Welcome to the It List Summer Guide edition, where we share our staff’s picks for the best in entertainment as the weather warms up. Catch the weekly It List here for the latest releases we can’t wait to watch, stream, listen, read and binge.
Summer is here and the heat is on! What better way to cool off and enjoy larger-than-life stories than to take a seat at your local cinema. With so many new movies to choose from (almost too many), we want to tell you why summer movies demand a big-screen experience.
From visual highlights to dramas, potential award winners, thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat and even perfect co-star pairings (looking at you, Ryan and Hugh), we’ve got you covered with our favorites across all genres – plus a shortlist of other worthy films suitable for the theatrical experience. Sit back, relax and let yourself be carried away.
👀 Visually a feast for the eyes 👀
Our choice: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
🍿 Why you should see it on the big screen:
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George Miller’s prequel to the Crazy Max films is the origin story of the ‘darkest angel’ Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy), who searches for her family after being kidnapped by the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) as a child.
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With action-packed sequences, stunning visual effects and a larger-than-life cast, Furiosa looks ready to hit the big screen.
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As its predecessor — 2015’s Furiewegstarring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron – tells us everything, the results could even be award-winning.
🗓️ Date of publication: May 24
🪪 Rating: R
⏰ Duration: 2 hours, 28 minutes
🤩 Stars: Anya Taylor Joy, Chris Hemsworth
🐝Early fuss: Expectations are high after the Oscar success of Furieweg; fans call it “powerful” and “stunning.”
Here are more films that are a feast for the eyes on our shortlist:
🎭Drama🎭
Our choice: The Cyclists
🍿 Why you should see it on the big screen:
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Based on a 1960s photo book of the same name, the film stars Jodie Comer as a woman drawn to the newest member of a Midwestern motorcycle club (Austin Butler), the Vandals, led by a dangerous leader (Tom Hardy).
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A tense love story on the open roads, The Cyclists looks like a souped-up drama bike on two wheels.
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Upon meeting Butler while being considered for the role, director Jeff Nichols said, “I was immediately struck by the fact that this was the most attractive person I have ever met in my life.”
🗓️ Date of publication: 21st of June
🪪 Rating: R
⏰ Duration: 1 hour, 56 minutes
🤩 Stars: Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy
🐝 Early buzz: Butler and Hardy have been called “cool personified.” One fan even reportedly drove from Louisiana to Arkansas to catch a glimpse of the actor who also played Elvis at the film’s premiere in October 2023.
Here are some more dramas on our shortlist:
💣 Thriller 💣
Our choice: Blink twice
🍿Why you should see it on the big screen:
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When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) invites cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) and a menagerie of people to his private island, strange things start to happen.
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Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut not only features a palm tree-filled paradise on screen, but she also features a who’s who of the rest of the cast, including Kyle MacLachlan, Christian Slater, Geena Davis, Haley Joel Osment and Alia Shawkat.
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The first-time director said she wanted to capture a “dark, funny, sexy, terrifying” tone in her look at the sinister side of power.
🗓️ Date of publication: August 23
🪪 Rating: R
🤩 Stars: Channing Tatum, Naomi Ackie, Kyle MacLachlan
🐝 Early buzz: YouTube commenters who watched the trailer say the film looks like a cross between the films Knives out And Salt burn.
Here are some more thrillers on our shortlist:
👥 Perfect combination 👥
Our choice: Deadpool and Wolverine
🍿Why you should see it on the big screen:
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In the third installment of the Marvel franchise, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is forcibly taken by the Time Variance Authority and reverted to his Deadpool persona.
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Eventually he meets Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), and they team up on a mission to defeat a common enemy.
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With all the real banter between Reynolds and Jackman, seeing them play it out on the big screen, surrounded by explosive effects and slow-motion fight scenes, should be a huge draw for moviegoers.
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Reynolds said it took ‘Seven years and a lot of begging’, so the stakes are high.
🗓️ Date of publication: July 26
🪪 Rating: R
⏰ Duration: two o’clock
🤩 Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman
🐝 Early buzz: Both Reynolds and Jackman are “afraid” of accidentally sharing spoilers. Either way, fans get it hyped.
Here are more films with perfect combinations on our shortlist:
🏆 Prize candidates 🏆
Our choice: Fancy dance
🍿 Why you should see it on the big screen:
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Lily Gladstone follows up her historic awards show as an Indigenous woman who cares for her niece while searching for the girl’s missing mother.
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Director and writer Erica Tremblay took the opportunity to write an op-ed about Hollywood’s inclusion of Indigenous stories.
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In this film the audience gets a ‘rare glimpse into indigenous culture’.
🗓️ Date of publication: 21st of June
🪪 Rating: R
⏰ Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
🤩 Stars: Lily Gladstone, Isabel Deroy-Olson
🐝 Early buzz: Labeled an “exceptional directorial debut” and “an unvarnished look at life on the rez,” the film offers a chance to see modern Native life in the US.
Here are more award contenders on our shortlist:
Looking for more summer fun? View our manuals:
