This week's entertainment lineup is packed with major releases and events, from the latest Spider-Man adventure to Ariana Grande's eighth album and the return of Ted Lasso. Here's your complete guide to what's happening in cinema, music, art, and streaming.
Cinema: Spider-Man swings back into action
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in theaters, continuing the story of Peter Parker as he focuses on protecting New York City. The sequel to No Way Home introduces new characters, including crime boss Tombstone, played by Marvin Jones III, who, like his character, is an African American with albinism.
Also out this week is Ish, the debut feature from artist and director Imran Perretta. This black-and-white film draws on Perretta's own childhood experiences with the police and follows two 12-year-olds in Luton. The leads are played by non-professional actors Farhan Hasnat and Yahya Kitana, who are real-life friends. The film won a prize at Venice's critics week.
For music fans, Wham! 10 Days in China revisits the 1985 moment when Wham! became the first western band to perform in communist China. The new feature-length documentary includes archive footage and interviews.
If puppets are your thing, the BFI's season No Strings Attached: Puppets on Film runs at BFI Southbank and Imax in London until 31 August, featuring films like The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Crystal, and The Muppets Take Manhattan.
Gigs: Summer Walker, Brecon jazz, and Boardmasters
Atlanta's R&B star Summer Walker brings her trilogy of breakup albums to London's O2 arena on 1 and 2 August. The trilogy includes Over It (2019), Still Over It (2021), and Finally Over It (last year). Expect plenty of emotional catharsis across these two shows.
The Brecon jazz festival runs from 6 to 9 August in mid Wales, headlined by saxophonist Courtney Pine, a liberating cultural force in UK jazz for 40 years. Also performing are trumpeter Tomos Williams and singer-pianist Liane Carroll.
Boardmasters in Newquay, from 5 to 9 August, offers a mix of music, wellness, and surfing. The lineup includes Kasabian, Fatboy Slim, Example, and newer acts like Rose Gray, Jacob Alon, and Joy Crookes.
At the Royal Albert Hall, the Aurora Orchestra's BBC Proms appearances on 1 and 2 August feature Mahler's Symphony No 1, performed entirely from memory and conducted by Nicholas Collon.
Art: From Bangkok's margins to kawaii culture
Chardchakaj Waikawee's analogue, hand-printed photographs of people living on the margins of Bangkok's society are on display at Graces Mews in London until 19 September. The result is a portrait of youth shot through with poverty, struggle, and endurance.
Gwen John's retrospective at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh runs from 1 August to 4 January. The exhibition features beautiful, quiet, austere, minimal portraiture by arguably Wales's most important painter, inspired by her religious beliefs and love of early French modernism.
Reflections: Sangat and the Self at The Whitworth in Manchester runs until 29 August 2027. Artists Jasmir Creed and Roo Dhissou pair up for this participatory exhibition rooted in Sikh philosophy, featuring work from the Whitworth's collection.
Kawaii Art & Culture at Wolverhampton Arts Centre until 9 August explores Japanese kawaii culture, curated by artist Tamla Pearce, covering kawaii art, fashion, toys, animation, food, and design.
Stage: Silence of the Lambs, Cats, and Carlos Acosta
The Silence of the Lambs is adapted for the stage by Gina Gionfriddo and runs at Curve theatre in Leicester from 1 to 15 August. The play pulls the audience into the warped relationship between FBI trainee Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter, played by John Partridge.
Cats returns to Regent's Park Open Air theatre until 19 September, with choreography and direction by Drew McOnie. This production joins other Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals in London, including Jesus Christ Superstar and Starlight Express.
Freddie Meredith brings his debut hour Need a Light? to the Pleasance Courtyard in Edinburgh from 5 to 30 August. His smoking-area-philosopher alter ego is a highlight of this year's fringe.
Carlos Acosta: Myths and Modern Masters at the Royal Opera House runs from 5 to 9 August. The 53-year-old dancer continues to impress, including dancing to the Rolling Stones in Christopher Bruce's Rooster.
Streaming: Ted Lasso returns, and new thrillers
Ted Lasso returns on Apple TV on 5 August. Jason Sudeikis's wholesome coach swaps Kansas for England once more, this time working with a floundering women's team.
Alley Cats on Netflix (7 August) reunites Ricky Gervais with his After Life castmates for an animated comedy about a group of cartoon cats.
The Shards on Disney+ (6 August) adapts Bret Easton Ellis's autofictional high-school horror about 1980s LA teens. The show has nepo baby leads (Homer Gere, Kaia Gerber) and co-creator Ryan Murphy.
Possession on Sky Atlantic and Now (6 August, 9pm) follows a British lawyer who arrives in Jamaica to investigate an inheritance claim, only to realize she's seen the property in her nightmares. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jonny Lee Miller star.
Games: Big Walk and Beast of Reincarnation
Big Walk, from the creators of Untitled Goose Game, is out on PC, Switch 2, and PS5 on 4 August. Inspired by the Australian outback, it offers puzzles, challenges, and discoveries, but mostly you're just walking and talking with up to 11 friends.
Beast of Reincarnation (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, out 4 August) is set in a post-apocalyptic Japan corrupted by a mythical beast. Humanity's hopes rest on a young woman called Emma and her skill with a blade, and she has a dog for company.
Albums: Ariana Grande, Shaboozey, and more
Ariana Grande releases her eighth album, Petal, out now. Executive produced alongside Max Martin acolyte Ilya, Petal represents something beautiful growing through dark times, as outlined on the lead single Hate That I Made You Love Me.
Shaboozey's The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales is a concept album about a murder and a daughter's vow to avenge her father's death. The single Born to Die is a highlight.
The Durutti Column release their 28th album, Renascent, following last year's reissue of their 1980 debut. Lead single Liars features tactile beats and wiry guitar figures.
Lucia & the Best Boys return with Picking Petals, recorded at Mogwai's Castle of Doom studio. Guest spots include Chvrches' Lauren Mayberry on Lonely Girl and the Last Dinner Party's Abigail Morris on Big Romance.
Brain food: Podcasts, YouTube, and science
Lives Less Ordinary: Love Stories is a new BBC podcast series out 3 August, recounting real-life romances. One moving episode features a Lebanese journalist and a Syrian cameraman who met while covering the siege of Aleppo.
The Art World Couldn't Understand William Blake is a Nerdwriter video on YouTube examining the political implications of Blake's printmaking and etching techniques.
The Real Truth, a six-part scientific series on PBS America starting 7 August, analyses wellbeing myths that shape what we buy and how we behave. The opener looks at marketing tactics used to disguise sugar in food labelling.
