The Summer 2016 Movie Preview

Summer 2016 Movie Preview

Spider-Man and company are about to get you into the swing of the summer movie season as Captain America: Civil War kicks off Hollywood’s annual parade of their explodiest tentpoles along with their biggest stars. The Avengers aren’t the only superhero team, though, as the Ninja Turtles, X-Men and Task Force X (a.k.a. Suicide Squad) are also suiting up along with the crew of the Starship Enterprise and Jason Bourne.

It should also come as no surprise that our Summer 2016 Movie Preview is literally half made up of sequels, with many characters you haven’t seen onscreen in awhile (we’re looking at you, Ghostbusters) making their long-awaited return. There’s also some comedies and a few original movies thrown into the mix that should hopefully make this one of the best summers in recent memory! While there may be some fabulous indie films coming to your local arthouse, these are our picks for the movies that are most likely to break the bank at the box office while providing all of us a chance to beat the scorching summer heat.

Check out our 2016 Summer Movie Preview in the gallery below! Which movie are you looking forward to the most? Let us know your most anticipated movies in the comments below!

Summer Movie Preview 2016

Captain America: Civil War (May 6)

In a movie that features all the Avengers, plus Ant-Man and Black Panther, is it gilding the lilly to throw Spider-Man and Aunt May into the mix as well? Apparently not! Civil War is already garnering some of the best reviews in Marvel Studios history, and by pitting Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) against Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), it will certainly school all other movies on how to do a superhero grudge match right.
Money Monster (May 13)

George Clooney plays a TV stock analyst personality named Lee Gates, who is held hostage by a man named Kyle (Jack O'Connell). Kyle lost all his money based on one of Gates' tips. Julia Roberts co-stars, and Jodie Foster directs.
The Angry Birds Movie (May 20)

Rovio Entertainment's phenomenally-popular online game comes to the big screen as a 3D animated family film. Jason Sudeikis voices Red, an ostracized bird who is filled with rage that may come in handy once his tropical island is invaded by pigs.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (May 20)

After battling a fraternity led by Zac Efron in the first one, Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne must team with Efron's Teddy Sanders to battle a rowdy sorority led by Chloë Grace Moretz. Nicholas Stoller returns to direct.
The Nice Guys (May 20)

In 2005, Shane Black made his directorial debut on the hilarious meta-noir Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and ever since we've wanted to see him acquire the clout to make another of his patented buddy action comedies on a bigger scale. One Iron Man 3 later and we have The Nice Guys, featuring Russell Crowe as a recovering alcoholic enforcer-for-hire and Ryan Gosling as a wimpy private investigator. They team up to solve a missing persons case in 1970's Los Angeles, and hilarity shall ensue.
Alice Through the Looking Glass (May 27)

Johnny Depp is back and still mad as a hatter. Mia Wasikowska's Alice is once again whisked away to the whimsical world of wonderland where she will have a showdown with the half-clockwork demigod Time, as played by Sacha Baron Cohen. James Bobin (The Muppets) takes over for Tim Burton in the director's chair.
X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27)

Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) once again must save the world from a mutant with a decidedly anti-human agenda. That title villain is played by Oscar Isaac in some pretty silly-looking purple make-up, but perhaps he won't look so silly when he's wiping out the human race along with his Four Horsemen Angel, Psylocke, Storm and Magneto, the latter reprised by Michael Fassbender. Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique will go against her former boyfriend to lead a new group of young X-Men.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (June 3)

Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island posse team up to put the satiric screws to Justin Bieber and his ilk of self-absorbed pop idols. The plot of this mockumentary concerns Samberg's Connor 4 Real, a white rapper whose flagging career forces him to reunite with his former boy band members.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (June 3)

Dave Green of Earth to Echo is probably the first person to grow up a fan of the Turtles to get to direct a movie of them, and the early previews show a distinct love for the '90s animated cartoon. Shredder is still in play, but this time the big bad is alien Krang (Fred Armisen) and his goons Bebop and Rocksteady. Stephen Amell of "Arrow" fame plays street vigilante Casey Jones.
The Conjuring 2 (June 10)

In 2013, director James Wan's The Conjuring introduced audiences to The Warrens, the real-life husband/wife paranormal investigators as compellingly portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Now the Warrens are back and in swinging '70s London to try to crack the case of the infamous Enfield Poltergeist.
Now You See Me 2 (June 10)

This sequel to 2013's sleeper hit sees magical con men The Four Horsemen with a few new members including Lizzy Caplan (The Interview), Jay Chou (The Green Hornet) and Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe. The original returning cast tincludes Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.
Warcraft (June 10)

Acclaimed director Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) brings his exacting eye to the Blizzard's Azeroth, a land where humans and orcs are forced to clash when the latter's home of Draenor is destroyed, forcing them to move in on our world. Unlike other Tolkien-inspired fantasy epics that paint orc-like creatures as villainous garbage, this one looks to actually bring sympathy to the "enemy" in order to create a more humanistic adventure where the two clans unite.
Central Intelligence (June 17)

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart team up for this old school action comedy from director Rawson Marshall Thurber (We're the Millers, Dodgeball). The two men play former high school buddies who reunite and wind up getting caught up in a case involving shootouts, explosions and leaping out of buildings.
Finding Dory (June 17)

Pixar brings us another long-awaited sequel as Ellen DeGeneres' title fish sets out to find her family at a marine life institute. Albert Brooks' Marlin and his son Nemo also tag along for the adventure.
Free State of Jones (June 24)

Gary Ross (The Hunger Games) wrote and directed this true story of Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey), an uncommonly progressive Mississippi farmer who led an armed rebellion against Confederate forces in Jones County. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell and Brendan Gleeson co-star.
Independence Day: Resurgence (June 24)

It's been 20 years since former President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) fended off an alien invasion of Earth. Now, despite years of using alien tech to strengthen the planet's defenses, the creatures have returned with machines of apocalyptic devastation. Only Jeff Goldblum and some new recruits (Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe) can possibly save the day.
The Shallows (June 24)

Blake Lively is a one-woman show as a surfer named Nancy who gets stranded on an ocean rock 200 yards from shore being circled by a deadly shark. Described as "Gravity in the water," this suspense thriller is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop).
The BFG (July 1)

After decades in development, director Steven Spielberg finally brings Roald Dahl's classic children's fable to magnificent life. Newcomer Rubie Barnhill plays Sophie, the precocious young girl who is whisked away to the giant world by the title Big Friendly Giant, as played by recent Oscar winner Mark Rylance in a motion-capture performance.
The Legend of Tarzan (July 1)

Alexander Skarsgård swings into the role of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic jungle hero in an original story which features a now-civilized Tarzan returning to his wild roots. Margot Robbie is Jane, Samuel L. Jackson is the sidekick and Christoph Waltz is the baddie in this big-budget adventure from Harry Potter director David Yates.
The Purge: Election Year (July 1)

This third chapter in the saga picks up with Frank Grillo's Leo Barnes from The Purge: Anarchy protecting a female presidential hopeful (Elizabeth Mitchell) who wants to end the barbaric practice of the annual Purge Night. It won't be easy.
Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates (July 8)

Two loose cannon dudes (Zac Efron and Adam DeVine) are forced to bring civilized dates to a family wedding, but their choices (Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza) turn out to be anything-but civilized.
The Secret Life of Pets (July 8)

Illumination Entertainment, the company behind Minions, brings us the summer's most tail-waggingly adorable animated movie about a faithful dog named Max (Louis C.K.) who has to deal with the repercussions of a new dog in the house named Duke (Eric Stonestreet). Along the way both of them cross paths with a rabbit named Snowball (Kevin Hart), who wants to exact revenge on happy pet owners.
Ghostbusters (July 15)

Paul Feig of Bridesmaids fame dusts off the all-time great paranormal extermination team after decades in mothballs for an all-female reboot. Kristen Wiig leads a fresh team that includes Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth as they capture free-repeaters and full-roaming vapors all over New York.
Ice Age: Collision Course (July 22)

The fifth installment in Fox's ever-popular Ice Age series finds Manny, Sid, Diego, and the rest of the herd on a new adventure after Scrat sets in motion a series of events that may change the face of the planet as they know it.
Lights Out (July 22)

With the help of producer James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring), director David F. Sandberg adapts his own award-winning 2013 short film of the same name. Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies) plays a girl whose family is haunted/hunted by a creature who only exists when the lights are out.
Star Trek Beyond (July 22)

Fan-fav Simon Pegg is promoted from Chief Engineer to chief screenwriter, co-penning this latest adventure for the crew of the Starship Enterprise. This time out Kirk & Co. find themselves stranded without a ship on an unknown planet facing a new enemy led by Krall (Idris Elba).
Bad Moms (July 29)

Mila Kunis leads a trio of moms, which also includes Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn, as they liberate themselves from the "rules" of parenthood. Along the way they confront a second trio of power moms led by Christina Applegate.
Jason Bourne (July 29)

Matt Damon is back in the role he was Bourne to play. The titular sleeper agent resurfaces after seven years to take on a new enemy in new locales for the franchise, including Greece and Las Vegas. Paul Greengrass, who directed The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, returns behind the camera.
Suicide Squad (Aug. 5)

The DC Extended Universe expands with this adaptation of one of the more obscure titles in their library. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) leads the ragtag team of criminals known as Task Force X - including Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn - on a mission against an unknown threat. David Ayer (End of Watch) directs, with Ben Affleck reprising his role as Batman and Jared Leto as The Joker.
Pete's Dragon (Aug. 12)

A remake of Disney's 1977 classic, which itself was a blend of live-action and animation. That hasn't changed, although now CGI gives filmmaker David Lowery the opportunity to render that dragon in photorealistic ways. Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Wes Bentley and Karl Urban co-star.
Sausage Party (Aug. 12)

Seth Rogen co-wrote and stars in this HARD R-RATED animated movie for adults that will undoubtedly change your perspective on supermarket produce. The all-star voice cast of fruits, veggies and meat includes Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson and Paul Rudd.
Ben-Hur (Aug. 19)

The 1959 Charlton Heston classic (itself a remake) gets a modern-day overhaul from Russian director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted). Jack Huston plays Judah Ben-Hur, a prince who becomes a slave and then exacts his revenge on his own brother through the iconic chariot race, all while spending some time chilling with a dude named Jesus.
Kubo and the Two Strings (Aug. 19)

The stop-motion animation geniuses at Laika have created Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls, and now their latest adventure explores Japanese mythology. A young boy must locate a magical suit of armor in order to defeat magical monsters. Laika's CEO Travis Knight makes his directorial debut.
The Space Between Us (Aug. 19)

Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson, Gary Oldman, and Carla Gugino star in this heartwarming story of a boy living on Mars who falls in love with a girl on Earth, and his journey back home to see her.
War Dogs (Aug. 19)

Miles Teller and Jonah Hill portray David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, two real-life young arms dealers who took a lucrative deal with the government to supply weapons for U.S. allies in Afghanistan. Directed by The Hangover trilogy's Todd Phillips.