The live-action remake of the animated film “How to Train Your Dragon” and a two-part, five-hour documentary on Billy Joel are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time, as selected by media’ entertainment journalists: The long-delayed third album from rapper Roddy Ricch, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” returns for its third and final season and two arcade favorites — Donkey Kong and Pac-Man — get reinvented for gamers.
— Movie theaters are crowded enough this summer that one recent box-office hit is already coming to homes. Universal Pictures’ “How to Train Your Dragon” hits premium video on demand on Tuesday, just 31 days after it debuted in cinemas. The live-action remake of the DreamWorks Animation dragon tale has surpassed $500 million in global ticket sale. In her review, news agencies Film Writer Lindsey Bahr raved: “Unlike so many live-action remakes of animated films, it also doesn’t feel superfluous, or, worse, like a poor imitation of its predecessor.”
— Billy Joel recently canceled his summer tour after being diagnosed with a brain disorder. But “Piano Man” fans can still get their Joel fix in “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” a two-part, five-hour documentary. Part one will arrive on HBO and HBO Max on Friday, July 18, with part two following on July 25. Directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin cover Joel’s life and career, with interviews with Joel, his family, his ex-wives and musicians including Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney.
— Petra Costa’s “Apocalypse in the Tropics” (Netflix, Monday), documents the rise of the far right in Brazil. Costa’s follow-up to her Oscar-nominated “The Edge of Democracy,” digs into the role of the evangelical movement in bringing former president Jai Bolsonaro to power. Bolsonaro is currently standing trial for an alleged coup attempt in 2023, a trial that U.S. President Donald Trump has called a “witch hunt.”
— news agencies Film Writer Jake Coyle
— Delayed from February, rapper Roddy Ricch returns with his third album on Friday, July 18, “The Navy Album.” The Compton rapper, who appeared on Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX,” has put out a few singles from the new collection, including “Survivor’s Remorse” and “Lonely Road.” The later features Terrace Martin and was released with a video of him cruising through the city seeing angels and the lyrics: “Roddy rap like the rent due/Roddy tell ’em the whole truth.”
— Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” has been everywhere in 2025; it’s a big, inoffensive ballad with loosely religious themes, it is meticulously designed to the pull at heartstrings. And it succeeds, due in part to the fact that Warren sings in a faux-British accent. On Friday, July 18, he’ll release his debut full-length on Atlantic Records, “You’ll Be Alright, Kid.” Expect a lot more soul and get the tissues ready.
— Fresh off a hot new track for the summer blockbuster “F1” soundtrack, Puerto Rican rapper and singer Myke Towers will release a new album, “ISLAND BOYZ,” on Friday, July 18. It’s just what the heart wants during these hot months — feel good reggaeton, urban pop and Latin trap.
— news agencies Music Writer Maria Sherman
— Are you Team Jellyfish or Team Bonrad? If you have no idea what that means you probably don’t watch “The Summer I Turned Pretty. ” The show returns for its third and final season on Wednesday on Prime Video. It’s about a young woman named Belly (Lola Tung,) who is torn between two brothers, Jeremiah and Conrad, played by Gavin Casalegno and Christopher Briney. The series is based on a trilogy of books by Jenny Han.
— In the second season of Prime Video’s “Surf Girls” series, cameras follow five up-and-coming female surfers who travel the globe to compete in the Challenger Series. “Surf Girls: International” focuses on both new and returning surfers that were featured in season one. A goal is to spotlight women in a sport that has often been skewed by sexism. All five episodes drop Thursday. Reese Witherspoon is an executive producer.
— In the films “The Dry” and “Force of Nature: The Dry 2,” Eric Bana played a federal agent investigating murders in his native country of Australia. In the new Netflix series “Untamed,” Bana plays a U.S. law enforcement officer investigating the mysterious death of a woman at Yosemite National Park. Sam Neill, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Wilson Bethel also star. It premieres Thursday.
— For a guy who started off as a villain, Donkey Kong has proven to be one of Nintendo’s most versatile heroes, doing everything from driving to playing drums to (seriously) teaching math. Donkey Kong Bananza focuses on what he does best: punching things. Someone has stolen his bananas, so it’s up to DK to smash his way through the Underground World in pursuit of the culprits. It’s the first 3D adventure for the big lug in a long time, and Nintendo has said it comes from the same team that developed the bestselling Super Mario Odyssey. Start swinging Thursday on Switch 2.
