Some of these will be great. Some of them are certain to disappoint. That’s the way of the world, but it’s also part of the joy of discovery, we go in hoping for the best and see what happens. As usual, I’ll probably watch most of these, but a few will slip through the cracks. That always happens, life finds a way to disrupt my constant movie watching, like a jerk.
[Related Reading: The Top 12 Movies of 2025]
These are just the titles I’m excited for right now. Thanks to film festivals, VOD, and an ever expanding slate of streamers, boutique distributors, and more channels, there will always be movies I’ve never heard of that show up on the scene and blow my wig off. Again, that’s part of the fun. And it happens every year.
There are many reasons why I’m excited for a particular film. Maybe it’s a filmmaker I love, or at least find interesting. Sometimes it’s an actor that piques my curiosity. In other cases, the concept is simply too intriguing or fun to not be excited.
[Related Reading: The Most-Anticipated Movies of 2025]
Many of these movies have releases scheduled, though even more don’t. The first section runs chronologically through those that have a date on the calendar. From there, we’re going alphabetical for those that don’t.
Also, don’t take any listed release dates as carved in stone. A lot of them will change, they always do. This list is based on the most current information I can find, and I’m way too lazy to go back and update things as schedules shift. My point is basically that you should double check before traipsing off to the cinema.
Now that the business is all taken care of, here are my 50 most-anticipated films of 2026. What movies are you most looking forward to this year? Sound off in the comments if the spirit moves you.
We Bury the Dead, January 2
Hey, I already reviewed this one, and it’s good. We Bury the Dead drops Daisy Ridley into a slow-burn journey through the heart of darkness that uses the trappings of zombie movies to explore something much deeper and more complex.
Greenland 2: Migration, January 9
2020’s apocalyptic disaster movie Greenland was better than it had any right to be, so we’re more than game to watch Gerard Butler and family embark on another perilous journey to find safety.
Primate, January 9
You had me at monkey attack. Also, word on the street is that this is a ton of fun.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, January 16
I like but don’t love 28 Years Later, but my favorite part was Ralph Fiennes, so more of him is a bonus. It will also be interesting to see what a new director, Candyman’s Nia DaCosta, brings to the franchise.
Send Help, January 30
Sam Raimi directing two work rivals (Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien) stranded on an island and possibly battling monsters sounds like a fine time.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, February 13
Gore Verbinski is back with a tale about a man from the “future” (Sam Rockwell), who tries to recruit the patrons of a diner to help him save the world from AI. Looks weird, wild, and fun.
How to Make a Killing, February 20
I’m honestly a little on the fence about this. I’m not super in love with the trailer. I know it’s only a trailer, but Glen Powell feels miscast. Still, John Patton Ford’s last film, Emily the Criminal, is fantastic; this has a great supporting cast; and the idea of a disowned heir murdering his way to an inheritance is promising. Yeah, I talked myself into it.
The Bride, March 6
Maggie Gyllenhaal making her directorial debut with an update of the Bride of Frankenstein is enough to catch our attention. But what we’ve seen of the project thus far is dark and strange and wild, so now we’re bananas excited for this.
Project Hail Mary, March 20
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Drew Goddard, based on a novel by Andy Weir (The Martian), and starring Ryan Gosling and Milana Vayntrub, this big, slick, studio sci-fi offering looks like a good time. Also, people seem to love the book about an astronaut trying to save Earth.
Alpha, March 27
A new body horror from Julia Ducournau (Raw, Titane). That’s it, that’s the pitch. I don’t need to know anything more.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, March 27
The first one is too damn fun to not be amped for a sequel. In addition to Samara Weaving’s return, they’ve assembled an epic cast that includes Kathryn Newton, Elijah Wood, Olivia Cheng, Sarah Michell Gellar, and David freakin’ Cronenberg.
They Will Kill You, March 27
Why Don’t You Just Die director Kirill Sokolov returns and this is bound to be something to behold.
The Third Parent, April 3
A 4th of July-set horror movie, this is most notable because it features Crispin Glover as a villain named Tommy Taffy. I’ve watched movies for much less.
Normal, April 26
Ben Wheatley’s filmography is uneven, for sure, but a mean-spirited small-town crime thriller sounds like prime territory for his proclivities. We also get another Bob Odenkirk as a normal-guy-pushed-into-violence role, so that’s fun. With a cast featuring Henry Winkler and Lena Heady, and a script from John Wick scribe Derek Kolstad, we’re pumped.
Hokum, May 1
I don’t know a ton about this, but writer/director Damian McCarthy’s last film, Oddity, is great, so anything he does from now on is something I need to check out. What little we’ve seen also looks creepy and weird, which is like catnip.
I Love Boosters, May 22
New Boots Riley. About a group of shoplifters who take down a fashion maven. Enough said. And, of course, it has an incredible cast of Demi Moor, Keke Palmer, Naomi Acke, Taylour Paige, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, and tons of other biggies.
Masters of the Universe, June 5
I won’t actually believe this is a real movie until I sit down and see it for myself. And I don’t have any idea what it will look like, but it’s sure to be a spectacle in one form or another.
Power Ballad, June 5
Sing Street director John Carney is back with a warm-hearted musical about a wedding singer and a rock star.
Discovery Day, June 12
Historically, Steven Spielberg plus aliens is a winning proposition.
Evil Dead Burn, July 24
An Evil Dead movie always has our attention. And the director of Infested is sure to have some nastiness up his sleeve.
Cliffhanger, August 28
I’m admittedly not as intrigued as I was when Ana Lily Amirpour was supposed to direct the Cliffhanger remake, but it’s still a Cliffhanger remake, so of course I’m going to watch the hell out of this.
The Dog Stars, August 28
A post-apocalyptic world, Ridley Scott, scavengers, a virus. Now you’re playing my kind of cinematic Madlibs.
Whalefall, October 16
Brian Duffield has delivered some bangers lately with Spontaneous, Love and Monsters, No One Will Save You, and more. Any project he writes and directs has our immediate attention, and this one has a hell of a hook: A scuba diver is swallowed by a giant sperm whale and must find a way out. Sounds like a hell of a time.
Return of the Living Dead, November 13
I don’t know what a Return of the Living Dead legacy sequel looks like in 2026, but what the hell, we’ll see what we’ll see.
Madden, November 26
I’m not a huge David O. Russell fan, but I have to watch Nicolas Cage as iconic football coach/video game spokesman John Madden. Also, Christian Bale looks spot on as Al Davis.
Dune: Part Three, December 18
As long as Denis Villeneuve and company keep making these every few years, I’ll keep watching them.
Werwulf, December 25
Sure, I didn’t love his Nosferatu, but I am more than game for Robert Eggers making a werewolf movie with a silly spelling.
A Colt is My Passport
This is in production, I believe having wrapped principle photography, so a 2026 release may not be realistic. Still, it’s not one of my most-anticipated lists without a looming Gareth Evans movie. And the idea of him remaking Takashi Nomura’s 1967 gangster classic, with Sope Dirisu in the lead, is a hell of an enticing proposition.
Alphas
A Liam O’Donnell-directed shark-versus-orca movie. Yes. Simple as that.
…And Out Comes the Wolf
A gritty punk drama set against the 1990s East Bay scene and inspired by Rancid’s …And Out Come the Wolves record. This is tailor made for teen me, and it also has adult me curious.
The Beekeeper 2
Director Timo Tjahjanto has a ton of movies in the works, which is music to our ears, but the one that seems most likely to drop in 2026 (or early 2027), is The Beekeeper 2. Jason Statham protecting the hive and pummeling dudes in Timo’s hands is like Christmas for action fans.
Brides
Chloe Okuno follows up The Watcher with a 1960s set gothic horror that seems to involve a count and his vampire brides.
The Entertainment System is Down
A movie about a long flight where the entertainment system fails and the passengers get bored doesn’t sound all that interesting. But in the hands of Ruben Ostland, (Force Majeure, Triangle of Sadness), it’s sure to become something much darker and more twisted.
The Furious
Yes, Kenji Tanigaki’s The Furious is on my best-of-2025 list. But it doesn’t get a real release until 2026, so I included it here. Action fans should be foaming at the mouth for this one, it’s an absolute all-timer martial arts throwdown.
The Gallerist
Birds of Prey and Dead Pigs director Cathy Yan returns with a dark comedy set in the art world.
Hope
The Chaser, The Yellow Sea, The Wailing. That’s Na Hong-jin’s track record. He also wrote The Medium. So, of course we’ve been tracking his latest for a few years, a sci-fi action thriller about a small town fighting to survive a mysterious threat. This may well be number one on my most-anticipated list for 2026.
Hot Spot
The Lure director Agnieszka Smoczyska returns with a crime fantasy about an investigator and member of a religious sect who team up to solve a murder in a refugee camp.
Man Vs.
Horror’s favorite boy, Kyle Gallner, writes and stars in this monster/survival thriller about an injured gold miner fighting animals, the elements, and “an ancient danger far more terrifying than anything he could imagine.”
MRI
Of the three Liam O’Donnell projects on the list, this seems least likely to appear in 2026. Still, Iko Uwais as a broken down hitman and a script from the writer of Hot Frosty is too good to pass up.
October
It wouldn’t be one of my most-anticipated lists without an upcoming Jeremy Saulnier movie. There’s not a lot to know about his latest, but it’s described as a horror action thriller. In my book, that’s more than enough for a day-one watch.
One Good Thing
Kimo Stamboel (Queen of Black Magic) directing a script from XYZ’s Todd Brown, with Marko Zaror playing a reluctant mob enforcer who must protect a young girl from a gang of corrupt cops. If you’re trying to get me excited for your movie, this is how you do it.
One Last Shot
Director James Nunn once again teams up with Scott Adkins for a single-take actioner. The last two delivered the tactical goods, so you know we’re on board for more.
Onslaught
You’re Next and The Guest director/writer duo Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett are back with a self-described “gonzo action movie” starring Dan Stevens, Adria Ajorna, Rebecca Hall, Michael Biehn, and Reginald VelJohnson, about an escaped military project gone awry. I want it, I want it now.
Our Effed Up World
Horror phenom Alice Maio Mackay (T-Blockers, Satranic Panic, So Vam, Bad Girl Boogey) is back, this time injecting some sci-fi into the mix as an intergalactic entity crashes on Earth and wreaks havoc. It also features Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow) as a producer.
Polaris
Lynne Ramsay’s Polaris has been on this list at least twice thus far, but fingers crossed for 2026. In her hands, the story of a photographer who encounters the devil in 1890s Alaska is something I must see as soon as humanly possible.
Road House 2
What the hell, why not? Though first of all, there already is a Road House 2 (Road House 2: Last Call from 2006), and there are potentially two new Road House 2s in development thanks to a feud between the filmmakers and the studio, so that’s has the potential to be funny.
Sacrifice
Another carry-over from last year, Romain Gavras’s follow up to Athena is obviously a must-see. The story of an elite charity event besieged by a radical group looking to unlock supernatural powers has a crazy cast that includes Salma Hayek, Chris Evans, John Malkovich, Anya Taylor-Joy, and more.
The Shitheads
Macon Blair is back in the director’s chair with a sci-fi comedy about “drugs, danger, and crime.” Sounds promising and set to debut at Sundance. Let’s hope it gets released faster than The Toxic Avenger.
Skyline: Warpath
Liam O’Donnell returning to the Skyline universe. Plus Iko Uwais, Scott Adkins, Yayan Ruhina, and more. I’m a simple man with simple tastes, and this is most of them.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Jane Schoenbrun follows up the one-two punch of We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and I Saw the TV Glow with the tale of a queer filmmaker shooting a slasher movie that leads two women into “psychological and sexual chaos.” Where do I get in line?
Timur
If you read this site with any regularity, you’re probably well aware of Iko Uwais as a performer and stunt coordinator. He’s simply one of the best movie martial artists in the world. 2026 sees him make his directorial debut, and yeah, this is something we need to see sooner rather than later.
The Wrong Girls
Dylan Meyer makes her directorial debut with a stoner comedy co-written with star Kristen Stewart, about two young women who gain telepathic abilities thanks to an experimental drug. Sounds awesome.
Zi
A new film from Kogonada (After Yang, Columbus) is always going to be on my watch list, no questions asked.
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