The pandemic looks to finally be winding down soon, so if and when it's safe, there will be some choice summer 2021 movies available to see in theaters. 2020 was arguably the strangest year ever for Hollywood, certainly in at least a century, thanks to the Covid pandemic rampaging across the world in a way few contagions ever have. Millions of people died of the disease, and multiple countries went into lockdown, shutting down industries everywhere. Movie theaters across the globe closed down for many months, and some are still closed as of this writing.
Thankfully, at least in the U.S., Hollywood's home market, the widespread distribution of vaccines for the coronavirus has led to a sizable swath of people already getting inoculated, with more doing so every day. Thankfully, this story is repeating itself all over the world. Thus, movie theaters in those areas are starting to reopen on a mass scale, and while there's still a long way to go, there looks to be a light at the end of the tunnel for both deprived moviegoers and the world in general.
While summer 2021 doesn't have the massive blockbuster slate most summers do, for obvious reasons, there is still a good crop of interesting major wide releases arriving in theaters over the next few months. Some of these titles will also arrive simultaneously on HBO Max or Disney+ for anyone who'd rather stay home, but all will also be hitting theaters.
Spiral: From The Book of Saw (May 14)
Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw 2, 3, and 4) returns to direct Spiral: From the Book of Saw, a soft reboot of the long-running horror franchise. Superstar comedian Chris Rock stars as Zeke, the lead detective investigating a new killer who looks to have taken up Jigsaw's mantle. Samuel L. Jackson also stars as Zeke's father.
A Quiet Place Part 2 (May 28)
After multiple COVID-related delays, A Quiet Place Part 2, the sequel to writer/director John Krasinski's surprise sci-fi/horror hit from 2018, is headed to theaters. With Krasinski's character dead, Emily Blunt's Evelyn has taken the lead of the Abbott family, forced to venture out into a dangerous world after the destruction of their home.
Cruella (May 28, Also On Disney+)
The next in Disney's line of live-action reimaginings of classic animated characters, Cruella marketing has been compared to Joker.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (June 4, Also On HBO Max)
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, the first in the series not to be directed by creator James Wan. The story is based on a real-life murder case in which the killer's defense was that he had been possessed by a demon.
In the Heights (June 11, Also On HBO Max)
Directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), In the Heights adapts the 2005 stage musical by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Anthony Ramos plays the lead, a bodega owner named Usnavi de la Vega who dreams of a better life. Ramos played the role previously, during a performance of the musical at the Kennedy Center in 2018.
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (June 16)
The sequel to 2017's surprise action/comedy hit, Samuel L. Jackson as the titular hitman Darius Kincaid, Ryan Reynolds as his put-upon bodyguard Michael Bryce, and Salma Hayek as the hitman's wife Sonia. Antonio Banderas s the cast as the sequel's villain, who menaces the trio.
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (June 18)
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, inspired by the classic stories by Beatrix Potter, is the sequel to 2018's Peter Rabbit, which came out of nowhere to become a massive hit. A mix of live-action and animation, Peter Rabbit 2 sees writer/director Will Gluck back in charge, along with late-night host James Corden back voicing Peter.
F9 (June 25)
Another victim of multiple Coronavirus delays, John Cena s the fray as Dom's villainous older brother, Jakob.
The Forever Purge (July 2)
The final planned installment of creator James DeMonaco's Purge horror franchise, The Forever Purge takes place after Election Year, a world in which the purge has been abolished. That won't help a couple hiding from drug cartels in Mexico though, as they run afoul of a group of people dead set on staging their own personal Purge Night.
Black Widow (July 9, Also On Disney+)
Thanks to the coronavirus, it's now been nearly two years since fans got to sit down and take in a new MCU movie. what happened between Black Widow and Hawkeye in Budapest.
