Next Week in Tickets: Films playing Boston 24 July 2026 - 30 July 2026

Still out of town, but nobody's messing with The Odyssey.

• Fantasia opening night film Her Private Hell opens at Kendall Square. Nicolas Winding Refn's first film in years, it stars Sophie Thatcher as an actress expected to reconcile with her best-friend-turned-stepmom while making a movie, after she and another costar witness a murder, in a heightened future. Looks amazing, script's a mess. It's at Boston Common, Causeway Street, Kendall Square, the Seaport, South Bay, and Assembly Row.
  
  Slick-looking crime drama Motor City stars Alan Ritchson as a man framed so that a gangster (Ben Foster) can woo his girl (Shailene Woodley) while he's in prison, plotting revenge. It's at Fresh Pond, Boston Common, and South Bay.
  
  After extended festival/international releases, the adaptation of Azar Nafsi's memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran opens at the Somerville, West Newton, and Boston Common.
  
  Comedy Bad Counselors plays Boston Common and Assembly Row for a limited run. It has two fraternity jerks laying low working as counselors in a very Christian summer camp after some hijinks go awry. There's also Haunted Heist, with director Rel Howry (when did he stop being Lil?) teaming with friends Andrew "King Bach" Bachelor, Tiffany Haddish, and Karous Miller to try to rob a house full of ghosts at Boston Common.
  
  Pinocchio: Unstrung gets a more complete release than the typical public domain kids' story turned horror movie, playing the full week at Boston Common. Robert Englund voices Jiminy Cricket.
  
  Fashion documentary Brunello: The Gracious Visionary gets a one-late-afternoon-show-a-day run at Fresh Pond.
  
  The Hadestown: The Musical run continues through Monday at the Lexington Venue, West Newton, Boston Common (through Wednesday), Causeway Street (through Wednesday), the Kendall, the Seaport (through Wednesday), South Bay (through Thursday afternoon), and Assembly Row (through Wednesday). Musical doc WHAM! 10 Days in China plays Boston Common on Tuesday.
  
  The Fifth Element plays Boston Common Sunday & Monday; The Bad Guys 2 plays kids' matinees at South Bay Monday & Wednesday. There are mystery previews at Boston Common, Causeway Street, the Seaport, South Bay, and Assembly Row on Monday. Spider-Man: Brand New Day has early access Dolby Cinema shows on Wednesday at Boston Common, South Bay, Assembly Row, plus "Fan Event" Dolby Cinema shows on Thursday at the same AMCs. Thriller Above and Below gets one night at Boston Common on Wednesday.
• South Asia only seems to be giving The Odyssey a few days, with Jana Nayagan opening at Apple Fresh Pond, Boston Common, and Causeway Street earlier in the week. There's also Telugu-language romance Chennai Love Story and Nepali drama Gauthali, boith at Fresh Pond.
• The Capitol Theatre picks up Night Nurse after it's pushed off downtown screens, and has A League of Their Own for "Play Ball!" on Friday. The monthly Disasterpiece Theatre night is Monday.
  
  The Somerville Theatre has another 70mm Saturday midnight special with Howard the Duck. There's also a "Silents, Please!" screening of Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness, with Jeff Rapsis downstairs on screen #3 because nothing's bumping The Odyssey in 70mm upstairs.
• The Coolidge Corner Theatre is still selling out screen #1 for The Odyssey. Alien invasion midnights are Communion on Friday and Invasion of the Body Snatchers '78 on Saturday, with The Room also playing on Friday. Marilyn Monroe movies this week are Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Sunday afternoon, The Prince and the Showgirl on Tuesday evening, and The Misfits Wednesday. Thursday is packed, with a sold-out screening of Sherman's March with director Ross McElwee on hand, a Rewind! Screening of The Mask, and then a 35mm presentation of Clash of the Titans '81 for the 9:30pm Cult Classic.
• The Seaport Alamo has "Kids Camp" matinees of Arco Friday & Monday. Music doc NOFX: 40 Years of Fuckin' Up plays Saturday. Kurosawa's Rashomon plays Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday, with many shows relatively late, which is kind of unusual; they're also running the AGFA mystery movie late Monday, though I suppose that could involve livestreamed guests in L.A. as much as trying to figure out when they can get people to come. De Palma features are Snake Eyes on Tuesday and Casualties of War on Wednesday; Wednesday also features The Thing Called Love and an Elf Christmas-in-July movie party.
• The Museum of Fine Arts kicks off their annual Boston French Film Festival with sold-out screenings of Bazaar (Le crime du 3e étage) (Friday night) and Colors of Time (Saturday morning), but there are still tickets for Promised Sky Saturday afternoon and Nino Sunday afternoon, with the festival running into late August.
• Landmark Kendall Square has Jurassic Park on Tuesday for the Big Screen/Amblin summer movie and The Dark Night Rises on Wednesday for Christopher Nolan Wednesdays.
• Remember, The Brattle Theatre is closed for renovations, but will re-open with the belated vertical schedule next weekend!
• Outdoor screenings via Joe's Free Films this week show Space Jam at the MIT Open Space and Zootopia 2 at the Hatch Shell on Friday; Almost Famous at TimeOut Market on Monday; and Wayne's World at Seven Hills Park in Somerville on Thursday.
• The Museum of Science has The Odyssey on the giant screen at 7pm Friday & Saturday, and folks can RSVP to see the animated How to Train Your Dragon on Saturday as part of Disability Pride month, with Facing the Falls playing a free show including a conversation with subject Cara Yar Khan on Wednesday (free with RSVP).
• The Lexington Venue is open all week but Tuesday with Hadestown (through Monday), Tuner (no shows Monday/Thursday), and The Odyssey.
  
  The West Newton Cinema opens Reading Lolita in Tehran, keeping The Odyssey, Rose of Nevada, Moana, The Invite, Minions & Monsters, and The Sheep Detectives. Hadestown plays through Monday.
  
  The Dedham Community Theatre opens Cielo, which played Fantasia last year and is absolutely gorgeous, with The Invite continuing.
  
  Cinema Salem picks up The Invite and Rose of Nevada to play with The Odyssey and Toy Story 5 from Friday to Monday. Friday's Night LIght show is The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, while The Searchers plays with post-film discussion Saturday afternoon. The Wednesday Classic is On the Waterfront, with Weirdo Wednesday next door; a 50th Anniversary screening of Network plays for Arthouse Theater Day on Thursday.

Sorry if I missed anything, as I'm in Montreal for another week and a half. Definitely follow my Letterboxd page for Fantasia Festival updates, because I'm already several days behind on the blog!.