I saw “E.T.” at a Cape Cod drive-in in 1982, forever suspended in summer’s sticky humidity despite its autumn setting. Conversely, “Die Hard” unfolds on Christmas Eve, remaining a winter film regardless of its July premiere. This raises a simple question: what makes a movie a summer classic? In 2000, Terrence Rafferty noted that Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” established the modern summer blockbuster—a sensation-driven thrill ride debuting around Memorial Day and dominating through September.

Beyond box office trends, quintessential summer films evoke a specific atmosphere, golden light, and airy expansiveness. The exemplar is the 1988 comedy “Mystic Pizza,” starring Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor, and Annabeth Gish as graduates navigating love and heartbreak at their Connecticut pizzeria. These movies transport viewers to a deliciously unattainable past, conjuring the scent of bonfires and the weightless freedom of youth.

Unlike year-specific songs, summer cinema proves perennial, capturing every season simultaneously. While recent titles await legacy status, the genre endures by transcending release windows, defined instead by the lingering warmth and nostalgia that lingers long after the credits roll.