Sun screen: The buzziest film festival flicks to look forward to this summer

Summer movie season always carries its own particular kind of anticipation, especially when the films in question arrive with festival pedigrees attached. This past cycle delivered a strong slate of indie titles that moved from premiere circuits straight into theaters, carrying the energy of discovery along with them. Here is a look back at twelve of the strongest entries, organized from notable to outright talked-about.

Skate Kitchen

Release date: August 10 The Wolfpack director Crystal Moselle made her narrative feature debut at this year’s Sundance with this story about a crew of badass female skateboarders in New York City. Released August 10, 2018 by Magnolia Pictures, the film grossed approximately $268,000 worldwide. It later inspired the HBO series Betty in 2020, extending its reach beyond the original theatrical run.

American Animals

American Animals arrived in theaters on June 1, 2018 after being picked up by The Orchard and MoviePass Ventures at Sundance. Bart Layton’s heist film told the extraordinary true story of four friends—Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, and Jared Abrahamson—who attempted one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history. The film grossed approximately $4.1 million worldwide and earned praise for its inventive blend of documentary and narrative techniques.

Madeline’s Madeline

Release date: August 10 Josephine Decker’s drama received high praise at Sundance for its original yet perplexing approach, centering on a theater director and a sixteen-year-old New York star named Helena Howard who takes her performance far too seriously. Released August 10, 2018 by Oscilloscope Laboratories, the film grossed approximately $186,000 and left a lasting impression through Howard’s standout performance.

Revenge

Release date: May 11 Coralie Fargeat’s head-turning 2017 Toronto International Film Festival favorite offered a fresh, bloody, and raw take on the rape-revenge narrative. The film received a limited U.S. theatrical release on May 11, 2018 and grossed under $1 million. It remains available on streaming services such as MUBI, keeping the conversation around its uncompromising style alive.

Sorry to Bother You

Release date: July 6 Described as the punk film 2018 deserves, Boots Riley’s Sundance hit starred Lakeith Stanfield, Armie Hammer, and Tessa Thompson. In a dystopian not-too-distant future, a telemarketer discovers a magical key to professional success and is propelled into a macabre universe. Released July 6 and 13, 2018, the film grossed $18.3 million worldwide and won Best First Feature at the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Generation Wealth

Release date: July 20 In one of the most talked-about documentaries during the year’s film fest circuit, The Queen of Versailles director Lauren Greenfield offered a hard-hitting portrait of materialistic, image-obsessed American culture. The film continued Greenfield’s signature approach of examining wealth and status through intimate, sometimes uncomfortable observation.

Damsel

Release date: June 22 Starring Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska, the Zellner brothers’ Western dramedy received a lot of buzz at Sundance 2018 and subsequent festival stints. The story followed a businessman traveling West to join his fiancée in the mountains. The film ultimately grossed under $400,000 domestically, reflecting the challenges faced by many mid-budget festival titles in the theatrical marketplace.

BlacKkKlansman

Release date: August 10 The film was already the talk of the town before hitting the festivals. Spike Lee’s latest feature competed at Cannes, starring John David Washington and Adam Driver in a true story about an African-American detective in Colorado who worked undercover to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in 1979. It premiered at Cannes 2018 and won the Grand Prix, then grossed $93.4 million worldwide after its August 10 release and won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Release date: August 3 Tackling the ever-controversial concept of gay conversion camps, the Sundance indie hit from writer and director Desiree Akhavan was adapted from Emily Danforth’s coming-of-age novel. The narrative centered on a girl played by Chloë Grace Moretz who is sent to a conversion center after being caught with the prom queen and later develops mutual feelings for a girl she meets at Sunday school.

Tully

Release date: May 4 In this sickeningly funny Sundance hit, Charlize Theron delivered a fearless performance in her second collaboration with filmmaking duo Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody. Described as a modern-day take on Mary Poppins, Tully followed a pregnant forty-year-old mother carrying the pressure of the world on her shoulders. Released May 4, 2018, the film grossed $15.6 million worldwide and earned Theron a Golden Globe nomination.

Hereditary

Release date: June 8 We love a good scare here at Film Daily and we know you do too, which is why Ari Aster’s upcoming horror sat high on the list. The film saw Toni Collette suffer a fate worse than death at the hands of the most frightening spirits of all: the ghosts from within. Released June 8, 2018 by A24, Hereditary grossed approximately $90 million worldwide on a $10 million budget and became the studio’s highest-grossing film at the time.

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot

Release date: July 13 We were most excited about Gus Van Sant’s latest flick, which premiered at the 2018 Berlinale. Boasting extraordinary performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Jonah Hill, this biopic told the story of the cartoonist John Callahan and brought Van Sant’s distinctive eye for character to a new chapter of American outsider art.

Awards Season Impact

Several films achieved significant awards recognition post-release, extending their cultural relevance beyond initial festival buzz. BlacKkKlansman won Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar and was nominated for Best Picture. Sorry to Bother You won Best First Feature at the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Tully earned a Golden Globe nomination for Charlize Theron, showing how festival momentum can translate into formal industry acknowledgment.

Box Office Surprises

Many films exceeded or underperformed modest expectations, revealing patterns in indie distribution success. Hereditary grossed roughly $90 million on a $10 million budget, a major commercial win for A24 horror. Sorry to Bother You reached $18.3 million worldwide against a $3.2 million budget. Skate Kitchen, Madeline’s Madeline, and Damsel each grossed under $400,000 domestically, underscoring the uneven economics of the specialty market.

Streaming and Longevity

Post-theatrical availability on streaming has kept these titles accessible to new audiences years later. Revenge is available on MUBI and other platforms. Hereditary and Sorry to Bother You remain popular on major streamers. Spin-offs like the HBO series Betty extended Skate Kitchen’s reach, proving that festival flicks can find second and third lives beyond opening weekend.

Director Breakthroughs

Several first-time or early feature directors launched notable careers from these festival entries. Boots Riley’s directorial debut Sorry to Bother You launched his feature career. Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge marked a strong debut in the rape-revenge genre. Ari Aster’s Hereditary established him as a leading horror filmmaker, setting the stage for continued work in elevated genre storytelling.

Looking back, the summer slate offered a clear snapshot of how festival flicks move through the system—from discovery to release to whatever comes after. Some titles found commercial traction, others carved out critical space, and a handful built lasting audiences through streaming and spin-offs. The through-line remains the same: strong writing, committed performances, and directors willing to take risks on material that rewards close attention.