The Most Anticipated Films of 2026

Now that 2025 has reached its end, I can’t help but reflect on how underwhelming the movie selection was this year. Sure, there were a few gems here and there. My personal favorites, Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four, were definitely Marvel treasures. But as a whole, I just felt like I wasn’t completely stoked for any of the movies released this year. 

That being said, 2026 is stacked! Literally, characters and stories we have missed for a decade are back, and I cannot wait. From the beginning of the year until the end, you can expect there to be at least one epic film released or on the horizon. Let’s take a look at what they are.

January – April

As per usual, it takes a bit of time before theatres are graced with their big hitters, but the beginning of the year still shows promise for a few smaller films.

📖  Wuthering Heights – February 13

First up, we have this period drama adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 classic novel. It’s a gothic romance hitting theatres just in time for Valentine’s Day, starring Margot Robbie, so it already has great potential. Combine that with the fact that it was produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell, who also produced Barbie–I’m already sold.

🛸 Project Hail Mary – March 20

Another book-to-movie adaptation that I’m super excited about is this sci-fi adventure about a science teacher who wakes up alone on a spacecraft somewhere far from Earth with no memory of how he got there. With Ryan Gosling as the lead and it releasing on my birthday, I was already ready to watch–but the story, combined with the fact that it is being adapted by Drew Goddard, who also helped create The Martian, I’m convinced it’ll be one of the best of the year.

May – July

As you can probably imagine, the list for the summer months is significantly longer when it comes to potential life-changing films, and it all begins before school’s even out.

👠 The Devil Wears Prada 2 – May 1

The title says it all about this one, I mean, we’ve only been waiting two decades to see Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep return to the big screen for this epic sequel. But honestly, no hard feelings, I’m just ecstatic that it is finally happening. In addition to the two leads, we will also see the return of Emily Blunt as Emily and Stanley Tucci as Nigel, plus a few new additions like Lucy Liu and Simone Ashley from Bridgerton.

🥷 Mortal Kombat II – May 8

A week later, another long-awaited sequel with a drastically different vibe hits theatres. Based on the well-known video game, Mortal Kombat I was released in 2021 and had mixed feedback. Those who weren’t die-hard fans of the game thought it to be a decent action movie, but many of the fans had expectations that were not upheld. The Director, Simon McQuoid, claims to have listened to the fans for the sequel and has centered the entire movie around an actual tournament (with a scoreboard and all). In addition, they have added a fan-favorite character, Johnny Cage, and have apparently included many more brutal fatalities this time around. 

💫 Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu – May 22

Memorial Day has always been a day of big blockbusters, and this year will be no different. For the first time in seven years, a Star Wars movie will hit the box office, and this one has the potential to be one of the best ones yet. So far, we have had three seasons of The Mandalorian, and this film will pick up where Season 3 left off, with Mando now working as an agent for the New Republic. Grogu, more commonly known as Baby Yoda, will continue to be a lovable side-kick but the trailer shows him using much more advanced Jedi powers–so that’ll be fun to watch. Pedro Pascal will continue in his role as our lead, Mando, which is awesome…but am I the only one who forgets that it’s him under the mask? 

🤠 Toy Story 5 – June 19

Years ago, we said goodbye to Woody and Buzz, assuming the fourth film was the final installment. But in 2026, Hollywood is giving us back the characters we never thought we would see again, and it all starts with this nostalgic animated Pentalogy (yup, that’s the actual technical term). Some may ask–is a fifth installment necessary? Shouldn’t some things just be left to rest? In this case, I’d say…it isn’t necessary…but is it something that will still bring joy to millions, adults and children alike? Absolutely. It isn’t just a movie about toys that come to life; it’s a movie about growing up and what that means for the child, but also the parent who sometimes feels left behind in the process.

⚔️ The Odyssey – July 17 

I’m almost certain that anyone who attended a high school in the US in the past few centuries has read the ancient Greek poem by Homer that this movie is based on. But if you need a quick refresher, it follows Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, as he makes a ten-year-long journey home after the Trojan War. You might be wondering, can they really make a film based on a poem that is roughly 3,000 years old…entertaining? Christopher Nolan figured that with a $250 million budget and a cast list that is stacked, he could. Matt Damon plays the lead role of Odysseus, Anne Hathaway plays his wife, Penelope, and Tom Holland plays their son, Telemachus. But that’s not all, Zendaya will play the goddess of wisdom, Athena, Robert Pattinson will play the villain, Antinous, and Charlize Theron will play the goddess, Cerce. #stacked. 

🕷️ Spider-Man: Brand New Day  – July 31

Tom Holland must have been busy in the past year or two because he plays the main role in this Marvel film that drops less than a month after The Odyssey. This will be the fourth installment in this particular Spider-Man franchise, and it picks up five years after the events of the third film. With his best friend and love interest having no memory of his existence, Peter probably starts the film as a pretty lonely guy. It has been said that there will be appearances by The Punisher (Jon Bernthal)as well as The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), which could lead one to believe they might team up. A more speculative appearance is that of Charlie Cox as The Daredevil. Needless to say, this is one of the top three biggest movies of the year, and I think it could be a lead-up to another Marvel movie releasing a few months later. 

August-December

The summer will be filled with movies that have us running to the theatres, but I think the end of the year line-up is even better.

🦖 Flowervale Street – August 14

Okay, before I claimed that Tom Holland has been busy, but with her third big movie release in the span of four months, I’d say Anne Hathaway has been busier. In this 1980’s sci-fi adventure film, a family is transported back in time to the prehistoric era, Hathaway stars alongside Ewan McGregor and under the guidance of producer J.J. Abrams. All I can say is, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mia Thermopolis, dinosaurs, and time travel? Sign me up.

🫠 Clayface – September 11

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Clayface is a popular villain in the Batman comics, and DC has decided it was time for his origin story. Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries, Clayface, whose real name is Matt Hagen, starts off as a Hollywood actor but ends up disfigured after an accident. In an attempt to make himself look normal again, he uses an experimental substance that ends up making him well…claylike. Although it is technically a ‘superhero’ movie, it was originally written by Mike Flanagan (known for The Haunting of Hill House), and it is rated R–so we can assume it’s going to be a bit darker than the usual DC film. 

🌅 The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – November 20

Yes, in 2026, we will also get to revisit Panem in this Hunger Games prequel, which follows a young Haymitch Abernathy during the second Quarter Quell. I might be a bit biased, but I would rank this in the top two releases of the year because the trailer already released and it looks–epic. Not only that, but it was recently confirmed that somehow Katniss(Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson)  will make appearances despite the story taking place years before they were born. If you want a full rundown on what’s to come in this nostalgic prequel, check out my recent article here.

🏜️ Dune: Messiah – December 18

This is Denis Villeneuve’s final chapter in the Atreides saga, and it is shaping up to be the best one of the trilogy. The story will take place roughly twelve years following the events of the second film, with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) being a full-on ruler dealing with the Holy War. Despite the fact that Jason Momoa’s character died in the last film, he will return as an alternate version of that character. In addition, another big name is being added to the cast as the villain Scytale, and that is none other than our favorite vampire/Batman/Triwizard Tournament champion, Robert Pattinson. Even if I wasn’t already invested in the franchise, Momoa and Pattinson starring together would be enough to get me into the theatre. 

💥 Avengers: Doomsday – December 18

Did 2026 save the best for last? Um–100,000%. I don’t know about you, but I have been waiting for this movie ever since it was announced. But the hype has increased tenfold each time they give us a little more insight into what the movie will be about, but more importantly, who will be in it.  Obviously, Robert Downey Jr. starring as Dr. Doom is insanely exciting and leaves an open door for so many possibilities. Is it somehow Tony underneath that metal mask? One can dream he is. More recently, there was a completely unbelievable, earth-shattering trailer released that actually confirmed the return of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. Yup–not sure how they will do it, being that in the present tense of the MCU, Steve is either 100 years old or no longer alive. The trailer, however, shows the young, battle-ready Steve that we all know…so, this leads me to believe there will definitely be time-travel concepts or multiverse concepts involved in the story. Either way…my dream of seeing the OG Avengers return is seeming more and more possible with every announcement Marvel makes, and it gives me complete confidence that this movie will surpass all of our expectations. 

Some say this epic year of films will conclude with a box office battle known as Dunesday, when two very big movies fight for the top spot on their December release. Personally, I think Dune should’ve succeeded the date because…a franchise has yet to outshine The Avengers, and even though I do plan on seeing Dune, I certainly won’t be in that theatre on December 18th.