To paraphrase the great Billy Joel, summer means "cold beers, hot nights" and blockbuster movies.
Though the start of summer isn't until June 21, the summer movie season starts in earnest in May and runs through August. With the slate of 2023 movies coming out over the summer months, there are plenty of options for multiple visits to the movie theaters this summer.
We at What to Watch have plenty that we're excited to see over the next four months, from big action movies to alternative indie movies playing both in theaters and streaming at home. But for the purposes of this preview post, we're sticking with the big tentpole movies that give blockbusters their name.
Read on to see what movie we have ranked as our most anticipated blockbuster movie of the summer.
12. The Little Mermaid (May 26)
The Little Mermaid is absolutely something that we are looking forward to this summer. Featuring Grown-ish star Halle Bailey as Ariel and Bridesmaids funny lady Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, the movie places is the latest live-action adaptation on a Disney classic. Not only is there some long-built-up anticipation to listen to retooled versions of the hit songs "Part of Your World" and "Under the Sea," but we hear that Ursula is getting a different backstory this go around, which should prove interesting for those of us that have seen the animated movie one or 20 times. — Terrell Smith
11. No Hard Feelings (June 23)
It wouldn't be summer without a broad comedy. Throw in Jennifer Lawrence and you have our attention. In No Hard Feelings, the Oscar-winning actress stars as a down-on-her-luck delivery driver who gets the opportunity for some much needed cash if she helps bring a painfully awkward teenager out of his shell before he heads off to college. Director Gene Stupnitsky was behind the hilarious 2019 hit comedy, Good Boys, can he do it again? We've got a good feeling about this one. — Michael Balderston
10. The Last Voyage of the Demeter (August 11)
Horror movies can no longer just be contained to Halloween season, as a number of horror movies are coming out as part of the summer blockbuster season. But the one that we're most looking forward tells a different version of a classic movie monster, Dracula.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter is based on a single chapter from Bram Stoker's original novel about Dracula's journey to London, where the entire crew of the Demeter vanishes without a trace. But how does that happen? This movie will hopefully tell us in fantastically gory detail. — Michael Balderston
9. Elemental (June 16 US, July 7 UK)
This summer, Disney and Pixar are whisking us away to Element City, where citizens of all four elements — air, earth, fire and water —live and work. The golden rule seems to be that they cannot mix, which is precisely what happens when Wade (Mamoudou Athie) splashes down in Firetown after a plumbing incident gone wrong and meets Ember (Leah Lewis).
Elemental looks every bit as creative and visually impressive as you want a new Disney/Pixar adventure to be, packed full of color and life. I'm excited to go on this next journey with our new young heroes. — Martin Shore
8. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (now playing)
It's the end of the road for Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot and Mantis. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 promises to be one of the biggest hits of the summer as the Guardians face the music one last time. Speaking of music, we're excited to get another killer soundtrack from James Gunn, loaded with retro Top-40 hits as well as B-side gems. It's also Gunn's Marvel Studios swan song as he focused on his work at DC. All in all, GOTG Vol. 3 should deliver action, adventure and plenty of nostalgia as the Guardians fly off into the sunset. — Sarabeth Pollock
Read What to Watch's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 review right here, as welll as get all the info you need on how to watch the sequel.
7. Fast X (May 19)
When I think of a summer blockbuster, I think of all-out action and explosions aplenty. And this summer, we're being reunited once again with Dominic Torreto (Vin Diesel) and the family in Fast X as they do battle with drugs kingpin Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), who's seeking revenge after Dom and Co. took out his father way back in Fast Five.
Everything we've seen so far suggests we're getting all the best parts of the Fast franchise. Expect even more bombastic action and souped-up supercars as Dom and his crew take on their most terrifying foe yet. — Martin Shore
6. Barbie (July 21)
The hype around Barbie has been huge, largely due to the fact that it's got such an intriguing ensemble cast. Stars like Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Helen Mirren, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon, John Cena, Alexandra Ship, Emerald Fennell and Emma Mackey are all part of the big line-up.
With Little Women's Greta Gerwig at the helm, we certainly have a lot of faith that she will deliver one of the biggest summer movies, transporting us to the colorful, whimsical world of Barbieland and beyond. There's still a bit of mystery surrounding the movie and we can't wait to see what happens. — Lucy Buglass
5. The Flash (June 16)
The Flash is one of the greatest Hollywood mysteries we've seen in a long time. Its behind the scenes drama of multiple directors, release dates, complications with Ezra Miller and the new direction of DC movies is fascinating. Then there's Tom Cruise, who hasn't made a movie with Warner Bros. since Edge of Tomorrow so has no real reason to lie, raving about the movie. Amid all the changes at Warner Bros. Discovery, The Flash has stayed afloat. Does it truly have the goods to back all that up? We can't wait to find out. — Michael Balderston
4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2)
We've seen plenty of Spider-Man movies before, but we had never seen anything like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse when it hit screens in 2018. Five years is a long time to wait, but we are finally getting to continue Miles Morales' story with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which is set to feature more alternate dimension Spider-Men and Women than you can sling a web at. Even in a summer with the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie and the much hyped The Flash, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is our most anticipated superhero movie of the season. — Michael Balderston
3. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30 US, June 28 UK)
Now, this is seriously exciting! Harrison Ford is swashbuckling his way onto the screen for a final glorious time as Indiana. The buzz around the movie, set in the middle of the Space Race, suggests this is going to be a corker and hopefully get near the heights of the first movie, Raiders of the Lost Arc. Obviously, there are some Nazis thrown in — "Nazis. I hate these guys" — with Mads Mikkelsen starring as the chief villain. Plus Phoebe Waller-Bridge joins the party as Indiana's goddaughter Helena and the legendary John Williams is providing the score. — David Hollingsworth
2. Oppenheimer (July 21)
I'll be the first to admit how disappointed I was with Christopher Nolan's last movie, Tenet, but that does not damper the excitement over Oppenheimer one bit. This star-studded movie (Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Gary Oldman and more) is not your typical blockbuster fare — focusing on the "father" of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer — but Christopher Nolan does not do small, so we can only expect he is going to tell an epic story. Oh, and he reportedly recreated a nuclear explosion without CGI, and that we've got to see on the big screen. — Michael Balderston
1. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One (July 14)
Can Tom Cruise have the biggest summer blockbuster two years in a row? That's TBD, but at the very least Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One is our most anticipated summer blockbuster of 2023. The Mission: Impossible franchise has been on an absolute tear with its last few movies, and Dead Reckoning is the first of the planned two part conclusion for the franchise and features what is being described as Tom Cruise's biggest stunt yet. Tom Cruise putting life and limb on the line again for our entertainment? Count us in. — Michael Balderston
