A new year, and a new lineup of films for us movie fans to sink into: 2026 is already shaping up as one to clear your calendar for. It’s got the full spread – big studio blockbusters, director-led passion projects, and franchise returns that will be hard to avoid even if you try.
And with release dates scattered across the year (and conversation-dominating weekends guaranteed), this roundup is here to keep your watch list organised – so you know what’s coming, what’s worth booking tickets for, and what you can safely leave for streaming without the regret.
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The Rip
The Miami-set action thriller ‘The Rip’ brings longtime collaborators Matt Damon and Ben Affleck back on-screen together, this time as cops who stumble across a hidden stash of millions in cash. What starts as a too-good-to-be-true find quickly turns into a high-wire situation: word gets out, outsiders start circling, and every decision becomes a test of loyalty. Trust evaporates fast, the stakes keep climbing, and the film looks set to ride that Damon-Affleck chemistry straight into a tense, no-safe-way-out reckoning.
Netflix Premiere: 16 January
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
One of the series’ most intriguing new chapters, ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ hands the reins to Nia DaCosta and drags the story further into the shadows. Ralph Fiennes returns as the enigmatic Dr Ian Kelson, as the world of ‘28 Years Later’ tips closer to full-blown nightmare. Alfie Williams’s Spike crosses paths with a lethal gang led by Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), and what starts as staying alive quickly twists into something far more brutal.
In Cinemas: 15 January
Wuthering Heights
Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie step into one of literature’s most volatile romances in Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights,’ a new adaptation that’s already become a conversation piece well ahead of release. Elordi plays Heathcliff opposite Robbie’s Cathy, with Fennell bringing her signature bite to a story built on emotional extremity. Set to a Charli XCX soundtrack, the film looks less interested in polite period drama and more in pushing the classic into something rawer and unmistakably modern – a project people will turn up for simply to see how far she goes.
In Cinemas: 13 February
Scream 7
A franchise return designed to steer ‘Scream’ back to its roots, ‘Scream 7’ brings Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott back to the forefront after a major cast reshuffle. This time, the threat isn’t just another masked killer showing up on cue – it cuts closer to home, with Ghostface’s focus shifting to Sidney’s daughter and forcing Sidney to put herself in the line of fire again. The setup leans into what’s always made Sidney compelling: she’s not merely surviving a new chapter, she’s being pulled back into the trauma she’s spent years trying to leave behind.
In Cinemas: 27 February
Hoppers
Pixar Animation Studios returns with an original with a great high-concept premise: ‘Hoppers,’ a body-swap story sparked by technology that probably shouldn’t exist – and a kid bold (or reckless) enough to try it. Animal lover Mabel transfers her consciousness into a robotic beaver, which suddenly gives her direct access to the animal world: she can communicate, listen in, and see what’s really going on beyond human perception.
In Cinemas: 6 March
The Bride!
Acclaimed actor-director Maggie Gyllenhaal puts her own stamp on a monster story that refuses to play it safe, with ‘The Bride!’ – a reimagining that shifts the focus onto the ‘monstress’ at the centre of Mary Shelley’s mythology. Jessie Buckley plays a murdered young woman brought back to life to become a companion for Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale). Set in 1930s Chicago, the film looks poised to swap old-school gothic darkness for something more unsettling – strange and edged with bite.
In Cinemas: 6 March
Project Hail Mary
Ryan Gosling anchors a solo‑in‑space story in ‘Project Hail Mary.’ When astronaut Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spacecraft with no memory and one impossible mission: save Earth from a catastrophic extinction event. Balancing big sci‑fi ideas with a surprisingly emotional core, ‘Project Hail Mary’ turns survival into a puzzle that’s as much about human will as it is about clever solutions.
In Cinemas: 20 March
Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come
Another sequel that doubles down on what made the first film such a blast, ‘Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come’ throws Samara Weaving’s Grace straight back into fight-for-your-life territory – only this time, it’s no longer one twisted family game she has to outlast. The danger widens to include the world’s richest and most powerful families, all suddenly treating Grace like a problem that needs to be erased. As the hunt kicks off again, the stakes aren’t just personal anymore: her estranged sister (Kathryn Newton) is pulled into the crossfire too, turning Grace’s fight from sheer self-preservation into something far more urgent.
In Cinemas: 27 March
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Mario levels up into outer space with ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,’ the follow-up that takes the Mushroom Kingdom off the ground and into full cosmic territory after the first film’s box office success. Chris Pratt returns as Mario alongside Charlie Day’s Luigi and Anya Taylor-Joy’s Princess Peach, now flung across the galaxy for a ride that promises bigger worlds and stranger physics. Bowser (Jack Black) is back too – but the new complication comes in the form of Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), setting up a fresh face-off with even more on the line than last time.
In Cinemas: 3 April
The Drama
The romantic comedy-drama ‘The Drama’ pairs Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a couple heading into their wedding week — and then pulls the rug out from under them. What should be a final stretch of celebrations starts to unravel when an unsettling truth surfaces, turning pre-wedding nerves into something harder to laugh off. As the week spirals, the film homes in on the question that makes everything feel suddenly high-stakes: when you’re this close to ‘I do,’ what happens if you realise you might not truly know the person you’re about to marry?
In Cinemas: 3 April
Michael
Hee hee! A sweeping biopic of the King of Pop, ‘Michael’ traces Michael Jackson from child prodigy to global icon – but it also tries to stay with the person behind the persona. The film stars Jaafar Jackson, MJ’s real-life nephew, in the title role, which adds another point of intrigue as it recreates a life so documented it’s basically been turned into public property.
In Cinemas: 24 April
The Devil Wears Prada 2
2006’s ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ became an instant fashion-world classic – and now it’s getting the sequel treatment with ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2.’ Meryl Streep is back as Miranda Priestly, still ruthlessly exacting, still impossible to ignore, but stepping into a media and fashion landscape that’s been reshaped since the first film. With Anne Hathaway’s Andy, Emily Blunt’s Emily, and Stanley Tucci’s Nigel also returning, the pull is less about surviving Miranda, and more about what happens when the industry changes the rules – without asking her permission.
In Cinemas: 30 April
The Mandalorian And Grogu
Something of a long-awaited leap for the Disney+ era of Star Wars, The Mandalorian and Grogu takes Din Djarin and his small, Force-sensitive companion off the streaming lane and onto the big screen. Set in a galaxy still trying to find its footing after the Empire’s collapse, the film keeps the appeal of the series intact: Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian as the steady, armour-clad centre, and Grogu as the scene-stealer who turns even the tensest moments into something tender.
In Cinemas: 22 May
Hope
This new Korean sci-fi thriller from Na Hong-jin – the filmmaker behind ‘The Wailing’ – is already shaping up to be an early must-watch for genre fans. Titled ‘Hope,’ it’s set in a remote village near the DMZ, where a seemingly local incident starts to unravel into something far more unnerving, pulling the story out of realism and into the unknown. The cast is unusually stacked for a film like this, pairing Korean powerhouses Hwang Jung-min and Jung Ho-yeon with Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender.
In Cinemas: Summer 2026
Disclosure Day
Well Spielberg doesn’t tend to return to the big screen unless there’s a story worth your full attention, and ‘Disclosure Day’ has that pull. Led by Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor, it’s being framed as a tense, slow-burn thriller with details still deliberately scarce – but the atmosphere is unmistakable: sightings, whispers of something not-quite-human, and the unease of realising the official version of events might not be the whole one. If it comes together, expect a film that keeps tightening the screws until you’re questioning every glance, every pause, every ‘fact’ on screen.
In Cinemas: 12 June
Scary Movie 6
A throwback comedy sequel, ‘Scary Movie 6’ reunites Anna Faris and Regina Hall (along with much of the original cast) for another round of shameless, rapid-fire parody – this time taking aim at the horror wave of the past few years. Story specifics are still under wraps, but the direction feels obvious: back to the franchise’s original lane, roasting everything from highbrow horror and A24-coded moodiness to folk-horror seriousness and the current obsession with legacy sequels.
In Cinemas: 12 June
Toy Story 5
As the years pass, playtime changes – but some characters have a way of staying lodged in your childhood no matter what’s trending. That’s the promise of ‘Toy Story 5,’ which brings Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang back for another round of big feelings in a world that looks very familiar to modern parents: kids who’d rather tap a screen than reach for the toy box. The film sets up a new dilemma for the toys, forced to figure out where they fit as childhood shifts in a digital direction – and if ‘Toy Story’ has taught us anything over the years, it’s that Pixar will dress it up as an adventure… then break your heart by the end.
In Cinemas: 19 June
Supergirl
Before DC’s new universe can feel fully built-out, it needs to prove it can make room for heroes beyond Superman – and ‘Supergirl’ is one of the first real tests of that. Milly Alcock steps into Kara Zor-El, introducing her not as a fully-formed icon, but as someone still learning what Earth asks of her while carrying the grief of Krypton’s lost world. The film frames Kara’s story as more than capes and powers: it’s about finding your own definition of heroism, stepping out of a cousin’s shadow, and trying to build a sense of belonging when your origin story is written in loss.
In Cinemas: 26 June
Moana (Live-Action)
Perhaps Disney’s safest – and most widely appealing – live-action bet in years: ‘Moana’ takes a modern animated favourite and gives it a real-world canvas of Pacific Island scenery, big ocean horizons, and a story that’s expected to keep its emotional centre intact. Catherine Laga‘aia makes her film debut in the title role, while Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson returns as Maui, bringing back the character that helped make the original so beloved. If it gets the balance right – visual scale without losing the heart – this could be one of those live-action remakes that people actually turn out for.
In Cinemas: 10 July
The Odyssey
One of the most audacious projects on the upcoming slate, Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ takes Homer’s ancient epic and gives it the full Nolan treatment – shot on IMAX, designed for the biggest screen possible, and led by Matt Damon as Odysseus. The story follows his long, punishing journey home after the Trojan War, a myth that’s been retold for centuries, but rarely with this level of craft and sheer production muscle behind it. With a cast stacked with names like Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Zendaya, the film is shaping up to be a grand, immersive cinematic experience – an adaptation that turns legend into something you can feel in your bones.
In Cinemas: 17 July
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
A MCU entry looking to pull audiences back into big-screen mode, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ swings into Phase Six with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in a very different position: the world has moved on, and no one remembers who he is. That reset gives the story room to go smaller and more personal again – at least on paper – even as Marvel lines up familiar faces and new additions. Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned are expected to return, while Sadie Sink and Tramell Tillman join the cast, and Jon Bernthal steps back into Frank Castle’s boots as the Punisher. Plot details are still being kept close, but the central pull is clear: Spider-Man, alone in plain sight, trying to rebuild a life that’s been erased.
In Cinemas: 31 July
The Dog Stars
A post-apocalyptic drama from Ridley Scott, ‘The Dog Stars’ adapts Peter Heller’s novel into a more restrained kind of survival story – less about big set-pieces and more about what’s left of a person after the world falls away. It follows a civilian pilot (Jacob Elordi) living out of a small airfield, keeping himself steady with the routines that make life feel bearable. But when a faint radio transmission breaks through the silence, it changes the shape of his world – offering the possibility of connection, and forcing him to weigh the only question that matters in a ruined world: whether hope is worth the risk of losing what little he has.
In Cinemas: 28 August
Digger
‘Digger’ has all the ingredients that make people sit up: an Oscar-winning director in Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Tom Cruise in full-throttle mode, and a premise billed as a comedy on a catastrophic scale. It’s not hard to see the appeal – a black comedy with blockbuster pace – even if it’s unlikely to be the obvious, prestige-safe awards darling. The setup is easy to grasp: Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, the most powerful man in the world, who becomes obsessed with proving he’s humanity’s saviour. Naturally, it spirals – and when a disaster of his own making threatens to swallow everything, the film looks set to go big on satire, ego, and the uneasy comedy of watching power collapse in real time.
In Cinemas: 2 October
The Social Reckoning
A decade-plus after ‘The Social Network,’ Aaron Sorkin returns to the Facebook story with ‘The Social Reckoning’ – a sequel-shaped pitch built on real-world fallout. Jeremy Strong steps into Mark Zuckerberg, inheriting a part Jesse Eisenberg made instantly recognisable, while the film centres on the 2021 whistleblower leak from Frances Haugen (played by Mikey Madison). If the first film traced the origin story of a tech empire being built, this one looks set to follow the consequences – moving past the gloss of innovation and into what it cost the people caught in its wake.
In Cinemas: 9 October
Street Fighter
Mixing fan-service with a real attempt at getting the tone right, 2026’s ‘Street Fighter’ is shaping up to be the rare video game adaptation that understands what people come for: high-impact action, big personalities, and just enough sincerity that it doesn’t slide into self-parody. With a fresh cast stepping into iconic roles like Ryu and Chun-Li, the film is promising to honour the source material while still working as straightforward adrenaline cinema. The premise is simple – rivals, fighters, a world built on showdowns – but if it lands the choreography and keeps the momentum tight, this could finally be the ‘Street Fighter’ movie that feels like the game in motion.
In Cinemas: 16 October
The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping
The Hunger Games franchise heads back to Panem with ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,’ a prequel set during the 50th Games – the infamous Second Quarter Quell, when twice the usual number of tributes were thrown into the arena. This time, the story centres on a young Haymitch Abernathy (played by Joseph Zada), long before he becomes the weary mentor we meet in Katniss Everdeen’s era. With the timeline set decades earlier, the film is expected to widen the lens on the Capitol’s machinery at its most ruthless, following younger versions of familiar figures as they move through the highs, compromises, and losses that shape who they become.
In Cinemas: 20 November
Focker-In-Law
Another legacy comedy tapping into familiar chaos, ‘Focker-In-Law’ brings the Focker-Byrnes clan back together for one more round of second-hand embarrassment – and adds Ariana Grande to the mix as the newest in-law stepping into the family minefield. With three generations now in the picture, expect the chaos to feel bigger, louder, and even more painfully relatable – a film built for audiences who still remember exactly how uncomfortable those dinner-table scenes could get.
In Cinemas: 25 November
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew
Greta Gerwig steps into fantasy territory with her first adaptation of C.S. Lewis, and she’s starting at the beginning – ‘The Magician’s Nephew,’ the earliest story in the Narnia timeline. It’s the book that explains how the world is made and why it’s haunted by temptation, and that makes it an interesting fit for a filmmaker who’s always been so good at tracing how people become who they are. The film will likely stay close to Lewis’s blueprint, but the real intrigue is seeing the first hints of Gerwig’s distinct voice bringing this iconic world to life.
In Cinemas: 26 November
Netflix Premiere: 25 December
Dune: Part Three
One of the most anticipated sequels on the slate, ‘Dune: Part Three’ continues Denis Villeneuve’s monumental take on Frank Herbert’s universe by drawing from the 1969 follow-up novel, ‘Dune Messiah.’ Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya return as Paul Atreides and Chani, now on the other side of the prophecy – where victory looks less like triumph and more like consequence. The story picks up with the holy war Paul set in motion rippling across the galaxy, and the film is expected to dig deeper into the saga’s darker questions: what power does to a person, what belief demands from the people who follow it, and what it costs to become the figure everyone thinks they need. If the first two films built the myth, this one looks poised to interrogate it.
In Cinemas: 18 December
Avengers: Doomsday
If you had to back the MCU’s next must-see chapter, ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is the obvious pick. It brings back much of the franchise’s original star power, with the most headline-grabbing move being Robert Downey Jr. stepping back into the universe as Doctor Doom – a casting curveball that’s already doing exactly what Marvel wants it to do. The plot is being kept tightly under wraps, but the shape of it feels familiar in the best way: scattered heroes, a threat framed as the biggest since Thanos, and a story expected to hop across timelines and realities.
In Cinemas: 18 December
Born in Korea and raised in Hong Kong, Min Ji has combined her degree in anthropology and creative writing with her passion for going on unsolicited tangents as an editor at Friday Club. In between watching an endless amount of movies, she enjoys trying new cocktails and pastas while occasionally snapping a few pictures.
