Avatar Fire and Ash, Hoppers

James Cameron’s third “Avatar” adventure, “Fire and Ash,” arrives on Disney+ this month after earning $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office, down significantly from the $2 billion-plus grosses of “Avatar” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” but still a mighty sum in today’s blockbuster age. Expect the title to be a summer streaming hit for Disney alongside Pixar’s “Hoppers,” which also makes it streaming premiere this month (see below). Variety hailed “Fire and Ash” as an improvement over “The Way of Water” and praised its “bolder and tighter” storytelling and “amazing” action scenes.

Pixar’s “Hoppers” impressed the box office earlier this year with $372 million worldwide and earned critical acclaim, a much-needed win for the animated studio ahead of this summer’s “Toy Story 5.” Variety called the movie “‘Bambi’ on crack” in a Critic’s Pick review: “‘Hoppers’ never stops surprising you in rudely antic ways, and that’s the essence of its delight…  it’s top-drawer Pixar, a reminder that when this studio is firing on all cylinders, it can take you someplace you’ve never imagined.”

Jennifer Lopez returns to her rom-com roots with the Netflix original “Office Romance,” co-starring and written by “Ted Lasso” Emmy winner Bret Goldstein. The movie is billed as a “raunchy romantic comedy about a secret office romance that two workaholics get in when they start thinking with their hearts.” Betty Gilpin, Amy Sedaris, Tony Hale, Bradley Whitford and Edward James Olmos also star.

“Meredith Alloway’s commanding first feature is a kicky and stylized shopping-mall comedy of fashion and slang and feminist wrath,” reads Variety’s review of “Forbidden Fruits.” The film, a mash-up of “Mean Girls” and “The Craft,” centers on a coven of witches (played by Lili Reinhart, Alexandra Shipp and Victoria Pedretti) whose lives are upended when they welcome a new member (played by “The Summer I Turned Pretty” favorite Lola Tung). From Variety: “Alloway has made a screw-loose comedy of stylized youth attitudes that doesn’t pretend to be ‘real,’ but it’s also a serious movie that asks: What do young women today want? Love or justice or power? Or all three? And is any one of the three more powerful?”

Baz Luhrmann’s “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” will stream on Paramount+ this month after a theatrical release earlier this year. Luhrmann, who scored a handful of Oscar nominations for his Austin Butler-starring “Elvis” movie, tackles the music icon in the documentary format with this movie that features a wealth of never-before-seen footage from Presley’s Vegas residency in the 1970s. The film also includes rare 16mm footage from “Elvis on Tour” and footage from the Graceland archive. 

Directed by Oscar winner Morgan Neville, “Lorne” is a behind-the-scenes portrait of the comedy icon and “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels. The documentary traces Michaels’ journey from a young Canadian writer to the force behind “Saturday Night Live,” the late-night sketch show that has shaped American comedy and pop culture for more than five decades. The film draws on exclusive archival material, plus candid interviews with Michaels and the comedians he turned into superstars.

Asha Banks and Matthew Broome return as Noah and Nick in Prime Video’s “Your Fault: London,” the sequel to the hit 2025 romance drama “My Fault: London.” Per the synopsis: “After the explosive events of ‘My Fault: London,’ Noah and Nick return — stronger, closer, and more in love than ever. But as life begins to pull them in different directions, their relationship faces its toughest challenge yet. Noah heads to Oxford to pursue her studies, while Nick finds himself consumed by the growing demands of work. When new people enter their lives, stirring unexpected emotions and lingering jealousy, cracks begin to form. Trust is tested, passions flare, and the bond they once thought unbreakable starts to strain.”

“Office Romance” isn’t the only Netflix original romance movie hoping to score big on streaming this June. Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson headline “Voicemails for Isabelle.” The synopsis reads: “Jill copes with her sister’s death by leaving her voicemails chronicling her chaotic life in San Francisco. When the number is unknowingly reassigned, an elusive Austin real estate agent begins receiving the hilariously confessional messages.” The supporting cast includes Harry Shum Jr., Lukas Gage, Ciara Bravo, and Nick Offerman, among others.

Netflix picked up Julian Schnabel’s “In the Hand of Dante” after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year. The synopsis reads: “Time and space collide in parallel lives spanning 700 years when author Nick Tosches (Oscar Isaac) is drawn into a violent quest to confirm the origins of a manuscript believed to be Dante’s ‘The Divine Comedy,’ written in the poet’s own hand. After the sudden death of his daughter, Nick is summoned from self-imposed exile by a mafia don (John Malkovich) for his expertise on the Italian writer. With the help of an unpredictable assassin named Louie (Gerard Butler), the pair embark on a dark and murderous journey to steal and authenticate the priceless work.”

Academy Award-nominated Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda‘s latest film “Scarlet” centers on a brave princess who transcends time and space. The visually arresting anime movie is a reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” with a new ending and a gender-swapped protagonist. From “The Boy and the Beast” to “Belle,” nearly all Hosoda’s films straddle two separate time periods or worlds — real life and escapist virtual realms — in a strategy that tests his protagonists’ capacity to face the challenges in their daily lives.

Olivia Colman and John Lithgow‘s queer family drama “Jimpa” follows filmmaker Hannah (Colman), who brings her non-binary teenager Frances – played by Aud Mason-Hyde – to Amsterdam to reconnect with her gay father, Jimpa (Lithgow). When Frances decides they want to stay with Jimpa for a year abroad, Hannah is forced to consider her beliefs about parenting and finally confront old stories about the past. The movie takes inspiration from director and co-writer Sophie Hyde’s family and upbringing.

“Longlegs” and “The Monkey” director Osgood Perkins is behind “Kepper,” a haunted cabin thriller starring Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland as a couple whose woodsy vacation takes a nightmarish turn when she begins seeing visions of undead spirits. From Variety’s review: “‘Keeper’ is a serial-killer drama with a handful of honestly creepy moments, a mood that’s low-key and naturalistic and a streak of trippy weirdness that keeps intruding.”

“Queens of the Dead” is a zombie apocalypse horror comedy from director Tina Romero about a group of drag queens and club kids surviving the night in Brooklyn. The cast includes Jaquel Spivey, Katy O’Brian, Margaret Cho, Jack Haven and Cheyenne Jackson. From Variety’s review: “This delightful feature debut is a horror comedy chock-full of fun and meaningful ideas. Romero is notably the daughter of zombie movie progenitor George A. Romero, and she channels her father’s decades-long fascination with undead ghouls as cinematic symbols for society at large.”

SpongeBob SquarePants scored another box office win over the holiday movie season with a $160 million worldwide haul for “Search for Squarepants.” The fourth movie in the long-running animated franchise, the film follows SpongeBob on a journey across the deep blue sea as he faces off against the Flying Dutchman, a recurring antagonist from the television series. While Brian Doyle-Murray conventionally voices the Flying Dutchman on television, Mark Hamill brings his vocal talents to the character in “Search for SquarePants.” 

Kate Hudson scored an Oscar nomination for best actress earlier this year thanks to her performance opposite Hugh Jackman in “Song Sung Blue,” Craig Brewer’s emotional true-story drama about Neil Diamond cover band. The film hits Netflix this month after originally making its streaming debut on Peacock earlier this year. Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Mustafa Shakir, Hudson Hensley, Fisher Stevens and Jim Belushi round out the cast. Based on Greg Koh’s 2008 documentary of the same name, “Song Sung Blue” follows the true story of Milwaukee couple Mike and Claire Sardina, down-on-their-luck musicians who became local icons by performing as Lightning & Thunder. The film also borrows its name from the 1972 Diamond song.