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Pack your popcorn and crank up the A/C! We're diving into the most memorable movie seasons that defined generations of cinema. From sci-fi spectacles to comedy classics, these legendary summer lineups gave us unforgettable cinematic experiences that continue to influence Hollywood today.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today, we're counting down our picks for the summer release schedules
00:12that made it a great time to be a movie lover.
00:1910 – 1977
00:25This might be the only year on this list to earn its significance off a single movie.
00:30However, that out of this world summer had numerous options for those looking to stay
00:34on Earth.
00:35I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you.
00:36You're who?
00:37I'm here to rescue you.
00:38I've got your R2 unit.
00:39I'm here with Ben Kenobi.
00:40Ben Kenobi?
00:41Where is he?
00:42While Star Wars outgrossed a certain shark at the box office, audiences met another memorable
00:47jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me, a high point in Roger Moore's tenure as James Bond.
00:52How does that grab you?
00:53In fact, Avengers came in all shapes and sizes in the summer of 77.
00:58Burt Reynolds gave one of his greatest performances in Smokey and the Bandit, while Disney found
01:02unexpected success with the small-scale delights of The Rescuers.
01:06Incredibly, this summer also balanced these lighthearted stories with deadly serious chills
01:10thanks to the likes of Suspiria and The Hills Have Eyes.
01:189.
01:192015 By the mid-2010s, sequels and reboots had taken over Hollywood, but 2015 was a special
01:26summer simply due to quality.
01:27While Pixar made an original and deeply moving comeback with Inside Out, franchise fans firmly
01:41embraced Jurassic World and Avengers Age of Ultron to the tune of a billion dollars.
01:46The summer season thrived off action flicks with Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, continuing
01:50the franchise's reliable streak and Melissa McCarthy's Spy becoming an unexpected hit.
01:54But 2015 was truly made complete by the arrival of Mad Max Fury Road.
02:02Not only did the long, gestating reboot instantly become the most celebrated entry of the franchise,
02:07but it also set new standards for the genre yet to be matched.
02:11What a lovely summer!
02:128.
02:131988 Although Best Picture winner Rain Man would top the box office by years in,
02:25it did so after a summer defined by legacies in the making.
02:311988 saw the emergence of superstars like Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks, along with a revolutionary
02:37step forward for animation in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
02:40Each of these movies gave us things we'd never experienced before, without ever forgetting
02:44to just have fun.
02:52Comedy was king in 1988, blending with romance and coming to America, sports and bull Durham,
02:58and crime in A Fish Called Wanda to enormous success.
03:01Perhaps most impressive about this collection is their originality.
03:04Although sequels were slowly but surely becoming a mainstay, summers like this remind us just
03:09how effective new ideas can be.
03:157.
03:171981 Up until recently, Indiana Jones was something of a good luck charm for the summer release
03:23window, and it all started here.
03:258.
03:26Good afternoon Dr. Jones.
03:27I oughta kill you right now.
03:29Not a very private place for a murder.
03:311981 was controlled front to back by Raiders of the Lost Ark, which delivered a globe-triding
03:37adventure perfect for escaping the heat.
03:39As we'll see later on in this list, Indy pairs well with iconic superheroes, and Raiders
03:44found a terrific foil just a week after its release in Superman 2.
03:47Christopher Reeve's iconic Man of Steel returned in style, but other stars made an impression,
03:57with Bill Murray and Dudley Moore making surprise hits out of Stripes and Arthur respectively.
04:02Even darker outings like Escape from New York and An American Werewolf in London managed
04:07to remain fun amidst the violence.
04:086.
04:091994 Often considered one of the best overall years in movie history, 1994 featured the rare
04:22feat of a summer blockbuster dominating the Oscars and the box office.
04:26That movie was the iconic Forrest Gump, but this summer had a little something for everyone
04:40as well.
04:41Action cinema was taken to new heights in Speed and True Lies, while Disney reached a peak
04:45of its 90s renaissance with The Lion King.
04:48Everything the light touches is our kingdom.
04:51Need we also mention that a rising comedian named Jim Carrey solidified himself as Hollywood's
04:57next big leading man with the mask?
04:59Heck, even independent cinema got up off the mat, with The Crow making a splash just a week
05:04before Pulp Fiction rewrote the rules with its big win at the Cannes Film Festival.
05:195.
05:201979 It was the scariest times and the most ridiculous of times.
05:25Those two qualities would define the movie summer of 79, with the ridiculous front led by
05:29Moonraker and Rocky II.
05:35These movies took their franchises to increasingly absurd territory, while The Muppets and Monty
05:40Python redefined absurdity altogether with box office success of their own.
05:45But 1979 was nothing if not defined by horror in a plethora of packages.
05:53Audiences got two very different but equally unnerving takes on haunted houses and unnatural
05:58enemies in The Amityville Horror and Alien, with both spawning long-running franchises.
06:03And of course, horror took on a new face when Apocalypse Now was released, riding its chaotic
06:08and terrifying take on war all the way to the Oscars.
06:134.
06:141989 If there's one year to thank for the film-going culture of today, it might be 1989.
06:20The last summer of the 80s helped establish a number of trends that continue to define
06:24the theater experience.
06:33Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Back to the Future Part II confirmed sequels are
06:38big business, while Disney's emergence as a global force began with The Little Mermaid.
06:46But Batman was the movie to beat, catapulting superheroes straight to the top with its unprecedented
06:55ad campaign and record-setting opening week.
06:58Just like that, capes, cows, and big franchises were here to stay.
07:02Nevertheless, intimate offerings still had their say, as Field of Dreams, When Harry Met Sally
07:07and especially Dead Poets Society, all managed to turn significant profits.
07:243.
07:252008 A summer dominated by superheroes and arth-iologists?
07:29Sounds familiar.
07:30Indeed, 2008 once again saw Indiana Jones and Batman punch their way to glory, with the Caped
07:35Crusader winning a second time.
07:41The Dark Knight surpassed all expectations with its gritty realism, becoming a watershed
07:46moment for the superhero genre and one of the most acclaimed movies of the century.
07:50But DC and Marvel both had something to celebrate, as the latter made a splash of their own by kicking
07:55off an entire universe of movies with Iron Man.
07:58And even then, these two superheroes weren't the only ones riding a wave of butt-kicking
08:11and world-saving tech.
08:13Dreamworks and Pixar renewed their status as animation powerhouses, giving us lovable underdogs
08:17and Poe and Wally, respectively.
08:182.
08:191984 As far as movies go, there may not be a year more synonymous with nostalgia than 1984.
08:34For kids coming of age, there was no shortage of summertime classics to eventually add to
08:38their VHS rotation.
08:39We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!
08:42While Ghostbusters and Beverly Hills Cop laughed their way to box office supremacy, edgy fantasies
08:47became nightmarishly reality in Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
08:51Hey Dr. Jones, no time for love!
08:53We got company!
08:54Furthermore, teens entering adulthood learned about balance and the Karate Kid and found a
08:59champion in director John Hughes, who tapped directly into their feelings with 16 candles.
09:04On top of giving us the PG-13 rating, several of these properties have experienced continuations
09:10within the last decade, which is a testament to their endurance as beloved fixtures in
09:14pop culture.
09:15If you're lying, I'll beat the crap out of you.
09:17I'm not lying!
09:18Before we unveil our topic, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:211980 Between Jason, Jack Torrance, and Darth Vader, it was a great year for villains.
09:27I am altering the deal.
09:29Pray I don't alter it any further.
09:312019 Endgame led the way for a record-breaking summer.
09:36You could not live with your own failure.
09:38Where did that bring you?
09:41Back to me.
09:461996 Disaster flicks crashed theaters with Independence Day and Twister.
09:50Oh man, this is the fun part, sweetheart.
09:542011 The first Avenger and final Harry Potter?
09:59You can't ask for more.
10:01Harry Potter is dead.
10:04From this day forth, you put your faith in me.
10:101975 Because Jaws alone made the summer season what it is today.
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10:381.
10:391982 Although the precedent for summer blockbusters had been set, the dog days of 1982 easily produced
10:48the most ideal version of an entire movie season.
10:51On one hand, romantics and comedy fans were blessed with an officer and a gentleman and
10:55fast times at Ridgemont High.
10:56On the other, genre nerds were absolutely spoiled with Journeys Into Tomorrow.
11:13While Steven Spielberg ruled the box office with the one-two punch of Portuguese and E.T.,
11:18the entire summer turned sci-fi and horror into art.
11:212.
11:222.
11:232.
11:242.
11:252.
11:262.
11:512.
11:522.
11:532.
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