In 1975, the film world was flipped upside down. “Jaws,” a thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg, became the highest grossing film of all time. This was notable because, unlike previous highest grosser “The Godfather,” it was released in the summer.

At the time, it was typical for the biggest movies to be released during the winter season. “Jaws” changed this convention by showing studios just how profitable the summer could be. Since then, the biggest blockbusters of the year are released in the summer months from early May to late August.

Last year, blockbusters “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” shattered box office records, and this year is shaping up to have its fair share of breakout performances. Already, the dual release of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” and “Lilo & Stitch” set the record for the biggest Memorial Day weekend of all time at the box office.

Kicking off June this year is “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” a film from Len Wiseman set in the same universe as Keanu Reeves’ famous action franchise. Set between the events of “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” and “John Wick: Chapter 4,” the film stars Ana de Armas as the lead with Keanu Reeves returning as the titular assassin.

“Ballerina” was originally written as a standalone script before Lionsgate acquired it and wrote it into the John Wick universe. Following Len Wiseman’s hiring to direct the movie, Lionsgate brought on long-time series director Chad Stahelski to produce and supervise the action sequences. The film releases June 6, 2025, and is anticipated to open close to $40 million.

A week later, Universal’s live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” hits theaters. The movie, a remake of the animated film of the same name, was announced in February of 2023. The film is directed by Dean DeBlois, who directed the animated trilogy of “How to Train Your Dragon” films.

“How to Train Your Dragon” is positioned as one of the main family movies to be released this summer, eyeing a box office opening of up to $100 million. It releases June 13, with a sequel slated for release in 2027.

The same day, new A24 romantic comedy “Materialists” releases. The film stars Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, and is directed by “Past Lives” director Celine Song. It is one of the more highly anticipated films on the review website Letterboxd.

Also on June 13 is the wide expansion of Mike Flanagan’s film “The Life of Chuck.” The movie follows Chuck, played by Tom Hiddleston, as his life is told in reverse chronological order. Similar to films like “Memento,” the film plays backwards. The film initially premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2024, where it won the People’s Choice Award, which typically leads to Oscar nominations and awards buzz down the line.

A week later, the horror genre gets a boost with Danny Boyle’s new film “28 Years Later” releasing. The film, the third in the “28 Days Later” series of zombie movies, stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes.

The film follows up “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later,” showing how the infected from those movies have evolved over the 28 years since the breakout of the Rage virus. It is meant to kick off a trilogy of “28 Years Later” movies, and although Cillian Murphy will not reprise his role from the first film, director Danny Boyle  stated that he may come back at some point.

The film sees writer Alex Garland reteaming with Danny Boyle, after teaming up for both “28 Days Later” and 2007’s “Sunshine.” This is the first time they will be working together in these roles in 18 years.

June 20 also brings with it Pixar’s new movie “Elio.” Work began on the film in 2022, with Adrian Molina initially set to direct. The film was delayed two years from its original release date, with Molina leaving the project to work on “Coco 2.” Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian were brought on to direct, with Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana and Remy Edgerly filling out the voice cast.

“Elio” is set to compete with “How to Train Your Dragon” as the cornerstone family film of the summer, as Pixar movies are typically beloved by audiences. Pixar’s previous film, “Inside Out 2,” broke box office records, becoming the highest grossing animated film of all time. It seems unlikely that “Elio” will reach that same level of success, but Pixar likely have high hopes for it nonetheless.

June ends with two films: “F1” and “M3GAN 2.0.” “F1” is a sports drama directed by Joseph Kosinski based on the Formula One class of worldwide racing. The film was made in collaboration with the FIA, the governing body of Formula One. The film stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris as mentor and student F1 drivers respectively.

The movie also features every F1 driver from the 2023 season playing themselves. The film is reported to cost $300 million, although both director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer refute this claim. Kosinski previously directed blockbusters “TRON: Legacy” and “Top Gun: Maverick.”

On the other hand, “M3GAN 2.0” is a sequel to the 2022 horror film “M3GAN.” The film follows the titular killer robot as she does everything in her power to protect her owner. The sequel follows the technology for M3GAN being stolen and put into a military weapon to attempt an AI takeover of the world.

The film, just like the first, will be produced by Jason Blum and James Wan under their production companies, Blumhouse and Atomic Monster. Also returning from the first are Amie Donald and Jenna Davis as the body and voice of M3GAN, respectively.

July kicks off with blockbuster film “Jurassic World Rebirth,” the seventh installment in the “Jurassic Park” franchise. The film, directed by Gareth Edwards, will reboot the franchise, featuring no returning characters from the Jurassic World series of films. It stars Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey fighting new dinosaurs less featured in other Jurassic films, including an original creation known as the Distortus Rex, or D. Rex.

The film is positioned as one of three candidates to become the film of the summer, with its first competitor coming out a week later. It is the beginning of James Gunn’s attempt at a DC Comics cinematic universe with “Superman.” The film stars David Corenswet as the titular hero.

This marks the second time a DC Comics cinematic universe has begun with an adaptation of Superman, after Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” in 2013. Superman’s last top billing in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” grossed $800 million, although the divisive nature of Zack Snyder as a filmmaker may have contributed to the film not making more money. This, combined with the high awareness of the film in the general public according to TheQuorum, seems to suggest that “Superman” is the strongest competitor to go against “Jurassic World Rebirth” for film of the summer.

The third week of July is somewhat slower, with the two major releases being “Eddington” and “Smurfs.” “Eddington” is the fourth film from director Ari Aster, a western dealing with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, the film was met with mixed reactions when it premiered at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. “Smurfs,” though it didn’t premiere at Cannes, has still been met with criticism throughout the pre-release, particularly towards the casting of Rihanna as the main character, Smurfette.

The fourth week brings with it the final competitor for film of the summer, being “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” It will be the fifth film attempting to bring the quartet to the big screen, this time as part of the MCU franchise. The film stars Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as The Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing.

Previous adaptations of the Fantastic Four ranged  from mixed to bad reactions, with Josh Trank’s 2015 adaptation widely considered to be one of the worst movies of all time. Additionally, Marvel’s 2025 slate has been financially disappointing. Neither “Captain America: Brave New World” nor “Thunderbolts*” have made back their budget in theatrical revenue, and with “Fantastic Four” coming out near the end of the summer season, there’s some apprehension as to whether the film can bring in the big win for Marvel.

Overall, the summer season is full of blockbusters year after year. Even a full 50 years after the first summer blockbuster, the summer continues to be one of the most exciting times for audiences and studios alike.