With the coronavirus pandemic shutting pretty much everything down, including movie theaters, the summer movie season looks pretty different in 2020 than it usually does. On-demand movies have become a big part of the movie experience, as movies have to make the choice between delaying a theatrical release or skipping that altogether and going straight to streaming or VOD. While many of this summer’s biggest movies have wound up showing up on Netflix, Hulu, or other streaming platforms, there are still a handful of notable titles that are only available through old-fashioned video on demand.
If you’re looking for something new to watch for a great night in, try one of these on-demand new movies this summer!
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The High Note
- What’s it about: A legendary R&B singer has been touring off her old material for over a decade, without any new music since. With the support of her assistant – an aspiring music producer – she begins questioning what she’s really doing with her career, while a young man’s fledgling music career provides a contrast to her struggles.
- Who’s starring: Tracee Ellis Ross, Dakota Johnson, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Zoë Chao, Eddie Izzard, Ice Cube
- Release date: May 29
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Parkland Rising
- What’s it about: This documentary follows the activism in the wake of the 2018 Parkland shooting. Still reeling from trauma and tragic loss, parents and students raise their voices and spark a wave of activism for stricter gun legislation and keeping students safe.
- Who’s starring: Jaclyn Corin, Matt Deitsch, Fred Guttenberg, David Hogg, and many others
- Release date: June 5
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The King of Staten Island
- What’s it about: Loosely based on Pete Davidson’s real life, the movie follows a young man struggling to figure out his life after his widowed mother starts dating again. His messy personal life intersects with his mother’s as he struggles with mental and physical health, as well as unresolved issues lingering from the long-ago death of his firefighter father.
- Who’s starring: Pete Davidson, Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Bel Powley, Maude Apatow, Steve Buscemi
- Release date: June 12
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Babyteeth
- What’s it about: A seriously ill teenage girl falls in love, but her new love interest isn’t exactly above board. He’s a small-scale drug dealer, which naturally leads to major conflict with her parents as she tries to assert her own independence.
- Who’s starring: Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Emily Barclay, Eugene Gilfedder, Essie Davis, Ben Mendelsohn
- Release date: June 19
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You Should Have Left
- What’s it about: It’s a classic horror trope: the family moves into a haunted house. This time, a couple and their young daughter try to take a vacation in Wales, but the secluded old house is harboring secrets that begin to haunt them.
- Who’s starring: Kevin Bacon, Amanda Seyfried, Avery Tiiu Essex, Colin Blumenau
- Release date: June 18
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Mr. Jones
- What’s it about: Based on a true story, this drama tells the story of the titular “Mr. Jones,” a Welsh journalist who, in 1933, goes to the Soviet Union to investigate a mysterious famine in Ukraine. What he uncovers a terrifying conspiracy packed with Soviet propaganda.
- Who’s starring: James Norton, Vanessa Kirby, Peter Sarsgaard, Kenneth Cranham, Joseph Mawle
- Release date: June 19
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Miss Juneteenth
- What’s it about: A former teen beauty queen has grown up into a single mother whose life has become a little bit of a mess after so much promise when she was younger. She enters her daughter into the same pageant she once won, even though her daughter is less than enthusiastic, as they both try to figure out their lives.
- Who’s starring: Nicole Beharie, Kendrick Sampson, Alexis Chikaeze, Liz Mikel
- Release date: June 19
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Irresistible
- What’s it about: In a small Wisconsin town, the mayoral race becomes a turning point for both parties, who both believe that the small-scale local race is an indicator of which way the swing state will go in the 2020 general election. Because of these stakes, a high-level Democratic strategist comes to town to try to help the liberal candidate win in a largely right-wing area.
- Who’s starring: Steve Carell, Rose Byrne, Chris Cooper, Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne
- Release date: June 26
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Force of Nature
- What’s it about: A hurricane hits, and a team of thieves see that as the perfect opportunity to carry off a heist in an evacuated building. Their only problem: a pair of cops trying to track them down.
- Who’s starring: Emile Hirsch, Kate Bosworth, Mel Gibson, David Zayas, Stephanie Cayo, Will Catlett
- Release date: June 30
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John Lewis: Good Trouble
- What’s it about: This documentary traces the life and work of Congressman John Lewis, beginning with his early life and tracing his civil rights activism and his continued career in the halls of Congress, pushing for social change.
- Who’s starring: John Lewis, among others
- Release date: July 3
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The Outpost
- What’s it about: This modern war drama is actually based on a true story of a battle in 2009 Afghanistan. Just before an American base is set to shut down, Taliban insurgents attack, outnumbering the coalition forces eight to one and forcing them into an unexpected battle for survival.
- Who’s starring: Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, Milo Gibson, Jack Kesy
- Release date: July 3
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The Truth
- What’s it about: A famous woman publishes her memoirs, but they don’t exactly tell the whole story of her life. When the memoir is published, her daughter has to untangle their complicated relationship and revisit what really happened in their intertwined lives.
- Who’s starring: Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke
- Release date: July 3
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Relic
- What’s it about: Three generations of women and a creepy family house form the spine of this horror flick. A divorced mother returns to her childhood home with her teenage daughter when her elderly mother goes missing. Her mother returns, but there’s something off about her and what remains in the house.
- Who’s starring: Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin, Bella Heathcote
- Release date: July 10
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Summerland
- What’s it about: Set during the London Blitz during World War II, a reclusive writer takes in an evacuee, despite her initial misgivings, and winds up realizing just how much she actually needs other people in her life.
- Who’s starring: Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Penelope Wilton, Tom Courtenay
- Release date: July 31
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Tesla
- What’s it about: In this quirky indie, the story of genius inventor Nikola Tesla gets a new twist. The movie focuses on Tesla’s strange experiments and brilliant breakthroughs, as well as his legendary rivalry with fellow inventor Thomas Edison.
- Who’s starring: Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Eve Hewson, Jim Gaffigan, Hannah Gross, Josh Hamilton
- Release date: Aug. 21
