What's playing in Salem movie theaters this week?

New releases

“The Art of Self-Defense”: After he’s attacked on the street at night by a roving motorcycle gang, timid bookkeeper Casey joins a neighborhood karate studio to learn how to protect himself. Stars:  Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola. Director: Riley Stearns. 104 minutes. Rated: R. Where: Regal Santiam Stadium 11

“The Lion King”: (★★ out of four) An exiled lion cub tries to take back his royal destiny on the plains of the African savanna. Stars: Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen. Director: Jon Favreau. 118 minutes. Rated: PG. Where: Regal Willamette Town Center 11, Regal Santiam Stadium 11, Cinebarre Salem, Independence Cinema 8, Palace Theatre, Star Cinema

Recently released

“A Dog's Journey”: A reincarnated dog embarks on a lifelong quest to watch over its owner's young granddaughter. Stars: Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid. Director: Gail Mancuso. 108 minutes. Rated: PG. Where: Northern Lights Theatre Pub

“Aladdin”: Aladdin embarks on a magical adventure after finding a lamp that releases a wisecracking genie. Stars: Will Smith, Naomi Scott. Director: Guy Ritchie. 128 minutes. Rated: PG. Where: Regal Willamette Town Center 11, Cinebarre Salem

“Annabelle Comes Home”: An evil doll terrorizes the young daughter of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Stars: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga. Director: Gary Dauberman. 104 minutes. Rated: R. Where: Regal Willamette Town Center 11, Regal Santiam Stadium 11

“Avengers: Endgame”: (★★★ out of four) The remaining Avengers — Thor, Black Widow, Captain America and Bruce Banner — must figure out a way to bring back their vanquished allies for an epic showdown with Thanos — the evil demigod who decimated the planet and the universe. Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans. Director: Antony Russo, Joe Russo. 181 minutes. Rated: PG-13. Where: Regal Santiam Stadium 11

“The Biggest Little Farm”: (★★ ½ out of four) Two dreamers and a dog embark on an odyssey to bring harmony to their lives and to the land. As their plan to create perfect harmony takes a series of wild turns, they will have to reach a greater understanding of the intricacies and wisdom of nature. Stars: John Chester, Molly Chester. Director: John Chester. 91 minutes. Rated: PG. Where: Salem Cinema

“Breakthrough”: When Joyce Smith's adopted son John falls through an icy Missouri lake, all hope seems lost. But as John lies lifeless, Joyce refuses to give up. Her steadfast belief inspires those around her to continue to pray for John's recovery. Stars: Chrissy Metz, John Lucas. Director: Roxann Dawson. 116 minutes. Rated: PG. Where: Northern Lights Theatre Pub

“Crawl”: Gigantic alligators swarm around a woman and her father as floodwaters engulf their family home. Stars: Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper. Director: Alexandre Aja. 87 minutes. Rated: R. Where: Regal Willamette Town Center 11, Cinebarre Salem, Independence Cinema 8

“Dark Phoenix”: Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all the people living in the world. Stars: Sophie Turner, James McAvoy. Director: Simon Kinberg. 113 minutes. Rated: PG-13. Where: Northern Lights Theatre Pub

“The Dead Don't Die”: Small-town cops and ordinary citizens face an onslaught from flesh-eating zombies. Stars: Bill Murray, Adam Driver. Director: Jim Jarmusch. 103 minutes. Rated: R. Where: Salem Cinema 

“Dumbo”: (★★★ out of four) A circus owner enlists a man and his two children to care for a newborn elephant that can fly. Stars: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito. Director: Tim Burton. 112 minutes. Rated: PG. Where: Northern Lights Theatre Pub

“Echo in the Canyon”: Echo In The Canyon celebrates the explosion of popular music that came out of LA’s Laurel Canyon in the mid-60s as folk went electric and The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and The Mamas and the Papas gave birth to the California Sound. Stars: Lou Adler, Fiona Apple. Director: Andrew Slater. 82 minutes. Rated: PG-13. Where: Salem Cinema

“The Hustle”: Female scam artists, one low rent and the other high class, team up to take down the dirty rotten men who have wronged them. Stars: Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson. Director:  Chris Addison. 94 minutes. Rated: PG-13. Where: Northern Lights Theatre Pub

“Late Night”: A talk show host hires a female staff writer to help smooth over concerns about workplace diversity. Stars: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling. Director: Nisha Ganatra. 102 minutes. Rated: R. Where: Salem Cinema 

“Ma”: A lonely middle-aged woman forms a strange relationship with a group of teenagers. Stars: Octavia Spencer, Luke Evans. Director: Tate Taylor. 99 minutes. Rated: R. Where: Northern Lights Theatre Pub

“Midsommar”: (★★★ out of four) A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown's fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult. Stars: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor. Director: Ari Aster. 145 minutes. Rated: R. Where: Regal Santiam Stadium 11, Independence Cinema 8

“Men in Black: International”: The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. Is this new adventure, they tackled the biggest, most global threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization. Stars: Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth. Director: F. Gary Gray. 115 minutes. Rated: PG-13. Where: Northern Lights Theatre Pub

“Pokémon Detective Pikachu”: (★ ½ out of four) Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu. Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith. Director: Rob Letterman. 104 minutes. Rated: PG. Where: Northern Lights Theatre Pub

“Rocketman”: (★★ ½ out of four) The epic musical story of Elton John, his breakthrough years and his transformation from shy piano prodigy to international superstar. Set to his most beloved songs, witness how a small-town boy became one of the most iconic figures in pop history. Stars: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell. Director: Dexter Fletcher. 121 minutes. Rated: R. Where: Regal Santiam Stadium 11

“The Secret Life Of Pets 2”: A gruff farm dog tries to cure Max the terrier of his neuroses when he takes a trip to the country. Stars: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart. Director: Chris Renaud and Jonathan del Val. 86 minutes. Rated: PG. Where: Northern Lights Theatre Pub

“Shazam!”: (★★★ ½ out of four) We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson's case, by shouting out one word - Shazam! - this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into an adult superhero. Stars: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong. Director: David F. Sandberg. 132 minutes. Rated: PG-13. Where: Northern Lights Theatre Pub

“Spider-Man: Far From Home”: (★★★ out of four) Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever. Stars: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson. Director: Jon Watts. 129 minutes. Rated: PG-13. Where: Regal Willamette Town Center 11, Regal Santiam Stadium 11, Cinebarre Salem, Independence Cinema 8

“Stuber”: (★★ out of four) A cop who's recovering from eye surgery recruits an Uber driver to help him catch a heroin dealer. Stars:  Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani. Director: Michael Dowse. 93 minutes. Rated: R. Where: Regal Santiam Stadium 11, Cinebarre Salem, Independence Cinema 8

“Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am”: Author Toni Morrison leads an assembly in a discussion on the human condition. Stars: Toni Morrison, Hilton Als, Oprah Winfrey. Director: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. 119 minutes. Rated: PG-13. Where: Salem Cinema

“Toy Story 4”: Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang embark on a road trip with Bonnie and a new toy named Forky. The adventurous journey soon turns into an unexpected reunion as Woody's slight detour leads him to his long-lost friend Bo Peep. Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen. Director: Josh Cooley. 100 minutes. Rated: G. Where: Regal Willamette Town Center 11, Regal Santiam Stadium 11, Cinebarre Salem, Independence Cinema 8

“Wild Rose”: A rebellious country singer dreams of trading the working-class streets of Glasgow for the Grand Ole Opry of Nashville. Stars: Jessie Buckley, Matt Costello. Director: Tom Harper. 101 minutes. Rated: R. Where: Salem Cinema

“Yesterday”: (★★ ½ out of four) A struggling musician wakes up to discover that no one has ever heard of the Beatles. Stars: Himesh Patel, Lily James. Director: Danny Boyle. 116 minutes. Rated: PG-13 Where: Regal Willamette Town Center 11, Independence Cinema 8