Following the record-breaking opening weekend for “A Minecraft Movie” and the breakout success of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” a new slate of blockbusters and indie films are hoping to drum up excitement in May about what the summer movie season has in store.
Starting with memorial weekend’s wide releases, Tom Cruise is giving Ethan Hunt a final send-off in “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” which follows up “Dead Reckoning” as the fate of the world is thrust into Ethan’s hands once again. Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and Esai Morales return for the emotional finale and, to date, the film has a solid 79% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Disney has yet another live-action remake with “Lilo & Stitch,” which takes a page from the beloved 2002 animated original. Helmed by “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” director Dean Fleischer Camp, this new version follows a fugitive alien who causes chaos in Hawaii after getting adopted by a pair of sisters. But for movie-goers with an itch for something more original, the Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd R-rated dark comedy “Friendship,” which is being distributed by A24, follows Craig’s (Robinson) obsessive attempts to win over the new guy in the neighborhood, played by Rudd. The film expands wide following its limited run.
Over in limited release, “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” follows a lonely bookseller (Camille Rutherford) in a new romantic comedy chosen as a Variety critic’s pick by Peter Debruge, while the Cate Blanchett-led drama “The New Boy” comes to U.S. audiences nearly two years after its initial 2023 Cannes premiere.
Check back each week to find the latest releases in theaters, from major wide releases to niche independent titles.
Friday, May 23
“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning”
Paramount Pictures (Wide)
“Lilo & Stitch”
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (Wide)
“Friendship”
A24 (Wide — Expansion)
“The Last Rodeo”
Angel Studios (Wide)
“Jane Austen Wrecked My Life”
Sony Pictures Classics (Limited)
“The New Boy”
Vertical (Limited)
