cast (Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein) to boot.

15. Her Private Hell (July 24)

Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of Drive, is back, and his new film sounds wild. Sophie Thatcher stars an actor in a futuristic city where she and the cast of her new movie, described as something akin to Barbarella, are hunted by a killer called the Leather Man. So yes, it’s a futuristic slasher movie about the making of a movie. Sign us up.

14. Backrooms (May 29)

Director Kane Parsons takes his wildly popular YouTube series to the big screen, exploring an impossible, and probably evil, infinite space mysteriously existing below a retail store. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, and Mark Duplass are among the cast for this one, which looks creepy as hell.

13. Evil Dead Burn (July 10)

I think we’re officially at a point where anytime an Evil Dead movie comes out, we just drop everything to see it. The results so far have always been disgusting, thrilling, and awesome. So, there’s no reason to expect anything less from this latest standalone installment from talented French filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček.

12. Supergirl (June 26)

The second film in James Gunn’s DC Universe follows the cousin of Superman as she travels the galaxy helping a young woman seek revenge for the death of her family. Milly Alcock stars as Supergirl, who’ll also share the screen with Jason Momoa’s Lobo. Hopes are high that the DCU to continue to fly.

11. Mortal Kombat II (May 8)

Finish him! Everyone’s favorite fatality-filled video game franchise is back. This time, it’s a sequel to the 2021 reboot, and we’ll finally get to see all your favorite characters—Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, Sonja Blade, Raiden, and more—compete in the actual Mortal Kombat tournament. The world hangs in the balance. Let the blood begin.

10. Toy Story 5 (June 19)

Woody, Buzz, and the gang have seen it all. Terrible neighbors, high-end collectors, killer teddy bears, and even a circus. But now, for their fifth big screen adventure, Pixar’s signature toys will face their greatest foe yet: technology. Joan Cusack’s Jessie leads the charge as the toys fight for the attention of their owner, Bonnie, from a device called a Lilypad. We expect this to be not only great, but one of the biggest hits of the summer.

9. Obsession (May 15)

It’s been almost a year since we first saw this incredible new horror film, and now, after months of hype, it’s finally here. Obsession follows a man who has a crush on one of his best friends, but she doesn’t feel the same way. So, he makes a wish that she’ll love him more than anything in the world. And it comes true, with truly horrific and disturbing consequences. Don’t miss this one. Trust us.

8. The Mandalorian and Grogu (May 22)

This summer, Star Wars returns to the big screen for the first time in seven years. Back when that last film was released, though no one would have guessed the next film would be an adaptation of a TV show, but that’s what’s happening. We still don’t know exactly how The Mandalorian and Grogu will justify its trip to the big screen, but of course, we’re going to see it and find out.

7. Scary Movie (June 5)

The Wayans Brothers have regained the rights to the franchise they created, and now, for its sixth installment, it seems as if all bets are off again. With horror movies experiencing such a renaissance since the first wave of the spoof series, no film is safe from being spoofed this time: Megan, Smile, Sinners, Weapons, The Substance, and Terrifier are just a few of the victims that we know of.

6. Masters of the Universe (June 5)

In our minds, Masters of the Universe almost has to be good. Director Travis Knight has proved time and again that he knows how to tell a well-balanced, rewarding story from challenging source material, and his take on this iconic toy franchise looks like it delivers once again. The bigger question is, will audiences show up? It opens at the same time as Scary Movie, so it’s going to be a battle. But ultimately we’re just excited to see Eternia back on the big screen.

And now, the top five, which each get a trailer…

5. The End of Oak Street (August 14)

If a movie has dinosaurs in it, we’re pumped to see it. And if that dinosaur movie is written and directed by It Follows filmmaker David Robert Mitchell, starring Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway, following a family whose entire neighborhood is relocated to a mysterious place with dinosaurs, you put it number five on your list of anticipated summer genre movies.

4. Coyote vs. Acme (August 28)

Last year at this time, most people thought we’d never get to see Coyote vs. Acme. But, since then, many things have changed. Now, finally, the hilarious-looking meta-comedy about Wile E. Coyote suing Acme because none of their gadgets ever work is coming to the big screen. Will Forte and John Cena are among the human stars appearing with all your Looney Tunes favorites.

3. Disclosure Day (June 12)

Ten years have passed since Hollywood icon Steven Spielberg, the man credited with starting the summer movie season in 1975, released a summer blockbuster. And it’s been over 20 years since he made a movie about aliens. Now, finally, those two lists are crossed over once again. Steven Spielberg is back with a summer blockbuster about aliens, and we could not be more excited for it. Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor star.

2. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31)

Who can beat Spielberg? Well, how about Spider-Man? Audiences everywhere have been waiting for five years, wondering what’s next for Peter Parker after he almost destroyed the multiverse and had to sacrifice everything to save it. This summer, we’ll finally find out.

1. The Odyssey (July 17)

Only one man has the might to defeat both Steven Spielberg and Spider-Man, and his name is Christopher Nolan. Coming off the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, Nolan returns to the big screen with a retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey, one of the greatest, most famous stories ever told. It’s an epic idea with epic-sized expectations and a cast that’s somehow even bigger. That includes Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron, just to name a few. If we could only see one movie this summer, it would be this one. But, thankfully, we get to see them all.

What genre movies are you most excited to see this summer? Do you agree with the list? Let us know below.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.