10 Massive Movies Hitting UK Cinemas This July – From ‘The Odyssey’ To ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

The little yellow scamps are back in a whole new adventure from everyone’s favourite Minionese-talking animator Pierre Coffin. There’s no Gru once again, which means we’re in a different era of Minion history – in fact, a different era of cinema. Because Monsters vs Minions takes in a Letterboxd account’s worth of movie history from silent film to big 1920s epics to monster movies like The Blob. It may not turn kids into Mark Kermodes but it’ll definitely make them giggle trying. 

In cinemas Jul 1

Olivia Wilde got a raw deal with Don’t Worry Darling, a bold if unsuccessful Stepford-esque sci-fi about suburban conformity that turned into a media circus. But she bounces back with a crackerjack comedy that moves some of those same concerns into a San Francisco des res and throws in sexual frustrations, a streak of Mike Nichols’ cynicism, stoner comedy beats and killer turns from her and her co-stars Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz. The result? This year’s must-see comedy. 

In cinemas Jul 3

Matt Johnson and his co-writer and fellow indie comedy maverick Jay McCarrol channel the gonzo spirit of early Kevin Smith and Spike Jonze in this big-screen expansion of their own mockumentary sitcom. There’s a lot of Back to the Future in their sci-fi comedy too, as their on-screen selves try to secure a gig at The Rivoli in Toronto and end up accidentally time-travelling in a jerry-rigged RV. Few movies do more with what they have – including a whole Mission: Impossible bit atop the CN Tower – or have a more infectious spirit. 

In cinemas Jul 3

A clutch of big names have lent their talents to this unblinking look at the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Susan Sarandon and Asif Kapadia are exec-producers and Robert Del Naja composes the score (the Massive Attack frontman has also curated an album to coincident with the release, with tracks from Kneecap, Paul Weller, David Holmes and Palestinian rapper, Tamer Nafar). Director Daniele Rugo’s documentary follows the efforts of international doctors to care for the victims since the war began in October 2023. It won’t be an easy watch, it will be an important one. 

In cinemas Jul 10

Knowing that French director Sébastien Vaniček made 2023 spider nightmare Infested will give a flavour of what to expect from this Evil Dead revival: full-bore terrors at high velocity with demonic yucks and a better than ever chance of being scared shitless. The set-up is more domestic than previously in the Sam Raimi-produced reboot. A family regroups to mourn the loss of a loved one, only to be Deadified one by one. Will this be the franchise’s answer to Drag Me To Hell? Here’s hoping.

In cinemas Jul 10

Callum Turner makes the leap from your social feed to the cinema screen this month in this Succession-ish superrich satire from Karim Aïnouz (Firebrand, Motel Destino). Turner, who also narrates, plays the callous son of a blind patriarch (Tracy Letts). Jamie Bell is his erratic older brother. Riley Keough is their pent-up sister. None of them are good people. With a script from Yorgos Lanthimos co-writer Efthimis Filippou, it should bridge the gap until the next helping of The White Lotus. 

In cinemas Jul 10

Do we really need a live action retread of one of the greatest animations of the 21st century? Disney and The Rock say yes. Following on from The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Lilo & Stitch and others comes Moana redux, a replica of the 2016 classic shot partly in Hawaii with a new Moana (19-year-old Aussie actress Catherine Laga’aia) but the same roguish Maui (Dwayne Johnson) back to flex his guns and shapeshift his way through the animal kingdom. The plot… well, you know it already. Will this Moana live up to her own sky-high standards?

In cinemas Jul 10

Here it is, the big one. Homer’s OG narrative meets Christopher Nolan’s IMAX-sized vision of widescreen adventure and the most stellar cast of A-listers – and mythological monsters – in recent years. Cyclops, Laestrygonians, Circe, Scylla, Charybdis, the Sirens… there’s a veritable Sinister Six of big bads awaiting Odysseus (Matt Damon) as he and his crew sail for Ithaca – and home. Will he make it back before the evil suitors led by Antinous (Robert Pattinson) sleaze their way into his home and hearth? Most of the movie-going world is already seated. 

In cinemas Jul 17

Tom Holland and Zendaya are doing overtime this month with The Odyssey coming out just ahead of their return to the MCU and a whole new Spidey timeline. His return to active webslinging duty in NYC follows directly on from Dr Stranger’s spell in No Way Home (2021). Which means that no one knows who Peter Parker (Holland) is – including, heartbreakingly, MJ (Zendaya), the love of his life. Plus, he has to deal with Scorpion (Michael Mando) and mardy vigilante Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal). 

In cinemas Jul 31

This arresting debut from filmmaker, visual artist and composer Imran Perretta channels his own experiences as a teenager into a coming-of-age story about two kids, Ish and Maram, on the wrong end of a brutal police stop and search. Drawing on childhood classics with a strong social consciousness like Kes, The Apu Trilogy, Bicycle Thieves, and The 400 Blows, Ish promises uplift as well as grit. It’s shot in striking black-and-white My Father’s Shadow’s cinematographer Jermaine Canute Edwards and was co-written with playwright and Hunger screenwriter Enda Walsh.

In cinemas Jul 31