All things considered, this July doesn’t boast as many big summer films as one might think. That said, the big movies we are getting this month are pretty huge, ranging from the next chapter of the MCU and one of Disney’s highest-profile releases in some time to horror-meister Ari Aster’s follow-up to Hereditary and the latest Quentin Tarantino flick. Throw in a surprise breakout hit from Sundance, and the top of the pile looks pretty promising. Read on to find out the five most anticipated movies by Rotten Tomatoes users and our fans on social media in July.
8,731 Want-to-See Votes
#2 pick by our Instagram and Twitter fans, #3 pick by our Facebook fans
Opens July 3
Ever since Tom Holland swung into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, fans have largely been on board with his earnest, self-deprecating portrayal of Peter Parker. That’s good news for Marvel, because it’s very likely that Spider-Man will become one of the linchpins of the franchise following Avengers: Endgame. With that in mind, hopes are high for this follow-up to his first solo MCU outing, which takes place after the events of Endgame and catches Peter up with his high school pals as they travel together to Europe. There, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) tracks him down to team up with another man with superpowers to defeat a series of elemental threats. The film is already Certified Fresh, signaling a strong start to the post-Endgame MCU.
831 Want-to-See Votes
#1 pick by our Instagram and Twitter fans, #2 pick by our Facebook fans
Opens July 26
Is Quentin Tarantino really going to retire after he directs 10 films? We hope not, but in the meantime, let’s hope he continues to churn out quality stuff. His latest effort is a cheeky, affectionate look back at the 1960s, specifically through the lens of a struggling, alcoholic actor (played b Leonardo DiCaprio) and his best friend and stunt double (played by Brad Pitt). Little was revealed about the plot of the film before it premiered at Cannes, save for the fact that the Manson Family Murders would somehow play into it, but Tarantino’s name itself — as well as a cast that includes not only DiCaprio and Pitt but also Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning, and Bruce Dern, among others — shot this one right to the top of our Instagram and Twitter polls, with a second place finish on Facebook.
1,405 Want-to-See Votes
#1 pick by our Facebook fans, #3 pick by our Instagram and Twitter fans
Opens July 3
Last year, director Ari Aster made a huge impression with his feature debut, Hereditary, a terrifying horror film wrapped up in a family drama about grief and loss. Now he returns with Midsommar, a terrifying — or, at least, unsettling — horror film wrapped up in a break-up movie, and those who found Hereditary effective are eager to see if Aster is a “one-and-done” or something more. The film centers on a group of friends — including a couple whose relationship is on the rocks — who journey to a remote village in Sweden for a once-in-a-lifetime festival, only to discover strange and dangerous things are afoot. Hereditary was somewhat divisive for moviegoers, and there’s a strong chance it’ll be the same for Midsommar, but there’s no doubt that Ari Aster is a skilled craftsman, and who doesn’t love a good scare at the movies from time to time?
6,414 Want-to-See Votes
#4 pick by our Instagram and Twitter fans
Opens July 19
Despite the fact that it earned the second-highest tally of Want-to-See votes of all the films opening this month, Disney’s “live-action” remake of The Lion King failed to generate much interest at all among our fans on social media, which is why it sits at #4 overall on this month’s list. Jon Favreau takes the reins for this photorealistic CGI reimagining of the beloved 1994 movie; he tackled a similar effort with 2016’s The Jungle Book and achieved spectacular results. Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and Alfre Woodard are just some of the names that make up the cast, along with James Earl Jones, who returns to reprise his role as Mufasa. Expectations are high, so it remains to be seen if this new version will have the same kind of lasting impact that its animated predecessor did.
520 Want-to-See Votes
#4 pick by our Facebook fans, #5 pick by our Instagram and Twitter fans
Opens on July 12
Lastly, we’ve got an unlikely choice sliding into the #5 slot. Awkwafina had a breakout year in 2018, stealing scenes in both Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8, but now she gets a chance to shine as the lead. Writer-director Lulu Wang’s heartfelt comedy-drama centers on a Chinese-American woman named Billi who, along with several members of her extended family, returns to China under the pretense of a fast-tracked wedding so that everyone can spend some quality time with Billi’s dying grandmother, the family matriarch. The catch? Grandma doesn’t know she’s dying. The Farewell premiered at Sundance to rave reviews, and it still maintains a Certified Fresh 100% on RT. It’s being hailed as a triumph for both Wang and Awkwafina, and it managed to draw enough interest to scoot into this month’s list.
