Article by Marcus Siu

Summer is almost here, so studios are gearing up to bring out their biggest blockbuster “Popcorn” movies that will hopefully bring in the masses back to movie theaters. As school winds down, friends and families convene to see their selected junk food/commercial fare whether it’s a franchise film, live action movie of an animated franchise film, or perhaps (gasp!) a movie with an original idea and script.

Regardless if it’s a franchise, a reboot, or has an original script, this year’s movie season has become the most successful since 2020, with the likes of “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie”, the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael”, and the sci-fi adaptation “Project Hail Mary”. Pre-summer/late Spring hits include “The Devil Wears Prada 2”, “Hoppers”, and “Wuthering Heights” which did fairly well on its own.

With blockbuster releases like “Toy Story 5” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” upcoming, the summer movie season is set to achieve significant box office success, benefiting struggling theaters who have been hurt since the Pandemic. In fact, May 2026 is expected to top $1B in domestic box office, marking the first time in May since 2019.

Besides “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu”, the studios will be releasing other fan friendly franchise films, including “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow”, a “Scary Movie” reboot, a live action of Disney’s “Moana”, “Masters of the Universe”, and “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie”.

Here are twelve quality picks (covering all genres) to look forward to thru July. Please note that not all of these movies are are considered “junk food”, but some actually some have nutritional value.

OBSESSION (RELEASE DATE: MAY 15, 2026)

Director: Curry Barker

I LOVE BOOSTERS (RELEASE DATE: MAY 22, 2026)

Director: Boots Riley

PRESSURE (RELEASE DATE: MAY 29, 2026)

Director: Anthony Maras

TUNER (RELEASE DATE: MAY 29, 2026)

Director: Daniel Roher

POWER BALLAD (RELEASE DATE: JUNE 5, 2026)

Director: John Carney

DISCLOSURE DAY (RELEASE DATE: JUNE 12, 2026)

Director: Steven Spielberg

TOY STORY 5 (RELEASE DATE: JUNE 19, 2026)

Director: Andrew Stanton

THE INVITE (RELEASE DATE: JUNE 26, 2026)

Director: Olivia Wilde

MINIONS & MONSTERS (RELEASE DATE: JULY 1, 2026)

Director: Pierre Coffin

EVIL DEAD BURN (RELEASE DATE: JULY 10, 2026)

Director: Sébastien Vanicek

THE ODYSSEY (RELEASE DATE: JULY 17, 2026)

Director: Christopher Nolan

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (RELEASE DATE: JULY 31, 2026)

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton