Summer, 2025; what a season. This past summer was filled to the brim with new releases that have been surprisingly strong. Audiences across America have responded to several films very positively, leading many to speculate that this jump in quality could mean great new things for cinema as whole.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that every movie was a hit. Certain films, while drawing in large crowds, were widely criticized for unoriginality, and/or less-than-stellar writing.
Despite these outliers, this season has, seemingly, turned over a new leaf for the film industry, something that could be attributed to a larger focus on mental health and quality storytelling.
This new focal point likely has something to do with last year’s Writer’s Guild of America strike. This series of protests from across the country has led to greater pay and benefits for the writers of America that tell important and powerful stories. This boost in care for writers was likely essential in making these movies feel as immersive as they were.
With these thoughts in mind, let’s analyze the 2025 summer of movies.
Elio
Pixar’s newest film was… well, one of the outliers on this list. Following Inside Out 2, the studio’s most heartfelt and effective film in a long time, was never going to be easy. However, according to “The Numbers,” a site that tracks production budgets and box office income, Elio actually lost money.
Its budget was $150,000,000, an amount of money that sounds entirely fictional. Its worldwide box office intake was $147,618,870, an amount of money that sounds about $2,381,130 less fictional.
Despite these unfortunate numbers, the movie wasn’t entirely dismal. It was imaginative, pretty to look at, and clearly made with care.
With that in mind, the movie itself was harmless, but underwhelming. Well, sort of. While harmless to its viewers, Elio was Pixar’s biggest box office flop in the years since quarantine. The company is currently stuck in a state of mediocrity with their films, but fans are still confident that they can pick themselves back up and make something incredible.
How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
Dreamworks, Disney’s longtime competitor has officially released its first live action remake of a popular franchise in How to Train Your Dragon (2025). The movie, while gaining some speculators at the beginning of its release, was extremely well received by its viewers, gaining a whopping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes as an audience reaction.
Long time fans of the original animated trilogy praised the film for its stellar casting choices, beautiful landscapes, and faithful writing that complemented the original.
It’s clear from the very beginning of the movie that it was made with love, and that the filmmakers and actors have a passion for the series. The movie’s flight scenes capture the whimsy of the original films, and Toothless’ CGI design was expertly executed.
Overall, How to Train Your Dragon (2025) was a great addition to Dreamworks Studio’s catalog, and a super way to start the summer.
F1
F1 hit the theaters on June 27, 2025 and took the audience by storm with its effective writing and action-packed scenes. Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes suggest that the movie’s score was a highlight, capitalizing on the tense atmosphere of the film as a whole.
A particularly excited user on the site states that Hans Zimmer has, “DONE IT AGAIN,” and that the sound was, “OFF THE CHARTS.” This sentiment is consistent with other viewers who described the film as, “the best film to ever exist, ever.”
More than anything, this film is a high-paced, fun, action movie with camera shots that feel immersive for each and every viewer. The themes of the movie, while mildly cliche, are life lessons that many can relate to.
Overall, a great watch that draws in audiences from start to finish.
Jurassic World: Rebirth
The new Jurassic World is certainly a movie that exists. On the one hand, people generally found that the actors involved did a great job. Performances from Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali were widely praised among audiences, but many people felt that the exposition fell short.
Henry Letham, former MHS student, said that he thought the exposition would only have been suitable for characters we had already met. For example, it would’ve been suitable for the second or third Jurassic Park movies, but not for the first in the series.
Despite the many gripes the audience had with the movie, its box office profit was huge. With a $180,000,000 budget, the film made a worldwide profit of $828.59 million. That’s roughly a 460% profit for a movie built on the nostalgia of its viewers.
If anything, the film is worth a watch for Jurassic fans looking for a fun action movie and not think too hard about content.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Some would call the new Fantastic Four… fantastic. Others would call it great, but flawed, and that’s what we’re going with today.
The general concerns surrounding the movie came with how the studio was never willing to fully commit to the story. The MCU is going through a change, establishing a new “Avengers,” and The Fantastic Four: First Steps was, ironically, the first step in that plan. With that in mind, it’s clear that the filmmakers weren’t willing to take too big of a risk right out of the gate. Committing too much to something that, based on the recent films from the studio, could very easily flop, was a huge risk for the company. Of course, this shortcoming allowed certain portions of the movie to be underwhelming.
Despite this, the newest addition to the MCU a heartwarming and interesting story about the inner workings of a team of superheroes as they navigate new territory: parenthood. The special effects were well done, as is standard for a Marvel movie nowadays. The casting was stellar, with most agreeing that Pedro Pascal did a fantastic job adapting Mr. Fantastic into the character seen on screen. Every actor gave a stellar performance that enhanced the viewing experience for all.
Definitely a film worth watching for superhero lovers.
Superman
Superman might’ve single handedly redefined the superhero genre for DC. That’s not an exaggeration either; DC has been known for being the second choice when it comes to superhero films for years now. As of late however, their movies have been extremely well received. It seems that they’ve put in extra care in making them powerful and entertaining.
Superman is no different. This film proudly defies the DC Superman we’ve come know for the past decade. Rather than “The Man of Steel,” stoic and nearly uncaring, Superman is kind and thoughtful, there to help because he wants to, not because he feels obligated to.
The film’s director, James Gunn, played a huge part in the success of this film. Gunn, formerly working at Marvel on the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, provided a much needed rebrand of the character of Superman. The hero inspires hope in people everywhere.
“Kindness, for the sake of kindness,” is a message that resonates with its audience, telling them that people can be good, that there aren’t always strings attached to love.
On another note, journalism is extremely important to the core of this film’s ideology. When Lois Lane interviews Clark, Clark expects nothing more than fluff questions, but is surprised when Lois asks harder and more realistic questions. She’s a journalist at heart, posing as the people’s eyes and ears for intel. This isn’t seen a lot in mainstream media, and this inclusion was a huge wow-factor for the audience.
As a whole, Superman was a truly amazing film that will be celebrated for years to come.
And They All Lived Happily Ever After…
This past summer of movies provided a look into the future of the film industry. People expect quality and entertaining content, rather than filler meant to make a studio money. It seems that companies can’t rely on nostalgia and brand identity anymore to make a profit. These films, more than anything, are a genuine reflection of today’s world.
Who’s to say what next summer may bring, but if it’s anything like summer 2025, it will certainly be an interesting one.
