Netflix just shared its list of new releases for May, but as has been the case for most of 2021, it was underwhelming. There are some interesting additions on the list, including The Mitchells vs. The Machines from producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, but the content pipeline has unquestionably dried up for Netflix in recent months. In an attempt to keep users from reconsidering their subscription status, Netflix released a preview of its summer movie lineup on Tuesday, and it certainly looks like things are going to pick up in the coming months.
April
- Things Heard & Seen | April 29th
- A Manhattan couple moves to a historic hamlet in the Hudson Valley and come to discover that their marriage has a sinister darkness, one that rivals their new home’s history. Based on the acclaimed novel by Elizabeth Brundage.
- The Mitchells vs. The Machines | April 30th
- Sony’s The Mitchells vs. The Machines is an original animated comedy about an everyday family’s struggle to relate while technology rises up around the world! When Katie Mitchell (voiced by Abbi Jacobson), a creative outsider, is accepted into the film school of her dreams, her plans to meet “her people” at college are upended when her nature-loving dad Rick (voiced by Danny McBride) determines the whole family should drive Katie to school together and bond as a family one last time.
May
- Monster | May 5th
- Monster tells the story of Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) a seventeen-year-old honor student whose world comes crashing down around him when he is charged with felony murder. The film follows his dramatic journey from a smart, likeable film student from Harlem attending an elite high school through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the rest of his life in prison.
- Oxygen (Oxygène) | May 12th
- Oxygen is a French survival thriller directed by Alexandre Aja. The film tells the story of a young woman (Mélanie Laurent, 6 Underground, Inglourious Basterds), who wakes up in a cryogenic pod. She doesn’t remember who she is or how she ended up there. As she’s running out of oxygen, she must rebuild her memory to find a way out of her nightmare.
- The Woman in the Window | May 14th
- Confined by her agoraphobia, Anna Fox finds herself keeping tabs on the new family across the street through the windows of her NYC home. After witnessing a brutal crime, secrets begin to unravel and nothing and no one are what they seem.
- Army of the Dead | May 21st
- Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
- Baggio: The Divine Ponytail (Il Divin Codino) | May 26th
- A chronicle of the 22-year career of soccer star Roberto Baggio, including his difficult debut as a player and his deep rifts with some of his coaches.
- Ghost Lab | May 26th
- A research experiment about the afterlife goes awry, when Glar and Wee, two medical doctor buddies see a ‘ghost’ with their own eyes for the first time, an encounter that spawns an insatiable binge to find a scientific explanation for ghostly spirits, and to find proof of an afterlife. Their fixation and reckless pursuit of knowledge will take them down a rabbit hole that will cost them their friendship, and their loved ones.
- Blue Miracle | May 27th
- The incredible true story of Casa Hogar, the Mexican boys home that entered the world’s biggest fishing tournament to save their orphanage.
June
- Carnaval | June 2nd
- After a video of her boyfriend cheating on her goes viral 23 year old Nina uses her digital influencer connections to get an all-paid-for, all-access, all-you-can-do trip to Salvador during Carnaval, bringing along her three best friends.
- Awake | June 9th
- Global hysteria ensues after a mysterious catastrophe wipes out all electronics and takes away humanity’s ability to sleep. Scientists race against the clock to find a cure for the unexplained insomnia before its fatal effects eliminate the human race. When Jill, a former soldier, discovers her young daughter may be the key to salvation, she must decide: protect her children at all costs or sacrifice everything to save the world.
- Wish Dragon | June 11th
- In Sony Pictures Animation’s Wish Dragon, Din, a working-class college student with big dreams but small means, and Long, a cynical but all-powerful dragon capable of granting wishes, set off on a hilarious adventure through modern day Shanghai in pursuit of Din’s long-lost childhood friend, Lina. Their journey forces them to answer some of life’s biggest questions – because when you can wish for anything, you have to decide what really matters.
- Skater Girl | June 11th
- Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
- Jagame Thandhiram | June 18th
- British crime lord Peter Sprott needs a rival taken down, and the best man for the job is Suruli, a Tamil gangster from Madurai. Suruli arrives in London and finds himself confronted with dilemmas around home, country and belonging — things the carefree criminal has never had to deal with before.
- Fatherhood | June 18th
- In this heartwarming, funny and emotional true story, Kevin Hart stars as a widower taking on one of the toughest jobs in the world: fatherhood.
- Good on Paper | June 23rd
- After years of putting her career ahead of love, stand-up comic Andrea Singer has stumbled upon the perfect guy. On paper, he checks all the boxes but is he everything he appears to be?
- The Ice Road | June 25th
- After a remote diamond mine collapses in far northern Canada, a ‘big-rig’ ice road driver (Neeson) must lead an impossible rescue mission over a frozen ocean to save the trapped miners. Contending with thawing waters and a massive storm, they discover the real threat is one they never saw coming.
- America: The Motion Picture | June 30th
- In this wildly tongue-in-cheek animated revisionist history, a chainsaw-wielding George Washington assembles a team of rabble rousers — including beer-loving bro Sam Adams, famed scientist Thomas Edison, acclaimed horseman Paul Revere, and a very pissed off Geronimo — to defeat Benedict Arnold and King James in the American Revolution. Who will win? No one knows, but you can be sure of one thing: these are not your father’s Founding… uh, Fathers.
- The House of Flowers: The Movie (La Casa de las Flores: La Película) | TBD
- While waiting to be intervened on a delicate surgery, Delia reveals a secret to Paulina: in her parents’ room there is a hiding place that protects, among other things, a family treasure and the evidence against Agustín Corcuera, recently absolved for the murder of Pato. By tricking them, Paulina convinces her brothers to outwit the security measures of their ex-home and recover the treasure. Their plan unfolds at the same time that, in the 80 ́s, Virginia and Ernesto carry out theirs to obtain Agustin ́s confession. The love for her nanny, and the possibility of avenging their family, will make the de la Mora break all rules to achieve this seemingly impossible mission.
July
- Resort to Love | July 29th
- A romantic comedy about aspiring pop star Erica (Christina Milian) who ends up as the entertainment at her ex-fiancé’s wedding after reluctantly taking a gig at a luxurious Mauritius island resort while in the wake of a music career meltdown. She tries to keep their past relationship a secret from his bride-to-be Beverly, but Erica rediscovers her feelings for her ex, Jason (Jay Pharoah), despite his brother Caleb’s (Sinqua Walls) attempts to keep them from falling back in love. In this warm and funny romantic story that explores the bonds of love and family, the question soon becomes will Erica sing at Beverly’s wedding – or her own?
- The Last Mercenary (Le Dernier Mercernaire) | July 30th
- A mysterious former secret service agent must urgently return to France when his estranged son is falsely accused of arms and drug trafficking by the government, following a blunder by an overzealous bureaucrat and a mafia operation.
- Blood Red Sky | TBD
- A woman with a mysterious illness is forced into action when a group of terrorists attempt to hijack a transatlantic overnight flight. In order to protect her son she will have to reveal a dark secret, and unleash the vampire within that she fought to hide.
- Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans | TBD
- In Dreamworks’ Trollhhunters: Rise of the Titans, Arcadia may look like an ordinary town but it lies at the center of magical and mystical lines that makes it a nexus for many battles among otherworldly creatures including trolls, aliens and wizards. Now the heroes from the hit series Trollhunters, 3Below and Wizards, team-up in their most epic adventure yet where they must fight the Arcane Order for control over the magic that binds them all.
- The Last Letter From Your Lover | TBD
- A pair of interwoven stories set in the present and past, THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER follows Ellie Haworth (Felicity Jones), an ambitious journalist who discovers a trove of secret love letters from 1965 and becomes determined to solve the mystery of the forbidden affair at their center. As she uncovers the story behind Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley), the wife of a wealthy industrialist, and Anthony O’Hare (Callum Turner) the financial journalist assigned to cover him, a love story of Ellie’s own begins to unfold with the assistance of an earnest and endearing archivist (Nabhaan Rizwan) who helps her track down more letters. Based on the novel by JoJo Moyes and directed by Augustine Frizzell.
August
- The Kissing Booth 3 | August 11th
- It’s the summer before Elle heads to college, and she has a secret: She got into both Harvard, where her dreamy boyfriend Noah goes, and Berkeley, where her BFF Lee is going. Which path will Elle choose?
- Sweet Girl | August 20th
- A devastated husband vows to bring justice to the people responsible for his wife’s death while protecting the only family he has left, his daughter.
- He’s All That | August 27th
- He’s All That reimagines the original plot of the 1999 teen classic She’s All That. The contemporary story follows an influencer (Addison Rae) who accepts a challenge to turn the school’s biggest loser (Tanner Buchanan) into prom king.
- Beckett | TBD
- A vacationing couple fall trap to a violent conspiracy with tragic consequences.
Summer
- Fear Street Trilogy | TBD
- In 1994, a group of teenagers discovers that the terrifying events that have haunted their town for generations may all be connected — and that they may be the next targets. Based on R.L. Stine’s best selling horror series, the trilogy follows the nightmare through Shadyside’s sinister history.
- Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed | TBD
- Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed brings us the shockingly untold story about the prolific landscape artist and host of The Joy of Painting, Bob Ross and his legacy. With a keen appreciation for nature, and a kind and gentle demeanor, he encouraged everyone he met to embrace their creativity and believe in themselves, becoming a cultural phenomenon along the way. The man who famously said that there were no mistakes, rather just happy accidents has brought sheer delight to the world for decades. While his soothing voice and unmistakable image continue to evoke nostalgia, there remains a sinister tale surrounding his name and the empire that was built on it being hijacked by once trusted partners, whose slow betrayal of him continued beyond his death in 1995.
- The Loud House Movie | TBD
- In Nickelodeon’s The Loud House Movie, the biggest family on television goes on the biggest Loud family vacation ever! The adventure follows the Loud family to Scotland where they discover that they are descendants of Scottish royalty. The family quickly indulges in the most wish-fulfilling high-life ever when they discover their ancestral home is a castle.
- Vivo | TBD
- From Sony Pictures Animation comes VIVO, an animated musical adventure that follows Vivo, a musically gifted kinkajou (aka a rainforest “honey bear”) who must find his way from Havana to Miami in order to deliver a song to his cherished owner’s long-lost love.
We’ll surely hear more about these summer movies from Netflix in the weeks and months to come.
