Following last summer’s high box office sales carried by hits such as Warner Bros’s. “Barbie” and Universal Pictures’ “Oppenheimer,” the box office had big shoes to fill this summer. Despite 2024 having been a slow year at the box office, primarily due to the WGA and SAG strikes of mid-2023, the Hollywood blockbusters lived on, with box office grosses from “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” breaking the records for highest grossing animated movie and r-rated movie respectively. The summer introduced fan-favorite additions to beloved series, with a wide variety of genres represented. With “Deadpool & Wolverine” refreshing the superhero genre as a new entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise; 1996 action movie “Twister” getting a reboot as “Twisters”; the beloved comedy series “Beverly Hills Cop” continuing its saga after 30 years with “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F”; and “Alien: Romulus” as a new installment into the “Alien” series, this summer featured a highly diverse and high performing group of movie releases.

Deadpool & Wolverine: “Deadpool & Wolverine” is Marvel’s newest entry into Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and is the only MCU movie released in 2024. After last year’s “The Marvels” became the MCU franchise’s lowest grossing movie, box office critics foretold the upcoming death of the superhero genre, claiming that audiences had burnt out and were no longer interested in superhero movies. This sentiment seems to explain many of the choices made in Deadpool & Wolverine, with the movie taking advantage of the characters’ personalities to stand out from and poke fun at modern superhero movies. The film follows the two title characters Deadpool and Wolverine as they embark on a journey to save the universe based on a plot from Disney+’s “Loki” series. Throughout the movie, Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds, constantly breaks the fourth wall to address the audience and poke fun at the MCU’s shortcomings, particularly its misuse of the multiverse as a storytelling device. This is a trait Deadpool has commonly displayed in his first two movies, but is different from Wolverine’s character, who is not known for breaking the fourth wall and spends most of the movie groaning in annoyance at Deadpool’s quips. Despite attempting to be a parody of the MCU movies released after Disney’s acquisition of Marvel Studios, Deadpool & Wolverine spends much of its time praising the characters of past movies. This is in stark contrast to the characters previously owned by 20th Century Fox, including Deadpool, Wolverine, and the X-Men. When these characters are given more than just brief cameos, they are always looked down upon as lesser than the characters appearing in the previous MCU movies. Even Deadpool looks up to those characters, with the movie deriving humor from his disappointment at the fact that none of them are present. The movie was beloved by fans, becoming the highest grossing movie with an R rating, which kept audience ratings high enough to achieve the “Verified Hot” rank on Rotten Tomatoes.

Inside Out 2: After the Covid-19 pandemic, Pixar had struggled to bring audiences to theaters; even “Lightyear,” a film out of the successful “Toy Story” franchise fell behind box office expectations. After consecutive flops, it was abundantly clear that Pixar needed a hit: the 2015 animated film “Inside Out” solved this issue. “Inside Out” told the story of main character Riley’s emotions, personified into five key characters: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust. This concept of personified emotions opened itself up to iteration, with “Inside Out 2” being a stunning development in Riley’s life, portraying her teenage experience. The film introduces five new emotions: Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui (boredom), which begin to overpower the emotions from the original movie. The movie’s heart-breakingly realistic view of puberty and all its challenges is sure to resonate with any audience, and he viewers certainly did connect, as the movie has become not only the highest grossing Pixar movie of all time, but the highest grossing animated movie of all time. The movie was well received by fans and critics alike, achieving both the “Certified Fresh” and “Verified Hot” awards on Rotten Tomatoes.

Twisters: In a time where the majority of the summer blockbusters are repetitive comic book adaptations, “Twisters” stands as a refreshing movie among countless other films released this summer. As a throwback to 1990’s summer movies, following up with the original film “Twister,” “Twisters” features subtle references from the original movie with new plotlines and characters played by stars such as Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos and David Corenswet. The film excellently balances the classic natural disaster trope previously used in many blockbusters with a modern edge to it, which gave audiences of all ages an engaging watch. The cast, playing a series of scientists and “Tornado Wranglers,” attempt to track the effects of a massive tornado on a small town. As the plot progresses throughout the movie, multiple storm sequences afflict the characters, providing an urgent thrill to audiences. Upon the initial announcement that “Twister” would be getting a sequel in the 28 years after its initial release, skepticism arose that the film would end up being an outdated blockbuster at best; however, the sequel proved to be an enjoyable thriller with some of the most memorable sequences of the 2024 summer movie season.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F: This film is the newest entry in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, marking 30 years since actor Eddie Murphy’s last performance as the wisecracking cop Axel Foley. Eddie Murphy stepped right back into the role like he never left it, still keeping the signature chaotic energy that he had with the previous films in the franchise. In particular, Axel Foley’s chemistry with Judge Reinhold as Rosewood and John Ashton as Taggart remained as sharp and witty as ever, with those sequences being the most memorable of the entire film. Upon its initial announcement that it would be released as a Netflix original, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” came across to critics as an unnecessary sequel too late in the making. However, when the film premiered, it ended up being an entertaining sequel that captured the humor and essence of the previous films in the franchise. 

Alien: Romulus: Seven years after back-to-back disappointments in the Alien franchise with box office flops “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” director Fede Alvarez asserts the horror element back into the franchise, one that had not been featured since the original “Aliens,” released in 1979. The end result is easily the best film in the entire franchise after the first two films, by just simply taking the franchise back to its original roots: horror and thrill. The practical effects for the xenomorphs and the face huggers, which are aliens in the film, added to the suspense and terror as the main characters of “Alien: Romulus” fight for their survival on a spaceship in the middle of nowhere. Being a prequel, set between the events of “Alien” and “Aliens,” the film manages to blend in lore that ties the franchise together in a satisfying way, while also being its own standalone film. While at times the film could feel to some as if it was playing it too safe with the storyline, it’s an effective horror film that does what its going for rather well, and breathed new life into the franchise again.

Despicable Me 4: After the wild success of “Despicable Me 3” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” the “Despicable Me” franchise still finds a way to keep going… until this year. With the fourth installment in the main continuity, “Despicable Me 4” ends up falling flat on almost every single level. From disconnected plot points to an overall weak story, the film was a disappointment to many, despite the worldwide sales reaching over $807 million.

From superhero epics to heartfelt animated stories, nostalgic reboots to thrilling horror, this summer’s movie season offered something for everyone, making it a memorable one for audiences of all ages.