The summer movie-going season may be winding down, but there are still plenty of fun new movies arriving in August 2019 to make sure the season ends on a high note. The August lineup features an interesting array of movies, including a new Fast & Furious film, a live-action adaptation of a beloved Nickelodeon cartoon, and a thrilling, horror-tinged movie about a wedding night gone wrong.

As previously mentioned, the August 2019 movie lineup is an interesting one. Regardless of the genre, there’s something here for everyone. Be it action, adventure, animation, drama, comedy, horror, or suspense, finding something new to take in as you keep avoiding the summer heat won’t be hard to do. Surprisingly, a big trend this month will be movies adapted from games, books, comics, and other TV shows (there’s even one based on a children’s toy). All of it comes together to make for a truly jam-packed — in the best way, of course — August premiere schedule.

Here’s every must-see movie arriving in August. There are so many good ones to look forward to that you may just want to set aside enough time every weekend to ensure you can enjoy them all.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw - August 2

The Fast & Furious franchise takes a detour with two of its biggest personalities, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw before it returns to its regularly scheduled, high-flying adventure in Fast & Furious 9. In the spinoff, Hobbs and Shaw — who don’t exactly have the best working relationship  — are forced to team up when Shaw’s younger sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), steals a precious item from a notorious, cyber-genetically enhanced criminal named Brixton (Idris Elba). Hunted by Brixton across the globe, Hobbs, Shaw, and Hattie must all work together to outwit the criminal before it’s too late and his plan to destroy humanity succeeds.

This is the first time in a long time (since 2003’s Fast & Furious Present: Tokyo Drift, to be exact) the Fast & Furious franchise has diverged from its primary franchise storyline. It’s hard not to see why, with an explosively entertaining combo like Johnson’s Hobbs and Statham’s Shaw would get their own film full of stunts that truly go above and beyond anything we’ve seen in theaters all summer. Suspend your disbelief ASAP and go see Hobbs & Shaw when it arrives in theaters during the first weekend of August.

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark - August 9

From producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal (Trollhunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe) comes a live-action adaptation of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The film follows a group of friends living in a small town who discover a book of stories written by a legendary town recluse. The friends quickly discover the stories are being written in real-time by the recluse’s ghost and feature different monsters meant to specifically haunt the person reading the story. Each monster is pulled from one of Schwartz’s many scary stories, allowing for a whole coterie of spooky monsters to come to life.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is just one of many horror offerings this summer, following on the heels of flicks like Child’s Play and Midsommar. The cast features mostly young newcomers poised to breakout should this flick do well at the box office. But, what’ll get audiences into the theaters will be the curiosity to see how well Schwartz’s iconic novel has been adapted for the big screen.

Dora And The Lost City Of Gold - August 9

Nickelodeon’s immensely popular cartoon Dora the Explorer gets the live-action adaptation treatment with Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Starring Isabela Moner as the backpack-wearing fearless explorer Dora, the world of Dora gets some Indiana Jones-inspired story developments to make it into a fun adventure everyone can enjoy. In Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Dora is shipped off to go to high school in the U.S. with her cousin, Diego (Jeff Wahlberg), when her archaeologist parents (Eva Longoria and Michael Peña), need to go on a special search for a city made of gold. When Dora, Diego, and two of their classmates are kidnapped during a school trip so they can lead a shady group of thugs to her parents’ whereabouts in an attempt to get to the lost city, Dora must put on her “Explorer” hat once more to keep her friends safe. Dora and the Lost City of Gold is a family-friendly adventure that will bring in viewers of all ages. Plus, a standout cast including Benicio del Toro, Eugenio Derbez, and Danny Trejo as the voice of Boots, Dora’s BFF and pet monkey, ensures this film will be appealing no matter who is watching.

The Art Of Racing In The Rain - August 9

Adapted from the novel by Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain follows the life of a golden retriever named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) after he’s adopted as a puppy by race car driver Denny Swift (Milo Ventimiglia). As Enzo grows up, he watches Denny’s life grow, too, as he goes from being a successful bachelor sportsman to a dedicated family man married to Eve (Amanda Seyfried). Along the way, life throws the Swift family plenty of obstacles and even more big wins that help them grow together. Recalling the touching drama-with-a-dog Marley & Me, The Art of Racing in the Rain will most definitely be for those moviegoers looking for a break from big-budget action flicks and something a bit more tender and down-to-earth.

The Kitchen - August 9

Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss star in The Kitchen, the gritty adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Ollie McMasters and Ming Doyle. Set in 1978, The Kitchen follows three mob wives — Kathy (McCarthy), Ruby (Haddish), and Claire (Moss) — as they work to assume control over their husbands’ work when their spouses are sent to prison, and the Irish mob elders who promised to take care of them fail to keep their end of the bargain. The wives will have a lot to contend with at they try to rise to the top of the food chain in Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970s, with their biggest threat being the men with established footholds trying to take them down.

Andrea Berloff (World Trade Center, Straight Outta Compton) makes her directorial debut with this crime drama. McCarthy, Haddish, and Moss make for a riveting trio in this comic book-to-screen adaptation, which will no doubt recall the glory days of ’70s crime dramas like Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, and The Godfather.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 - August 14

Are you ready for more Angry Birds? Jason Sudeikis returns as Red, the angriest bird of them all, in the sequel to 2016’s The Angry Birds Movie. This time around, Red and the other Angry Birds must team up with the green pigs, led by Leonard (Bill Hader), they were once at war with in order to take on a new threat living on a whole new island.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 brings the perfect blend of light, zany humor for youngsters and dark but just as amusing one-liners for adults (Red telling another bird they’re probably a witch for being left-handed in the trailer is just a sign of the hidden joys of this film) while also continuing the Angry Birds story. Joining Sudeikis and Hader are returning cast members Danny McBride, Josh Gad, Maya Rudolph, and Peter Dinklage as well as newcomers Rachel Bloom, Tiffany Haddish, Awkwafina, Dove Cameron, Eugenio Derbez, Sterling K. Brown, and Nicki Minaj.

Blinded By The Light - August 14

Director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) brings to life an original dramedy with Blinded by the Light. Living in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain in the late ’80s, budding poet Javed (Vivek Kaira) is just looking for a way to relieve the pressures he’s facing from school, his family, and his friends as he tries to figure out who he wants to be. When his friend Roops (Aaron Phagura) introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen, Javed instantly connects. Finding an emotional outlet and safe haven in Springsteen’s lyrics, Javed finds he’s able to stand up for himself and fight for what he wants most in the world.

Chadha’s latest film is a soaring and touching story is based on a true story. The music of Springsteen is given a whole new life in Blinded by the Light, transposing the hard-luck times of The Boss’s life onto a young man half a world away whose life is fraught with racial, social, economic, and political pressures. Viewers will be moved as much as they’ll be enthralled.

Good Boys - August 16

Prepare for a coming-of-age story like no other. Good Boys follows three best friends — Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams), and Thor (Brady Noon) — as they spend one day trying to prepare for their first big party. Things quickly go sideways after the boys find themselves on the run from a Max’s neighbor, Hannah (Molly Gordon), who is just trying to get back the drugs the friends stole from her. As the boys try to evade Hannah, they also have to figure out a way to properly prepare for their first boy-girl party. This means learning how to kiss and figuring out how to sneak in beers to make sure they’re the coolest ones there.

Produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Good Boys is a much bluer taking on the coming-of-age story than you might expect, even if Tremblay, Williams, and Noon are only acting like they’re in very adult situations, like trying to get kissing lessons from watching porn. Despite the many, erm, interesting narrative choices made in Good Boys, audiences will no doubt have some fun watching all of the hijinks go down.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? - August 16

Based on the hit book of the same name written by Maria Semple, Where’d You Go, Bernadette? is all about one woman’s quest to jumpstart her life. Bernadette (Cate Blanchett) is a dutiful wife (to Billy Crudup’s Elgie) and mother (to Emma Nelson’s Bee), but she’s also a formerly celebrated architect who can feel her glory days fading fast. When Bernadette finds domesticity too claustrophobic and the opportunity to get a second career act going, she takes it and disappears, confounding her friends, family, and neighbors as they all try to figure out what happened.

Richard Linklater directs a standout ensemble for Where’d You Go, Bernadette? led by Blanchett, Crudup, and Nelson. The film also stars Kristen Wiig, Lawrence Fishburne, Judy Greer, Troian Bellisario, and James Urbaniak. It’s been two years since we’ve heard from Linklater, who last films were 2017’s Last Flag Flying and 2016’s Everybody Wants Some!!. It will be curious to see how Where’d You Go, Bernadette? (which has faced numerous pushbacks since it’s original May 2018 release date) will do in the late summer slot. With Blanchett and Linklater leading the way, however, it could stand to do very well.

Ready Or Not - August 21

One happy couple’s wedding night gets a deadly twist with Ready or Not. Grace (Samara Weaving) marries Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), a member of the exorbitantly wealthy Le Domas gaming family. On the night of their wedding, Alex convinces Grace to participate in a family game night to help truly make her a part of the family. What begins as an innocent game of hide-and-seek, where Grace hides and the Le Domas’ search for her all across the family mansion, turns into a game of predators seeking their prey as they try to kill Grace for part of a sinister ritual. All hell breaks loose when Grace finds out and decides to fight back.

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (V/H/S, Devil’s Due) and Tyler Gillett (Southbound), Ready or Not mixes elements of horror, suspense, and comedy for an exciting viewing experience that will feature plenty of twists and surprises along the way. The cast of Ready or Not is also a thing of beauty. Weaving and O’Brien lead while Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell, Melanie Scrofano, Adam Brody, and Kristian Bruun support as members of the Le Domas clan. 

Angel Has Fallen - August 23

Gerard Butler is back for the third time as Secret Service agent Mike Banning in Angel Has Fallen. Mike is still in charge of protecting the president, only this time around it’s the former Vice President from the previous Fallen installment, Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman). Everything changes in an instant when Mike finds himself the prime suspects in an assassination attempt against Trumbull during a leisurely fishing outing overseen by Mike and a small Secret Service detail. Now, Mike must go on the hunt for the real masterminds behind the assassination attempt, not only to catch them but also to clear his name.

Angel Has Fallen is the third film in the Fallen franchise. Past installments include Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen. This latest film will no doubt see Butler bringing his A-game once more to the franchise as he resumes playing one of his more notable characters. In addition to Butler and Freeman, Angel Has Fallen also stars Jada Pinkett Smith, Piper Perabo, Nick Nolte, Lance Reddick, and Danny Huston.

Playmobil: The Movie - August 30

Adapted from the children’s toy sets of the same name, Playmobil: The Movie features the voice talent of Daniel Radcliffe, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jim Gaffigan, Kenan Thompson, and many more. This very silly, very fun animated movie follows hotshot super spy Rex Dasher (Radcliffe) as he teams up with two average citizens, Del (Gaffigan) and Marla (Taylor-Joy), on his latest mission. The trio will travel across Playmobil worlds in order to save the day, leading to lots of hilarity in the process.

Playmobil: The Movie seems primed to take over The Lego Movie’s spot as the preferred kid’s movie based on a popular toy. The Playmobil toy sets have been childhood staples for decades. It’s about time a movie made good use of these tiny toys, often divided into themed playsets, and their uniquely-themed worlds for the purpose of a movie. The combination of Radcliffe, Taylor-Joy, and Gaffigan will no doubt be a fun one to watch unfold onscreen as they bounce between different iconic Playmobil worlds like an Ancient Rome world where Emperor Maximums, a character voiced by Adam Lambert, reigns supreme.

Don’t Let Go - August 30

One of the stars of the Blumhouse-backed horror-thriller Don’t Let Go, Storm Reid, is already enjoying an incredible run this summer thanks to her roles in HBO’s hit series, Euphoria, and the Emmy-nominated Netflix miniseries When They See Us. Teaming with David Oyelowo on a film that is as trippy as it is pulse-pounding seems like not just a safe bet for Reid, but a good one. It’s also been a hot minute since we last saw Oyelowo on our movie screens (he was in 2018’s Gringo) and Don’t Let Go already feels like it’s in good hands.

Don’t Let Go follows Jack Radcliff (Oyelowo), a detective who shares a very close bond with his niece, Ashley (Reid). Jack has taken on a more paternal role in Ashley’s life which makes her sudden and untimely murder all the more heartbreaking to him. Shaken to his core, Jack tries to heal in the wake of Ashley’s murder. His healing process is interrupted when she calls him shortly after her passing. The two discover their phones have been connected across time: she is calling him just days before her murder. Jack knows at that moment the two have to work together to figure out who killed Ashley and prevent it from happening it a second time.

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  • Hobbs and Shaw Release Date: 2019-08-02 Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Release Date: 2019-08-09 Dora The Explorer Release Date: 2019-08-09 The Art of Racing in the Rain Release Date: 2019-08-09 The Kitchen Release Date: 2019-08-09 Angry Birds 2 Release Date: 2019-08-13 Good Boys Release Date: 2019-08-16 Where’d You Go Bernadette Release Date: 2019-08-16 Angel Has Fallen Release Date: 2019-08-23 Blinded by the Light Release Date: 2019-08-16 Ready or Not Release Date: 2019-08-21