This summer has seen plenty of great movies. Before all the flowers had even bloomed, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners broke several box office records, proving that wholly original blockbusters (and horror movies, after a rough patch) could still thrive at the box office. In the months following Sinners, several original and IP films have brought people to theaters.
Films like Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch, and How to Train Your Dragon dominated the box office during the early months of the summer. Lilo & Stitch even managed gross $1 billion, becoming the first Hollywood movie to do so this year. Then, in late June, audiences were blessed with a truly unique studio horror movie in 28 Years Later, which revived a long-dead franchise.
Heading into July, multiple mainstream franchise films took the spotlight. Jurassic World Rebirth, Superman, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps ensured that July was an incredible month to spend at the multiplex. Blockbuster season is now over, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t incredible movies to go see. Here are five movies that are worth watching in theaters this weekend:
Eden
Eden is a survival thriller movie directed by Ron Howard, who has previously helmed acclaimed films such as Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and Rush. The film is based on a true story and follows a group of European settlers who try to build a life on an uninhabited island in the Galápagos. Friedrich and Dora Ritter make it to the island first, and are looking forward to some solitude, but other settlers arrive shortly afterward.
As more people settle there, tensions start to rise. The characters in Eden soon discover that they should not necessarily fear the island’s harsh climate or dangerous wildlife, but rather each other. The film has an all-star cast, which includes Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl, Sydney Sweeney, and Ana de Armas.
Eden is rated R, so it’s not exactly the bring-the-family option of this week’s new releases. But if you enjoy historical thrillers about a group of complex characters, then this movie is for you. So far, reviews for Eden have been quite mixed, but its cast ensures that it is still worth a watch in theaters.
Honey Don’t!
Just like Eden, Honey Don’t! is directed by an acclaimed filmmaker: Ethan Coen, one half of the Coen brothers, who spent decades as the most prominent filmmaking duo in the industry. Honey Don’t! is Ethan Coen’s second solo-effort since parting ways with his brother, and is also the second movie in his “lesbian B-movie trilogy,” the first of which was 2024’s Drive-Away Dolls.
The story of Honey Don’t! follows a small-town private detective who investigates a series of deaths that are seemingly connected to a religious cult. Margaret Qualley leads the cast of the film, which also includes Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, and Charlie Day.
Just like Drive-Away Dolls, reviews for Honey Don’t! have been quite mixed, with ScreenRant‘s own Todd Gilchrist scoring it a 6 out of 10. The film is rated R and is meant for mature audiences. Even though it is not resonating with some, Ethan Coen’s distinctive style of comedy and the incredible cast should still make Honey Don’t! a fun time at the theaters.
KPop Demon Hunters: A Sing-Along Event
Even though it released on Netflix in June, KPop Demon Hunters is hitting theaters for one weekend so that fans can sing along to all the songs together. The story of the animated musical follows Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, who are KPop superstars by day and demon hunters by night. In the incredibly fun fantasy film, they have to fight plenty of supernatural monsters, which will be a blast to watch on the big screen.
Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, and May Hong lead the voice cast of KPop Demon Hunters, which also includes notable names like Ken Jeong and Liza Koshy. Ever since its Netflix release, KPop Demon Hunters has broken several records. It has amassed 210.5 million views, becoming only the second Netflix movie to pass this milestone. It’s reasonable to suspect this weekend sing-along will be a major theatrical event.
The animated movie rated PG, so it would be a great movie to take your kids to this weekend. Reviews for KPop Demon Hunters have been fantastic, with ScreenRant‘s own Ben Gibbons giving it a 9 out of 10. Therefore, KPop Demon Hunter’s sing-along will definitely be fun for the whole family.
Ne Zha 2
KPop Demon Hunters isn’t the only hit animated movie from this year playing in theaters this weekend. Ne Zha 2 is by far the highest-grossing movie of the year, reportedly making a whopping $2.2 billion after its release in China in January. After a run earlier this year, the film is back in US theaters, distributed by A24 with a brand-new English dub.
Ne Zha 2 is a sequel to the 2019 film Ne Zha and is based on Chinese mythology and the 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods. In the film, Ne Zha, a demigod who is granted immense powers after being struck by lightning, must battle an ancient force that wants to destroy humanity. The voice cast for the English version of the film includes Crystal Lee, Aleks Le, and acclaimed actress Michelle Yeoh.
Just like KPop Demon Hunters, reviews for Ne Zha 2 have been incredible. There’s a chance that both of these movies will be frontrunners for Best Animated Feature at the 2026 Academy Awards, so Ne Zha 2 is also worth watching on the big screen. The movie is rated PG-13, so it should be well-suited for most audiences.
Weapons
Over the last couple of weeks, Weapons has dominated the box office. The story of the horror film, which was written and directed by Zach Cregger, who also helmed Barbarian, follows several members of a town that is in disarray after 17 children mysteriously left their homes at 2:17 one morning and disappeared into the night.
The cast of Weapons includes Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, and Amy Madigan. In the film, Garner’s Justine and Brolin’s Archer are desperate to find the missing children, which leads to plenty of terrifying moments.
Ever since its release on August 8, reviews for Weapons have been amazing, with many critics naming it one of the best horror movies of 2025. Just like the aforementioned Sinners, Weapons is proving that original horror films can find immense success at the box office.
The film is rated R, so it’s meant for adult audiences. Even though Weapons is considered a horror film, it has several surprisingly funny moments, which makes it a blast to watch with an audience. It has quickly become one of the most acclaimed movies of the year, so Weapons is definitely worth checking out in theaters this weekend before its run ends.
