The summer after Barbenheimer and the strikes, Hollywood charts a new course

“ Barbenheimer ” is a hard act to follow. But as Hollywood enters another summer movie season, armed with fewer superheroes and a landscape vastly altered by the strikes, it’s worth remembering the classic William Goldman quote about what works: “Nobody knows anything.”

Four decades later, that still may be true. Yet one thing Hollywood has learned in releasing films through the pandemic and the strikes is how to pivot quickly.

The summer of 2023 brought a new enthusiasm for moviegoing, with the fortuitous counterprogramming of “Barbie” and “ Oppenheimer,” and surprise hits like “ Sound of Freedom,” helping the season’s box office crack $4 billion for the first time since 2019. But before the industry could take a victory lap, there was another crisis looming with the dual Hollywood strikes, which shuttered most productions for months.

In the fallout, theaters lost big summer titles like “Mission: Impossible 8,” “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts” to 2025. But they gained a gem in Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” (June 21), about a 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club, as studios moved films around on the summer chessboard. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” once set to kick off the summer moviegoing season on May 3 like many Marvel movies before it, is now sitting happily on July 26, patiently waiting to dominate the summer charts.

“I do love being right there in the belly of summer,” said director Shawn Levy. “That’s a juicy moment.”

The kickoff weekend instead belongs to an original film about a different kind of superhero. “ The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is part romantic-comedy, part action-comedy, and all love letter to the stunt performers that make movies spectacular. It’s an earnest crowd-pleaser that could jumpstart a season that feels, in some ways, like a throwback, with full-throttle spectacles (“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Twisters”), comedies (“Babes"), IMAX wonder (“The Blue Angels”) and even a Kevin Costner Western.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has seen the highs and lows of summer movies over the decades, with blockbusters including “ Top Gun: Maverick ” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies.

This season, he has three very different offerings on the calendar, two are fourth installments in popular franchises — “Beverly Hills Cop” (July 3, Netflix) and “Bad Boys” (June 7, theaters) — and one was planned for streaming but tested so well that it’s getting a theatrical rollout (“Young Woman and the Sea,” May 31).

“People just want to be entertained,” Bruckheimer said. “It really comes down to us to make the right movies that they want to go see.”

A Hollywood summer lasts 123 days from the first Friday in May through Labor Day Monday in September. Pre-pandemic, $4 billion was a normal summer intake and theaters could count on anywhere between 37 and 42 films to open on over 2,000 screens. The outlier was 2017, which had only 35 movies on over 2,000 screens and topped out at $3.8 billion. It makes last summer’s $4 billion haul with 32 wide releases (45% of the $9 billion domestic haul) even more impressive.

This summer should have 32 wide releases as well and over 40 movies opening in 500+ theaters. Notably only two of them are Marvel movies (“Deadpool” and Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter”) and are the only superhero movies on the calendar until the “Joker” sequel in the fall.

“People are going to see movies, not box office, and it looks like a really solid summer from a moviegoer's perspective," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

“The Bikeriders” was one that planned for an awards season rollout, with a turbo boost from stellar reviews out of the Telluride Film Festival hailing star turns for Austin Butler and Jodie Comer. But as they inched closer to its release date it became clear that the strikes were not going to resolve in time for a press tour.

“It was kind of like walking on frozen glass for three months,” Nichols said. “I was touring around doing press and trying to build this energy on my own. Let me tell you, it’s not the same as Austin Butler.”

Later in June, after a splashy Cannes debut, Kevin Costner will begin rolling out his two-part Western epic “Horizon: An American Saga,” set during the Civil War. And as always there are a slew of Sundance breakouts peppered throughout the summer, from Jane Shoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow” and “Didi” to “ Thelma ” and “Good One.”

Family films often go into hyperdrive in the summer, capitalizing on long days out of school. This year has plenty, like “The Garfield Movie” and “Despicable Me 4,” re-releases of Studio Ghibli classics, and streaming options (“Thelma the Unicorn”). But perhaps none has more anticipation behind it than “Inside Out 2” (June 14, theaters), which meets up with Riley as she enters her teenage years as a new group of emotions crash Joy’s party, including Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment.

“That age gives us everything we need and love for a Pixar film,” director Kelsey Mann said. “It’s full of drama, it has potential for a lot of heart, and I could also make it really funny.”

John Krasinski is also delving into the inner world of children with his ambitious live-action hybrid “IF” (May 17, theaters) about the imaginary friends that get left behind and two humans (Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming) who can still see them.

Audiences seeking the adrenaline rush of horrors and thrillers have plenty of choices, including “MaXXXine,” the conclusion to Ti West’s accidental Mia Goth trilogy (“X” and “ Pearl ”) that debuts around the fourth of July.

Goth’s aspiring actress has made her way to Hollywood where a killer is stalking Hollywood starlets around the time of the home video boom of the 1980s.

“We recreated the sleazy side of Hollywood in a hopefully charming way,” West said. “It’s definitely a pretty wild night at the movies. A big, rockin’, fun movie.”

On June 28, audiences can also delve into the beginnings of “A Quiet Place” with a prequel set on “Day One” starring Luptia Nyong’o and “Stranger Things’” Joseph Quinn. Director Michael Sarnoski said they wanted to explore the “scope and promise” of a Quiet Place movie in New York. Later, Fede Álvarez brings his horror acumen to “Alien: Romulus” (Aug. 16), set between the first two.

M. Night Shyamalan is back as well with a thriller set at a pop concert (“Trap,” Aug. 9) and his daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan, makes her directorial debut with the spooky, Ireland-set “The Watchers” (June 7) with Dakota Fanning.

“It's very suspenseful and unexpected,” Ishana said. "And it's very much built for the experience of being in a theater.”

Much to the chagrin of theater owners, big summer movies have also existed off the big screen for years now. And the streamers have movie stars and spectacle with the festival favorite “Hit Man,” the Anne Hathaway romance “The Idea of You,” Jerry Seinfeld’s starry pop-tart movie “Unfrosted” and a Mark Wahlberg/Halle Berry action comedy “The Union.”

They have franchises too: “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” (July 3) was a movie that was in and out of development since the mid-1990s, but got new life when Paramount licensed the rights to Netflix.

“We raised our hand to make sure we got the franchise right and kept the integrity and fun of the original,” Bruckheimer said.

This installment adds an emotional component in which Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley reunites with his estranged daughter (Taylour Paige). It also sees the return of Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot and adds Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

On Aug. 9, Apple TV+ will also have “The Instigators,” a new action-comedy starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck as normal guys attempting a heist. “Midnight Run” was one of their touchstones.

“The script was so funny and I wanted to really embrace that,” Doug Liman, who directed, said.

Remember, anything can happen with summer movies.

We can pretend we knew that “Barbie” would be the biggest movie of the year, but would anyone have bet that an R-rated drama about the father of the atomic bomb would have made almost three times as much as Harrison Ford’s last ride as Indiana Jones? Or that a $14 million crowdfunded movie from a new studio about child trafficking with next to zero promotion would earn over $250 million?

“Nobody knows anything is right,” said “The Instigators” producer Kevin Walsh. “The movie business is so unpredictable. You never know what’s going to work and what isn’t. But you have your taste. And following your taste and your instincts in this business is paramount.”

For interviews, reviews and more coverage of recent film releases, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/movies

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Joseph Quinn, left, and Lupita Nyong'o in a scene from "A Quiet Place: Day One." (Paramount Pictures via AP)

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Isabela Merced in a scene from "Alien: Romulus." (20th Century Studios via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Glen Powell in a scene from "Hit Man." (Netflix via AP)

This image released by Bleecker Street shows Robert De Niro, from left, Bobby Cannavale and William A. Fitzgerald in a scene from "Ezra." (John Baer/Bleecker Street via AP)

This image released by Disney shows Daisy Ridley as Trudy Ederle in a scene from "Young Woman and the Sea." (Vladisav Lepoev/Disney via AP)

This image released by Angel Studios shows Terry Chen, left, and Greg Kinnear in a scene from "Sight." (Angel Studios via AP)

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Cailey Fleming, left, with Blue, voiced by Steve Carell, in a scene from "IF." (Paramount Pictures via AP)

This image released by MUBI shows a scene from "Gasoline Rainbow." (MUBI via AP)

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Noa, played by Owen Teague, from left, Freya Allan as Nova, and Raka, played by Peter Macon, in a scene from "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." (20th Century Studios via AP)

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows a scene from "Alien: Romulus." (20th Century Studios via AP)

This image released by Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios shows The Minions in a scene from "Despicable Me 4." (Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios via AP)

This image released by A24 shows Justice Smith, left, and Brigette Lundy-Paine in a scene from "I Saw the TV Glow." (A24 via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Kevin Costner in a scene from "Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Eddie Murphy in "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F." (Netflix via AP)

This image released by Focus Features shows Austin Butler in a scene from "The Bikeriders." (Focus Features via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Sasha Lane, left, and Glen Powell in a scene from "Twisters." (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Disney/Pixar shows, from left, Sadness, voiced by Phyllis Smith, from left, Joy, voiced by Amy Poehler, Disgust, voiced by Liza Lapira, Fear, voiced by Tony Hale and Anger, voiced by Lewis Black in a scene from "Inside Out 2." (Disney/Pixar via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows a scene from "Twisters." (Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Anya Taylor-Joy in a scene from "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios shows Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson in a scene from "Deadpool & Wolverine." (20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios via AP)

The summer after Barbenheimer and the strikes, Hollywood charts a new course

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows a scene from "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

The summer after Barbenheimer and the strikes, Hollywood charts a new course

HOUSTON (AP) — Storms in Texas brought additional rain Sunday to the already saturated Houston area where hundreds of people have been rescued from flooded homes and roads, while to the north in the Fort Worth area, a child died after being swept away when the car he was traveling in got stuck in floodwaters.

Over the last week, areas near Lake Livingston, located northeast of Houston, have gotten upwards of 23 inches (58 centimeters) of rain, National Weather Service meteorologist Jimmy Fowler said on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, he said, areas in northeastern Harris County, the nation’s third-largest county that includes Houston, had a range of 6 inches (15 centimeters) to almost 17 inches (43 centimeters) of rain in that same period.

Scattered showers in the Houston area on Sunday brought light to moderate rainfall, he said.

“With the rainfall that fell overnight plus this morning it just kind of prolonged the river flooding that we were experiencing,” Fowler said.

He said the rain would taper off in the evening, with no heavy rain events expected in the next week or so.

In Johnson County, located south of Fort Worth, a 5-year-old boy died when he was swept away after the vehicle he was riding in became stuck in swift-moving water near the community of Lillian just before 2 a.m. Sunday, an official said.

The child and two adults were trying to get to dry ground when they were swept away, Jamie Moore, the Johnson County Emergency Management director, wrote in a Facebook post.

The two adults were rescued around 5 a.m. and taken to a hospital, while the child was found dead around 7:20 a.m. in the water, Moore said.

Storms brought as 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain in a span of six to eight hours in some areas from central Texas to the Dallas-Fort Worth area overnight, said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Stalley. He said the rains washed out some roads west of Waco.

Over the last few days, storms have forced numerous high-water rescues in the Houston area, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes.

Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District, said Sunday afternoon that “things are improving slowly.”

“We have water going down on our river systems,” said Lindner. The San Jacinto River crested on Saturday, with its east and west forks and main stem below Lake Houston falling from 1 foot (0.30 meters) to 3 feet (0.91 meters) overnight. he said.

Lindner said that so far, Sunday’s additional rain did not seem to be causing any new flooding. He urged people to still be cautious, noting that many areas are still flooded.

“We really need everybody to give it just another day before we feel comfortable that conditions are safe,” Lindner said.

Greg Moss, 68, was staying put in his recreational vehicle on Sunday after leaving his home in the community of Channelview in eastern Harris County near the San Jacinto River. On Saturday, he packed up many of his belongings and left before the road to his home flooded.

“I would be stuck for four days,” Moss said. “So now at least I can go get something to eat.”

Moss moved his belongings and vehicle to a neighbor’s home, where planned to stay until the waters recede. He said Sunday that the floodwaters had already gone down by a couple of feet and that he wasn’t worried his home would flood because it’s located on higher ground.

“It'll be OK to go in there in the morning,” he said.

Houston is one of the most flood-prone metro areas in the country. The city of more than 2 million people has long experience dealing with devastating weather.

Hurricane Harvey in 2017 dumped historic rainfall that flooded thousands of homes and resulted in more than 60,000 rescues by government personnel across Harris County.

The greater Houston area covers about 10,000 square miles (25,900 square kilometers), a footprint slightly bigger than New Jersey. It is crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometers) of channels, creeks and bayous draining into the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of downtown.

The system of bayous and reservoirs was built to drain heavy rains, but the engineering initially designed nearly 100 years ago has struggled to keep up with the city’s growth and bigger storms.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Stengle contributed to this report from Dallas. Associated Press reporter Juan A. Lozano also contributed to this report.

Follow Juan A. Lozano on X, formerly Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70

A heron stands as water flows over N. Houston Road, making the road impassible on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Humble, Texas. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Dorothy and Earl Blevins' temporary home sits off its foundation after it was moved by flooded water and into the new home they are building on property once owned by Dorothy's mother on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Spendora, Texas. "We've never flooded like this," said Dorothy. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Clouds amass over power lines follow days of storms on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Humble, Texas. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Dorothy Blevins dries out photos from her home after it was flooded by the East Branch San Jacinto River on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Spendora, Texas. "These mean the most to me, everything else can be replaced," she said. Two weeks ago, her husband, Earl, closed their storage rental and put everything in their new home. "The timing of this is terrible," he said. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Alvaro Trevino pulls a canoe with Jennifer Tellez and Ailyn, 8, after they checked on their home on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Spendora, Texas. The family has lived on the property in a rental trailer for two years. "It's really bad," said Tellez, who says they stayed dry during the most recent flooding in February. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Overflow from the swollen Trinity River fills James Smart's backyard as wades the floodwaters to make preparations to his chicken coup to ensure the safety of his livestock, Sunday, May 5, 2024, near Liberty, Texas. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A mobile home in an unincorporated area in east Harris County near Houston on Sunday morning, May 5, 2024, is surrounded by flood waters caused by the nearby San Jacinto River, which overflowed due to heavy rainfall earlier this week. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

A mobile home in an unincorporated area in east Harris County near Houston on Sunday morning, May 5, 2024, is surrounded by flood waters caused by the nearby San Jacinto River, which overflowed due to heavy rainfall earlier this week. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

A mailbox is partially submerged on a flooded street in an unincorporated area in east Harris County near Houston on Sunday morning, May 5, 2024. The nearby San Jacinto River, overflowing due to heavy rainfall earlier this week, caused the flood waters. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

Channelview Fire Department and sheriffs get ready to help evacuate the area due to severe flooding, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Channelview, Texas. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo describes seeing power lines relative to floodwater before going up in a helicopter at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport to survey flood damage around the northern section of greater Houston, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Spring, Texas. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks before going up in a helicopter at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport to survey flood damage around the northern section of greater Houston, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Spring, Texas. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Channelview Fire Department and sheriffs get ready to help evacuate the area due to severe flooding, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Channelview, Texas. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)

People gather to walk around bridge over Lake Houston along West Lake Houston Parkway after it was closed due to high water on either side of the thoroughfare, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Kingwood, Texas (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Girls ride their bikes through flood water near the bridge over Lake Houston along West Lake Houston Parkway after it was closed due to high water on either side of the thoroughfare, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Kingwood, Texas. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Channelview Fire Department and sheriffs get ready to help evacuate the area due to severe flooding, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Channelview, Texas. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A woman steps out of a mobile home in an unincorporated area in east Harris County near Houston on Saturday afternoon, May 4, 2024. The mobile home was surrounded by flood waters caused by the nearby San Jacinto River, which was overflowing due to heavy rainfall earlier this week. (AP Photo/Juan Lozano)

A stranded care is seen near the bridge over Lake Houston along West Lake Houston Parkway after it was closed due to high water on either side of the thoroughfare, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Kingwood, Texas. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A man waves at Texas Parks & Wildlife Department game wardens as they arrive by boat to rescue residents from floodwaters in Liberty County, Texas, on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

A woman, who only gave her name as Lisamarie, checks on two of her puppies after her neighborhood was evacuated due to severe flooding on Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Channelview, Texas. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A woman, who only gave her name as Lisamarie, checks on an elderly resident inside his RV after their neighborhood was evacuated due to severe flooding, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Channelview, Texas. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)

The bridge over Lake Houston along West Lake Houston Parkway from Kingwood to Atascocita is seen after it was closed due to high water on either side of the thoroughfare, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Kingwood, Texas. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department game wardens use a boat to rescue residents from floodwaters in Liberty County, Texas, on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

A man walks through floodwaters on River Oaks Drive, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Woodloch, Texas. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department game wardens use a boat to rescue residents from floodwaters in Liberty County, Texas, on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)