By George & Josh Bate
With 2025 at an end, we’re taking a look at what the world of cinema has in store in 2026. Here are our Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2026.
10. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Despite its flaws, 28 Years Later made our Top 10 Movies of 2025 list and has left us eager for its sequel ever since its release last summer. This time around, Nia DaCosta takes over from Danny Boyle and initial reactions praise the Hedda director’s handling of the rage virus-infected franchise. 28 Years Later introduced the tantalizing Jimmys to the mix, a twisted spin on the already twisted Jimmy Savill, and we’re interested to see what direction this cult-like story thread heads in. Alfie Williams’ Spike, the compelling young lead from the previous film, has fallen into the hands of the Jimmys, already imbuing this sequel with in-built sense of tension. And, of course, Ralph Fiennes is back as Dr. Kelson, perhaps our favorite character of the entire franchise to date. Needless to say, we can’t wait to return to a very British apocalypse.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple hits theaters January 16, 2026
9. Ghostwriter
Not much is known about J.J. Abrams’ next film, although we can’t help but place it on our list. Ghostwriter marks Abrams’ first film since the divisive Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and is only the second original film he has directed. We’re curious to see how Abrams follows Episode IX and just what ideas he packs into a rare original outing for him. His sole original effort prior to this – Super 8 – borrowed heavily from Spielberg’s Amblin classics of the 1980s, and we hope that Ghostwriter leans less overtly on such influences. The cast is stacked, including Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega, Emma Mackey, and Samuel L. Jackson, and Abrams will be eager to prove naysayers wrong and showcase his penchant for strong storytelling once again.
Ghostwriter hits theaters sometime in 2026.
8. Disclosure Day
Speaking of Spielberg, there was no way Disclosure Day wasn’t making it on this list. Spielberg has dipped in and out of sci-fi throughout his career but returns to the genre here with an original film written by David Koepp, derived from a story Spielberg himself developed. A trailer and poster art recently just dropped for the film and left us more intrigued for what this mysterious film, originally purported as a UFO movie, has to offer. The movie is headlined by Josh O’Connor, who had a stellar 2025 with four incredible performances and whose inclusion in any film moving forward leaves us excited. And the legendary John Williams, who turned 93-years-old this year, returns to Spielberg’s side to score the film. Based on everything we know so far, we’re in for a treat with Disclosure Day.
Disclosure Day hits theaters June 16, 2026
7. Digger
Again, not much is known about this next film on our list, but what we do know has us extremely eager to learn more. Digger reportedly follows the most powerful man on Earth (Tom Cruise), who tries to convince the world that he is the savior who will save their planet. From Birdman to The Revenant to Babel, Alejandro G. Iñárritu is one of the most interesting directors working today, meaning his name being attached to anything will garner attention from movie goers. But his upcoming film seems to be something decidedly different than anything he has made before. Reportedly, the movie bolsters a massive budget, necessary to execute its ambitious story. Tom Cruise headlines an ensemble cast that includes Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Emma D’Arcy, Robert John Burke, Burn Gorman, Michael Stuhlbarg, and John Goodman. Iñárritu has described the film as a dark comedy, the genre we think he operates most effectively in, and it is bound to be gorgeous given cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity, The Tree of Life, Sleepy Hollow) and the fact that it was shot on 35mm using VistaVision.
Digger hits theaters October 2, 2026.
6. Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Of course, some franchise fare had to make it onto this list and there are few franchises as notable as Spider-Man. Five years after No Way Home wowed audiences around the world, Tom Holland once again dons the Spidey suit for a new adventure that serves as the only MCU movie to release ahead of Avengers: Doomsday in 2026. So far, we know that Holland will be accompanied by Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher, and a mysterious character played by Stranger Things alum Sadie Sink. Reports of the film adopting a more grounded, street-level approach to Spidey have us excited, as does the fact that the film is helmed by the director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of 10 Rings.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31, 2026.
5. Dune: Part Three
Dune: Part Two was a sci-fi epic that achieved a sprawling level of grandness that few other films in history have accomplished. Needless to say, we’re ecstatic that Denis Villeneuve is making another film before dipping his toes in the world of James Bond with Amazon. The upcoming film, based on Frank Herbert’s 1969 novel Dune Messiah, promises to be an entirely different beast to his previous two efforts given a substantial time jump and radical changes in the fictional world now led by Emperor Paul Atredies. Anya Taylor-Joy and Robert Pattinson join an already impressive cast, while Linus Sandgren takes over cinematography duties from Greig Fraser. We can already say with confidence that Dune: Part Three will be one of the most visually impressive films of 2026 and, if it is anything like its predecessors, will have rich characters and themes to match its visual spectacle.
Dune: Part Three hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
4. Resident Evil
Zach Cregger has quickly ascended to be among our favorite directors working today. His meticulously engineered, Magnolia-inspired horror epic Weapons ranked among the very best films of 2025, meaning any subsequent effort he produces will immediately get our attention. Cregger’s adaptation of the hit video game series promises to return to the roots of what made Resident Evil so popular, something the previous film adaptations bafflingly failed to do time and time again. Cregger has described the film as a road movie, with characters journeying from point A to point B, but one unlike anything we’ve seen before. At this point, we’d watch anything Cregger’s name is attached to, but the idea of him helming an innovative adaptation of a popular horror video game has us eagerly counting the days until September 18.
Resident Evil hits theaters September 18, 2026.
3. The Odyssey
A film that will likely top many moviegoers’ lists of most anticipated films of 2026, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is just beaten out by a couple of franchises close to our hearts. That being said, we cannot wait to see what Nolan has in store here. One of the greatest and most influential stories of all time told by one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time – who isn’t excited for The Odyssey? There’s not a single weak link in the growing filmography of the Academy Award winning director and, based on the 6 minute IMAX prologue, that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Nolan has yet to craft a period piece like The Odyssey, nor as he adapted source material so revered and long-lasting before. We’re curious to see how he adapts the sprawling, ambitious story and fits all the pieces of the puzzle together, especially his handling of more mystical elements that his filmography has yet to feature. Bolstering an all-star cast, including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal, we suspect The Odyssey could indeed be 2026’s biggest film, even surpassing the two films higher up on this list.
The Odyssey hits theaters July 17, 2026.
2. Avengers: Doomsday
Look, Avengers: Doomsday may not be close to in quality to some of the preceding films of this list, but, nonetheless, we are exceedingly anticipating what’s in store for the big tentpole event. The MCU has had a number of stumbles since the universally acclaimed Avengers: Endgame released in 2019, putting an immense amount of pressure on Kevin Feige and company to land the next big team-up movie. Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom has yielded a divisive reaction, but we’re curious to see how the actor who played Iron Man for so long takes on a decidedly different role, which just so happens to be one of the most iconic villains in comic book history. We’re even more curious how the Russo Brothers will balance so many different characters into a single story, something they did seamlessly with Avengers: Infinity War, albeit with a smaller collective to pick from. Both the 1984 and 2015 runs of Secret Wars offer rich source material for the Russo Brothers to mine for inspiration, although there are some gargantuan ideas in those comics that we’re curious to see how (if at all) they will brought into this new medium. We have no idea what to expect from Avengers: Doomsday, both in terms of story and quality, which pushes it further and further up our list as it’s been a while that a big budget superhero film has felt so unpredictable, in a number of ways. This could be an all-time great comic book movie. It could also be a massive disappointment that puts the nail in the coffin of the MCU. A lot is riding on this film and you can bet that we’ll be there day one to watch it all unfold.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters December 18, 2026.
1. The Mandalorian and Grogu
Anyone who has followed our website and social media accounts over the years will know that no franchise, movie, or piece of media means as much to us as Star Wars. So, of course, the first Star Wars movie to hit theaters in seven years has to top our list of most anticipated films of 2026. While the third season of the Disney+ underwhelmed, the first two seasons of The Mandalorian changed the landscape of streaming television and introduced the world to one of pop culture’s most beloved and recognizable new heroes – Grogu. The heart and spectacle that Jon Favreau and company packed into the first two seasons of The Mandalorian were nothing short of incredible and, if the upcoming movie evokes similar qualities, we could be looking at a Star Wars movie as crowd-pleasing as it is touching. The return of Rotta the Hutt, introduction of Sigourney Weaver into a galaxy far, far away, and the likelihood of it setting up an even grander crossover film directed by Dave Filoni make us all the more excited for The Mandalorian and Grogu. Come the end of 2026, will Jon Favreau’s movie be the very best of the year? That’s unclear. But is it the one movie that we will not miss in 2026 no matter what? Absolutely.
The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters May 22, 2026.