Barry Wurst: Summer movies soar, stumble and surprise
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One of the wildest summer movie seasons has wrapped up and proved to be a financial record-breaker, with theater attendance and box office results hitting pre-pandemic levels. Before the fall movies begin to unspool in early October, here's a look back at the summer of 2026 in cinema.
The best
In May, I casually predicted that "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" would make about $300 million and could match the high of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021). Well, my estimation was about $600 million short, as the film is on its way to becoming the top-grossing film of all time. The film is terrific, and its director, Haiku's own Destin Daniel Cretton, is becoming known worldwide as a tremendous talent, though Maui audiences have known that for years.
The rest of the best includes Kane Parsons' "Backrooms," a wondrously sinister descent down the rabbit hole, and Daniel Roher's "Tuner," a major find that blends a love story and heist thriller with inventive use of music and sound.
Daniel McCarthy's "Hokum" is a folk horror epic reminiscent of Stephen King and easily the scariest movie I've seen this year. Finally, there's Kenji Tanigaki's "The Furious," an action extravaganza from Hong Kong that lived up to its widespread hype.
The worst
Milly Alcock is not the only reason "Supergirl" didn't fly. This visually off-putting, overly busy letdown failed hardest where all movie disasters come up short: the screenplay. Even Jason Momoa couldn't save it, though at least we still have the camp delight of the 1984 version, which is strangely proving to be a hard film to top.
Likewise, Karl Urban's in-it-to-win-it gusto couldn't elevate "Mortal Kombat II," and after the career high of the hilarious and horrifying "Thanksgiving" (2023), writer and director Eli Roth gave us "Ice Cream Man," which is easily his worst movie.
Disappointments
I love Anne Hathaway and I love dinosaurs. But put them together and you have "The End of Oak Street," which has no third act, surprising payoff or point. As for "The Devil Wears Prada 2," it tries to convince us that Miranda Priestley and those self-obsessed monsters at "Runway" are actually good people.
Much stranger was "Toy Story 5," a hypocritical product about products -- complete with an in-movie Disneyland ad -- and a "warning" about kids addicted to screen use, even though millions of kids worldwide are undoubtedly watching it right now on their tablets.
The corny, trying-too-hard "Scary Movie" is the sixth movie and far from last in the series, but the jokes that landed are surrounded by embarrassing patches that didn't. "White Chicks" (2004), all is forgiven. The biggest letdown by far came from Steven Spielberg, whose "Disclosure Day" was like a bad joke with an overly drawn-out setup and a forgotten punchline. The good news is we still have "E.T." (1982).
Good but overrated
As a visual experience, Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" was awesome, but let's be honest, the screenplay full of contemporary, profane, dumbed-down dialogue was terrible. Nolan's latest is an event in theaters but nowhere near his best work. "Obsession" was a monster surprise hit and full of memorable frightening moments. It also has a third act that doesn't work.
Underrated
Considering that the teaser trailer for "Passenger" had the biggest jump scare and audience reaction in memory, it's surprising that the film, an enjoyable fright fest with massive jolts, wasn't a bigger hit.
"Masters of the Universe" was a flop in theaters but a major hit on Amazon Prime Video and the movie my inner 10-year-old has been waiting for since Dolph Lundgren made me believe in He-Man.
Speaking of shameless nostalgia, "The Mandalorian and Grogu" came across to many as seen-it-already fodder after three seasons of the Disney+ series.
Actually, Jon Favreau's intergalactic buddy comedy has a lot of heart. Lifetime "Star Wars" fans, take note: The 1977 original turns 50 next year and is being re-released in theaters, minus the controversial special edition version, and alongside Ryan Gosling starring in "Star Wars: Starfighter." The Force will be very strong in 2027.
Barry Wurst II is the founder of the Hawaii Film Critics Society and teaches film classes at University of Hawaii Maui College.