Welcome to 2026. If you were hoping for a year of entirely original, standalone cinema, you might want to look away now. Hollywood is doubling down on what it knows best: IP, sequels, and massive franchise expansions. From the return of the MCU’s heavy hitters to a surprising number of primate-themed horror movies, here is your ultimate guide to the biggest films hitting theaters and streamers this year.
The Heavy Hitters: Marvel, DC, and Sci-Fi Giants
The box office battle lines are drawn. Marvel is going “super massive” this year, while DC continues its slow-burn reboot under James Gunn.
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day: Destin Daniel Cretton takes the reins for a post-Eraser Peter Parker story. Expect familiar faces like MJ (Zendaya) and Ned, alongside a gritty team-up with The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and a return for Mac Gargan’s Scorpion.
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Avengers: Doomsday: The Russo Brothers are back, and so is Robert Downey Jr.—but not as Tony Stark. He takes on the mantle of Dr. Doom in a multiversal event that promises to feature everyone from the X-Men to the Fantastic Four.
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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: Starring Milly Alcock, this DCU entry follows Kara Zor-El on a murderous quest for revenge across the stars. Keep an eye out for a shadowy glimpse of Jason Momoa as Lobo.
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Dune Messiah: Denis Villeneuve concludes his trilogy as Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) faces the consequences of his holy war. Anya Taylor-Joy joins as Alia, with Robert Pattinson entering the fray as the villainous Scytale.
Horror & Thrillers: A Year of Blood and Fur
2026 is shaping up to be the year of the “creature feature,” with a specific obsession with monkeys and monsters.
The “Ape” Wave
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Primate: This “murderous monkey” movie was the talk of Fantastic Fest. It follows an adopted chimp that turns violent after a rabies infection.
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28 Years Later & The Bone Temple: Nia DaCosta directs the follow-up to Danny Boyle’s revival, bringing back Cillian Murphy’s Jim and diving deeper into the cult-led chaos of a post-outbreak Britain.
Classic Revivals & New Nightmares
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Scream 7: Neve Campbell returns as Sidney Prescott to face a “different” kind of Ghostface, with rumors of legacy characters like Matthew Lillard potentially appearing.
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Evil Dead Burn: A new French protagonist faces the Deadites in this latest installment produced by Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell.
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Werewolf: Robert Eggers (The Northman) delivers a 13th-century period piece spoken entirely in Middle English. He calls it his darkest story yet.
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Lee Cronin’s The Mummy: A sinister, horror-forward update on the Universal Monster from the director of Evil Dead Rise.
Family Fare: Animation and Live-Action Remakes
Disney and Pixar are leaning heavily into established favorites while introducing a few “oddball” newcomers.
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Toy Story 5: Andrew Stanton directs the return of Woody and Buzz. This time, Bonnie is obsessed with a “frog-like tablet” named Lilypad—a commentary on the modern child’s shift from physical toys to tech.
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The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: Following the billion-dollar success of the first film, the gang heads to space. Newcomers include Brie Larson as Rosalina and Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr.
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Moana (Live-Action): Dwayne Johnson transitions his animated role to live-action Maui, starring alongside Catherine Laga‘aia.
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Hoppers: A fresh Pixar original about a girl who uses technology to “embody” a robotic beaver to save an animal habitat.
The Auteur Corner: Spielberg, Nolan, and More
Even in a sea of franchises, the industry’s biggest directors are commanding attention.
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Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey: While details are thin, the cast is a “who’s who” of Hollywood: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Zendaya.
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Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day: Spielberg returns to UFO territory with a thriller written by David Koepp and scored by the legendary John Williams.
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The Social Reckoning: Aaron Sorkin writes and directs this spiritual successor to The Social Network, starring Jeremy Strong as a modern-day Mark Zuckerberg dealing with the 2021 Facebook leaks.
Streaming Highlights: Netflix & Beyond
Don’t ignore the small screen; some of the year’s most interesting experiments are skipping (or briefly visiting) the cinema.
