11 Most Anticipated New Movies of 2026

2025 was a big year for movies. Between the launch of the new biggest-animated-film-ever in Ne Zha 2, the cultural phenomenon that was A Minecraft Movie, and the return of Superman to our silver screens, the year had a lot of great movies to watch, and that doesn’t look set to ease up in 2026.

This year, we’re staring down the barrel of a new Avengers movie, part three of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy, a new Super Mario movie, as well as a slew of fantastic epics from esteemed filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan. Here, we’ve compiled a list of the most exciting movies set to release in 2026, arranged in order of release (with those yet confirmed at the bottom), so you can better plan your viewing schedule and book your comfy IMAX seats. Get in quick, it’s shaping up to be a solid lineup.

Most Anticipated New Movies of 2026 at a Glance

• Most anticipated new movie: Dune: Part Three (late 2026, TBC)
• For an action movie: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31)
• For a drama movie: Disclosure Day (June 11)
• For a kids’ movie: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (April 3)
• For a superhero movie: Avengers: Doomsday (December 18)

Now, let’s check out the complete list.

1. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, January

Release Date: January 15
Director: Nia DaCosta
Starring: Jack O’Connell, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Laird, Alfie Williams
Genre: Horror

Arriving less than a year after 2025’s 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple takes us back into the mutated and devastated world first glimpsed back in 2002’s 28 Days Later. While that initial film focused on the immediate aftermath following the outbreak of the ‘rage virus’, which causes still living people to become feral and uncontrollable, 28 Years Later showed what the world looked like.. well… 28 years later. Go figure.

Here, we’re picking up directly following the end of 2025’s entry, with Ray Fiennes’ Dr Ian Kelson taking a more central role, seemingly continuing his research into understanding the rage-injected humans who have started mutating beyond simple anger issues. Starring opposite Fiennes is Jack O’Connell’s eccentric gang leader Jimmy Crystal and Alfie Williams’ young survivor Spike, who together form a pretty solid trifecta.

Also, while The Bone Temple isn’t being helmed by series creator Danny Boyle, Candyman’s Nia DaCosta is stepping in to bring some fresh life into the film ahead of the final part, which has already been greenlit.

2. Project Hail Mary, March

Release Date: March 19
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Milana Vayntrub, Ken Leung
Genre: Sci-Fi

Based on The Martian author Andy Weir’s 2011 novel of the same name, Project Hail Mary sends us rocketing back out into space in a desperate bid for survival. This time, though, rather than following an astronaut stuck on Mars, Ryan Gosling’s Ryland Grace is looking to solve a bigger problem: the Sun is rapidly dimming, and within 30 years the solar system will be uninhabitable.

It seems that a single-celled, interstellar organism is to blame, and Grace must figure out how to solve the issue before the human race is doomed to extinction. What follows is a more fantastical tale than was seen in the Matt Damon-led The Martian, but one that expands Wier’s Sci-Fi credentials into newer, stranger places. It still retains his characteristic realism, alongside some more classical science fiction ideas.

3. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, April

Release Date: April 3
Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic
Starring: Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key
Genre: Animated Comedy

Launching as part of Super Mario’s 40th Anniversary, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is Nintendo’s next big collaboration with the team at Illumination to bring its gigantic gaming mascots to the big screen. While 2023’s The Super Mario Movie shattered everyone’s expectations about what a video game adaptation could be (Nintendo included), The Galaxy Movie is a whole different ball game.

Based on the incredibly influential ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ games, this next film is taking Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad into outer space to tackle a new threat—Bowser Jr., who has come to save his old man from the clutches of the Mushroom Kingdom. Bring your kids, or see it alone for some much-needed nostalgia.

4. Disclosure Day, June

Release Date: 11 June
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, Colin Firth
Genre: Sci-Fi

Another first contact story from one of the greatest directors in modern memory, Disclosure Day is clearly looking to fill the space between religion, science, faith, and truth, with a fun sprinkling of what appears to be a government cover-up based on the trailer. Spielberg has clearly been infatuated with the idea of what it’d be like to have a close encounter with E.T. for some time, but has rejigged the concept into something the entirety of mankind will experience at once.

I’ve always thought ‘alien’ stories where the being in question is something incomprehensible seem to be the hardest to make, but that appears to be the road Spielberg is travelling–it adds to the otherness of showcasing something outside of our normal assumptions about life, but can also be hard to conceptualise or visualise for the filmmaker and audience. Time will tell if it’s a smooth or crash landing, but either way, Disclosure Day is coming.

5. Toy Story 5, June

Release Date: 19 June
Director: McKenna Harris, Andrew Stanton
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Greta Lee
Genre: Animated comedy

Everyone’s favourite toys are back, and they’re facing off against the unrelenting passage of time. How relatable! In Toy Story 5, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang meet LilyPad–a computer tablet set to steal all attention away from their owner–and must figure out their place in a world with children’s electronics.

It’s a new spin on the classic Toy Story formula. The first film showed Woody coming to terms with Buzz’s arrival on the scene, and the ‘new toy’ dilemma has been seen a few times throughout the series. However, the step into attention-sapping screens is definitely new for Woody and co., and is fertile ground for a fresh return to one of the most beloved animated series of all time.

6. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, June

Release Date: 26 June
Director: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Milly Alcock, Mattias Schoenaerts, Jason Momoa
Genre: Superhero

The second major outing in DC’s revised cinematic universe, and part of its first phase of films (called Chapter One: Gods and Monsters), Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow shows us a more ‘down to Earth’ take on a Kryptonian. Milly Alcock takes on the role of Kara Zor-El, a messy, jaded survivor of the destroyed Krypton, who is making her way through the galaxy looking for the next drink. One look at the trailer will tell you how much is being pulled from Guardians of the Galaxy here, which makes sense considering James Gunn is helming the DC revival.

Jason Momoa is returning, though not as Aquaman. He’ll be coming back as Lobo, a bounty hunter, presumably hunting down Kara as she makes her way from outpost to outpost, trailed by Krypto the Superdog and new ally Ruthye Marye Knoll, played by Eve Ridley. If you watched 2025’s Superman reboot and wanted more, here you go.

7. The Odyssey, July

Release Date: 17 July
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robin Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o
Genre: Epic fantasy

An on-screen adaptation of Homer’s famous 24-book epic, The Odyssey, is the most expensive movie of Christopher Nolan’s career, which should say something. The Odyssey follows the Greek king of Ithaca, Odysseus (played by Matt Damon), and his long, trouble-filled journey home following the Trojan War. Along the way, Odysseus and his crew encounter the stuff of Greek myths–cyclopes, siren, Scylla and Charybdis, and the witch goddess Circe.

The legendary tale will be backed up by an incredible cast, bringing Damon together with Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robin Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and Mia Goth. Plus, if it’s anything like Nolan’s past work, we’re in for a visual treat. See this one in IMAX.

8. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, July

Release Date: 31 July
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Mando, Marvel Jones III, Tramell Tillman, Charlie Cox
Genre: Superhero

The fourth film in Marvel’s Spider-Man series, and one that’ll bring more fan-favourite superheroes together to fight crime. Here, though, it’s set to be a Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Punisher crossover–meaning we might be heading into some darker territory for everybody’s favourite neighbourhood Spidey.

While we don’t have an official log-line for the film, knowing that Holland is returning to the suit alongside Charlie Cox as Daredevil and Jon Bernthal as Punisher certainly suggests a bigger focus on New York’s crime bosses, with Marvin Jones III stepping in as supervillain Tombstone.

9. Avengers: Doomsday, December

Release Date: 18 December
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Pedro Pascal, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen
Genre: Superhero

Tony Stark may be gone, but Robert Downey Jr. will never leave Marvel. Here, he’ll be returning as the egomaniacal genius Victor von Doom, who uses an advanced suit of titanium-steel (not iron, that’s an important distinction) to enhance his mystical powers and fuel his quest for world domination. Doom is taking on the entirety of the MCU–including the classic X-Men, with Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming and James Marsden confirmed to be returning as Professor X, Magneto, Nightcrawler, and Cyclops, respectively.

Marvel’s been in a weird trough lately, but maybe bringing back some nostalgic mutants just might be the ticket to get people back in the cinema? I’m hoping there’ll be a reason why Downey is playing Doom, and it isn’t just a marketing stunt, but we’ll find out later this year.

10. Dune: Part Three, TBC

Release Date: TBC 2026
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, Jason Momoa
Genre: Epic Sci-Fi

The final part of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy, adapted from Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, the aptly named Dune: Part Three is scheduled to drop late in 2026, though no official date has been set just yet. In Messiah, Paul Atreides’ jihad has conquered much of the known universe, killing billions of people, yet he still seeks a path that won’t lead to pure bloodshed.

In keeping with Herbert’s complicated original stories, Villeneuve’s sci-fi spectacles haven’t shied away from the politics and conspiracy of ruling, and Dune: Part Three will bring those aspects to the forefront as Muad’Dib must decide the fate of the universe he holds in his hands.

11. Werwulf, TBC

Release Date: TBC, 2026
Director: Robert Eggers
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Ineson, Willem Dafoe
Genre: Folk Horror

If you saw Eggers’ recent take on Nosferatu, you’ll know why this is a movie to keep an eye on. Taking on a different myth, that of the classic werewolf, Werwulf explores a foggy British countryside with a stalking terror in the night. While we know next to nothing about the movie so far, Eggers himself has said Werwulf is the “darkest thing he’s written to date”, which is quite exciting.

If you were let down by 2024’s Wolf-Man, this is a safer bet–Egger’s mastery over gothic filmmaking and slow, tense storytelling is likely to deliver a fantastic take on the age-old body horror classic.

What Other Movies Are Dropping in 2026?

This isn’t a complete list of everything coming this year, but if you’re looking for more movies to see in 2026, here are a few more that could get you back in the cinema.

• Return to Silent Hill: 22 January
• Iron Lung: 30 January
• Wuthering Heights: 12 February
• Scream 7: 26 February
• The Bride!: 6 March
• Mortal Kombat II: 14 May
• The Mandalorian and Grogu: 21 May
• Moana: 9 July
• Street Fighter: 15 October
• The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping: 19 November