Biggest summer blockbusters to look forward to in 2021
It’s been more than a year since we’ve set foot in an actual movie theater. With extended lockdowns once again due to the coronavirus pandemic, many cinemas remain closed.
Amid continued delays to 2020 and 2021 summer blockbusters, the release dates and alternative platforms where these films can be shown continue to be in flux.
There's an increasing move towards online streaming in the past year. Like Wonder Woman 1984 and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, highly-anticipated titles like Black Widow, Dune, The Suicide Squad and The Matrix 4 are now expected to premiere on streaming services like HBO Max and Disney Plus at the same time as they hit theaters.
Here’s the latest calendar for the biggest summer blockbusters coming in the next few months.
Godzilla vs. Kong (March 31)
Godzilla vs. Kong was just recently released in theaters internationally on March 24 and in the United States on March 31, 2021 where it was released on HBO Max simultaneously. Hopefully, this means that Philippine viewers will get an HBO Go premiere sometime soon.
The crossover sequel to Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Kong: Skull Island will see the iconic monsters square off in an epic battle for the ages, while humanity hopes to wipe out both of them in order to take back the planet.
Mortal Kombat (April 23)
Adapted from the popular video game, MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) seeks out the Earthrealm’s greatest champions to stand against the forces of Outworld in a high-stakes battle to save the universe.
Mortal Kombat will be released simultaneously in theaters and on the HBO Max streaming service on April 23, 2021.
Army of the Dead (May 21)
Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
The film by Zack Snyder stars Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo, Huma Qureshi, Michael Cassidy, and Garret Dillahunt.
Army of the Dead is scheduled to be released in select theaters and on Netflix on May 21, 2021.
Cruella (May 28)
Set against the punk and fashion scenes of 1970s London, Disney’s live-action feature will introduce Emma Stone as a younger Cruella de Vil, the iconic villain from 1961’s “101 Dalmatians.”
The film also stars Emma Thompson, Joel Fry Paul, Walter Hauser and Mark Strong. Cruella is scheduled to be released theatrically and on Disney Plus with Premiere Access on May 28, 2021, in the United States.
A Quiet Place Part 2 (May 28)
A Quiet Place Part II will again see the family members played by Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe stay silent and evade deadly monsters in a dystopian world.
Despite his character’s demise in the first movie, John Krasinski returned to direct the sequel. The horror film is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on May 28, 2021, and will be available to stream on Paramoun Plus 45 days after its theatrical debut.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (June 4)
The third film to star Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real-life ghosthunters Ed and Lorraine Warren, is based on the chilling true story of a murder trial in which the defendant claimed demonic posession.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is scheduled for release in the United States on June 4, 2021 in theaters and HBO Max simultaneously.
F9 (June 25)
Starring Vin Diesel, John Cena, and Charlize Theron, the ninth Fast and Furious film is officially scheduled to world premiere in South Korea on May 19, 2021 and is set to be released in the United States on June 25, 2021.
The Tomorrow War (July 2)
Chris Pratt stars in this original sci-fi action film about a time-traveling warrior, which streams on Amazon Prime Video instead of opening in theaters as planned. The film is scheduled to be released on July 2, 2021, by Amazon Studios.
Top Gun: Maverick (July 2)
After completing years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) returns 35 years after the original blockbuster to confront his past while training a new squad of graduates for a life-threatening mission.
The Joseph Kosinksi-directed action flick co-stars Jennifer Connelly, Jean Louisa Kelly, Val Kilmer and Miles Teller.
Top Gun: Maverick is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States and Canada on July 2, 2021, by Paramount Pictures and will be available to stream on Paramount Plus 45 days after its theatrical debut.
Black Widow (July 9)
The long-awaited Marvel film starring Scarlett Johansson will see Natasha Romanoff on the run and forced to confront her past as a spy, long before she became an Avenger.
The film, also starring David Harbour, Florence Pugh and O-T Fagbenle, is set after 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.
Black Widow is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 9, 2021 in theaters and through Disney Plus with Premier Access at the same time.
Space Jam 2: A New Legacy (July 16)
The long-awaited sequel to the basketball-themed 1996 cartoon/live-action Space Jam sees basketball star LeBron James, writer Ryan Coogler, and Bugs Bunny lead the Looney Tunes cartoon characters onto the court.
The film will stream on HBO Max on July 16, 2021.