Boredom busters on big screen Incredibles 2 (PG)
FROM superheroes and dinosaurs to a midnight monster cruise and a toe-tapping musical, there’s something for every age at the cinemas over the July school holidays.
Marvel’s Ant-Man sequel and Pixar’s Incredibles sequel are two of the most widely appealing for families, with action and slapstick humour for the adults and wholesome core themes.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Mary Shelley are both great mother-daughter movie date options, while teenage boys will love action blockbusters Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Skyscraper.
For the little ones, Hotel Transylvania 3 and Show Dogs are sure to entertain.
Here are the films playing on a big screen near you over the holidays:
Ant-Man and The Wasp (PG)
As Scott Lang balances being both a superhero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr Hank Pym present a new mission that finds Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.
This classic screw-ball comedy has state-of-the-art visual effects and buddy banter clever enough to bend time.
Best for: Pre-teens and teens. In cinemas: July 5.
Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation (PG)
Mavis surprises Dracula with a family voyage on a luxury monster cruise ship and the rest of Drac’s pack cannot resist going along. But once they leave port, romance arises when Dracula meets the mysterious ship captain, Ericka.
Now it’s Mavis’s turn to play the overprotective parent, keeping her dad and Ericka apart. Little do they know that his “too good to be true” love interest is actually a descendant of Abraham Van Helsing, ancient nemesis to Dracula and all other monsters.
Best for: Young ones and pre-teens. In cinemas: Now. Bob Parr (Mr Incredible) is left to care for the family while Helen (Elastigirl) is out saving the world and campaigning for supers to be made legal again. Mr Incredible finds domestic life a daunting challenge, especially with baby Jack-Jack’s newly emerged powers making him almost impossible to manage.
However Elastigirl soon has her own concerns dealing with the menace of a new super villain, Screenslaver, who is wreaking havoc with his mind control abilities.
Best for: The whole family.
In cinemas: Now.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (M)
It’s been four years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.
There are plenty of scares and a new genetically modified dino to give you nightmares but story-wise this franchise is starting to wear thin. Best for: Teens and parents.
In cinemas: Now.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (TBA)
In this sequel to Mamma Mia!, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is now pregnant. Like Donna, she’ll be a young mother and she realises that she’ll need to take risks like her mother did.
Downton Abbey’s Lily James joins the cast as a young Donna and pop star Cher makes a cameo.
How Meryl Streep is involved this time around is still a mystery, with some fans fearing her character Donna is dead. Best for: Mums, daughters and grandmothers.
In cinemas: July 19.
Mary Shelley (PG)
Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin’s family is horrified when she declares her love for poet Percy Shelley and elopes with him, accompanied by her half-sister, Claire.
While staying in the home of Lord Byron at Lake Geneva, the guests are challenged to write a ghost story, which leads Mary to conceive her classic novel Frankenstein.
Mary Shelley’s pioneering life is just as incredible now as it was two centuries ago and this beautifully filmed period drama, written by Queensland screenwriter Emma Jensen and featuring a stand-out performance by Elle Fanning, brings her story back to the screen in the wake of the #metoo movement.
Best for: Teen girls and mums. In cinemas: July 5.
Occupation (M)
A small group of town residents have to band together after a devastating alien invasion in this home-grown sci-fi thriller brimming with lowbudget charm. As they struggle to survive, they realise they must stay one step ahead of their attackers and work together to strike back. Best for: Teen boys.
In cinemas: July 12.
Show Dogs (PG)
Max, a macho, solitary rottweiler police dog, is ordered to go undercover as a primped show dog in a prestigious dog show, along with his human partner (Will Arnett) to avert a disaster from happening. Best for: Pre-teens.
In cinemas: July 5.
Skyscraper (M)
Dwayne Johnson stars as FBI hostage rescue team leader and war veteran Will Sawyer, who now assesses security for skyscrapers. On assignment in Hong Kong, he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze and he’s been framed for it. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family who are trapped inside the building. Best for: Teens. In cinemas: July 12.