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Hollywood’s Summer of Meh

Most of the big studio movies performed as well as they needed to for their own commercial success. But a lack of regular releases, zero surprise breakouts, and a slew of less-special-than-before franchise titles left theaters begging for a #Barbenheimer…

weapons movie
There was some original material that found its intended audience, like F1 and Weapons, but those were the two notable exceptions: Unsurprisingly, the season will drastically underperform the #Barbenheimer summer of 2023. Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Scott Mendelson
August 19, 2025

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Alas, the summer movie season, which is finally in the rearview, was defined by mostly underwhelming reboots and sequels (Smurfs, 28 Years Later), way-too-tired I.P. (The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Ballerina), and barely released awards bait (Highest 2 Lowest). There was some original material that found its intended audience, like F1 and Weapons, but those were the two notable exceptions. Unsurprisingly, the season will drastically underperform the #Barbenheimer summer of 2023.