With 2025 coming to a close, it’s time to look ahead to 2026 in the world of cinema. The new year looks to be a strong year for film, with a little something for everyone. From popcorn tentpole releases, sequels, adaptations, and prestige offerings, all signs point to 2026 topping 2025 in terms of quality and box office performance, the latter of which is necessary to ensure that theatrical remains a viable option in the years ahead. What films should you all be excited about? Here’s a little look at the movies that have us bracing ourselves for a fantastic 2026 at the movies.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (January 16)

28 Years Later turned out to be a solid re-entry into the popular zombie franchise, and it left audiences with an ending that divided some and enticed others. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will continue the new trilogy with Nia DaCosta taking over for Danny Boyle behind the camera with another screenplay from writer Alex Garland. The new film is set to take place after the events of 28 Years Later and will show audiences the results of Spike (Alfie Williams) being inducted into Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal’s (Jack O’Connell) eccentric band of killers in the wake of Britain being ravaged by the Rage Virus. Also returning is Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who is said to be the MVP of the film from early screenings. Speaking of early screenings, the word on the street is that The Bone Temple is even better than its predecessor and will shock fans by the time the credits roll. It will also see the return of Cillian Murphy’s Jim, who made his debut in 2002’s 28 Days Later and is expected to have an even bigger role in the third film, which was recently given the go-ahead by Sony Pictures. January can be seen as a dumping ground by some, but all signs point to 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple bucking that trend.

Send Help (January 30)

Sam Raimi returning to form a bit is one hell of a way to end January at the movies. Raimi returns behind the camera with the survival thriller Send Help, written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, Send Help follows the duo as Linda Liddle and Bradley Preston, the former of whom is an employee of Bradley’s who appears to be mistreated by her employer, as indicated by the film’s trailer. As fate would have it, the pair finds themselves stranded on a deserted island after they become the only survivors of a plane crash. To survive, they’ll have to get over their grievances and find ways to work together, but, given the involvement of Raimi, there appears to be some twists along the way. The film’s trailer made the movie look like one hell of a ride and presented McAdams and O’Brien as a pair we didn’t know we needed. These battle-of-wits endeavors can be a lot of fun if done right, and with Raimi at the helm, it would be smart to have faith that this movie will certainly deliver.

Wuthering Heights (February 13)

Color me intrigued by what writer and director Emerald Fennell has in store with her adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights, which appears to be very loosely inspired by the source material but hopefully with the Fennell touch that made her films Promising Young Woman and Saltburn impossible to resist. Described as a “gothic erotic psychological drama,” Wuthering Heights features Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as star-crossed lovers Catherine and Heathcliff, dealing with romance, social class, and revenge in equal measure. There have been some complaints made about the film’s casting (Heathcliff in particular isn’t described as someone who looks like Elordi) and the film’s marketing, which seems to be going down a Fifty Shades of Grey route, but kudos to to Warner Bros. and Fennell for starting a promotional campaign early on that has garnered so much interest in the film, good or bad, way aheard of its release. Will it make fans of Wuthering Heights completely happy? Maybe not, but with this source material being done so many times, it will be nice to see something a little different done with it to keep audiences on their toes. Seems like the perfect movie for couples wanting a little spice and romance during Valentine’s Day weekend at the movies.

Scream 7 (February 27)

There are many reasons to be excited about Scream 7, but first and foremost, it’s the return of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott after she sat out for Scream VI following a very public salary dispute with Spyglass Media Group. The sixth installment did survive without Campbell, but continuing the story of the Carpenter sisters portrayed by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, while also continuing to add new blood established with 2022’s fifth entry, Scream, while giving audiences fan service that kept the blood of nostalgia flowing. Now, things got a bit complicated after Scream 7 was announced with the firing of Barrera over her comments regarding the Gaza war and the departure of Ortega due to scheduling conflicts with her role on Netflix’s Wednesday. This was soon followed by Christopher Landon, who was hired to take over directing from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, also departing the project. The seventh installment then went through creative retooling with Campbell returning to lead Scream 7 and Kevin Williamson, who wrote the 1996 film that started it all, stepping in to take over as director. Fans of the franchise have been split on social media, with some being rightfully pissed off over the reasons that Barrera was fired, while others are happy that Campbell is back in the position she belongs in as the series’ signature scream queen. The seventh film will see Sidney having built a new life for herself away from the numerous wackos who have donned the Ghostface garb in Pine Grove, Indiana. However, a new Ghostface begins targeting her daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), and it forces Sidney to face a past that wants nothing more than to ruin her present. What’s intriguing about Scream 7 is that it appears to be a nostalgia return to form (Courteney Cox is also back for her seventh outing as Gale Weathers along with seemingly dead characters from the past) but Willamson, who co-wrote the film with Guy Busick from a story by James Vanderbilt, is also keeping the fifth and sixth film canon with the inclusion of the Meeks twins portrayed by Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding. There also seems to be an attempt to push the franchise into the future with a fresh new cast that hopes to prove that the Scream brand is far from done with serving up wit and scares.

The Bride! (March 6)

The Bride! has intrigued since it was first announced, and anticipation only grew once it was shuffled around the release schedule by Warner Bros. The film was originally set to be released on September 26, 2025, before shifting to October 3, 2025. The film was again moved to its current date of March 6, but given the talent involved, one suspects these moves on the release calendar aren’t because of quality but because the studio wants to give the film a prime release date for potential success. Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Bride! is inspired by the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein and is set in 1930s Chicago. In the film, Frankenstein’s creature (Christian Bale) asks Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening) to create a companion for him (portrayed by Jessie Buckley) that is given life to a murdered woman, which sparks its fair share of intrigue. Gyllenhaal’s take looks like a fun visual treat, and giving the bride her full story, after getting brief screen time in James Whale’s 1935 film, could lead to some very interesting narrative beats. With a supporting cast that also includes Peter Sarsgaard, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penelope Cruz, The Bride! has the potential to engage audience interest the very same way that the studio’s Sinners did when it was released.

Project Hail Mary (March 20)

Project Hail Mary looks like a science fiction adventure film that calls back to movies of the past that made audiences look on in wonder and awe. Judging from the trailers released, the film’s sensibilities look to appeal to an old and new generation that continues to be intrigued by space exploration and a little bit of mystery. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from a screenplay by Drew Goddard, Project Hail Mary is based on Andy Weir’s popular 2021 novel of the same name and follows an astronaut named Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), who awakens on a spacecraft with no memory of how he ended up there. Despite not remembering how he ended up on an interstellar spacecraft, he soon realizes that he has embarked on a mission to save Earth as we know it. Early word on Project Hail Mary is that it’s VERY good and could be one of the early releases of the year that may be remembered when awards season kicks off later in the fall. The marketing has been stellar so far, and it’ll only heat up as the release date draws closer. Also of note is that this is the first film directed by Lord and Miller since 2014’s 22 Jump Street, and after that entire debacle that had them fired from Solo: A Star Wars Story. This seems to be the perfect project to show audiences and critics why they’ve been missed behind the camera and could very well turn into a new science fiction classic.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (March 27)

When it was released in 2019, Ready or Not became a true sleeper surprise, thanks in large part to the direction of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and its stellar ensemble cast. It could’ve easily been a fun one-off, since its plot and narrative conclusion didn’t scream for a follow-up, but the directing duo returns with Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy. The first film followed Samara Weaving’s Grace Le Domas as an unassuming young bride and wife who finds herself a part of her spouse’s wealthy family’s sick game of hide-and-seek that serves as a wedding night ritual to worship Satan. Grace made it through all of that, but now, as Grace MacCaullay, she’s the sole survivor of the first film’s sick “game” and discovers that victory isn’t the end of it all. The wealthiest and most influential families have to hunt her down in a new game, or they risk losing all of their fortune and power. Grace doesn’t want to participate, but when she discovers her sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) has been marked for death, she has no other choice but to help her younger sibling. The trailer for this one made the film look incredibly fun, and the film’s cast, much like the first movie, makes this one a must-see. In addition to Weaving and Newton, Ready or Not 2 features Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Nestor Carbonell, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, David Croenberg, and Elijah Wood. Searchlight Pictures showed great faith in the sequel when they changed the release date from April 10 to March 27, when the trailer put up record views for a Searchlight release. A sequel to Ready or Not may not have seemed necessary, but it’s certainly welcomed based on what we’ve seen so far.

The Drama (April 3)

2026 is set to be the year of both Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, with both of them appearing in their fair share of anticipated films. Before they share the screen in the third Dune installment later in the year, they’ll appear together as an engaged couple in A24’s The Drama. Written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, The Drama follows Emma Harwood (Zendaya) and Charlie Thompson (Pattinson), days before their wedding, when their relationship takes an unexpected turn when one of them discovers something unsettling about the other. A24 is pulling out its unique marketing guns for this one, with the indie studio sending a request to the editors of The Boston Globe’s Living/Arts teams to hold their daily TV Critics’ corner so they could run a mock engagement announcement for the film that detailed more plot and character information about the movie. In addition to this, the trailer has a nice mix of the film’s romantic comedy drama sensibilities, but word on the street is that there is MUCH more going on with this film and that some of its twists will intrigue or divide audiences. This one has me all in based solely on the participation of Zendaya and Pattinson, who continue to prove they’re some of the best performers of their generation.

Michael (April 24)

A biopic about Michael Jackson is bound to end up as one of the most anticipated films of the year. Directed by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay by John Logan, Michael chronicles the King of Pop’s musical journey from his time with the Jackson 5 to becoming one of the signature music artists of the 1980s. I think what has fans and many more intrigued is how Jackson’s life will be told. He was no doubt a legend and remains a musical beacon even in death, but he has a problematic life, and it’s still up in the air on how much of those problems will be told honestly, given the fact that his estate was heavily involved in the production. The film’s first teaser trailer certainly did its job to increase anticipation with it being viewed 30 million times in the first six hours of release and 116.2 million times in its first 24 hours, making it the most viewed trailer in 24 hours for Lionsgate as well as the most viewed trailer in 24 hours for a musical biopic or concert film, even eclipsing Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (96.1 million times). There is a lot of potential for this film to be really good, and it was a nice touch casting Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, as the King of Pop because it adds a level of authenticity. This is another movie moved around on the release calendar for various reasons (a reported three-hour cut and other changes involving the 1993 child molestation allegations that needed to be removed) but after two previous release dates, we’ll be able to see what Michael has to offer on April 24 and this allegedly Part 1 of a movie that has been split into two parts by the studio.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (May 1)

Comedy sequels released years after the original film tend to be lacking, but I’m putting my faith in Meryl Streep and company with The Devil Wears Prada 2, a sequel that I simply didn’t know I needed until I saw its very short teaser trailer that immediately pulled me back into its orbit. Directed by David Frankel from a screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna, the sequel is based on the 2013 novel Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger. The exact story for the sequel remains a bit of a secret (there have been whispers about its plot being directly lifted from the 2013 novel or tackling something new) but keep this thing secretive like its an MCU film because that seems to be the level of interest in the sequel, which also sees the return of Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, Tracie Thomos and Tibor Feldman. New cast additions include Justin Theroux, Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu, Lady Gaga, and Sydney Sweeney, among others, and it’s still unknown how big some of these new additions will be, but the target audience is all in based on the reactions to the teaser trailer. The first-look racked up 180 million views across all major platforms, making it one of the most-watched trailers of 2025.

Mortal Kombat II (May 15)

I was one of the people who enjoyed Simon McQuoid’s 2021 Mortal Kombat adaptation, but was well aware that there was room for improvement. Video game adaptations aren’t usually high art, so I went easy on the film in some regards but understood some of the fan frustration (there was no actual Mortal Kombat tournament, and setting the film around a new character not in the game was a move that didn’t totally work). All signs point to most of these things being fixed with Mortal Kombat II, a sequel that McQuoid and various cast members have said will rectify some of the issues present in the first movie. McQuoid returns to direct from a screenplay by Jeremy Slater and will follow the champions of the Earthrealm, now joined by fan-favorite Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), who are forced to battle against one another as Shao Kahn’s (Martyn Ford) rise threatens the Earthrealm as they know it. There is word out there that fans will get more fatalities, even more faithfulness to the games, and a movie that is much more fun than its predecessor. That seems to be all the fans really want, and it’s said that the second movie will be set during the tournament, so fans will actually get Mortal Kombat in its truest form. The movie was set to be released on October 24, 2025, but it was eventually shifted to May 15, and not because of its quality, according to those who have seen early screenings. Apparently, the sequel is an improvement over the first movie, and the studio is confident it can be a significant summer movie player.

The Mandalorian and Grogu (May 22)

Maybe it’s the kid in me that looks forward to a Star Wars movie hitting the big screen, despite being underwhelmed by the last two entries of the sequel trilogy. The Mandalorian and Grogu will be the first Star Wars film to hit the big screen in seven years, and the reason it has my interest is that the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian, is some of the best Star Wars has offered since being taken over by the Mouse House. Directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay he co-wrote with Dave Filoni, The Mandalorian and Grogu is a continuation of the Disney+ series will see the New Republic enlisting Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his cute little apprentice Grogu after the fall of the Galactic Empire, which finds the remaining Imperial warlords becoming a major threat to the galaxy. Much has been made about the look of the movie based on the film’s trailer (it does look a bit like a Disney+ series made for the big screen), but I have faith in Favreau and Filoni, who have been some of the best spearheads of the Star Wars brand in recent years. The movie looks like it captures the fun and adventure of the Star Wars franchise, something that has been largely missing from it, and it will be nice to see a Star Wars big-screen endeavor not focused on the usual suspects.

Happy New Year! Stay tuned for Part Two of Movies To Look Forward To in 2026 next week!

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