26 must-see films coming to theaters and streaming

After a good but not great year at the box office in 2025, theater owners have to be excited about the 2026 movie calendar.

There’s two Marvel movies that could easily break a billion dollars (“Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “Avengers: Doomsday”), the first Star Wars movie in seven years (“The Mandalorian and Grogu”), and a third “Dune” movie, which adds Robert Pattinson to an already potent cast.

The 2026 movie calendar also has two of the most commercially successful filmmakers of the past half-century taking on ambitious projects, with Christopher Nolan directing Matt Damon in “The Odyssey” and Steven Spielberg releasing the intriguing alien flick “Disclosure Day.”

One other notable pattern on the 2026 movie calendar is that millennials have now reached the age where studios are directly pandering to them with their reboots and legacy sequels. This year alone, we will see sequels to movies released in 1998 (“Practical Magic 2”), 2000 (“Meet the Parents 4”), 2001 (“Super Troopers 3”), 2002 (“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” “Jackass 5”), and 2006 (“The Devil Wears Prada 2”). What’s next, “The Waterboy 2”?

Here are 26 movies to be excited about in 2026, and how to watch them.

(Release dates are theatrical unless indicated otherwise)

2026 Movies: January-April

“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” (Jan. 16) 

Cast: Jack O’Connell, Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams

Nia DeCosta is in the directors’ chair this time around, but Danny Boyle’s influence is strongly felt in this sequel, a direct follow-up to 2025’s “28 Years Later.” Spike (Alfie Williams) falls in with a violent, sadistic, tracksuit-wearing group of satanists led by “Jimmy” (Jack O’Connell), while Ralph Fiennes’ doctor continues to experiment with ways to mitigate the rage virus that fuels the franchise’s zombies. (I caught an early screening of this one, and can happily report that it rocks.)

“The Rip” (Jan. 16) 

Cast: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Teyana Taylor, Steven Yeun, Kyle Chandler

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck play a pair of Miami narcotics cops who discover a stash house with $20 million hiding in the walls. Damon begins to act shiftily once the jackpot is discovered, leading Affleck, his hotheaded subordinate (and longtime friend), to question his motives. The film also features Steven Yeun and recent 2026 Golden Globes winner Teyana Taylor (“One Battle After Another”) as part of the rip crew, while Kyle Chandler plays a DEA agent.

“Wuthering Heights” (Feb. 13)

Cast: Jacob Elordi, Margot Robbie, Hong Chau, Owen Cooper

Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman,” “Saltburn”) has been a polarizing but never boring director, so her adaptation of Emily Bronte’s lone novel — featuring Margot Robbie (“Barbie”) and Jacob Elordi (“Frankenstein”) as star-crossed lovers Catherine and Heathcliff — is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

“Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man” (March 6 in theaters, March 20 on Netflix) 

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth, Barry Keoghan, Stephen Graham

Set in 1940 Birmingham, the film followup to the successful series features Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) returning from “a self-imposed exile to face his most destructive reckoning yet.”

“Project Hail Mary” (March 20) 

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Milana Vayntrub, Ken Leung

“The Martian” author Andy Weir wrote another sci-fi novel about an overmatched everyman facing space’s greatest challenges with 2021’s “Project Hail Mary.” The film adaptation stars Ryan Gosling as a middle school science teacher who wakes up with no idea how he got there. As he pieces things together, it becomes clear he has work to do.

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” (April 3) 

Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Brie Larson

Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad are back in another video game-inspired adventure, this one drawing inspiration from the 2007 Nintendo title “Super Mario Galaxy.” Bowser (Jack Black) has been cut down to size, but his son, Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), is ready to seek revenge.

“The Drama” (April 3) 

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie

Robert Pattinson and Zendaya play a soon-to-be-married couple whose plans are thrown into disarray when one learns a terrible secret about the other. Filmed around the Boston area in 2024, “The Drama” also features Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie.

“Michael” (April 24) 

Cast: Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller, Colman Domingo

Michael Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will be making his feature film debut playing the King of Pop in this biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”). The film reportedly covers the entire arc of Jackson’s life and will “humanize but not sanitize” the late singer’s legacy.

2026 movies: May-August

“The Devil Wears Prada 2” (May 1) 

Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci

Two decades after Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) first struck fear into Andy’s (Anne Hathaway) heart with a single look, the four most important people from “The Devil Wears Prada” — the other two being Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt — will all reprise their roles in this legacyquel. (No word yet on Adrian Grenier’s inclusion, not that anyone asked.)

“The Mandalorian and Grogu” (May 22) 

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White

The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were key in Lucasfilm’s decision to forego a Season 4 of “The Mandalorian” in lieu of developing this film, which is a direct follow-up to the Disney+ series. 

“Disclosure Day” (June 12) 

Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo

Other than the short teaser released late in 2025, not much is known about “Disclosure Day,” other than that it is an alien film both directed by and based on a story by Steven Spielberg. After “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T.,” and “The War of the Worlds,” what else do you need to know?

“Toy Story 5” (June 19) 

Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Greta Lee, Joan Cusack, Conan O’Brien

A lot has changed about how children play since “Toy Story” came out 31 years ago. Case in point, while the majority of the toys (and voice actors) featured in the long-running Pixar series return for its fifth installment, the plot for the upcoming film concerns 8-year-old Bonnie’s new favorite plaything: A frog-like tablet named Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee).

“Jackass 5” (June 26) 

Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Bam Margera

“Jackass Forever” (2022) felt like a swan song for the original gang of masochists, with Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and co. recruiting a new generation of stuntmen (and stuntwomen) to put their bodies on the line. It remains to be seen how much the gray-haired set are involved in this follow-up, which Knoxville has said will feature a mix of archival footage and new jackassery.

“Supergirl” (June 26) 

Cast: Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Jason Momoa

Milly Alcock (“House of the Dragon”) will reprise her role as the boozy, jaded Kryptonian counterpart to the eternally optimistic Superman in her own standalone film. Along with her dog Krypto, who was a menace in 2025’s “Superman,” “Supergirl” will feature the return of Jason Momoa (“Aquaman”) to the DC universe, this time playing the alien bounty hunter Lobo.

“The Odyssey” (July 17) 

Cast: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron

After the massive scope of his Oscar-winning biopic “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan decided to scale back a bit by adapting the most epic tale in the history of written language. Matt Damon plays King Odysseus, who must fend off enemies on his journey home to his beloved Penelope (Anne Hathaway), who is fending off fiends of her own.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (July 31) 

Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo

It will be interesting to see where Marvel takes the story of Peter Parker (Tom Holland) now that the world’s memory has been collectively wiped by Dr. Strange and his identity as Spider-Man is once again a secret. Equally intriguing is the film’s integration of several Marvel heroes/anti-heroes who previously existed outside the MCU on Netflix: John Bernthal’s Punisher and Charlie Cox’s Daredevil.

“Super Troopers 3” (August 7) 

Cast: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Brian Cox

The prank-pulling, syrup-chugging highway patrolmen are back for a third ride, with all five members of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard — Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske — reprising their roles alongside Brian Cox, Marisa Coughlan, and a number of newcomers.

“Coyote vs. Acme” (Aug. 28) 

Cast: Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor

Despite a rapturous audience response in test screenings, Warner Bros. initially decided to lock “Coyote vs. Acme” in a vault in order to receive a tax write-off. But after public backlash, the studio sold it to Ketchup Entertainment, who will release this high-concept film about Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation for selling him defective equipment. Will Forte and John Cena play the dueling lawyers, while Wile E. Coyote plays himself.

2026 movies: September-December

“Practical Magic 2” (Sept. 18) 

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Joey King, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace

Another legacyquel catering to millennial nostalgia, Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock will reprise their roles from the 1998 film based on Alice Hoffman’s novel. The duo play sisters (one uptight, one free-spirited) who are descended from a long line of witches — including their aunts, played by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest. The sequel’s cast also includes Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones”) and Lee Pace (“Pushing Daisies”).

“Digger” (Oct. 2) 

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman

Tom Cruise took a break from doing auteur-driven movies for about 20 years. But after numerous Mission Impossibles, Jack Reachers and a Top Gun, the star is teaming up with Alejandro Iñárritu for his first English film since the Oscar-winning “The Revenant.” Billed as a dark comedy, the film also features John Goodman, Sandra Huller, and Riz Ahmed, among others.

“The Social Reckoning” (Oct. 9) 

Cast: Mikey Madison, Jeremy Strong, Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr

“The Social Network” was one of the best films of the 2010s, telling the origin story of Facebook and painting an unflattering portrayal of a young Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) in the process. The story for Facebook (or should we say Meta?) didn’t stop there, though, which is why writer Aaron Sorkin is returning to tell another chapter, this one about whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), who revealed some of the company’s darkest secrets with The Facebook Files.

“The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” (Nov. 20) 

Cast: Joseph Zada, Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Maya Hawke, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes

Suzanne Collins’ dystopian franchise, which headed into prequel territory with 2023’s “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, continues to tell the story of Panem and its infamous Hunger Games before the arrival of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Melark (Josh Hutcherson).

“Meet the Parents 4: Focker In-Law” (Nov. 25) 

Cast: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Ariana Grande, Skyler Gisondo, Beanie Feldstein

Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller are back in the fourth edition of this feuding family franchise, as are Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, and Teri Polo. New faces adding to the dysfunction are Ariana Grande, Skyler Gisondo, Beanie Feldstein and Eduardo Franco.

“Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” (Nov. 26 in theaters, Dec. on Netflix) 

Cast: Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Daniel Craig

After the success of “Barbie,” Greta Gerwig had her pick of projects. Her unexpected choice was to helm an adaptation of the first novel (chronologically) in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series for Netflix. Gerwig hasn’t failed yet in her short filmography, so we will certainly be seated.

“Avengers: Doomsday” (Dec. 18)

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Vanessa Kirby, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, Wyatt Russell, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Simu Liu, Florence Pugh, Kelsey Grammer, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Joseph Quinn, David Harbour, Winston Duke, Hannah John-Kamen, Tom Hiddleston, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch

It would be easier to list the actors not in this upcoming Marvel epic. Not only are stars of the MCU’s most lucrative period like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans  returning, so are just about every other superhero over the last half-century, including the X-Men.

“Dune: Part Three” (Dec. 18) 

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Robert Pattinson

Who knew December 18 would be the best day for summer movies this calendar year? Not only is Avengers Doomsday slated to come out, so is the third entry in Denis Villeneuve’s epic space saga, with adherents of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) presumably spreading his jihad across the known universe, assuming the film continues to follow Frank Herbert’s novel series.