Top 20 Classic (And Soon To Be Classic) Summer Movie Hits

Summer is known for the release of iconic movies - from classics that families have come to love to new releases which are sure to become classics for future generations!⁣

⁣Although movie theaters are closed for the time being, you can still stream these classics and new releases from the comfort of your own home!⁣

⁣So, pop up some buttery popcorn, grab your movie-sized candy, and gather your family to check out these hits!⁣ 

First released in 1978, this timeless classic is the perfect movie for a summer night.  A love story about Danny and Sandy, and a snapshot of high school friendships, this one will make you feel all the nostalgic feels.

"Hamilton" fans will soon get to experience the award-winning musical from the comfort of their own homes. Disney+ released a trailer for the film, featuring the original Broadway cast. What's been dubbed on social media as the #Hamilfilm will be available on July 3 to Disney+ subscribers.

If you aren't worried about taking a dip in the ocean this summer, this movie may not be for you. The horror film, which was released in 1975, now has a silly feel to it, yet it still manages to be super suspenseful.

Harrison Ford stars in this fairly loose adaptation of the classic Jack London novel. In the 1890s, a dog named Buck gets kidnapped from his California home and shipped to the cold Yukon. He meets an old adventurer, played by Ford, and together the two go on a dangerous trip as they struggle for survival in the Alaskan wilderness.

The Sandlot, released in 1993, is set in the summer of 1962, and captures everything good about summertime as a kid. When the neighborhood kids bring a newcomer into their friend group, they manage to keep themselves entertained through sports, games, and trips to the local pool.

If you've ever considered spending a relaxing summer playing golf, then you should probably watch Caddyshack first. Another classic film featuring both Chevy Chase and Bill Murray as well as Rodney Dangerfield, this comedy from 1980 will show you exactly how hilarious it can be when everything goes wrong at an exclusive country club.

If you're looking for a movie about a true summer romance, you really can't do better than Dirty Dancing, an absolute classic from 1987. Featuring the late Patrick Swayze in one of his most iconic roles, Dirty Dancing is the kind of movie that will make you wish that all of your summers ended with an over-the-top, super romantic dance performance.

Another movie about the perfection of summer romances is The Notebook, which is set in the summer of the 1940s in the South, when an unlikely couple falls head over heels in love. Nothing else will make you want to go outside and find someone to dance with in the warm streets than this film (which will probably also make you sob uncontrollably).

This World War II drama will star Tom Hanks as a US Navy captain who leads a fleet of Allied warships and troop carriers across the Atlantic. This movie, which Hanks also wrote, was supposed to be released by Sony Pictures in mid-June in theaters, but will now debut exclusively on the Apple TV Plus streaming on July 10. 

Less romantic and more hilarious is Little Miss Sunshine, which is a film about a girl named Olive who desperately wants to win a beauty pageant. When she finds out she qualifies for a Little Miss Sunshine pageant, she manages to get her whole family to go on a crazy road trip to get there. It's the ideal summer road trip movie!

The followup to the wildly popular 2016 film Trolls, the latest installment of the franchise follows Queen Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) as they discover that they’re one of six different Troll tribes scattered across the globe. Each group is devoted to six different types of music, but when a member of hard-rock royalty attempts to destroy all other kinds of music, Poppy, Branch, and their new friends have no choice but to try and save the day. Trolls World Tour is available to rent for $19.99 on Prime Video, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, FandangoNOW, and more.

Watch Chevy Chase in all his glory in 1983's National Lampoon's Vacation as Clark W. Griswold, a man set on taking his family on a cross-country road trip from the Chicago suburbs to Calfornia's Walley World, "America's Favorite Family Fun Park." If you've ever ventured on a similar expedition with your crew, you'll get a kick out of everything this family faces while trying to convince themselves that getting there is half of the fun. 

Action movies and summer go together like peanut butter and jelly, and this 1996 alien invasion classic may be the ultimate summer blockbuster. Starring a formidable ensemble including Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum, the movie chronicles the Earth's response to a devastating alien attack, all leading up to a counterstrike which falls–naturally–on July 4. 

While we're used to nightmarish stories from mastermind Stephen King, Stand by Me is undeniable proof that he's capable of crafting more than one sort of classic. Based on the author's 1982 novella, the film tells the stunning coming-of-age story of four small-town boys—played by Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, and the late River Phoenix—who set out during the summer to find the dead body of a missing boy.

A fine spooky summer choice, this slasher flick stars a veritable slew of 90's favorites including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Ryan Phillippe. The quartet play friends who are haunted by a hook-wielding murderer, one year on from a car accident in which they accidentally killed a man, and covered it up. Spoiler: shouldn't have done that!

This beloved classic follows a group of kids who set out to save their house from foreclosure, and end up on a thrilling treasure hunt through their Oregon neighborhood. Goonies! Never! Say! Die!

One of the earliest and greatest surfing movies, The Endless Summer follows two surfers as they travel the world discovering new surf spots. As the title suggests, they're essentially chasing summer across the globe, crossing between hemispheres in pursuit of surf-friendly weather. 

Based on the sci-fi fantasy novels of Eoin Colfer, this film from director Kenneth Branagh will star Josh Gad and Dame Judy Dench. It follows a young Irish criminal genius named Artemis Fowl II (Ferdia Shaw) as he casually kidnaps a fairy leprechaun for ransom in order to restore his family fortune. This movie will be available exclusively on Disney+ as of June 12.

Where it all started: Matthew McConaughey’s famous line: “Alright, alright, alrighhht,” that is. This coming-of-age film follows a group of high schoolers in Austin, Texas on their last day of school in 1976. The nostalgic movie features rowdy freshman hazing, melodramatic football coaches, and cruising in low-riding Chevrolets. You’ll be blasting the Pink Floyd and Aerosmith after re-watching this classic.

Whichever version of this classic you prefer, the charming camp setting and feel-good family storyline will get you in the summer spirit. A clever mix-up with long-lost twins paired with the star-crossed romance between their parents makes this classic even more fun to watch. 

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