Key things to know about the upcoming summer movie season

By LINDSEY BAHR Associated Press Superman already has a lot on his shoulders It seems unfair to add the fate of the summer movie season to his list But he s not alone Marvel Studios is also returning to theaters in a big way with two movies this summer Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four First Attempts Five years after the COVID- pandemic brought the movie business to a halt and two years after the strikes the industry has yet to fully recover Critics may have complained of superhero fatigue but after several summers of depleted offerings it s clear that they re a vital part of the mix This image issued by Warner Bros Pictures shows David Corenswet in a scene from Superman Warner Bros Pictures via AP Superheroes alone don t make for a healthy marketplace however and this year studios have set a full slate for every kind of moviegoer with over wide releases spanning genres This is the summer where all this product that we ve all been working on for the last sparse years is ultimately coming into the marketplace so I m very optimistic says Joseph Kosinski who directed F with Brad Pitt This image published by Warner Bros Pictures shows Damson Idris left and Brad Pitt in a scene from F Warner Bros Pictures via AP Key movies in the summer lineup Summer begins early in Hollywood on the first weekend in May and that kick-off can make or break that pivotal day corridor that has historically accounted for around of the annual box office This image distributed by Disney shows the character Stitch left and Maia Kealoha as Lilo in a scene from Lilo Stitch Disney via AP After the strikes upended the summer calendar this year Disney is back in that familiar first weekend spot with Thunderbolts Memorial Day weekend could also be a behemoth with the live action Lilo Stitch and Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning With a new Jurassic World a live action How to Train Your Dragon and the Formula One movie also on the schedule through June and July the summer season has the possible to be the biggest in the post-COVID era There are also family pics Smurfs Elio action and adventures Ballerina The Karate Kid Legends horrors thrillers and slashers Years Later I Know What You Did Last Summer M GAN romances Materialists Jane Austen Wrecked My Life dramas Sorry Baby The Life of Chuck a new Wes Anderson movie The Phonecian Scheme and comedies Freakier Friday Bride Hard The Naked Gun This image disclosed by Marvel Studios shows from left Hannah John-Kamen Olga Kurylenko Wyatt Russell Sebastian Stan David Harbour and Florence Pugh in a scene from Thunderbolts Disney-Marvel Studios via AP Draw me a blueprint of a perfect summer lineup is it says Paul Dergarabedian the senior media analyst for Comscore What this summer s big directors are saying It s a fun twist on what a movie like this could be says Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier This image disclosed by Netflix shows Christopher McDonald left and Adam Sandler in a scene from Happy Gilmore Scott Yamano Netflix via AP It s a personal journey for Superman that s entirely new says Superman director James Gunn But it s also about the robots and the flying dogs and all that stuff It s taking a very real person and putting them in the middle of this outrageous situation and outrageous world and playing with that I think it s a lot of fun because of that It s working on an incredibly large scale in terms of world building but it s also no different from all of the great comedies and dramas that I ve done says The Fantastic Four First Measures director Matt Shakman In the end it comes down to character it comes down to relationships it comes down to heart and humor This image circulated by Universal Pictures shows Mason Thames in a scene from How to Train Your Dragon Universal Pictures via AP People say like do you feel pressure and the majority pressure I feel is from myself as a fan and to Steven Spielberg to not disappoint him says Jurassic World Rebirth director Gareth Edwards Weirdly what s great about doing a Jurassic movie is that everybody knows deep down that like half the reason they re in this business is because of that film and Steven s work Why summer might be a big one for movies Before the pandemic all but one summer since broke the billion mark Since only one has led by Barbie Related Articles Film on the Rocks season issued Here s how to get tickets Boulder wins Sundance Film Festival starting in beating out Utah and Ohio Colorado filmmaker takes viewers inside the tragedy of war in Ukraine David Lynch movies at Alamo Drafthouse sea monsters at Denver museum and more things to do Wicked star Cynthia Erivo headlining CU Boulder Conference on World Affairs The unstable financial system might work in the industry s favor at least when it comes to moviegoing Even with increased ticket prices theatrical movies remain the preponderance affordable entertainment outside of the home and attendance tends to increase during recession years The annual domestic box office crossed billion for the first time in By the end of this summer hopefully people aren t talking about being in a funk anymore and it feels like we got our mojo back and we re off to the races Kosinski who directed the pandemic-era hit Top Gun Maverick says