This image released by Sony Pictures shows Spider-Man and Boomerang in a scene from “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
A new Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan’s first movie since the Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” and entries in the “Toy Story,” “Superman” and “Spider-Man” franchises are headed to multiplexes soon.
If there’s a word to describe the 2026 summer movie season, it would be “epic.”
Here’s a baker’s dozen of movies the Chronicle is most anticipating:
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‘Pressure’
A World War II thriller in which the nail-biting suspense stems from forecasting the weather.
Supreme Allied Commander and future U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser in an interesting bit of casting) is planning the D-Day invasion and his top meteorologists, played by Andrew Scott and Chris Messina, can’t agree.
It’s not only a tense war film, but a glimpse into just how difficult it was to predict the weather in the early days of meteorology. In this case, the fate of the world is at stake.
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Kerry Condon (“F1”) is Kay Summersby, Eisenhower’s famed personal assistant.
In theaters Friday, May 29.
Emily Blunt in a scene from Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day.”
‘Disclosure Day’
There’s already a “Star Wars” film in theaters (“The Mandalorian and Grogu”), but now comes a Steven Spielberg movie about aliens. Those are some real 1977 vibes.
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“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” came out that year, and later Spielberg would make “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982). The legendary director turns 80 later this year, and although he has been tight-lipped about plot details, “Disclosure Day” feels like a career-capper.
Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and former San Francisco theater actor Colman Domingo star.
In theaters Friday, June 12.
‘Stop! That! Train!’
RuPaul plays the U.S. president in this drag queen action comedy about a runaway train called the Glamazon Express. Her “RuPaul’s Drag Race” co-stars Ginger Minj and Jujubee star as stewardesses.
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The cast also includes Matt Rogers, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Rachel Bloom, Lisa Rinna and Nicole Richie.
In theaters Friday, June 12.
Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, left, and Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen, in Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5.”
‘Toy Story 5’
Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie (the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack, respectively) and the other toys are afraid of losing their jobs to technology in this highly anticipated installment in Pixar’s historic animated franchise.
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The tech in question is an iPad-like smart tablet that looks like a green frog, called a Lilypad.
Will Bonnie, who inherited Andy’s toys when her brother went off to college, be glued to her screen?
Keanu Reeves reprises his role as Duke Caboom, while newcomers Greta Lee and Conan O’Brien join the star-studded voice cast.
In theaters Friday, June 19.
Hugh Jackman stars in “The Death of Robin Hood.”
‘The Death of Robin Hood’
Hugh Jackman plays the legendary outlaw as an aging, disillusioned man who has fought one battle too many.
When he is gravely wounded, a woman (Jodie Comer) and a young girl may offer the key to his salvation. Bill Skarsgård is Little John.
Michael Sarnoski, who also directed “Pig” (2021) and “A Quiet Place: Day One” (2024), based the story on a ballad from the 17th century.
In theaters Friday, June 19.
Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) and her faithful super dog Krypto travel the universe in “Supergirl.”
‘Supergirl’
Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) made a grand entrance at the end of last year’s summer hit “Superman,” and now she gets her own blockbuster.
Supe’s cousin and her faithful super dog Krypto are lonely planet travelers as Kara searches for the meaning of life. Bad guys, though, have a way of providing purpose.
Jason Momoa co-stars, and David Corenswet’s Superman also makes an appearance.
In theaters Friday, June 26.
From left: Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton in a scene from “The Invite.”
‘The Invite’
Olivia Wilde’s third film as director pairs her with Seth Rogan as a dysfunctional couple who live in a classic San Francisco apartment. When the couple upstairs (Ed Norton and Penélope Cruz) comes to dinner, it jumpstarts a night of shocking reveals and personal insights.
Absorbing and often funny as it is sad, “The Invite” has a bit of late 1960s classics “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice” in its DNA. It thrilled a soldout Castro Theatre in April when it opened the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival.
In theaters Friday, June 26.
Ed, Henry and Goomi in a scene from Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters.”
‘Minions & Monsters’
The one-eyed little yellow creatures, who wreaked havoc in San Francisco in “Minions: The Rise of Gru” (2022), head to 1920s Hollywood to make a Universal monster movie just as the advent of sound will change the art form forever.
This is the third “Minions” movie, a series that is an offshoot of the “Despicable Me” franchise, and stars the voices of Christoph Waltz, Jessie Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch and Jeff Bridges.
In theaters Friday, July 1.
Catherine Laga’aia sets out to save her people in Disney’s live action remake of “Moana.”
‘Moana’
Another live action remake of a Disney animated classic is likely to be a summer box-office smash.
A year after a live action “Lilo & Stitch” charmed audiences, “Moana,” based on the 2016 animated film, is set to do the same. In ancient Polynesia, a teenage girl (newcomer Catherine Laga’aia) sets out to save her people with the help of a demigod (Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui in the flesh).
In theaters Friday, July 10.
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”
‘The Odyssey’
Perhaps the most anticipated film of the summer, “The Odyssey” is a $250 million epic that is the first movie ever shot entirely with IMAX cameras.
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, who encounters many adventures as he heads home after the Trojan War.
Oakland’s Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron are among the all-star cast.
In theaters Friday, July 17.
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’
Holland and Zendaya, one of Hollywood’s most beloved real-life couples, are back in their fourth go-round as Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, and his girlfriend MJ.
Spidey was last seen in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021), in which the superhero got Doctor Strange to erase him from everyone’s memory in order to protect the multiverse. How will he deal with his loneliness, and reconnect with MJ?
In theaters Friday, July 31.
Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde in Gregg Araki’s “I Want Your Sex.”
‘I Want Your Sex’
A key figure in the 1990s’ New Queer Cinema movement, Gregg Araki returns with his first film in a dozen years.
Olivia Wilde is a provocative artist who starts an affair with an intern (Cooper Hoffman) who’s two decades her junior. Great for the intern — at least until things get really weird and dangerous.
Bay Area native Daveed Diggs also stars.
In theaters Friday, July 31.
‘Coyote vs. Acme’
This animated movie became infamous for being shelved as Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav used it as a tax write off as he looked for solutions to deal with the company’s crippling debt.
Looney Tunes fans flooded social media blasting Zaslav. Now, three years later, they’ll get to see it after Ketchup Entertainment bought it.
John Cena, East Bay native Will Forte and Lana Condor star.
Now if Ketchup could rescue “Batgirl,” which Zaslav also shelved in 2023, that would be great.
In theaters Friday, Aug. 28.
