2018 summer movie guide: The 40 must-see films

The summer movie season starts earlier than usual this year. But such is the superpower of the Avengers — when they move their release date up (from May 4 to April 27), the entire idea of what constitutes summer films moves with it. Avengers: Infinity War will kick things off with a bang, but beyond just a handful of other titles (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ocean’s 8, Deadpool 2, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Incredibles 2, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Mission: Impossible – Fallout), the season is surprisingly light on tentpoles.

That’s all well and good, since it will give moviegoers more bandwidth to catch some decidedly lower-budget but just as promising fare like the Sundance breakouts Hereditary; Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot; and Sorry to Bother You, comedies like Tag, Action Point, and The Happytime Murders, and the sure-to-be-acclaimed bio-docs Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Pope Francis, and Whitney.

Read on for our countdown of the most anticipated summer movies.