8 Buzzy Summer Movies Worth Seeing In Theatres

Summer is the season of the blockbuster, and these big releases are best enjoyed on the biggest screen you can find.

Updated April 27, 2023

A photo of a mermaid sitting on a rock in the ocean.

Halle Berry plays Ariel in the live-action remake of the Little Mermaid.

In my humble opinion, summer is the best time to go to the cinema. Spending all that time indoors sounds counterintuitive, but summer is the season of the blockbuster—and these big releases are best enjoyed on the biggest screen you can find.

Here are 8 summer movies to get excited about.

BlackBerry (May 12)

This Canadian biopic tells the story of the rise and fall of the world’s first smartphone. The film stars Canadian Jay Baruchel as BlackBerry creator and co-CEO Mike Lazaridis and Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as BlackBerry co-CEO Jim Balsillie.

The Little Mermaid (May 26)

This live-action remake of the 1989 animated classic stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay—yes, the little boy from Room—as Flounder, Javier Bardem as King Triton and more. Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda will also be writing new songs (and reworking some of the originals) alongside OG songwriter Alan Menken.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2)

This film is the sequel to 2018’s Oscar-winning Into the Spider-Verse, and follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) as they web-sling through the multiverse and pair up with other Spider-People to protect them all against a common threat.

Elemental (June 16)

This Disney-Pixar flick is set in Element City, a land where fire, water, land and air people co-exist. Ember Lumen, a fire element girl, falls in love with water boy Wade Ripple; the pair must work through their differences (and their communities’ close-mindedness) in order to be together.

No Hard Feelings (June 23)

This raunchy comedy is about a desperate-for-cash delivery driver (played by Jennifer Lawrence) who answers a Craigslist ad from a couple seeking someone to date their awkward teenage son.

Joy Ride (July 7)

This high-energy road trip comedy follows four Asian-American women—including Ashley Park of Emily in Paris and Stephanie Hsu of Everything Everywhere All at Once—as they as they travel through Asia to track down the birth mother of Park's character, Audrey.

Barbie (July 21)

Barbie is one of 2023’s most anticipated movies—even before the first promo broke the internet and spawned countless memes. Margot Robbie plays the titular doll, Ryan Gosling plays Ken and the huge ensemble cast includes Helen Mirren, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Simu Liu and more.

Oppenheimer (July 21)

Directed by Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy), Oppenheimer tells the story of the American theoretical physicist credited as the "father of the atomic bomb.” The visual spectacle boasts an all-star cast including Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh and more.