With the summer movie season starting and more options to catch at your local movie theater and at home, we thought a weekly guide might help you figure out what might catch your interest. With holdovers like Backrooms and Obsession still going strong, the marketplace expands with even more choices this weekend that should appeal to a wide range of demographics. From the return of a horror movie spoof franchise to heading back to Eternia, we’ve got you covered on what you should check out this week!
What’s Opening In Theaters?
Summer kicks into high gear with the release of Masters of the Universe, a film based on the popular media franchise from Mattel, and the second live-action film adaptation after the cult classic 1987 film. Directed by Travis Knight and from a screenplay by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and David Callaham, Masters of the Universe follows Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine), who escaped his home planet of Eternia as a child, as he fulfils his destiny as He-Man and attempts to save his home from the treacherous Skeletor (Jared Leto) and his evil cohorts. The film also stars Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Kristin Wiig, Morena Baccarin, and Idris Elba.
With a reported budget between $170-200 million, more money was pumped into this trip to Eternia than the $22 million spent on the 1987 film, but it could be an investment that pays off for Amazon MGM Studios. Unlike most studios, the endgame isn’t just in theaters and this is an IP that could bring a lot of eyes to their Prime Video platform after its run in theaters is done.
Also, it appears this may have been money well spent because reviews are solid at a certified fresh rating of 72 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and the social reactions, largely from the film’s target demo, have applauded the movie as a fun summer romp that is bound to hit all the nostalgic notes for everyone who grew up with the IP as a child. There is also potential to break out with new audiences, something the film will need to sustain play in the coming weeks.
The Wayans Brothers are bringing comedy back to the big screen this weekend, and they hope that you’ll welcome back the Scary Movie franchise with the release of the sixth installment. Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Keenen Ivory Wayans return as co-writers and producers for the first time since 2001’sScary Movie 2 in what fans hope will be a return to form after the franchise was stripped from them beginning with Scary Movie 3.
Directed by Michael Tiddes, with Craig Wayans and Rick Alvarez also contributing to screenwriting duties. In the film, Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris), Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall), Shorty Meeks (Marlon), and Ray Wilkins (Shawn) reunite twenty-six years after they were first made the target of a Ghostface killer, and they are joined by new faces as legacy sequels, reboots, and spinoffs are no longer safe from hilarious mayhem. The film also stars Cheri Oteri, Dave Sheridan, Heidi Gardner, Lochlyn Munro, Olivia Rose Keegan, Sydney Park, Jon Abrahams, and Cameron Scott Roberts, among others.
Reviews aren’t looking too good at 33 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but this franchise has never garnered good reviews and has been driven by the fans. All of the films, save Scary Movie 5, have done exceptionally well at the box office, and the fifth installment mostly failed because many familiar faces didn’t return for the film. Even though this film might lampoon some of the nostalgia that has made franchises like Scream return to prominence, Scary Movie will be banking on that this weekend and should provide that for audiences also looking for unapologetic, check your brain at the door laughs. Honestly, we need some of that right now.
Expanding from a limited run to a wide run from Lionsgate is the musical comedy drama, Power Ballad, starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas. Directed by John Carney from a screenplay he co-wrote with Peter McDonald, Power Ballad follows a wedding singer named Rick Power (Rudd) who ends up bonding with boy-band member Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas). However, when Danny uses one of Rick’s songs to support his own solo career, Rick goes all out to get the recognition he believes he richly deserves. The film also stars McDonald, Jack Reynor, Havana Rose Liu, and Sophie Vavasseur.
Power Ballad is the smallest of the wide releases this weekend, but it has already garnered some attention following its full premiere at the 2026 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival back in March. Reviews were solid out of the festival, and they remain strong this weekend with a certified fresh rating of 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a nearly identical 85 percent audience score. Rudd and Jonas are earning top notices for their infectious charm, while the dramedy reportedly scores for showcasing the highs and lows of stardom. Something to check out if you’re seeking something a bit lighter this weekend.
What To Watch At Home
Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein are hoping that some of you are reading for romance at home with the release of their rom-com, Office Romance. Directed by Ol Parker and written by Goldstein and Joe Kelly, Office Romance follows Jackie Cruz, a CEO of Air Cruz who is usually all business by enforcing a strict anti-fraternization policy at work until she meets Daniel Blanchflower (Goldstein), who happens to be the company’s new lawyer. The film also stars Betty Gilpin, Amy Sedaris, Tony Hale, Bradley Whitford, Rick Hoffman, and Edward James Olmos.
No reviews as of this writing for the Netflix release, but Lopez and Goldstein have been promoting the film hard this week and playing into the are they or aren’t they really dating rumors to build interest, which will likely only make the target demo want to check this one out even more. With Goldstein writing, there is confidence that this won’t play right into direct romantic comedy tropes and be something a bit different, plus, from the trailer alone, the chemistry between the pair looks electric. A harmless diversion that should adequately pass the time at home.
Apple TV is diving back into the novel The Executioners by John D. MacDonald with the release of the limited series, Cape Fear, which was previously adapted as a film in 1962 by director J. Lee Thompson and a 1991 feature by director Martin Scorsese that starred Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, and Juliette Lewis. This Cape Fear, with Scorsese and Steven Spielberg serving as executive producers, was created by Nick Antosca and follows Max Cadyy (Javier Bardem), an unreformed ex-convict who only has revenge on his mind when he’s released from prison. His targets are Tom and Anna Bowden (Patrick Wilson and Amy Adams), the married couple who represented him in court 17 years earlier.
Reviews are solid for the limited series at 74 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and the talents of the lead cast are hard to resist. For those most familiar with the 1991 film, De Niro’s unhinged performance as Max Cady might be hard to top, but the limited series’ Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t too far off from the 77 percent that the film received, so audiences might be in good hands here. The first two episodes hit the platform beginning Friday and will be followed by weekly drops until the series concludes on July 31.
If you didn’t catch these films in theaters, Hokum,Is God Is, and In The Grey all hit digital this week. Hokum and Is God Is are the best reviewed of the bunch, with respective ratings of 89 percent and 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Written and directed by Damian McCarthy, Hokum stars Adam Scott as an author who travels to a hotel in Ireland to spread his parents’ ashes, only to discover that the hotel has many secrets, including being haunted and inhabited by a witch. The film made a cool $23.7 million globally on a $5 million budget, making it a hit in theaters, but it’s bound to be discovered more at home.
Hoping to be discovered more at home than it was in theaters, the Southern Gothic revenge thriller Is God Is was released in theaters back in May, but unfortunately fizzled out with a mere $5 million gross on a $14.8 million budget. Written and directed by Aleshea Harris in her feature directorial debut, Is God Is is adapted from her 2018 play and follows twin sisters Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) on a quest for revenge against the father who disfigured them as children. The film also stars Janelle Monae, Vivica A. Fox, and Sterling K. Brown. The film truly is a powerful piece of work, and while everyone gives it their all, Young and Brown steal the show here with performances that shouldn’t be missed.
Lastly, despite being directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Henry Cavill, In The Grey also opened on the same weekend as Is God Is (and the eventual behemoth Obsession) but was released to very little fanfare and only grossed $16 million on a $70 million budget. Also written by Ritchie, the action thriller follows a lawyer named Rachel Wild (Eiza Gonzalez) and her team of fixers, Sid (Cavill) and Bronco (Gyllenhaal), to recover a massive one billion dollar debt from a criminal organization. Reviews were mixed for this one at 48 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but the 83 percent audience score suggests a film that may be on the level for general audiences. Still strange that the film didn’t get much promotion, but maybe it will find a second life at home.
Check back next week when we keep you in the know about What To Watch!
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