2026 is looking to be a top-tier year at the movie theater.
The latest installments in the Dune, Spider-Man and Avengers franchises will be released, while millennial nostalgia will continue at the multiplex with Devil Wears Prada and Practical Magic sequels. And new films from Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwig will both be gracing Imax screens. (Though not at the same time, so don’t expect a Barbenheimer repeat.)
As for star power, movies with Jacob Elordi, Tom Cruise, Ryan Gosling, Timothée Chalamet, Robert Pattinson and Ariana Grande are on the docket. Zendaya will have a particularly big year with the A24 release The Drama, Nolan’s The Odyssey and the third Dune, plus Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
These are the most anticipated movies (with release dates) heading to theaters in 2026.
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Dead Man’s Wire (Jan. 9)
Image Credit: Row K Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection
Gus Van Sant’s first feature in seven years — the longest gap in the two-time Oscar nominee’s 40-year career — dramatizes the stranger-than-fiction 1977 kidnapping of mortgage broker Richard Hall (Dacre Montgomery) by aspiring entrepreneur Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgard). Colman Domingo, Cary Elwes, Myha’la and Al Pacino also star in the witty social thriller.
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People We Meet on Vacation (Jan. 9)
Image Credit: Michele K. Short/Netflix
This adaptation of Emily Henry’s frothy best-seller stars Emily Bader (My Lady Jane) and Tom Blythe (The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) as best friends who take annual summer vacations together, only for one particular trip to cause a sudden rift.
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28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Jan. 16)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures
Fresh off the modest box office success of Danny Boyle’s revival of the horror franchise comes the next installment, helmed by Nia DaCosta, who had a great 2025 with the critically acclaimed Hedda. This one picks up where 28 Years Later left off and centers on Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson.
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Mercy (Jan. 23)
It’s 2029, and an AI judge (played by Rebecca Ferguson) is presiding over a grisly murder case, with the victim (Annabelle Wallis) being the wife of a detective (Chris Pratt) who’d previously championed the judge’s appointment. Things get complicated when he becomes the prime suspect.
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The Moment (Jan. 30)
It’s been a busy few months of breaking into acting for Charli XCX, having taken on key roles in the recent festival premieres Erupcja, Sacrifice and 100 Nights of Hero. It’s all been building toward The Moment, a starring semi-autobiographical vehicle in which Charli plays a pop star preparing for her first headlining tour. She also produces and wrote the script with director and frequent collaborator Aidan Zamiri.
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Send Help (Jan. 30)
Image Credit: Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
What if we told you The Evil Dead and Spider-Man OG trilogy mastermind Sam Raimi hadn’t directed an original feature film in 17 years? That’s but one reason to get very excited for this survival thriller, to say nothing of Rachel McAdams’ return to the screen after taking a few years off, and her intriguing pairing with Dylan O’Brien.
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Wuthering Heights (Feb. 13)
Image Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
We know this will not be an ordinary adaptation of the classic Emily Brontë novel. Knowing Emerald Fennell, it’ll surely stoke some controversy, inspire several memes and get plenty steamy. Indeed, just from casting announcements and trailer drops, it’s already accomplished everything on that list. This version stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi (both returning Fennell collaborators), and features original music from Charli XCX.
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How to Make a Killing (Feb. 20)
Image Credit: Courtesy of A24
After striking indie gold with his feature-directorial debut Emily the Criminal (starring Aubrey Plaza), director John Patton Ford upgrades to the A24-verse with this story of a mysterious blue-collar man, played by Glen Powell, on the hunt for the inheritance that was taken from him when he was disowned at birth.
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Scream 7 (Feb. 27)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
The chaotic saga of the horror franchise’s latest installment — punctuated by Melissa Barrera’s firing due to her social-media comments about the war in Gaza, as well as Jenna Ortega’s departure — at last comes to an end with this February release. The headline here is the anticipated return of Scream queen Neve Campbell, who didn’t appear in the last movie due to a pay dispute.
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The Bride! (March 6)
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
Some wild trailers and a release date push have only added to the intrigue surrounding this punk-infused take on Bride of Frankenstein, but the pedigree has always been there. It’s Maggie Gyllenhaal’s second feature film as a director, following her Oscar-nominated triumph of a debut in The Lost Daughter, and a cast filled with Oscar winners and nominees, led by current front-runner Jessie Buckley and Gyllenhaal’s old Dark Knight co-star Christian Bale.
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The Breadwinner (March 13)
Image Credit: Frank Masi
Stand-up superstar Nate Bargatze is making his feature film debut in the comedy, playing a new stay-at-home dad who is having a tough time adjusting to the role, with hilarity ensuing. Will Forte, Zach Cherry, Kumail Nanjiani and Mandy Moore also star in the film from director Eric Appel (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story).
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Project Hail Mary (March 20)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Phil Lord and Chris Miller direct the Andy Weir (The Martian) adaptation that stars Ryan Gosling as a reluctant astronaut who wakes up with no memory on a spacecraft headed to another solar system. He slowly deduces that he is the sole survivor of a mission to save Earth.
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The Drama (April 3)
Image Credit: Courtesy of A24
Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are bringing their combined star power to the romantic dramedy from Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario). They play an engaged couple that gets thrown into a tailspin during the lead-up to their wedding after an unexpected revelation about one of them. After all, nothing can cause an existential crisis quite like picking out table linens.
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The Devil Wears Prada 2 (May 1)
That’s not all. The sequel to the beloved 2006 dramedy will follow Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) as her Runway empire faces the headwinds of modern print media and puts her into direct conflict with her former assistant turned high-powered executive, Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt). Anne Hathaway is back as Andy Sachs, alongside Stanley Tucci as Nigel.
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Obsession (May 15)
Image Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for IMDb)
The biggest breakout of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival wasn’t an awards season standout, but a horror movie from a first-time feature filmmaker. The movie from Curry Barker follows a music store employee who uses a supernatural toy to get his longtime crush to fall in love with him.
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I Love Boosters (May 22)
Image Credit: SXSW
The new movie from Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You) is a sci-fi comedy that, according to the logline, follows a “group of shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven.” The stacked cast includes Demi Moore, Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie and Taylour Paige.
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Mandalorian & Grogu (May 22)
Image Credit: Disney+/Lucasfilm / Courtesy Everett Collection
The first Star Wars feature since 2019’s Rise of Skywalker will see Jon Favreau expand his Mandalorian franchise to the big screen. Pedro Pascal will reprise his role as Mando alongside the adorable Grogu. Both will be joined by Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White (voicing Rotta the Hutt).
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Masters of the Universe (June 5)
The Idea of You star Nicholas Galitzine plays He-Man opposite Jared Leto’s Skeletor and Camila Mendes’ Teela in the live-action take on the ’80s toy line and animated series. Masters is the first toy-to-film project for Mattel since the $1 billion success of Barbie.
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Power Ballad (June 5)
The latest feel-good musical movie from Once and Sing Street director John Carney follows Paul Rudd as wedding singer Rick and Nick Jonas as Danny, a past-his-prime pop star. When Danny takes Rick’s song and turns it into a hit, Rick goes on a journey to claim the credit he sees as rightfully his in the Lionsgate movie.
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Disclosure Day (June 12)
Image Credit: Universal
Steven Spielberg is returning to the UFO genre with the screenplay from Jurassic Park writer David Koepp. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the first trailer for the Universal movie saw star Josh O’Connor saying, “People have a right to know the truth.” Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Colin Firth, Wyatt Russell and Eve Hewson also star.
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Toy Story 5 (June 19)
Image Credit: Disney/Pixar
In Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5, Woody and Buzz have to face their toughest foe to date: a tablet (voiced by Greta Lee, no less!). Fellow franchise newcomer Conan O’Brien is playing a potty training toy, Smarty Pants.
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Supergirl (June 26)
After a brief appearance in Superman, the hard-partying Kara Zor-El (House of Dragon star Milly Alcock) is taking center stage with Krypto on a galaxy-spanning journey for revenge. Jason Momoa is playing the mercenary Lobo in the DC Studios spinoff.
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Moana (July 10)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Disney
The live-action version of the 2026 Disney animated musical about a wayfarer who sets out on a mission to save her island home is directed by Hamilton director Thomas Kail. Dwayne Johnson will reprise his role with Maui, while Catherine Laga’aia is cast as the heroine.
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The Odyssey (July 14)
Image Credit: Universal Pictures/X
Christopher Nolan’s take on the Greek epic cast what seems like half of Hollywood, including (but not limited to) Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Charlize Theron and Robert Pattinson. Following Oppenheimer’s success across several premium formats, the film is the first blockbuster shot completely on Imax cameras.
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31)
While the MCU is always racking up new entries, it will have been almost five years since the last Spider-Man when the new installment hits. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is now entering college with the hopes of putting his superhero alter ego behind him, but is brought back into the fray by new dangers. Sadie Sink, Liza Colón-Zayas and Tramell Tillman are among the new entrants.
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Coyote vs. Acme (Aug. 28)
The live-action animated hybrid comedy is finally coming to theaters after years of uncertainty, following Warner Bros.’ decision to shelve the movie in 2023. Filmmakers were allowed to shop the film, which follows a court case between Looney Tunes mainstay Wile E. Coyote and the ACME corporation. Will Forte and John Cena are among the live-action cast.
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The Dog Stars (Aug. 28)
The latest from Ridley Scott is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller based novel of the same name by Peter Heller. Jacob Elordi stars as one of the survivors of a planet-wide virus who, along with an ex-Marine neighbor played by Josh Brolin, hopes and searches for a better way of life.
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Clayface (Sept. 11)
The first non-Super film (as in –man and –girl) developed in the new DCU under James Gunn and Peter Safran. Mike Flanagan wrote the body horror about an actor (Tom Rhys Harries) who becomes disfigured and opts to be turned into clay by a fringe scientist (Naomi Ackie), with disastrous results. Speak No Evil filmmaker James Watkins directs.
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Practical Magic 2 (Sept. 18)
Millennial nostalgia at the box office continues with this sequel to the 1998 movie about two unlucky-in-love sisters and witches, played by Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest will also reprise their roles for the sequel from director Susanne Bier, an adaptation of the 2021 book from Alice Hoffman, The Book of Magic.
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Resident Evil (Sept. 18)
After his original horror Barbarian put actor-turned-filmmaker Zach Cregger on Hollywood’s radar, 2025’s Weapons made him one of the town’s most sought-after directors. For his latest, Cregger opted to tackle a Resident Evil film, noting that it will more closely align with the video game series and not the film franchise. Weapons actor Austin Abrams will lead the cast.
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Digger (Oct. 2 2026)
Image Credit: Tom Cruise/X
The tagline for the latest film from Oscar-winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (his first English-language movie since 2015’s The Revenant) is “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.” Digger pairs the filmmakers with star Tom Cruise playing as Digger Rockwell, described as the most powerful man in the world on a mission to prove he is humanity’s savior. Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Riz Ahmed and Emma D’Arcy round out the cast of the Warner Bros. picture.
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Verity (Oct. 2)
One of several upcoming Colleen Hoover adaptations, following the success of It Ends With Us and the slightly less successful Regretting You. Amazon MGM Studios’ Verity stars Dakota Johnson as writer Lowen Ashleigh, who is enlisted to finish the latest novel by Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), a best-selling author who had an accident that left her unable to complete her latest work.
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The Social Reckoning (Oct. 9)
Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The Social Network centers on Facebook whistleblower and data scientist Frances Haugen (played by Oscar winner Mikey Madison) as she leaks internal data that shows the tech giant’s knowledge of large-scale safety concerns on its platforms. Jeremy Strong will play Mark Zuckerberg in the Sony feature, with an ensemble cast that includes Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Billy Magnussen and Betty Gilpin.
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Whalefall (Oct. 16)
Austin Abrams plays a scuba diver who gets swallowed alive by a sperm whale and attempts to escape. The 20th Century Studios and Imagine film is a biblical spin on the escape action thriller genre. Brian Duffield directs a cast that also includes Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue and John Ortiz.
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The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (Nov. 20)
The Lionsgate prequel focuses on Haymitch Abernathy (played by Woody Harrelson in the original films) as he competes in the 50th annual Hunger Games. Joseph Zada will play the young Haymitch, with Whitney Peak co-starring, while Jesse Plemons will play Plutarch Heavensbee, opposite Ralph Fiennes as President Coriolanus Snow, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman and Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are expected to reprise their roles from the original trilogy.
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Meet the Parents 4: Focker In-Law (Nov. 25)
The Fockers are heading back to the big screen, with Ariana Grande (in her first post-Wicked role) playing a future in-law to Ben Stiller’s Greg Focker. Skyler Gisondo has been cast as the younger Focker and Grande-betrothed, joining a returning cast that includes Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Owen Wilson and Teri Polo in the Paramount film.
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Narnia (Nov. 26)
For the first of at least two new Narnia movies, Greta Gerwig is adapting C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew, with Emma Mackey playing the White Witch who battles with Aslan, rumored to be Meryl Streep. Daniel Craig and Carey Mulligan are also cast in the film that is getting an unprecedented run in Imax theaters before heading to Netflix.
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Jumanji 4 (Dec. 11)
The Jumanji films, the last of which came out in 2019, focus on a group of friends who get trapped inside a video game as a collection of avatars. Nick Jonas, Rhys Darby and Danny DeVito are returning for the threequel, along with stars Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Dwayne Johnson and director Jake Kasdan.
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Avengers: Doomsday (Dec. 18)
The Russo brothers are returning to direct the latest Avengers film that will see the return of many (many, many) MCU favorites, including Chris Evans’ Captain America. The superheroes — everyone from the original X-Men to the Fantastic Four — will face off against Doctor Doom, played by Marvel patriarch Robert Downey Jr.
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Dune: Part Three (Dec. 18)
The third outing of the House Atreides will see series newcomer Robert Pattinson joining Timothée Chalamet, along with franchise returners Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy and Rebecca Ferguson. The film, based on Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, is planned as the final in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune film series.
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Werwulf (Dec. 25)
After tackling witches, vikings and vampires, Robert Eggers’ follow-up to 2024’s Nosferatu will center on werewolves. Set in 13th century England, the Focus Features horror movie will reteam Eggers with his Nosferatu actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe.
