July 2018 Movie Releases: 17 Films Hitting Theaters This Summer

Take a break from the summer heat with these July blockbusters. Plenty of new movies will be released in theaters every weekend this month.

“The First Purge” (July 4) The fourth installment of the “Purge” franchise is a sequel that explores how the tradition began. In order to get the crime rate down to one percent throughout the year, the new government tests a theory. They’ll let one isolated city get out all of their aggression for one night, but their experiment quickly expands. Rated R.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” (July 6) Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) returns after teaming up with other heroes in “Captain America: Civil War.” He deals with the consequences of violating the Sokovia Accords and teams up with the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) to take on a new villain, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). Rated PG-13.

“Bleeding Steel” (July 6) A biochemical device has been surgically implanted in the missing daughter of Hong Kong detective Lin Dong (Jackie Chan). He realizes the device is connected to an evil organization that he has been tracking down. Rated R.

“Sorry to Bother You” (July 6) Black telemarketer Cassius Green realizes the key to success is sounding like a white guy, and he soon has all the success in the world while his friends fight corporate oppression. Lakeith Stanfield (“Atlanta”) and Tessa Thompson (“Thor: Ragnarok”) star. Rated R.

“Whitney” (July 6) Filmmaker Kevin Macdonald looks back at late singer Whitney Houston’s life in this documentary, which is rated R.

“Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” (July 13) An alcoholic enters a treatment program where he discovers that he has artistic talent. His newspaper cartoons give him hope for a better future. The movie, which is based on a true story, has an all-star cast with Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black and Carrie Brownstein.

“Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” (July 13) It’s time for a getaway, so Mavis (Selena Gomez) gets Dracula (Adam Sandler) to go on a cruise with her. Things take a turn when Drac falls for the ship’s captain (Kathryn Hahn), who is actually the descendent of Van Helsing. The animated flick is rated PG.

“Eighth Grade” (July 13) Comedian Bo Burnham wrote and directed this movie about a 13-year-old (Elsie Fisher) trying to get through her last week of middle school. The film was a hit at Sundance Film Festival. Rated PG-13.

“Skyscraper” (July 13) Dwayne Johnson plays a former soldier who is now a security consultant working on the tallest building in the world. He is framed for setting it on fire, but before he can fight to clear his name, he must get his family out alive. They’re trapped inside above the fire line. Rated PG-13.

“Siberia” (July 13) Keanu Reeves stars in this action flick about a diamond merchant whose Russian deal goes south. Rated R.

“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” (July 20) Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is pregnant, and she wants to dig into her mother’s past. Lily James plays the young version of Meryl Streep’s character in flashbacks. Rated PG-13.

“Blindspotting” (July 20) Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and co-star in this movie. Diggs plays a man in the last three days of his probation who wants to set his life straight while Casal’s character seeks out trouble. Diggs is joined by “Hamilton” co-star Jasmine Cephas-Jones in this R-rated movie.

“Equalizer 2” (July 20) Denzel Washington reprises the role of Robert McCall. He steps out of retirement when he learns that a friend has been murdered. Pedro Pascal, Melissa Leo and Bill Pullman also star in the July action movie. Rated R.

“Hot Summer Nights” (July 27) “Call Me By Your Name” star Timothée Chalamet plays a teenager who becomes a drug dealer in this thriller. He is in way over his head, and the situation isn’t helped by his blossoming romance with his business partner’s sister. Rated R.

“Mission Impossible: Fallout” (July 27) Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt, who is in deep trouble after a mission goes wrong. Henry Cavill (and his mustache), Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Angela Bassett and Vanessa Kirby also star.

“Puzzle” (July 27) Housewife Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) sneaks away from home to join forces with a man (Irrfan Khan) from New York to compete in a jigsaw puzzle competition. Her midlife crisis allows her to really experience independence for the first time.

“Teen Titans GO! To The Movies” (July 27) The young heroes realize that they don’t have one thing that every other superhero has: a movie. A movie executive (Kristen Bell) turns them down, but the Teen Titans are determined to prove her wrong. They decide they’ll take down Slade (Will Arnett) to show off their heroic skills. The animated movie is rated PG.