‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Barbie,’ ‘Futurama’ & Everything You Need to Watch This July

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Summer has traditionally been a time for television to take a little break while everyone enjoys a little outdoor time (and maybe heads to the movies), but that’s hardly the case this year. This July is short on splashy debuts but long on old favorites on everything from Prime Video to Hulu and beyond. 

You’ll find a few of the more unexpected releases (both theatrical and on your TV screen) below, but the other returning shows include Minx, Good Omens, Project Greenlight, What We Do in the Shadows, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Afterparty, Foundation, Heels, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Dark Winds (one of last season’s best new mystery series), and This Fool (an under-the-radar comedy that had a terrific first season). That’s a lot. 

And that’s not everything and doesn’t even get into all the promising-looking films making their debuts in July. Here’s what to watch on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Apple TV+, Peacock, Hulu, and the month’s biggest theatrical releases — including Oppenheimer, Barbie, and Mission: Impossible.

WHAM! (Netflix, July 5)

The latest documentary from the always-busy Chris Smith (American Movie, 100 Foot Wave) explores the heyday of WHAM!, the Eighties hitmakers that took over the pop charts around the globe and launched George Michael into superstardom. Stream it on Netflix HERE.

Insidious: The Red Door (Theaters, July 7)

Quietly one of the most influential horror movies of the 2010s, Insidious opted for a resourceful, suggestive back-to-basics approach after a decade of gruesomeness and excess (that its creators, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, helped usher in with Saw). This fourth sequel returns to the family featured in the first two films headed by Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, who now have to deal with supernatural issues surrounding their now college-aged son (Ty Simpkins). (Wilson also makes his debut as a director.) Get tickets HERE.

Joy Ride (Theaters, July 7)

Also making her directorial debut: Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon screenwriter Adele Lim, who helms this raucous comedy about four friends who travel to China in search of one of their birth mothers. Ashley Park (Emily in Paris), Sherry Cola (Good Trouble), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and Sabrina Wu star as the foursome. Get tickets HERE.

The YouTube Effect (Theaters, July 7)

Alex Winter (Zappa) directs this documentary exploring the rise of YouTube, which emerged from nowhere to revolutionize online video and influence culture in ways unforeseeable at its launch (some of them quite undesirable). Get tickets HERE.

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One (Theaters, July 7)

Tom Cruise’s latest outing as the seemingly indestructible Ethan Hunt is a two-parter whose sequel is due next year. The cast is a mix of old favorites (Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg) and faces new to the series (Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff). Get tickets HERE.

The Horror of Dolores Roach (Prime Video, July 7)

Adapted from the podcast of the same name, this offbeat horror series Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) as Dolores Roach, a woman whose troubles don’t end when she’s released from prison and begins working as a masseuse. Stream it on Prime Video HERE.

Full Circle (Max, July 13)

Director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Ed Solomon (Men in Black) must have enjoyed working tougher on the fun thriller No Sudden Move. This new series is Soderbergh’s first TV project since Mosaic (also scripted by Solomon) and uses an expansive cast that includes everyone from Dennis Quaid to Zazie Beetz to explore the story of a kidnapping gone wrong. Stream it on Max HERE.

Theater Camp (Theaters, July 14)

A hit at Sundance earlier this year, this mockumentary is set at a summer camp for theater nerds that faces an existential crisis when its longtime owner (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma. It’s a film in which several participants wear multiple hats. Drawing from their own experiences at theater camp, lifelong friends Molly Gordon (The Bear) and Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) co-star. Gordon and Platt also co-wrote the script. Get tickets HERE.

Black Ice (Theaters, July 14)

Touching on everything from contemporary players’ experiences to a largely forgotten league made up of Black players, this documentary explores the sometimes difficult, sometimes triumphant experiences of Black athletes in the sport of hockey. Get tickets HERE.

Justified: City Primeval (FX/Hulu, July 18)

For five seasons starting in 2010, Justified offered a mix of menace and crisp humor worthy of the series’ inspiration, author Elmore Leonard. This miniseries returns to the world of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) as he travels to Detroit to match wits with a charming sociopath (Boyd Holbrook). Aunjanue Ellis and Vondie Curtis Hall co-star. Stream it on Hulu HERE.

Barbie (Theaters, July 21)

How do you make a movie about Barbie? If you’re Greta Gerwig, you hire Margot Robbie to play the iconic doll, Ryan Gosling to co-star as Ken, and then drag them out of the DreamHouse and into the real world and let chaos ensue. Get tickets HERE.

Oppenheimer (Theaters, July 21)

Christopher Nolan has expressed interest in making a biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a scientist who helped create the atom bomb, and sometimes Nolan gets what he wants. Cillian Murphy, a longtime favorite of the director, plays Oppenheimer, whose work for the U.S. puts him in a race with the Nazis as World War II escalates. Get tickets HERE.

Cobweb (Theaters, July 21)

Moviegoers really have an overabundance of choice on July 21. Look beyond those preceding two heavy hitters and you’ll find this horror film starring Woody Norman as a kid who can’t stop hearing a tapping inside the walls of his room. What’s worse, his parents, played by Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr, might be part of the problem. Get tickets HERE.

Stephen Curry: Underrated (Theaters, July 21)

Stephen Curry shows no sign of retiring anytime soon but sometimes career-spanning documentaries can’t wait. This new doc follows Curry from his pre-stardom days through the Golden State Warriors 2022 Championship run. Get tickets HERE.

The Beanie Bubble (Theaters, July 21, Apple TV+ July 28)

For a brief, fevered stretch of the 1990s, America went mad for Beanie Babies, the little stuffed animals that sent collectors into a frenzy. Based on a non-fiction account of the craze, The Beanie Bubble casts Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook, and Geraldine Viswanathan as four people caught up in the madness.  Get tickets HERE; watch on Apple TV+ HERE.

Futurama: Season 8 Premiere (Hulu, July 24)

It’s been a decade since we last saw Fry, Leela, Bender, and the rest of the Planet Express gang after the series drew to a close after seven seasons in 2013. But why not bring it back? After all, the show was revived after laying dormant between 2003 and 2008 and there are plenty of corners of its sci-fi universe still to explore and mine for laughs. Stream it on Hulu HERE.

Twisted Metal (Peacock, July 27)

Pitting drivers in armed, armored, and colorfully decorated cars in a post-apocalyptic demolition derby, the video game series Twisted Metal didn’t naturally seem to lend itself to adaptation. But here one is, and the talent involved suggests it might be worth a look. Anthony Mackie heads a cast that includes Stephanie Beatriz and Will Arnett. Stream it on Peacock HERE.

Disney’s Haunted Mansion (Theaters, July 28)

Disney already adapted its Haunted Mansion ride into a movie once, but that was 20 years ago. So why not try again? This new take on the theme park attraction stars Rosario Dawson as a single mom who takes up residence in a ghost-ridden house and turns to a clutch of experts (LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, and Danny DeVito) for help. Get tickets HERE.

Talk to Me (Theaters, July 28)

For those seeking an edgier take on the supernatural opening the same day, this A24 release stars Sophie Wilde (The Portable Door) as part of a group of friends that experiments with contacting the other side via an embalmed hand with otherworldly powers. Get tickets HERE.

How to With John Wilson: Season Three Premiere (Max, July 28)

Part documentary, part video essay, part filmed diary, this unclassifiable series returns for a third and final season that finds host John Wilson offering advice on how to navigate the world. Sort of. Stream it on Max HERE.