Just a couple months ago, there was a three or four week period in which Beyoncé, Drake, Radiohead, and Chance The Rapper all released new music. It was a wild ride. No matter what inevitable surprise releases come our way in July, it’s doubtful there will be any similar stretch, one which feels kind of like being inside of one of those glass booths where money comes blowing in from a vent, except instead of money it’s great music. On the other hand, movies have been flopping left and right lately, with only a few notable exceptions. (Ahoy, Captain America: Civil War.) As we stand at the precipice of peak summer, there are a lot more chances for movie redemption–blockbusters like the new Star Trek and Ghostbusters, along with potential sleeper hits like Mike Birbiglia’s improv opus, Don’t Think Twice. Oh yeah, and Mr. Robot is back! The forecast for peak summer is: quite possibly awesome.
Movies In Theaters
- The BFG, opens July 1st.
- The Legend of Tarzan, opens July 1st.
- The Purge: Election Year, opens July 1st.
- Our Kind of Traitor, opens July 1st.
- Our Little Sister, opens July 8th.
- Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, opens July 8th.
- The Secret Life of Pets, opens July 8th.
- Captain Fantastic, opens July 8th.
- Fathers and Daughters, opens July 8th.
- The Infiltrator, opens July 13th.
- Ghostbusters, opens July 15th.
- Equals, opens July 15th.
- Lights Out, opens July 22nd.
- Star Trek Beyond, opens July 22nd.
- Don’t Think Twice, opens July 22nd.
- Nerve, opens July 27th.
- Bad Moms, opens July 29th.
- Jason Bourne, opens July 29th.
- Into the Forest, opens July 29th.
- Equity, opens July 29th.
MOVIES TO WATCH AT HOME
- Jim Jefferies: Freedumb, opens July 1st.
- Brahman Naman, opens July 7th on Netflix
- Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru, opens July 7th.
- Cell, opens July 8th in theaters, but is also available on iTunes.
- Zero Days, opens July 8th in theaters, but is also available on iTunes.
- Indian Point, opens July 8th.
- Tulip Fever, opens July 15th.
- The Blackout Experiments, opens July 22nd.
- Looking: The Movie, opens July 23rd.
- Yoga Hosers, opens July 29th.
Albums You Should Hear
- Bat for Lashes – The Bride, out on July 1st.
- Blink-182 – California, out on July 1st.
- Maxwell – blackSUMMERS’night, out on July 1st.
- Metronomy – Summer 08, out on July 1st.
- Thee Oh Sees – Live In San Francisco, out on July 1st.
- AraabMuzik – Dreamworld, out on July 5th.
- The Julie Ruin – Hit Reset, out on July 8th.
- Clams Casino – 32 Levels, out on July 15th.
- Good Charlotte – Youth Authority, out on July 15th.
- MSTRKRFT – Operator, out on July 22nd.
- The Bouncing Souls – Simplicity, out on July 29th.
THINGS TO WATCH ON YOUR TV (OR YOUR COMPUTER)
- Brett Gelman’s Dinner in America, premieres July 1st on Adult Swim.
- Marcella, premieres July 1st on Netflix.
- Black Market, premieres July 5th on Viceland.
- Cyberwar, premieres July 5th on Viceland.
- Vice Does America, premieres July 6th on Viceland.
- Dead Set on Life, premieres July 7th on Viceland.
- The Night Of, premieres July 10th on HBO.
- Difficult People, premieres July 12th on Hulu.
- The 2016 ESPYS SPECIAL, premieres July 13th on ABC.
- Mr. Robot, premieres July 13th on USA.
- Doc & Darryl, premieres July 14th on ESPN.
- HarmonQuest, premieres July 14th on Seeso.
- Stranger Things, premieres July 15th on Netflix.
- Ballers, premieres July 17th on HBO.
- Vice Principals, premieres July 17th on HBO.
- Shooter, premieres July 19th on USA.
- BoJack Horseman, premieres July 22nd on Netflix.
- Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, premieres July 31st on Syfy.
Books to Read
- Julian Fellowes’s Belgravia by Julian Fellowes, out on July 4th.
- Listen to Me by Hannah Pittard, out on July 4th.
- The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger, out on July 11th.
- You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein, out on July 11th.
- Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage, and Screen by Robert Mckee, out on July 11th.
- How to Be a Person in the World: Ask Polly’s Guide Through the Paradoxes of Modern Life by Heather Havrilesky, out on July 11th.
- The Hopefuls: A novel by Jennifer Close, out on July 18th.
- This Must Be the Place: A novel by Maggie O’Farrell, out on July 18th.
- Heroes of the Frontier by Dave Eggers, out on July 25th.
- Good As Gone by Amy Gentry, out on July 26th.
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One & Two by J. K. Rowling, out on July 30th.
Places To Go
- RTX, Rooster Teeth’s annual convention, is on July 1st-3rd
- Willie Nelson’s annual 4th of July picnic/concert at the Circuit of the Americas, which features an all-star lineup of country acts you almost definitely like if you like Willie Nelson enough to go to his 4th of July picnic.
- The Walker Stalker zombie convention is in New Jersey July 9th and 10th, and Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs (Carl!) and other stars from The Walking Dead will be there.
- The Art of Rap Festival, featuring Public Enemy, Ice-T, Doug E. Fresh, MC Lyte, Mobb Deep, and more ’80s/’90s rap acts together, is touring America through July.
- San Diego Comic-Con, the world’s largest pop culture convention, takes place at the San Diego Convention Center July 20th-24th. Fast Company’s Susan Karlin will moderate three panels.
- The Out of Doors series of free events at Lincoln Center opens on July 20th with Patti Smith.
[Photo Mash Up: Adriana C. Sánchez for Fast Company, Source Photos: Star Trek Beyond: Zade Rosenthal, courtesy of Paramount Pictures; Yoga Hosers: Allan Amato, courtesy of Sundance; The Infiltrator: Liam Daniel, courtesy of Broad Green Pictures; The Night Of: Barry Wetcher, courtesy of HBO; The Legend of Tarzan: Jonathan Olley, courtesy of Warner Bros.; The Secret Life of Pets: Illumination Enter, courtesy of Universal Pictures; Our Little Sister, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics; Our Kind of Traitor, courtesy of Studio Canal; Mr. Robot: Peter Kramer, courtesy of USA Network; Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates: Gemma LaMana, courtesy of 20th Century Fox; Marcella: courtesy of ITV; Equals: Jessica Forde, Jae Hyuk Lee, courtesy of A24; Ghostbusters: Hopper Stone, courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment; Captain Fantastic: Cathy Kanavy, courtesy of Bleecker Street; Brahman Naman: Tiziana Puleio, courtesy of Netflix; The BFG, courtesy of Disney; Jason Bourne: Jasin Boland, courtesy of Universal Pictures]