Following the record-breaking opening weekend for “A Minecraft Movie” and the breakout success of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” a new slate of blockbusters and indie films are hoping to drum up excitement in May about what 2025 has to offer in the cinema landscape.
Starting with the weekend’s wide releases, Marvel is betting big on “Thunderbolts” after a series of underwhelming releases with “Captain America: Brave New World” and “The Marvels.” Starring Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell, the film follows an unconventional team that bands together after being sent on a rogue operative mission. To give “Thunderbolts*” a different flair, Marvel’s marketing has focused on the talent behind the camera that previously worked on A24 projects like “Beef,” “Midsommar” and “A Different Man.”
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For moviegoers not quite on the Marvel train, Nicolas Cage stars in the new psychological thriller “The Surfer” directed by Lorcan Finnegan (“Vivarium” starring Jesse Eisenberg), which premiered at last year’s Cannes. After returning to surf with his son at his childhood beach, Cage’s character gets humiliated by the locals in “a trippy slapdash comic nightmare,” Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman said in his review. So far, the film has an 88% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Beginning Sunday, May 4, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” will be back in theaters for its 50th anniversary re-release. Over limited release, audiences can check out director Durga Chew-Bose‘s new take on Françoise Sagan’s classic novel “Bonjour Tristesse,” now starring Chloë Sevigny and Lily McInerny, while the indie neo-noir thriller “A Desert,” featuring Sarah Lind, Kai Lennox and David Yow, follows a photographer in the American Southwest.
Check back each week to find the latest releases in theaters, from major wide releases to niche independent titles.
Friday, May 2
“Thunderbolts”
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (Wide and Imax)
“The Surfer”
Roadside Attractions (Wide)
“Magic Farm”
Mubi (Wide)
“Bonjour Tristesse”
Greenwich Entertainment (Limited)
“A Desert”
Dark Sky Films (Limited)
“The Dumpling Queen”
CMC Pictures (Limited)
Sunday, May 4
“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”
Fathom Events (50th Anniversary re-release)
Best of Variety
What’s Coming to Netflix in May 2025
What’s Coming to Disney+ in May 2025
The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
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