The film industry right now is at a very awkward place, as theaters across the world are shut down, as are production studios. The Spring Movie Guide 2020 was a list of delayed movies, or ones that were sent to streaming and never had a theatrical release. While I cannot promise that these films will actually release, in theaters, on these days, I thought it would be a good idea anyway to see what the current landscape of movies are for this summer season.
The list is a bit shorter than usual, with only 11 movies across 3 months, but now you are up to date on what the upcoming theatrical release calendar looks like.
July 3
Unhinged
Unhinged is a psychological thriller that takes something we’ve all experienced – road rage – to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion.
This is the first chance to test the waters. This movie seems sub-par, but it has a bigger name attached to it. So will audiences be willing to go to the theaters for new content, and how will theaters handle their presence, or is everyone going to stay home because we are still in the middle of a pandemic.
July 17
Saint Maud
Follows a pious nurse who becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient.
July 24
Mulan
A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father. A live-action feature film based on Disney’s ‘Mulan.’
The first real blockbuster test. Disney can afford to make this gamble, and while I’m not a fan of the live action remakes generally, they tend to make a lot of money. Let’s see if this follows, or shows that audiences are not yet ready.
July 31
Tenet
Armed with only one word — Tenet — and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
This is the movie everyone has their eyes on right now. Warner Bros. will market and release this movie exactly as Christopher Nolan says, no matter what. They give him the ultimate authority on how his movies are released, because they want him to continue working with them. He likes his movies being released in July, because his birthday is July 30, and so if possible, Warner Bros. will release this movie in July. I’m just not sure yet that it is possible, without losing millions of dollars. As a reminder, Tenet‘s budget was over $200 million. That’s a lot of money to lose.
August 7
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run
After SpongeBob’s beloved pet snail Gary is snail-napped, he and Patrick embark on an epic adventure to The Lost City of Atlantic City to bring Gary home.
The first SpongeBob movie was fantastic, and the second was trash. I’m not sure how this one will turn out.
August 14
The Personal History of David Copperfield
A modern take on Charles Dickens’s classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles.
August 21
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Once told they’d save the universe during a time-traveling adventure, 2 would-be rockers from San Dimas, California find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfill their destiny.
Bill & Ted is a totally awesome movie from the ’80s, and Keanu Reeves is definitely back in the limelight right now. I’ll see this movie, but I’m afraid it might be a bit too much of a “‘member berry” movie.
August 28
The New Mutants
Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.
I’ve been excited for this movie since it’s first trailer back in 2017. It was supposed to come out April 2018, but got delayed to avoid Deadpool 2 to February 2019, and then delayed again to avoid Dark Phoenix to August 2019. Then when Disney aquired Fox it was delayed to April 2020, and Covid caused it to be delayed to this release date. Hopefully this one sticks, but I doubt it because I don’t think theaters will actually be fully open yet. Due to contracting issues, Disney can’t just throw it on streaming, it legally has to go to a theatrical release.
September 4
Monster Hunter
When Lt. Artemis and her loyal soldiers are transported to a new world, they engage in a desperate battle for survival against enormous enemies with incredible powers. Feature film based on the video game by Capcom.
(The only trailer I could find seems to be in Spanish.)
A video game movie means the film is already cursed to begin with. The only chance this movie has is if other movies have been pushed back enough where this is one of the first new releases.
September 11
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
Plot unknown. Third installment of the Conjuring franchise.
Horror movies are very financially stable, as they are usually cheap to make, and horror fans love their horror fix. Who knows what’s going to be going on by mid-September.
September 18
The King’s Man
As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them.
The prequel to the Kingsman movies, which are a ton of fun. Hopefully this will be as well.
The Nerdd 