Fandango has shared the results of their annual Fandango’s Moviegoing Trends & Insights Study, revealing the ten most anticipated movies this summer, and unsurprisingly, Marvel Studios once again tops the list with Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness taking the top spot and Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder coming in second.
Rounding out the top five are a trifecta of blockbuster sequels: Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World: Dominion, Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick, and Illumination's Minions: The Rise of Gru.
Their survey also revealed a significant increase in customer satisfaction over the past year, which is certainly positive news as theaters continue to recover from the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shortened theatrical window due to the rise of streamers. Their study revealed:
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93% of moviegoers will buy concessions (up from 84% the prior year), with popcorn and soda being the most popular items.
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93% plan to see various genres of movies in theaters this year, not just superhero/comic book movies.
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89% indicate that moviegoing is their favorite activity outside of the home (ranking higher than dining out, shopping or sporting activities).
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85% say premium formats (like IMAX or Dolby) make the moviegoing experience more enjoyable.
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68% believe movies released only in theaters are of a higher quality than straight-to-streaming titles.
As for what kinds of movies - outside of the Marvel brand - are bringing people back to theaters,
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95% look for their favorite genres.
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93% select films based on their trailers.
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91% ask for recommendations from families or friends.
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90% want to see their favorite stars on the big screen.
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90% pick the latest installment of a favorite franchise.
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88% search for positive ratings and reviews.
To check out Fandango's Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of the Summer, click the NEXT button below!
10. Downton Abbey: A New Era
From award-winning creator Julian Fellowes comes the motion picture event DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA. The much-anticipated cinematic return of the global phenomenon reunites the beloved cast as they go on a grand journey to the South of France to uncover the mystery of the Dowager Countess’ newly inherited villa.
9. Bullet Train
An original movie event, Bullet Train is a fun, delirious action-thriller from the director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch. Brad Pitt headlines an ensemble cast of eclectic, diverse assassins – all with connected yet conflicting objectives – set against the backdrop of a non-stop ride through modern-day Japan.
8. Nope
Oscar® winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out and then Us. Now, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope.
The film reunites Peele with Oscar® winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), who is joined by Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Alice) and Oscar® nominee Steven Yeun (Minari, Okja) as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.
7. Elvis
This film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).
6. Lightyear
The definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy, “Lightyear” follows the legendary Space Ranger after he’s marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years from Earth alongside his commander and their crew. As Buzz tries to find a way back home through space and time, he’s joined by a group of ambitious recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox. Complicating matters and threatening the mission is the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence with an army of ruthless robots and a mysterious agenda.
5. Minions: The Rise of Gru
Long before he becomes the master of evil, Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carell) is just a 12-year-old boy in 1970s suburbia, plotting to take over the world from his basement. It’s not going particularly well. When Gru crosses paths with the Minions, including Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto—a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please—this unexpected family joins forces. Together, they build their first lair, design their first weapons, and strive to execute their first missions.
4. Top Gun: Maverick
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose”. Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it. Here
3. Jurassic World: Dominion
From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.
2. Thor: Love and Thunder
The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.
1. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
In Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.