Summer movie preview

By ROBERT McFERREN

mcferren@vindy.com

Even though we are weeks away from the warmer winds of May, the box office is heating up earlier and earlier each year. This year’s offerings include your comic-book mega-movies (“Avengers: Endgame,” “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home,”) live-action remakes with computer-generated imagery (CGI) of classic hand-drawn films (“Lion King, “Aladdin”) sequels “Toy Story 4,” “John Wick: Chapter 3” and even spin-offs from sequels “Men in Black: International,” “Shaft” and “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.” There should be something for every movie fan this year.

April 12

“After,” Aviron Pictures: Tessa (Josephine Langford) is a dedicated student and loyal girlfriend to her high-school sweetheart until she meets the dark and mysterious Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), a magnetic, brooding rebel. Drama, romance.

“Little,” Universal Pictures: Regina Hall and Marsai Martin star in a ‘Big’-like film about the power of sisterhood and having a second chance to grow up. Comedy.

“Hellboy,” Lionsgate: Hellboy (David Harbour) faces off against a sorceress (Milla Jovovich) who seeks to destroy humankind. Supernatural.

“Missing Link,” United Artists: Mr. Link (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) sets off on a daring quest to find relatives. Animation

April 17

“Breakthrough,” Fox 2000: Joyce Smith’s (Chrissy Metz) 14-year-old boy (Dennis Haysbert) is clinically dead after falling through an icy lake. Sixteen days later, he walks out of the hospital. Faith, drama.

“Penguins,” Walt Disney Studios: A penguin joins millions of fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a nest, find a life partner and start a family. Nature.

April 19

“The Curse of La Llorona,” Warner Bros. Pictures: In 1970s Los Angeles, La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) is an apparition, stalking the night and the children. Horror.

April 26

“Avengers: Endgame,” Marvel Studios: The Avengers (Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo) have triumphed over Loki (Tom Hiddleston), but now they’ll face Ultron – and nothing could prepare them for Thanos (Josh Brolin). Supernatural.

May 3

“The Intruder,” Sony Screen Gems: A married couple (Michael Ealy, Meagan Good) buys their dream house in the Napa Valley – or so they think. Also starring Dennis Quaid. Thriller.

“UglyDolls,” STXfilms: Moxy (voiced by Kelly Clarkson) and her friends confront what it means to be different and discover who you truly are is what matters most. Animation.

“Long Shot,” Summit Entertainment: A journalist (Seth Rogen) is hired by his childhood friend (Charlize Theron) as speechwriter for her presidential run. Comedy.

May 10

“Tolkien,” Fox Searchlight: Film explores the formative years of the orphaned author JRR Tolkien. Biography.

“The Hustle,” Annapurna Pictures: Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star as scam artists who team up to take down men who have wronged them. Comedy

“POKÉMON Detective Pikachu,” Warner Bros.: A detective goes missing, prompting his son (Justice Smith) to find out what happened, aided by Detective Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds). Sci-Fi.

May 17

“John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum,” Lionsgate: John Wick (Keanu Reeves) must get out of New York when a $14 million contract on his life is activated. Action.

“A Dog’s Journey Movie,” Universal Pictures: A devoted dog (Josh Gad) is reincarnated into the life of a troubled teenager. Drama.

“The Sun Is Also A Star,” Warner Bros. Pictures: Hours before her deportation, Natasha (Yara Shahidi) fights her budding feelings for Daniel (Daniel Bae). Drama, romance.

May 24

“Aladdin,” Walt Disney Studios. A live-action version of the animation classic, starring Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott and Will Smith. Live-action/animation, comedy, musical.

“BrightBurn,” Sony Pictures: A child from another world crash-lands on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero, he becomes far more sinister. Thriller.

“Booksmart,” Annapurna Pictures: On the eve of their graduation, two best friends (Skyler Gisondo, Beanie Feldstein) realize that they should have worked less and played more. Comedy.

“Ad Astra,” 20th Century Fox: An autistic space engineer (Brad Pitt) travels through the solar system to find his father and understand why his mission failed 20 years earlier. Sci-Fi.

May 31

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” Warner Bros. Pictures: Members of Monarch face off against Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and the three-headed King Ghidorah.

“Rocketman,” Paramount Pictures: A musical about Elton John’s breakthrough years – from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John (Taron Egerton). Biography

“Ma,” Universal Pictures: Octavia Spencer stars as a loner whose hospitality toward her teen guests turns into obsession. Horror

June 7

“X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” 20th Century Fox: When Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is nearly killed by a mysterious cosmic force, it not only makes her infinitely more powerful, but far more unstable. Supernatural.

“The Secret Life of Pets 2,” Universal Pictures: Sequel follows pets and the lives they lead after humans leave each day. Animation.

“Late Night,” Amazon Studios: A veteran late-night talk show host (Emma Thompson) fears losing her long-running show when she hires her first female writer (Mindy Kaling). Comedy.

June 14

“The Dead Don’t Die,” Focus Features: Cops must deal with a zombie outbreak. Starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Selena Gomez. Comedy.

“Men in Black: International,” Sony Pictures: A spin-off from the original franchise, as the Men in Black (Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson) tackle a mole in the organization. Comedy.

“Shaft,” Warner Bros.: John Shaft Jr. (Jessie Usher), may be a cyber-security expert, but to uncover the truth behind his best friend’s untimely death, he needs his dad (Samuel L. Jackson). Action.

June 21

“Toy Story 4,” Walt Disney Studios: Bonnie’s new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky (voice of Tony Hale), declares himself as “trash” and not a toy, Woody (voice of Tom Hanks) takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. Animation.

“Child’s Play,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: A contemporary re-imagining of the 1988 horror classic, with Mark Hamill as the voice of Chucky.

June 28

“Annabelle Comes Home,” Warner Bros. Pictures: The third installment in the series starring the infamous sinister doll from the Conjuring. Horror.

“Yesterday,” Universal Pictures: After a bus accident, a struggling singer-songwriter (Himesh Patel) wakes up to discover that The Beatles never existed. Musical.

“47 Meters Down: Uncaged,” Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures: Five girls go to a hidden underwater ruin and swim into a submerged labyrinth of caves and the deadliest shark species in the ocean. Horror.

July 5

“Spider-Man: Far From Home,” Sony Pictures: The web-crawling hero returns (Tom Hollan), also starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Keaton. Sci-Fi.

July 12

“Stuber,” 20th Century Fox: An ride-sharing driver picks up a grizzled cop working the most dangerous case of his career. Action

July 19

“The Lion King,” Walt Disney Studios: The retelling of the classic animated film about a lion named Simba (voice of JD McCrary and Donald Glover) who is cast out into the wilderness after his father (voice of James Earl Jones) is killed. Live-action/animation

July 26

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Sony Pictures: Directed by Quentin Tarantino, a fading TV star (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double (Brad Pitt) make their way around the end of the Golden Era in 1969 Hollywood. Margot Robbie stars as Sharon Tate. Crime, true story.

“The Boy 2,” STXfilms: When a family (Katie Holmes, Ralph, Ineson) moves into the Heelshire Mansion, their son (Christopher Convery) makes friends with a life-like doll called Brahms. Thriller

August 2

“Dora and the Lost City of Gold,” Paramount Players: Based on animated TV series, this live-action film shows Dora (Isabela Moner) heading into her most dangerous adventure ever – high school. Adventure.

“Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” Universal Pictures: Spin-off of the 2017 film,“The Fate of the Furious,” starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Adventure

“The New Mutants,” 20th Century Fox: In this spin-off of the X-Men franchise, a group of teenage mutant superheroes train at the Xavier Institute. Sci-Fi.

August 9

“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” Lionsgate: In 1968, a girl (Zoe Margaret Colletti) with horrible secrets turns her tortured life into a series of scary stories. Horror

“Artemis Fowl,” Walt Disney Studios: A 12-year-old millionaire (Ferdia Shaw) kidnaps a fairy to harness her magic. Adventure.

“The Kitchen,” Warner Bros. Pictures: Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss star as three 1978 Hell’s Kitchen housewives who take over running the rackets after their mobster husbands are sent to prison. Crime

“Where’d You Go Bernadette?,” United Artists: . Based on the bestselling book about a Seattle woman who had a loving husband and a brilliant daughter and then unexpectedly disappears. Drama

August 14

“Blinded By The Light,” Warner Bros. Pictures: A Muslim teen (Viveik Karla) learns to understand his family and find his own voice with the music of Bruce Springsteen. Drama.

August 16

“The Angry Birds Movie 2,” Sony Pictures: The sequel to the 2016 film, with voices by Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad and Bill Hader,

“Good Boys,” Universal Pictures: Desperate to replace a destroyed drone before his father gets home, Max (Jacob Tremblay) and friends (Keith L. Williams, Brady Noon) set off on an odyssey of bad decisions. Comedy.

“The Informer,” Aviron Pictures: Former special ops soldier (Joel Kinnaman) works undercover for crooked FBI handlers (Rosamund Pike, Common and Clive Owen). Crime, drama.

“Playmobil: The Movie,” Open Road Films: Charlie (Gabriel Bateman) unexpectedly disappears into the universe of Playmobil, with his sister Marla (Anya Taylor-Joy) following to bring him home. Animation

“Boss Level,” Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures: A retired special-forces veteran (Mel Gibson) is trapped in a time loop, resulting in his death every day. Action.

August 23

“Crawl,” Paramount Pictures: A woman (Kaya Scodelario) finds herself trapped inside a flooding house during a hurricane, while fighting for her life against alligators. Horror.

“Overcomer,” Sony Pictures: Life changes for basketball coach (Alex Kendrick) when the largest manufacturing plant in town is shuts down. Faith, drama.