The summer box office crossed the $4 billion mark, its biggest haul since the COVID-19 pandemic and a much-need boost fueled by record-breaking performances from “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “Toy Story 5″ and “Michael.”
That momentum is expected to carry through the end of the year, with several major releases still on the horizon.
“This entire year will be studied for future strategy by studios,” predicts Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends Paul Dergarabedian, per Variety.
“Is the old-school thinking correct, that audiences just want known IP, big blockbusters, sequels, and franchises? Of course they do. But they also want challenging fare, unique and original stories.”
After several lackluster summers at the box office in the wake of Hollywood strikes and the post-COVID-19 era, a mix of reliable blockbuster franchises and low-budget breakout hits such as “Obsession” and “Backrooms” has fueled Hollywood’s strongest summer in seven years.
Theaters are poised for another strong stretch through the holiday season, with the domestic box office on track to surpass $10 billion in 2026 — a threshold it has not reached since the pandemic.
Another “Barbenheimer”-type opening weekend could provide the final push. “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune: Part Three″ share a December release date, potentially giving the year-end box office the muscle it needs to cross the $10 billion mark.
Other highly-anticipated releases, including “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” and “Practical Magic 2,″ are also expected to keep audiences coming back to theaters throughout the season.
Here are 17 movies coming to theaters through the end of the year.
‘Finding Emily’
When a lovesick musician (Spike Fearn) realizes he was given the wrong number for his dream girl, Emily, he teams up with an ambitious psychology student (Angourie Rice) to find her. Their quest sparks a humorous campus-wide spectacle that forces them to confront unexpected feelings and the chaos of modern romance.
Rating: PG-13
Release date: Aug. 28
‘Practical Magic 2′
Set roughly 25 years after its predecessor, Owens sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) reunite to break the centuries-old family curse that threatens to condemn them to a life without love.
As the curse begins to unravel the family of witches, the sisters must confront dark secrets and make sacrifices for each other.
Rating: PG-13
Release date: Sept. 11
‘Forgotten Island’
Lifelong best friends Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) have their plans to go their separate ways after high school upended when they stumble upon a magical portal that takes them to a fantastical island that feeds on their memories.
Returning home might cost them the memories of their entire friendship.
Rating: PG
Release date: Sept. 25
‘The Social Reckoning’
After uncovering alarming secrets at Facebook, young engineer Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) enlists Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horowitz (Jeremy Allen White) to help blow the whistle on the social network’s closely guarded secrets.
Rating: TBD
Release date: Oct. 9
‘Sense and Sensibility’
This fresh adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1811 novel follows three sisters who, after being forced to leave their family estate with their widowed mother, begin a new life at a modest cottage.
There, they learn to navigate love, heartbreak and the pressures of societal expectations while discovering the enduring power of sisterhood.
Rating: PG
Release date: Oct. 16
‘Whalefall’
After his father’s (Josh Brolin) death, scuba diver Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) dives off the coast of California in search of his remains, but is swallowed by an 80-foot sperm whale. Trapped inside it’s belly, Jay relies on lessons about the ocean his father taught him to escape before his oxygen runs out.
Rating: TBD
Release date: Oct. 16
‘Wildwood’
When her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows, Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) ventures into the enchanted forest hidden just outside her neighborhood on a dangerous mission to recuse him.
Rating: PG-13
Release date: Oct. 23
‘Klara and the Sun’
When Klara (Jenna Ortega), a robot girl designed to prevent loneliness, becomes part of Josie’s (Mia Tharia) fractured family, her unwavering devotion begins to change their lives.
Rating: PG-13
Release date: Oct. 23
‘The Cat in the Hat’
As siblings Gabby (Xochitl Gomez) and Sebastian (Tiago Martinez) reluctantly adjust to their new town, The Cat in the Hat (Bill Hader) arrives with a mission to cheer them up.
But when his mischief and wild antics quickly go too far, he risks losing his magical hat.
Rating: PG
Release date: Nov. 6
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’
Two years after surviving Godzilla’s previous rampage, the Shikishima family faces a new catastrophe when the legendary monster returns to wreak havoc.
Rating: PG-13
Release date: Nov. 6
‘Ebenezer’
Set in Dickens’ London, stingy businessman Ebenezer Scrooge (Johnny Depp) embarks on a supernatural journey through his past, present and future in search of redemption.
Rating: PG-13
Release date: Nov. 13
‘Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’
Set 24 years before “The Hunger Games,” a 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) is selected for the Second Quarter Quell, the 50th Hunger Games, where the capitol doubles the number of tributes and sends him into its deadliest arena yet.
Rating: PG-13
Release date: Nov. 20
‘Disney’s Hexed’
After discovering powerful magical abilities, an eccentric teenage girl (Hailee Steinfeld) is pulled into Hexe — a sprawling witch realm hidden from the human world.
Alongside her mother, she uncovers a mysterious family legacy that could change the world of witches forever.
Rating: PG
Release date: Nov. 25
‘Focker-in-Law’
Greg Focker’s (Ben Stiller) son, Henry Focker (Skyler Gisondo), brings home his girlfriend (Ariana Grande) — a highly trained FBI hostage negotiator — to meet his complicated family.
But when Henry reveals his plans to propose, Greg begins to worry his son doesn’t understand what he is getting himself into.
Rating: PG-13
Release date: Nov. 25
‘Avengers: Doomsday’
When Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) threatens to destroy the multiverse, the Avengers unite with the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts and Earth’s strongest superheroes to stop his catastrophic threat.
Rating: PG-13
Release date: Dec. 18
‘Dune: Part Three′
Emperor Paul Atreides’ (Timothée Chalamet) reign begins to unravel as old allies return, new enemies emerge and a sweeping conspiracy puts Chani (Zendaya) at its center.
Haunted by visions of his empire’s collapse, Paul must confront the price of power and the fate of the ones he loves.
Rating: PG-13
Release date: Dec. 18
‘The Angry Birds Movie 3′
Red (Jason Sudeikis) must tackle his two greatest challenges yet — becoming a dad while also saving the world.
Rating: PG
Release date: Dec. 23