Madeleine Durham
This summer proved hot in the movie industry with an abundance of highly-anticipated movies hitting the theaters. Live-action remakes like “Lilo & Stitch” and “How to Train Your Dragon” stirred a revival in old fans of the beloved animated movies. “Superman” and “The Fantastic Four” offered a new spin on archetypes and classic movies. The summer added unique and innovative movies that topped charts, giving way for brand-new stories to come alive, including the hit movie “K-Pop Demon Hunters.”
Happy Gilmore 2, a highly-anticipated sequel to the 1996 movie of the same name, debuted in theaters in July 2025. Despite the overall support and marketing for the movie, the reviews offered a more critical take, with many discussing the overuse of cameos and gags. The film showed professional golfers like Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, yet overdid celebrity cameos, including Travis Kelce, Eminem and Guy Fieri – a longer list provided by People.
Out of all the summer movies, the live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” topped the charts by grossing over $1 billion worldwide. Even with a wide range of support both before and after the movie was released in theaters, many fans of the original felt let down and upset due to the ending being different. Unlike its original movie, this live-action production features Nani giving up custody to Lilo to study marine biology in California, and Lilo is then adopted by David’s grandmother. The change, although a bit more practical in a sense, brought criticism to the movie for not staying true to its source film, adding to the list of changes Disney made.
Another sequel in the Jurassic World series, Jurassic World Rebirth, took to the theaters this July, providing another treacherous adventure for watchers to indulge in the prehistoric times. Bringing Universal Pictures over $300 million, the movie premiered as the seventh in the franchise and held a storyline that closely mirrored earlier movies.
A reboot of one of the classic Marvel Universe stories, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, takes a new spin on the characters and their legacy. Vastly promoted across the United States and the world, the movie featured famed actor Pedro Pascal, whose popularity rapidly rose in the past decade, bolstering anticipation. Although the Fantastic Four movies in the past seemed stale and contained underdeveloped stories, this reboot exhibited the thrilling and inspiring movie that the Marvel franchise is known for.
The 2003 comedy classic, Freaky Friday, received its own sequel this August in the form of Freakier Friday. In this new installment, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan return to their original characters and are thrust into another body-swap scenario. The film brings nostalgia to watchers of the first movie while being equally entertaining and comedic for all ages.
Marvel’s Fantastic Four: The First Steps proved to be a success, but so did the DC Universe’s Superman in July. Regarded as a success by critics, the superhero movie received relatively positive reviews containing few errors, such as script issues. The film garnered Warner Bros. over $600 million, surpassing the production’s initial target. While not quite matching its predecessor, Man of Steel, which grossed $670 million, Superman ultimately won the hearts of viewers through its optimistic and entertaining value.
Becoming Netflix’s most-watched movie of all time, “K-Pop Demon Hunters” shattered expectations and cemented itself as a cultural phenomenon. The animated film dominated global and streaming charts at its release. Rated one of the highest movies of all time, K-Pop Demon Hunters received a critic score of 97% and a 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Sony’s film not only succeeded because of its music, action-comedy plot, and use of Korean culture, but the deeper message of friendship and acceptance, which strongly resonated with audiences across the globe.
A story about redemption, hope, and teamwork, F1 The Movie offers a strong film to watch. The sports-action movie captured the thrill and danger of Formula 1 racing while engaging audiences in a solid storyline. Released late July in theaters, F1 The Movie achieved major box office success, grossing over $600 million and becoming the highest-grossing sports movie of all time.
Like Lilo & Stitch, DreamWorks’s “How to Train Your Dragon” received its own live-action remake in June. With overall positive feedback, the adaptation surpassed the original animated film’s earnings. By staying true to the initial film, the remake drew praise from both new and old fans of the franchise. Because of the overwhelmingly good reviews for the movie, the live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” is set to receive a sequel sometime in 2027.
Both “Elio” by Disney and “M3GAN 2.0” by Blumhouse are widely considered flops at the box office. “Elio” received only $35 million worldwide against a $150 million budget, and “M3GAN 2.0” garnered only $17 million for Blumhouse. The comedy action movie “Heads Of State” generally gained positive reviews but was criticized for dull visuals and a weak script. A faith-based film produced by Angel Studios, “The Last Rodeo,” achieved high audience scores but mixed reviews from critics. The film proved a financial success and the production fifth-biggest hit despite critics’ negative feedback.
Out of all the summer movies to be released, six films stood out as recommended watches. Live action adaptations of “Lilo & Stitch” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” action-packed movies of “Superman” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” and the action-comedy “K-Pop Demon Hunters” and sports comedy “Happy Gilmore 2”; all these are movies from the summer drawing high praise and worth watching.
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