The summer blockbusters have arrived in theaters, but so has another slate of recently released hits, now available on demand with a click of a button. Why not stay indoors and avoid 20 minutes of previews to catch something that — in some cases — is still playing in theaters? No one will judge you if you pull your phone out while you watch.

July 1

Ballerina: From the World of John Wick

Len Wiseman, 124 minutes

Ana de Armas stars in this Wick-ified version of the La Femme Nikita or Red Sparrow tale of a young woman turned into an agile assassin. Actually a loose spinoff of a character seen briefly in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (which still rules, by the way), Ballerina sees de Armas seeking vengeance against the tribe that killed her father, a group led by a nefarious figure sketched by Gabriel Byrne. Some of the first act is clunkier than anything previously seen in a Wick movie, but when it gets going in the second half, it really goes. There’s a fantastic sequence in a kitchen and a flamethrower fight that action fans really need to see.

Thunderbolts*

Jake Schreier, 127 minutes

The Marvel Cinematic Universe sure ain’t what it used to be, as evidenced by the modest box-office returns for this May blockbuster. The funny thing is this one isn’t actually bad, especially when compared to recent MCU flicks. Florence Pugh leads a new ragtag group of second-rate heroes that includes David Harbour’s Red Guardian and Wyatt Russell’s John Walker. And Lewis Pullman is quite good as the eventual villain of a film that defies enough of the MCU tropes that you should check it out.

July 8

Karate Kid: Legends

Jonathan Entwistle, 94 minutes

After the success of Cobra Kai, a nostalgic mash-up of the Karate Kid universes seemed inevitable, and here we are! This film features both Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso from the 1980s trilogy and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han from the 2010 reboot. It also introduces a new prodigy named Li (Ben Wang), who crosses paths with both potential mentors. This one was kinda lost in a crowded summer-blockbuster season, so there’s a good chance there are fans out there who don’t even know it exists. Now they can find out at home.

The Phoenician Scheme

Wes Anderson, 101 minutes

Anderson continues to ask big questions in his distinctive manner, making a comedy that seems kind of like a lark until you realize that he’s battling with issues of mortality and responsibility. Benicio del Toro plays a power broker who has evaded assassination multiple times when he decides to mend bridges with his nun daughter (Mia Threapleton) so he can have an heir when his luck runs out. With career-best work from Michael Cera and a typically stacked Anderson ensemble, this is one of the best films of 2025 so far.

July 22

Materialists

Celine Song, 116 minutes

The writer-director of the Best Picture–nominated Past Lives followed up that masterpiece with this romantic comedy about three genetically blessed people stuck in a love triangle. At the top of the peak is Dakota Johnson’s matchmaker, stuck between an ex-boyfriend and a suave millionaire, played by Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, respectively. More interested in deconstructing the rom-com than embracing tropes, it’s a film that divided some audiences (a B- on CinemaScore isn’t great) but feels like it could play better at home.

 PVOD and chill.