May is here, and with it, the beginning of summer movie season. The next 31 days offer a number of would-be blockbusters — starring superheroes from the Marvel and Fast & Furious cinematic universes, and one of Disney's most beloved princesses — as well as the latest releases from Oscar-winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim, Oscar-nominated filmmakers including Paul Schrader and Nicole Holofcener, and the release of a handful of titles that had Sundance, TIFF and Venice abuzz in recent months. Which is to say: May promises a little something for everybody.
Here is A.frame's guide to all of the movies arriving in theaters and streaming at home this May.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Before he completes his jump from Marvel to DC, James Gunn must first wrap up his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. The threequel marks "the end" of the saga that Gunn began all the way back in 2014, which has also played out over a handful of Avengers movies and last year's Thor: Love and Thunder. Alongside stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, and Dave Bautista, Vol. 3 welcomes MCU newcomers Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, Maria Bakalova as Cosmo the Spacedoga, and Chukwudi Iwuji as the villainous High Evolutionary.
Watch it: In theaters May 5
What's Love Got to Do With It?
This cross-cultural rom-com from Elizabeth director Shekhar Kapur follows a documentary filmmaker (played by Lily James) who decides to make her best friend (Shazad Latif) the subject of her new movie after he agrees to an arranged marriage set up by his Pakistani parents. Along the way, she is forced to reconsider her own ideas about love and connection. The movie co-stars Shabana Azmi, Sajal Aly, and two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson.
Watch it: In theaters May 5
Book Club: The Next Chapter
Arriving five years after its Book Club grossed over $100 million at the box office, The Next Chapter sees the gal pals — played by Oscar winners Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Mary Steenburgen, and Oscar nominee Candice Bergen — set out on a girls' trip to Italy for Fonda's character's bachelorette party. Also back for the sequel are Andy Garcia, Don Johnson and Craig T. Nelson as the lady's love interests.
Watch it: In theaters May 12
Monica
Trace Lysette and Patricia Clarkson (an Oscar nominee for Pieces of April) lead this intimate drama from director Andrea Pallaoro, who co-wrote the script with Orlando Tirado. Lysette plays Monica, who returns home to help take care of the ailing mother (Clarkson) who disowned her years prior. The film premiered at last year's Venice International Film Festival, where Lysette made history as the first trans actress to lead a film in competition
Watch it: In theaters May 12
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
The life of Michael J. Fox is chronicled in this documentary from Davis Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind 2007's An Inconvenient Truth. The film explores Fox's meteoric rise to fame in the '80s thanks to his roles in Back to the Future and Family Ties, as well as the impact his diagnosis with early-onset Parkinson's disease in the 1990s has had on his life and career.
Watch it: On Apple TV+ May 12
Fast X
The penultimate installment in the long-running Fast Saga continues the trend of pulling from past Fast & Furious films, this time introducing Jason Momoa as Dante Reyes, the vengeful son of Fast Five drug lord Hernan Reyes. In Fast X, Momoa's Dante is seeking vengeance against Dominic "Dom" Toretto (Vin Diesel) and the Fast family (including Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Jason Statham). The ensemble also includes Oscar winners Brie Larson, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno and Charlize Theron.
Watch it: In theaters May 19
Master Gardener
Written and directed by Oscar nominee Paul Schrader (First Reformed), Master Gardener centers on Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton), a dutiful horticulturist with a dark past, who is tasked by his employer (three-time Oscar nominee Sigourney Weaver) to mentor her rebellious great-niece, Maya (Quintessa Swindell). The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, serves as the final installment in Schrader's "Man in a Room" trilogy, which comprises First Reformed and 2021's The Card Counter.
Watch it: In theaters May 19
Sanctuary
Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott star as a dominatrix and her client in this darkly comedic thriller from director Zachary Wigon and writer Micah Bloomberg, which debuted at TIFF. After Abbott's Hal, the heir to a hotel empire, decides to end his ongoing relationship with Qualley's Rebecca, Sanctuary sees the duo engage in a twisted psychological battle — but what is real and what's role play?
Watch it: In theaters May 19
The Little Mermaid
A live-action reimagining of Disney's Oscar-winning 1989 animated classic, The Little Mermaid follows Ariel (played by Halle Bailey) to the surface world after striking a cursed deal with Ursula the Sea Witch (Melissa McCarthy). Javier Bardem co-stars as King Triton and Jonah Hauer-King plays Prince Eric, while Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina lend their voices to Flounder and Scuttle, respectively. Helmed by Oscar-nominated director Rob Morgan (Chicago), the movie adds to the beloved soundtrack with new, original songs by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Watch it: In theaters May 26
You Hurt My Feelings
Fresh off its premiere at the Sundance International Film Festival, You Hurt My Feelings opens in theaters later this month, reuniting filmmaker Nicole Holofcener and her Enough Said star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Written and directed by Holofcener (an Oscar nominee for scripting 2018's Can You Ever Forgive Me?), the dramedy revolves around a novelist (Louis-Dreyfus) whose marriage is upended when she overhears her husband's honest thoughts on her new book.
Watch it: In theaters May 26
Also out in May: BlackBerry (in theaters May 12), Fool's Paradise (in theaters May 12), Hypnotic (in theaters May 12), Love Again (in theaters May 12), The Mother (on Netflix May 12), The Starling Girl (in theaters May 12), Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me (on Netflix May 16), White Men Can't Jump (on Hulu May 19), About My Father (in theaters May 26), Kandahar (in theaters May 26), and Reality (on HBO May 29).
