Planning to spend your summer of movies in Cineworld? In the following blog list, you can discover all the must-see summer 2022 films on release, from Doctor Strange to Nope.
The question is: how do you find the time to watch as many of them as possible? Although we can't help you there, we can help fire your imagination with a host of diverse genres and thrilling cinematic experiences.
MARVEL MOVIES ON RELEASE IN SUMMER 2022
1. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (on release now)
Prepare to be bedazzled by new corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the latest Doctor Strange spectacular. Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) must restore equilibrium to the time-space continuum, aided by the time-hopping America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), and possibly thwarted by the tormented Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), not to mention a host of demonic Strange alternates.
Evil Dead and Spider-Man filmmaker Sam Raimi returns to the comic book fold, uncorking his familiar energetic blend of ghoulishly entertaining atmosphere, canted camera angles and gallows humour. Where will the Marvel Cinematic Universe go from here?
Click here to book your tickets for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
2. Thor: Love and Thunder (8th July 2022)
Back in 2017, director Taika Waititi brought his quirky Kiwi singularity to Thor: Ragnarok, in the process rejuvenating the somewhat staid and stodgy Thor series. Waititi's eighties-aping visual style and quick-fire humour clearly energised star Chris Hemsworth and the rest of the ensemble, so it's a delight to welcome the filmmaker back to the MCU in Thor: Love and Thunder.
This time, Hemsworth's titular Thor has turned his back on his godly duties while Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) is overseeing the dull, bureaucracy-laden new iteration of Asgard. A returning Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) now wields Mjolnir in her role as Lady Thor, and ex-Batman Christian Bale portrays the fearsome villain Gorr the God Butcher. Can this possibly be as joyously deranged as Thor: Ragnarok? We can only hope.
ACTION MOVIES ON RELEASE IN SUMMER 2022
3. Everything Everywhere All At Once (released 13th May)
The terrific Michelle Yeoh gets a much-deserved acting showcase in this dizzying multiverse extravaganza, one that pushes at the boundaries of indie action cinema. Yeoh plays a Chinese-American woman who must unite her alternate serves from across the multiverse to prevent the destruction of the entire universe.
The pulsating filmmaking from directorial collective the Daniels is mixed with a healthy sense of surrealism and a cult cast that ranges from ex-Indiana Jones star Ke-Huy Quan to Halloween icon Jamie Lee Curtis. Yes, it's safe to say we're fired up for this one.
Click here to book your tickets for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
4. Top Gun: Maverick (released 27th May)
After many long years of waiting, several of which were induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, we're finally feeling the need for speed again. Tom Cruise returns to his signature role as the grinning, daredevil Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell, the gung-ho pilot now turned naval instructor.
Maverick's new task is to train a host of brand new top Gun cadets, but there's a wrinkle. One of them is Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick's deceased wingman Goose (Anthony Edwards). The personal fireworks are set to blend with jaw-dropping, seat-gripping in-cockpit cinematography, which, amazingly, was captured by the actors themselves.
Director Joseph Kosinski, who helmed Cruise in 2013's Oblivion, shot Top Gun: Maverick with IMAX cameras to maximise the immersive capabilities of the format. With its mixture of familiar faces (Val Kilmer's Iceman is now an Admiral), fan-pleasing heritage and a soundtrack from Hans Zimmer, Harold Faltermeyer and Lady Gaga, we're in the danger zone already.
Click here to book your tickets for Top Gun: Maverick.
5. Jurassic World: Dominion (released 10th June)
It's been a long time coming, but life has finally found a way in the third, and final, Jurassic World movie. The Jurassic Park spin-off series has seen mankind's worst fears realised: our prehistoric dinosaur ancestors are now on the loose and at large on the American continent, possibly forcing a new stage in human evolution.
Returning hero Owen (Chris Pratt) discovers that his former velociraptor charge Blu has now given birth, and the beasties are subsequently captured for sinister scientific purposes. Teaming up with Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) once again, Owen soon discovers another deadly conspiracy that has resulted in another terrifying genetic mutation: the gigantosaurus, or giga for short.
While the dinos hog the attention, Jurassic Park devotees can revel in the reunion between Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, the trio sharing screentime for the first time since 1993.
Click here to book your tickets for Jurassic World: Dominion.
6. Bullet Train (released 29th July)
Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2 director David Leitch is famous for pushing the boundaries of action sequences. He's set to do it all over again in this ammunition-laden adaptation of the cult novel Maria Beetle, which casts Brad Pitt as one of a number of assassins vying for supremacy on board Japanese public transport.
The excellent and varied cast of miscreants includes Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz and Hiroyuki Sanada. Sparks will fly and guns will fire in this claustrophobic, darkly comic onslaught of carnage and chaos.
FAMILY MOVIES ON RELEASE IN SUMMER 2022
7. Lightyear (released 17th June)
Back in 1995, Toy Story took us to infinity and beyond, launching a new era of extraordinary feature-length CGI animations and establishing Pixar's bona-fides in the process. Of course, the real reason for Toy Story's success was the vibrancy of its characters, none moreso than deluded space ranger Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen).
This year's spin-off movie Lightyear focuses on the human inspiration behind the Buzz Lightyear toy: a brave, square-jawed American hero voiced by Captain America himself, Chris Evans. Expect a wondrous, funny and emotive journey to the far reaches of our galaxy as Buzz finds himself stranded on a hostile planet with seemingly no intelligent life anywhere.
The excellent voice cast includes Taika Waititi and Keke Palmer while the direction comes from Finding Dory's Angus MacLane.
8. Minions: The Rise of Gru (released 1st July)
The Minions movie sequel was originally set for release in 2020. This year, we finally get to catch up with the irrepressible, mischief-making minions and their unmistakeable handler, Gru (Steve Carell).
The story takes us back to the 1970s and dramatises Gru's origins as everyone's favourite cackling super-villain. When Gru applies to become a member of the Vicious 6 villains collective, hilarious hell breaks loose.
How can we possibly resist a movie in which retro action star Jean-Clade Van Damme voices a lobster called Jean Clawed?
9. The Railway Children Return (released 15th July)
The original Railway Children movie, adapted from the classic novel by E. Nesbit, is cherished by an entire generation of filmgoers. Said generation can now share the experience of watching The Railway Children Return with their own kids, as the drama splits the difference between the original cast (Jenny Agutter returns) and a host of new, young faces.
Tom Courtenay and Sheridan Smith round out the cast in this nostalgic ode for a bygone age as a group of World War II evacuees find themselves compelled to help a stranded soldier.
10. DC League of Super-Pets (released 29th July)
Superman? Batman? They're old news. It's all about their canine cohorts in this sly and amusing extension of DC Comics mythology, one that's sure to set tails wagging.
Regular cohorts Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart bring their much-loved chemistry to the vocal roles of Krypto the Super-Dog and Ace the Bat-Hound, Supes and Bruce Wayne's pets, respectively. When their masters are kidnapped, it's up to the loyal pooches to round up their own posse and help save the day.
If the premise has got you sold, wait until you hear about the rest of the voice cast. Keanu Reeves is Batman and John Krasinski is Superman, with support coming from Kate McKinnon, Diego Luna, Natasha Lyonne and Marc Maron. The film comes from the brains behind the blockbusting LEGO Movie franchise, so we've got high hopes for this one.
DRAMA MOVIES ON RELEASE IN SUMMER 2022
11. Downton Abbey: A New Era (on release now)
Don your finery and declare your loyalty to either upstairs or downstairs when venturing to see the new Downton Abbey movie. The palatial estate of Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) now finds itself the subject of an exciting talking pictures production, which has got all of the inhabitants in a flurry of excitement.
At the same time, Lord Grantham finds himself in the south of France investigating the mysterious backstory of the quick-witted Violet Crawley (the scene-stealing Maggie Smith). Series creator and writer of the first Downton Abbey movie Julian Fellowes keeps everything ticking along with an onslaught of silverware, soap opera and skeletons in the closet. Who can possibly resist?
Click here to book your tickets for Downton Abbey: A New Era.
12. Elvis (released 24th June)
How can one possibly compress the life story of the King of Rock and Roll into a single movie? Never tell director Baz Luhrmann the odds – the famously brash and iconoclastic director of Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby has now staged an epic, hip-shaking salute to Presley's iconic legacy.
Sprawling over several decades, Elvis recounts the rags to riches story of the unassuming kid from Memphis, Tennessee who took the world by storm and helped initiate a sea-change in the world of popular music. Austin Butler is said to give an uncanny imitation of The King while Tom Hanks is atypically calculating as Presley's controversial, self-serving manager Colonel Tom Parker.
Made with the blessing of the Presley estate (Elvis' widow Priscilla is said to be extremely impressed with Butler's performance), this is bound to be a celebratory and heart-wrenching experience by turns.
13. Where the Crawdads Sing (released 15th July)
Delia Owens' bestselling novel of social isolation, redemption and the beauty of nature comes to the big screen with the backing of producer Reese Witherspoon. The atmospheric story splits itself across two different timelines, recounting the ostracized upbringing of lonely North Carolina 'marsh girl' Kya Clark, and the subsequent murder investigation that means she's targeted by the bigoted local community.
In her biggest bid for stardom yet, Normal People breakout star Daisy Edgar Jones is sure to bring sensitivity to the role of the alienated yet intelligent and compassionate Kya. The strong supporting cast includes Joe Alwyn, Harris Dickinson and David Straithairn, although it's hard to argue that the real show-stopper will be the majestic Carolina locations.
HORROR MOVIES ON RELEASE IN SUMMER 2022
14. Men (released 1st June)
Writer/director Alex Garland has imprinted on the world of science-fiction with his remarkable features Ex-Machina and Annihilation. He now shifts gears somewhat, bringing to life a pure horror story that unashamedly targets toxic masculinity with all the surrealism and gruesome glee that he can muster.
Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley further cements her reputation as a thrilling screen presence, playing young woman Harper who has fled into the countryside following her husband's apparent suicide. However, she soon finds herself beset on all sides by a collection of men all sharing the same face, all of whom are played by the equally versatile and brilliant Rory Kinnear.
Early word indicates that we should be prepared for a challenging, opaque and thought-provoking story that resists easy explanation at every turn. Well, that's what we've come to expect from Garland, right?
15. The Black Phone (released 24th June)
Following his excursion into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Doctor Strange, director Scott Derrickson now returns to his horror roots. The filmmaker re-teams with Sinister star Ethan Hawke, here shedding his usually reliable and likeable screen image to play the terrifying child kidnapper known as The Grabber.
When The Grabber claims his latest victim, the persecuted boy discovers the titular black phone in the basement, which he can use to communicate with the madman's deceased former child victims. The stage is then set for a grisly and dramatic showdown in this expansion of the creepy Joe Hill short story. If there are overtones of Stephen King's IT, well, that may be because Hill is the author's son, and as fans will know he's more than inherited his father's flair for creepy atmosphere.
16. Nope (released 22nd July)
In just a few short years, Jordan Peele has stormed and re-formed the parameters of satirical comedy-horror. The comedian-turned-filmmaker first burst onto the scene with Get Out, a canny and scary amalgamation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and 12 Years a Slave that won Peele the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. (He was the first African-American filmmaker to claim the prize.)
Peele's second movie, Us, yielded an extraordinary dual performance from Lupita Nyong'o as it spun a dark and terrifying yarn about human doppelgangers and the chilling price of an unseen underclass.
Peele's third movie is about... well, we don't actually know. It is an extraterrestrial movie? A story about the Rapture? It's currently cloaked in mystery and that's how we like it. Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya appears alongside Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun, a terrific ensemble uniting beneath one of the most exciting horror filmmakers in the business. Theories? We have lots.
As you can see, we've got one hell of a summer ahead of us. Which of these movies will you be watching? Let us know @Cineworld and if you're keen to view every single one, sign up to our Cineworld Unlimited membership today.
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