June 2024 film preview: Sequels, prequels, and Glen Powell try to charm the summer box office

The summer movie season is here, and it’s in rough shape. Last month was one disappointment after another for theaters. Well-reviewed action spectacles, like The Fall Guy and Furiosa, fell short as kid-friendly CGI creatures struggled to put butts in seats. It didn’t matter if they were new or existing IP because neither Garfield nor IF captured the movie-going public’s imagination. Not even the Amy Winehouse biopic worked. Only Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes managed to cross $100 million, and that’s the third reboot of a half-a-century-old franchise.

For what it’s worth, June has many more familiar faces returning to the silver screen. Martin Lawrence is showing just how Ride Or Die he is by joining cultural pariah Will Smith for another Bad Boys adventure. The public will psychoanalyze the Boys as Pixar attempts a similar therapy session with Inside Out 2. On the other side of the spectrum, Yorgos Lanthimos races back to theaters with Kinds Of Kindness, Richard Linklater tries to convince us Glen Powell is charming, and Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders finally rolls into theaters. Meanwhile, Kevin Costner is putting it all on the line with the first part of his Western epic, Horizon.

All this plus Janet Planet, A Quiet Place: Day One, and The Watchers hope to cure the summertime blues.

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die (June 7)

Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Rhea Seehorn, Ioan Gruffudd, DJ Khaled, and Joe PantolianoDirectors: Adil El Arbi and Bilall FallahAfter wasting the good fourth-movie title, , on the third movie, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are, once again, chasing Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) around Miami. This time, Mike and Marcus are on the run after being set up by a cartel. Armed with a video message from Joe Pantoliano that graciously takes up much of the trailer, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die will be the next major step in Will Smith’s post-slap career. If any movie could convince the public that Will Smith isn’t a violent guy, it’s a sequel to the movie where with his bare hands.