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From traveling to Homer’s ancient Greece, the colorful world of Toy Story and all the way down to Hadestown, audiences had plenty of reasons to trade their streaming services for a seat in the theater this summer.
“OBSESSION”
An indie horror film kicked off the summer with an unexpected social media popularity. Originally premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025, Curry Barker’s “Obsession” officially hit public theaters last May, bringing a twisted supernatural romance to the horror genre.
The story kicks off when Bear, a shy, friend-zoned music store employee, buys and subsequently breaks a mysterious trinket known as the “One Wish Willow” in the hopes of winning over his long-time crush, Nikki; however, this hopeless romantic soon comes to discover the consequences of his actions as he gets exactly what he wished for.
When Nikki suddenly falls madly in love with Bear, her affection quickly devolves into a violent, autonomy-stripping fixation, turning his forced romantic fantasy into a claustrophobic, living hell.
While the film’s premise is enough to leave audiences scared, it’s Indie Navarrette’s shocking and incredibly intense performance as Nikki that has kept people talking. Her ability to shift from the sweet and unsuspecting Nikki to the obsessively violent “Freaky Nikki,” especially during the film’s more intense scenes, made her performance truly exceptional and established Navarrette as one of this summer’s breakout stars.
“THE ODYSSEY”
Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, based on one of literature’s oldest stories, absolutely swept the box office this past summer. The star-studded cast, made up of Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Noyong’o and Eliot Page came together to bring Odysseus’ decade-long journey home from the Trojan War to the big screen.
“The Odyssey” opened to $264.1 million worldwide, marking this Nolan’s biggest opening weekend ever. Shot entirely with IMAX cameras, the film quickly became one of the defining theatrical experiences of the summer.
Nolan’s adaptation is about more than the ancient Greek hero’s journey home. The film emphasizes the psychological weight and lingering consequences of the Trojan War while following Odysseus and his crew through the perils that stand between them and home. All these ideas build toward the film’s most iconic scene: Odysseus’ return home. After a decade of travel, his anticipated return is met with the chilling pluck of a bow.
The iconic four-note leitmotif wasn’t the only notable musical component. From the raging roar of the Cyclops to the eerie song of the sirens, Ludwig Göransson, the composer of the film’s score, created a breathtaking soundtrack by reconstructing ancient instruments – fully immersing the audience inside the world of ancient Greece.
“SUPERGIRL”
James Gunn takes us to the skies with his newest film in the DC Universe, “Supergirl.” Starring the once “Realm’s Delight” of Westeros, Milly Alcock brings the same rebellious and fierce determination to Kara Zor-El, more famously known as Supergirl. The film grossed $68 million globally its opening weekend, setting the stage for a gritty, interstellar epic that takes the iconic superhero beyond the streets of Earth and introduces audiences to a completely different side of the House of El.
Nearing her 23rd birthday, Kara travels the galaxy on a brutal mission of vengeance alongside a young alien named Ruthye who enlists Kara to help track down the cold-blooded fugitive Krem. The two set off across the galaxy, turning Kara’s birthday trip into an unexpected celestial adventure. Beneath the revenge-powered journey, Supergirl unpacks her history on Krypton, her complicated relationship with her famous cousin, Superman, and her struggle with grief.
And of course, there is Krypto. This Kryptonian canine became more than just Kara’s super-powered sidekick, stealing every scene with his chaotic energy while giving her a sweet reminder of home and becoming every woman’s best friend.
“TOY STORY 5”
The Toy Story franchise is still alive and thriving with its newest addition. Nearly three decades after audiences first met Woody and Buzz, “Toy Story 5” brings the gang back together for another adventure.
The film opened to $312 million worldwide with the same nostalgic charm and fan-favorite characters. This time, the toys face a threat a little closer to home: technology. Returning to Bonnie’s bedroom, the toys find themselves competing with the one thing that has captured her attention more than anything else, a snarky frog-themed tablet named Lily.
At the center of the film is Jessie, the fiery red-headed cowgirl who steps into the role of Bonnie’s room sheriff. As Bonnie becomes increasingly absorbed in her new tablet, Jessie takes on the challenge of keeping the toys together and reminding Bonnie of the imagination and creativity that once made playtime special.
In the film’s most memorable scene, an emotional moment reveals Jessie discovering Emily, her original human owner, named her daughter after the cowgirl, reminding Jessie and the viewers of just how much our childhood memories mean to us, no matter how much we continue to grow.
Famous pop singer Taylor Swift debuted a new single for the film, “I Knew It, I Knew You.” The original song, written and produced with Jack Antonoff, marks a return to Swift’s country roots with fans excited for more.
“HADESTOWN”
From stage to screen, “Hadestown” finally released its long-awaited pro-shot of the eight-time Tony Award-winning musical. Following two interconnected ancient Greek myths through a post-apocalyptic, New Orleans-inspired setting, this folk and jazz musical has swept audiences in a riveting story full of love, loss and hope.
Originally premiering on Broadway in 2019, “Hadestown” retells the stories of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone, weaving together themes of devotion, sacrifice and resilience.
Its release also sparked a bittersweet trend online in which users shared photos and clips of their loved ones paired with the musical’s infamous refrain from the song “Road to Hell (Reprise),” “It’s a sad song / But we sing it anyway,” mimicking the musical’s emotional motif.
The film, initially advertised as a “five nights only” theatrical event, proved too popular to leave the screens that soon and extended its run in theaters by an additional four weeks. Don’t worry if you missed the screenings: they’re going to sing the show again and again because “Hadestown” is still alive and thriving on Broadway with showings eight times per week.
Thanks to these stellar films, the 2026 summer box-office was at an all-time high, hitting a record $4.76 billion in the U.S., according to Deadline.
