TAGGED AS: Action, blockbusters, Comic Book, Disney, Disney Plus, Film, films, Marvel, Marvel Studios, movie, movies, Walt Disney Pictures
Things have been a little touch-and-go for theatrical releases this year so far, but if the July calendar is any indication, we are definitely on the right track. Between the high-profile indie titles, superhero movies, action blockbusters, and family fare, there’s bound to be something for viewers of all stripes this month, and judging by the success of films like A Quiet Place Part II and, more recently, F9, audiences are clearly ready to head back to the cineplex this summer. With that in mind, we polled our fans on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and tabulated the Want-to-See numbers on RT proper to come up with the list of Most Anticipated Movies of July, so have a look below and let us know what you’re most looking forward to in the comments!
Black Widow (2021)
#1 on RT and Twitter, #2 on Facebook and Instagram
In theaters and available on Disney+ with Premiere Access on July 9
No surprise here! This is the first theatrical offering in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Spider-Man: Far from Home debuted two years ago, and while fans have been able to get a pretty good fix of MCU storytelling from the Disney+ series WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and, currently, Loki, nothing quite matches up to a good, old-fashioned Marvel movie. Of course, some eager viewers are also curious as to how Black Widow, which focuses on a character we… don’t expect to see around anytime soon, in a story that takes place before the most recent events of the franchise, will impact the larger Phase Four storyline, and that may be enough. It was certainly sufficient to place it at or near the top of all of our polls.
The Green Knight (2021)
#1 on Facebook and Instagram, #2 on Twitter, #4 on RT
In theaters on July 30
In the clearest illustration of the Rotten Tomatoes audience in a nutshell, the other July film that resonated overwhelmingly with our followers was this atmospheric, otherworldly retelling of the 14th century Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The adaptation, directed by David Lowery (A Ghost Story, The Old Man & the Gun), looks to be a visually stunning fantasy adventure with tinges of arthouse horror, which makes sense, considering the studio behind it is A24 (Under the Skin, The Witch, Hereditary). In other words, if a popcorn superhero blockbuster isn’t your thing, maybe a dark thriller based on a Middle English poem is?
Old (2021)
#3 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
In theaters on July 23
Coming in third but, truthfully, lagging significantly behind Black Widow and The Green Knight, is the latest from M. Night Shyamalan, whose roller-coaster career is on the upswing again after 2016’s Split, 2019’s critically divisive but generally well-received Glass, and the recent Apple TV+ series Servant. The premise behind this particular mind-bender centers on a family on vacation who discover the beautiful secluded beach they’re frolicking on is aging them at a freakishly rapid rate. What’s causing this phenomenon? Will the family be able to escape? A lot of folks are apparently itching to find out.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
#2 on RT, #4 on Facebook
In theaters and available on Disney+ with Premiere Access on July 30
Disney achieved phenomenal results with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise by crafting a compelling narrative — and birthing a charismatic character — around one of its theme park rides. It wasn’t the first time the Mouse House had tried it — or the most recent — but it was far and away the most successful, and they now hope to replicate that success with Jungle Cruise. Presumably, some of that success will be attributable to the star power of Emily Blunt (aka the new Mary Poppins) and Dwayne Johnson (who loves making jungle movies), who play an adventuring researcher in search of the mythical Tree of Life and the river boat captain she hires to take her down the Amazon, respectively. It certainly sounds like something probably best experienced on the big screen, and our fans on RT and Facebook generally agree.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021)
#4 on Twitter, #5 on Facebook and Instagram
In theaters on July 23
Unlike their robotic contemporaries who also populated a 1980s cartoon based on a toy line, the live-action G.I. Joe franchise sputtered out after just two films, both of which were poorly received by critics and audiences alike. That said, none of the Transformers movies were critical darlings either until they went back in time for the 2018 prequel Bumblebee, so G.I. Joe figured, “Hey, let’s do that.” Fans of the series know the titular hero of Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins as the mute ninja commando in black, but this here is, well, the origin story, so an unmasked Henry Golding takes on the role as we discover how he came to be the silent assassin some of us know and love. It does look more promising than the first two G.I. Joe movies we got, and some of our fans on social media are eager to find out if that’s the case.
Thumbnail by ©2021 Disney Enterprises
