Get ready for summer sequels by streaming earlier installments

Like most summer movie seasons, summer 2024 is lousy with sequels. Last weekend we saw “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the fourth installment of the “Bad Boys” franchise, take over the box office, and one of the buzziest titles of the summer is “Furiosa,” the prequel to “Mad Max: Fury Road.” This weekend, “Inside Out 2” hits theaters. So here’s a quick streaming guide on this summer’s sequels, and where and how to watch or rewatch everything you might need to catch up, from family-friendly animated fare to horror franchises.

As mentioned, “Inside Out 2” comes out Friday, June 14. The first film, 2015’s “Inside Out,” directed by Pete Docter, is on Disney+ or available to rent on other platforms.

At the end of June, “A Quiet Place: Day One” will tiptoe into theaters. This third installment is a prequel to “A Quiet Place” (2018) and the sequel, “A Quiet Place Part II” (2021), which were both directed by John Krasinski and are available to stream on Paramount+ or for rent on other platforms (“Part II” is also on Hulu). This third film is written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, who wrote and directed the critically acclaimed “Pig,” and stars Lupita Nyong’o as a woman attempting to survive the initial alien invasion in New York City.

In time for Independence Day weekend, the fourth movie in the popular “Despicable Me” franchise will release on July 3. Catch up with the first three movies all on Peacock, though if you’re a parent you likely don’t need the refresher. Our antihero Gru also features in “Minions: Rise of Gru,” so perhaps take in that film on Prime Video or rent them all on Amazon or iTunes.

July 5 sees the release of Ti West’s “MaXXXine,” the third slasher film in his “X” horror film series starring Mia Goth. “MaXXXine,” the sequel to “X,” is set in 1985, and follows Goth’s Maxine as she makes her way to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams of stardom after the massacre in Texas in 1979. She of course then encounters the Night Stalker killer in L.A. “Pearl” is the prequel film, set in 1918, with Goth playing the title character (and the film’s villain), who also appears in “X.” Watch “X” on Netflix, Showtime or rent it elsewhere, and catch “Pearl” on Prime Video or rent it on other platforms.

In mid-July, the long-awaited sequel to Jan de Bont’s 1996 storm-chasing disaster picture “Twister” spins into theaters. “Twisters” is directed by Lee Isaac Chung, who directed “Minari,” and stars new Hollywood It Guy Glen Powell alongside a host of up-and-coming stars. Revisit “Twister” before the new movie by renting it on all platforms.

On July 26, it’s a Marvel mashup with “Deadpool & Wolverine.” You may want to revisit the potty-mouthed superhero played by Ryan Reynolds in “Deadpool” (2016), which is on Max and Disney+, or “Deadpool 2” (2018), on Disney+, or catch up with the lethally clawed mutant played by Hugh Jackman. He’s in most of the “X-Men” movies, all streaming on Disney+. Or you can stream “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009) on Max, or rent “The Wolverine” (2013) and “Logan” (2017) on other digital platforms.

Finally, the Aug. 16 release of “Alien: Romulus,” directed by Fede Alvarez, is a good enough reason as any for a full rewatch of the “Alien” series (it’s always a good time for an “Alien” rewatch). So here goes: “Alien” (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, is streaming on Hulu; “Aliens” (1986), directed by James Cameron, is on Max and Starz; the underrated “Alien 3” (1992), directed by David Fincher, is on Hulu; and “Alien Resurrection” (1997), by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, is also on Hulu and Starz. Let’s skip the “Alien vs. Predator” films, and then go straight into Scott’s return to the franchise, with “Prometheus” (2012), on Hulu and Apple TV+, and his “Alien: Covenant” (2017), which is available to rent on all platforms. Whew. It will be worth your while.

There are of course some sequels and remakes in the fall that you may want to rewatch a few things for (“Beetlejuice,” “Joker,” “Venom,” “Gladiator”) but here’s what you need to prep for this summer’s sequels and prequels.