August 2026 Movie Preview: Ridley Scott, Jane Schoenbrun, and Coyote vs. Acme Take Center Stage
During the annual summer movie season, most major blockbusters dominate theaters between May and July, often leaving August perceived as a quieter month. However, this August brings several promising indie gems alongside ambitious new releases from acclaimed directors.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, North American Release Date: August 7, 2026
Winner of the Queer Palm at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the film is written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow). The ensemble cast features Emmy winner Hannah Einbinder (Hacks), Emmy Best Actress winner Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby), Zach Cherry (Severance), Dylan Baker (Dream Scenario), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Scream franchise), Quintessa Swindell (Black Adam), and Jack Haven (Atypical).
After years of slapdash sequels and waning fandom, the Camp Miasma slasher franchise is handed over to an enthusiastic young director for resurrection. But when she visits the original’s star, a now-reclusive actress shrouded in mystery, the two women fall into a blood-soaked world of desire, fear, and delirium.
Tony, North American Release Date: August 7, 2026
Directed by Matt Johnson—the Canadian Screen Award-winning director and writer behind BlackBerry—this biographical drama explores the formative years of American chef and television icon Anthony Bourdain. Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) stars as Bourdain, alongside Leo Woodall (One Day), Cannes Best Actor winner Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory), Emilia Jones (CODA), and Stavros Halkias (Bugonia). Johnson’s longtime collaborators Curt Lobb and Jay McCarrol (BlackBerry) return as editor and composer, respectively.
A 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape the course of his life.
The End of Oak Street, North American Release Date: August 14, 2026
The film is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), marking his first new work in eight years. Portions of the film were shot with IMAX-certified digital cameras. It stars Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables), Emmy Best Actor winner Ewan McGregor (Halston), Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth). Michael Giacchino, the Oscar winner for Up, will serve as the composer. The film is produced by J.J. Abrams (the Star Wars sequel trilogy), and is filled with the same sense of mystery as his previous works.
After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighbourhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.
Related News: The New Cloverfield? Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor Star in The End of Oak Street Trailer
The Dog Stars, North American Release Date: August 28, 2026
Directed by legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott (Alienfranchise), this post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama is adapted by Christopher Wilkinson and Mark L. Smith (The Revenant). The film stars Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Margaret Qualley (The Substance), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Guy Pearce (Iron Man 3), and Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange). Cinematography is handled by Oscar winner Erik Messerschmidt (Mank), with editing by Oscar winner Claire Simpson (Gladiator II).
The film tells the story of Hig (Jacob Elordi), a young pilot who, together with a military survivalist, Bangley (Josh Brolin), has carved out an efficient but isolated homestead in a brutal post-apocalyptic world. But when Hig receives a mysterious radio transmission, he ventures into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes exist.
Coyote vs. Acme, North American Release Date: August 28, 2026
Combining live-action and classic 2D animation, this hybrid legal comedy is directed by Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows). The screenplay was crafted by Samy Burch (May December), James Gunn (Superman), and Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight). The cast includes Will Forte (The Four Seasons), Lana Condor (To All the Boys franchise), John Cena (Peacemaker), Luis Guzmán (Wednesday), Martha Kelly (Euphoria), and Kenneth Choi (American Crime Story), with a score by Oscar winner Steven Price (Gravity).
Originally produced by Warner Bros. and completed in 2023, the film was infamously shelved for a tax write-off. Following public backlash and failed acquisition bids from Netflix, Paramount, and Amazon, Ketchup Entertainment ultimately acquired the distribution rights in 2025, paving the way for its theatrical debut.
After decades of being blown to bits by bombs, demolished by dynamite, mangled by magnets, battered by boulders, trampled by trains, tricked by tunnels, sprung by springs, steamrolled by steamrollers, maligned by misfires, bedeviled by bungees, rattled by rockets, backstabbed by bat suits, rocked by rocket skates, upended by unicycles, quaked by quake pills, rubberized by rogue bands, and hurled headlong off every cliff in the Southwest, Wile E. Coyote (Genius) finally fights back. Teaming up with billboard accident lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte), he takes on slick corporate counsel Buddy Crane (John Cena) and ACME, Inc., the profit-obsessed conglomerate behind every one of the Coyote’s chaotic catastrophes.
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Photo and Source: MUBI, A24, Warner Bros. Pictures, 20th Century Studios, VVS Film