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.

The Watchers (June 7)

Cast: Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré, Siobhan Hewlett, Oliver Finnegan, and Hannah HowlandDirector: Ishana Night ShyamalanIt’s not much of a twist, but Ishana Night Shyamalan has been collaborating with her father, M. Night, and sister, Saleka, for years. She’s directed music videos for Saleka, worked as a second unit director for her dear dad on and , and helmed several episodes of his Apple TV+ series, . For her directorial debut, Ishana is sticking to the family business and adapting A.M. Shine’s novel about a mysterious cabin that doubles as entertainment for supernatural monsters. One thing’s clear: She inherited her father’s love of high-concept horror.