Lately it seems like the second half of summer hasn't seen a high quantity of big releases. Sure there are still huge hits, like last year's Guardians of the Galaxy, but that movie was such a powerhouse, it scared other movies off the schedule altogether. This year, that's not the case. While none of these movies looks to dominate like Guardians did, most of them have big name notoriety with blockbuster potential every week between the 4th of July weekend and the end of August.

JULY 1

Terminator Genisys

He said he'd be back... Now that I got that joke out of the way, get ready to hear it yet again in the latest installment/reboot/sequel of the once huge but now just pretty big franchise. They have a good cast in place, and honestly getting Arnold back full time is probably necessary, but I've seen every Terminator movie and even I'm confused about what's going on in the trailer. Hopefully it all makes sense when it kicks off 4th of July weekend.

JULY 10

Self/less

This wasn't on my radar much until it was a major sponsor of some of the E3 web coverage. It sounds like a cool concept and I like Ben Kingsley, so hopefully he's in it more than just the beginning. Ryan Reynolds could use a hit after starring in last summer's disaster R.I.P.D.  If it doesn't work out, at least he has Deadpool to fall back on early next year.

Minions

The mega popular supporting characters from the Despicable Me movies get to have the spotlight to themselves. This movie will truly test if the gibberish speaking mascots can carry an entire film or if they should remain side characters. Either way it's bound to make more money than any other movie featured in this article.

JULY 17

Ant-Man

Speaking of putting a movie to the test, once Ant-Man launches we'll really know if everything Marvel touches turns to gold. It's going to be a tough watch for me considering how much of a fan I am of original director Edgar Wright and not getting to see his vision up on the screen. If the comic energy remains strong at least, as it does in the end of the trailer, it could really win me over.

JULY 24

Pixels

Now to the most divisive movie on the list. On one hand you have gamers, who would love to see their favorite video games come to life in a big Hollywood blockbuster. On the other hand, you have Adam Sandler. Throw in Kevin James as the president of the U.S. and even the addition of Peter Dinklage as a Billy Mitchell type can't assuage geek fears about this movie.

JULY 31

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

Ethan Hunt is back again and this time his team is going up against a rogue group that's just as adept at handling secret spy missions as they are. I honestly never expected this franchise to continue as steadily as it has, but I'm glad they are keeping cast continuity going as there are a lot of talented actors in play.

AUGUST 7

Fantastic Four

The other Marvel movie to launch in the second half of the summer, though it's from Fox and not Marvel studios. Fox had to make another Fantastic Four movie or they were going to lose the rights. The only question now is will it be a quality film or simply the placeholder it was originally designed to be? If it does poorly, Fox may have to strike up a deal with Marvel similar to what Sony did with Spider-Man.

AUGUST 14

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

If a modern spy movie like Mission Impossible doesn't do it for you, maybe you'll enjoy this retro take based on the hit TV show from the 60's and set in the same time period. Guy Ritchie brings his trademark style to the movie and we get to see Superman vs. Winklevoss so what's not to like? The only risk at this point in the year is spy movie burnout, with the hit films Kingsman and, well, Spy in theaters earlier this year.

AUGUST 21

Hitman: Agent 47

Will this be a good video game movie or will it add to the long list of unsuccessful tries at adapting video games onto film? The Hitman series already has a movie to its credit, so that’s saying something at least. Now I'm not sure if this is a sequel or a reboot, but the stylized action reminds me a lot of Wanted which was a pretty enjoyable movie on its own.



It's clearly a packed back half of the summer schedule, so be sure to rank the movies below and let us know why your favorite should be at the top. I have a feeling there will be a lot of differing opinions this time around. I would have liked to fit more movies in, but with most of these touching on the sci-fi or geek angle, other potential fringe interests like Magic Mike XXL, the Vacation reboot, and Sinister 2 were relegated to the sidelines. Still, you can use the comments section to participate and discuss those movies along with any others I didn't feature.