There are already plenty of Superman on his shoulders. It seems unfair to add the fate of the summer movie season to his list. But he is not alone. Marvel Studios has returned to theaters in a big way with two films this summer, “Thunderbolts” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
Five years after the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the film business and two years after the strike, the industry has yet to recover completely. Critics may have complained of superhero fatigue, but after a summer of dried up offerings, it is clear that they are a key part of the mix.
However, superheroes alone are not a healthy market. This year, the studio has set a full slate for all kinds of movie fans, with over 40 wide releases spanning the genre.
“This is the summer when all of the products we’ve all worked on over the past few years are finally coming to the market. I’m very optimistic,” says Joseph Kosinski, who overseen Brad Pitt and “F1.”
Important films in the summer 2025 lineup
Summer begins early in Hollywood on the first weekend of May, and its kickoff can be made or broken through its pivotal 123-day corridor, which has historically accounted for around 40% of the annual box office revenue.
After the strike defeated the summer 2024 calendar, this year Disney has returned to its familiar first weekend location with “Thunderbolts.” Memorial Day weekend could potentially be a giant with live-action “Lillo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible – Final Calculation.” The new Jurassic World, live-action How to Train a Dragon, and the Formula One film with its schedule from June and July, the summer season holds the greatest potential in the post-Covid era.
There are also photos of the family (“Smurfs”, “Elio”); Action and adventures (“Balerina”, “Karate Kid: Legend”); Horror, Thriller, Thrasher (“28 Years Later”, “I Know What I Did Last Summer”, “M3GAN 2.0”); Romance (“The Materialist”, “Jane Austen Destroyed My Life”); Drama (“Sorry, Baby”, “Chuck’s Life”); New Wes Anderson Films (“The Phonecian Scheme”); Comedy (“Freakier Friday”, “Bride Hard”, “The Naked Gun”).
“Draw a blueprint for the perfect summer lineup: 2025 is that,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at ComScore.
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What major coaches say this summer
“This is a fun twist on what a film like this is,” says Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier.
“It’s a personal journey for a whole new Superman,” says Superman director James Gunn. “But it’s about robots and flying dogs and so on. They take away some very realistic people, put them in the middle of this outrageous situation and an outrageous world, and play around with it. I think it’s a lot of fun.”
“We’re working on a very large scale in terms of world building, but it’s no different to all the great comedy and drama I’ve done,” says Matt Shakman, director of Fantastic Four: First Step. “In the end, it comes down to personality, relationships, and mind and humor.”
“People, do you feel pressure, and the thing I feel most is to keep him as a fan and from Steven Spielberg, not let him down,” says Gareth Edwards, director of “Rebirth of Jurassic World.” “Oddly enough, the great thing about making a Jurassic film is that everyone knows in great detail that it’s for that film and Stephen’s work, like half the reason why everyone is in this business.”
Why Summer 2025 is a big thing for movies
Before the pandemic, everything except one summer since 2007 broke the $4 billion mark. Since 2020, there has been only 2023, led by Barbie.
An unstable economy could work in the industry, at least when it comes to film directors. Even as ticket prices rise, theatrical films are the most affordable entertainment outside the home, with attendance trending up in recession years. The annual domestic box office revenue for the first time in 2009 exceeded $10 billion.
“I hope by the end of this summer, people aren’t talking about being in funk anymore. It feels like they’re getting their mojo back and going out to race.”
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