Sci Fi Movies This Week: Weekly column tracking what is coming in the current week in the way of sci fi, fantasy, and horror releases as well as news and updates on genre films, streaming and theatrical.
Sci Fi Movie Premieres This Week:
This weekend takes a break from big releases among sci fi and fantasy films, but it still has a few genre entries of interest. In limited release in theaters on Friday is the sci fi/horror film Her Private Hell, and audiences in New York and Los Angeles can check out the sci fi entry Sheep in the Box, premiering that same day. Also set for a limited engagement in theaters is a re-release of the sci fi classic film The Fifth Element which will have a two day run on Sunday and Monday. Original films coming to streaming this weekend include Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender which premieres on Paramount+ on Friday as well as the horror entry Saccharine which arrives on Shudder, also on Friday. Other streaming premieres include Masters of the Universe which hits MGM+ of Friday and Mortal Kombat II which arrives on HBO Max the same day. Hitting VOD earlier this week were Disclosure Day and The Mandalorian and Grogu. You can see highlights for this week below, and you can see the schedule of all the current and upcoming sci fi and fantasy movies at this link.
Her Private Hell (In Theaters-Limited, July 24th): When a mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis, unleashing a deadly and elusive entity, a troubled young woman searches for her father. Her quest collides with an American GI on a harrowing odyssey to rescue his daughter from Hell.
Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Havana Rose Liu, Charles Melton, Dougray Scott, Nicolas Winding Refn, Kristine Froseth, Sophie Thatcher
Sheep in the Box (In Theaters-Limited, July 24th): Two years after losing their son Kakeru, Otone and her husband Kensuke take into their lives a humanoid from a company that rents humanoids to bereaved families as replacements for lost loved ones. The robot looks and behaves exactly like Kakeru, with Otone embracing its arrival as Kensuke struggles to accept it. Living with “him” seems to restore the flow of time within the family, yet gradually exposes the unspoken wounds and lingering regrets each parent carries after the loss. All the while, he begins to slip away to meet other humanoid children, unnoticed by the parents.
Directed by: Hirokazu Koreeda
Starring: Daigo, Rimu Kuwaki, Megumi Bans, Kaoru Matsuzaki, Haruka Ayase
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (Streaming-Paramount+, July 25th): This new story in the Avatar universe sees Aang learn of an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction. With the help of his friends, he embarks on a global quest to find it before it falls into the wrong hands and threatens to upend the peace they sacrificed everything to achieve.
Directed by: Lauren Montgomery
Starring: Eric Nam, Dave Bautista, Jessica Matten, Román Zaragoza, Dionne Quan, Taika Waititi, Ronny Chieng, Ken Jeong
Recent Trailers
Avengers: Doomsday (In Theaters, December 25th): The latest entry in the MCU franchise follows beloved heroes from three distinct universes as they’re set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Directed by: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Wyatt Russell, Channing Tatum, Simu Liu, Ian McKellen, Tom Hiddleston, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Joseph Quinn, Sebastian Stan
Sci Fi Movie News of Note:
The sequel to Netflix’s hit sci fi original movie War Machine was announced last month, and it now has an official title: War Machines. That is appearing in the latest Production Weekly listings, which indicates that work is beginning on the film. Creator Patrick Hughes will be returning, and while no casting announcements have been made at this point, it is expected that Alan Ritchson will be back as well. The first film is one of the top originals of all time for Netflix having spent seven weeks in that streamer’s Top 10. No story details are available on the sequel at this point, but Hughes previously said that he has a larger story arc for the sequels and this one will obviously be expanding on that. According to the What’s on Netflix site, the second movie is receiving a pretty hefty budget (for a streaming original) of between $50 million and $100 million, and with production starting, this will likely be looking at a late 2027 or early 2028 premiere.
New liminal horror movie The Pools has received a premiere date of December 25th. That film comes from directors Galen Christy and Sasha Yelaun and it has been described as “Backrooms meets an endless waterpark”. Following is the official synopsis:
Inspired by the growing popularity of liminal spaces and internet folklore surrounding vast, unexplained environments, The Pools follows a teenager who finds himself trapped within an endless aquatic labyrinth of swimming pools, towering waterslides, flooded passageways, and impossible structures. As the maze grows increasingly surreal and inescapable, a mysterious creature stalks him from beneath the water, and he must find a way out before he disappears forever.
There have been no cast announcement for this one yet.
In production news, filming has wrapped on the live-action Gundam movie in the works at Netflix starring Sydney Sweeney. Expect that one to arrive later this year or early 2027.
Follow the Axiom’s Edge Sci Fi sites (AxiomsEdgeSciFi.com, CancelledSciFi.com, Cult-SciFi.com) to stay up to date on news, developments, scheduling info, and more for science fiction and fantasy television and movies. And be sure to sign up for our free email newsletter to help support our sites and reduce the number of ads.
Links of Interest: Sci Fi TV Premieres | Sci Fi TV Schedule | Sci Fi TV Cancellation Watch | Sci Fi Movie Schedule
Follow Us on Social Media:
CancelledSciFi.com: BlueSky | Mastodon | Facebook | Twitter
AxiomsEdgeSciFi.com: BlueSky | Twitter
Cult-SciFi.com: BlueSky
