August Movie Openings

Don’t Think Twice
The spotlight’s not for everyone.

Drama | Comedy
Director: Mike Birbiglia
Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Mike Birbiglia
In theaters: now

When a single member of a tight-knit improv troupe is plucked to appear on a popular sketch comedy show, the unchosen actors struggle with the realization that not all of them are destined for fame.

Suicide Squad
Worst. Heroes. Ever.

Fantasy | Crime
Director: David Ayer
Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie
In theaters: August 5

Set in the same cinematic universe as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, this film pits bad guys versus worse guys as a high-ranking government official tasks a team of supervillains with dangerous missions they stand little chance of surviving.

Nine Lives
His life just got put on paws.

Comedy | Fantasy
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Walken
In theaters: August 5

A billionaire businessman finds his mind stuck inside a feline after stopping at a peculiar pet shop to pick up a last-minute gift for the daughter he frequently neglects.

The Founder
He took someone else’s idea and ate it up.

Biography | Drama
Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Michael Keaton, Laura Dern, Nick Offerman
In theaters: August 5

An ambitious salesman meets a pair of brothers with a brilliant restaurant concept and, after helping them expand the McDonald’s brand, he assumes control of the company right under their noses.

Sausage Party
A hero will rise.

Adventure | Comedy
Directors: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
Starring: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill
In theaters: August 12

In this off-color animated film inundated with innuendo, a cartful of foul-mouthed foods fear for their lives after learning their fate is to be cooked and consumed.

Florence Foster Jenkins
Every voice deserves to be heard.

Drama | Biography
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg
In theaters: August 12

While a tone-deaf member of New York’s elite attempts to launch a career as an opera singer, her supportive husband and accompanying pianist struggle to protect the heiress’s ego.

Hell or High Water
Blood always follows money.

Crime | Drama
Director: David Mackenzie
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster
In theaters: August 12

When two brothers in West Texas start robbing banks to save their family farm, the town’s nearly retired ranger vows to capture the crooks before leaving his post.

Pete’s Dragon
Some secrets are too big to keep.

Adventure | Animation
Director: David Lowery
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley
In theaters: August 12

In Disney’s latest live-action adaptation of an animated classic, an orphan who grew up in the woods of the Pacific Northwest introduces his newfound friends to the fuzzy dragon that’s helped him survive.

Kubo and the Two Strings
His quest begins.

Fantasy | Adventure
Director: Travis Knight
Starring: Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew McConaughey
In theaters: August 19

After a village boy with magical music skills inadvertently conjures an ancient apparition, he must find his departed father’s mystical armor in order to protect the rest of his family.

War Dogs
Money, corruption and the American Dream.

Crime | Drama
Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller
In theaters: August 19

Based on actual events: Two smooth-talking 20-somethings get in over their heads after landing a $300 million contract to provide arms to America’s Middle Eastern allies.

The Space Between Us
What’s your favorite thing about Earth?

Fantasy | Sci-Fi
Director: Peter Chelsom
Starring: Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield, Carla Gugino
In theaters: August 19

A teenager raised on Mars visits Earth for the first time and, after learning his body isn’t equipped for this planet’s atmosphere, eludes the scientists studying him and embarks on a mission to meet his long-distance crush and find the father he’s never known.

Ben-Hur
First to finish. Last to die.

Drama | Action
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell
In theaters: August 19

Set during biblical times, this fictional flick tells the tale of a wrongly sentenced prince who survives years of slavehood in order to exact revenge on the former friend who fingered him.

Don’t Breathe
From the creators of Evil Dead.

Horror | Thriller
Director: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Jane Levy, Stephen Lang, Dylan Minnette
In theaters: August 26

Three young thieving friends find their lives on the line while attempting to rob a sightless man blind.

Mechanic: Resurrection
Four continents, three kills ... or the love of his life is dead.

Thriller | Action
Director: Dennis Gansel
Starring: Jason Statham, Tommy Lee Jones, Jessica Alba
In theaters: August 26

The world’s most merciless mercenary comes out of retirement and goes on a global quest to kill those who’ve wronged him and rescue the woman he loves.

Hands of Stone
No más. No surrender.

Drama | Sport
Director: Jonathan Jakubowicz
Starring: Edgar Ramirez, Robert De Niro, Usher
In theaters: August 26

A Panamanian pugilist and his revered trainer face off against a formidable American opponent in this film based on the bouts between Roberto Durán and Sugar Ray Leonard.