It’s that time of the year once again, when the summer blockbuster season is in full swing, and major festivals such as Sundance and Cannes have come and gone. If anything, the first half of 2026 has brought the industry an air of optimism, pulling moviegoers back to theaters like a cartoon pie sitting on a windowsill. Major tentpole studio films such as “Project Hail Mary” and “The Devil Wears Prada 2” have been perfectly complemented with breakout hits like “Obsession” and “Backrooms.” People are clamoring for good films, and man, does the year still have plenty left in the tank. Here are some of the most anticipated releases to look forward to in the rest of 2026 that have not already had their premiere at a film festival.
THE ODYSSEY
Release Date: July 17th
It’s no surprise that this list would start with the film the entire summer is built around: “The Odyssey.” Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to “Oppenheimer” couldn’t have been bigger, yet despite tackling one of the greatest stories ever told, he’s doing it on a scale we have never seen before. Nolan is doubling down on his adherence to practical filming like never before, shooting across six countries, developing new technology, and most of all, filming the entirety of it on IMAX 70mm, the first ever to do so. This is Nolan at his heart, embracing the grandeur of a Hollywood long gone, where even the ensemble, filled with some of the best performers from various generations, has answered the call to make magic with one of, if not the, premier filmmakers of his generation working today. It’s hard not to have our expectations dialed up to a million for this one. Still, if anyone can not only meet these ridiculous expectations but exceed them, it’s Christopher Nolan.
SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY
Release Date: July 30th
Speaking of people we can rely on, we have to add our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to that list. In an endless sea of superhero misfires amid the rising disinterest in the genre, Spider-Man feels like one of those cheat-code characters that will always be a success, even if the film itself doesn’t meet the standards worthy of a superhero with such a storied reputation. At least with “Brand New Day,” it feels like a reset (oddly, like a possible finale) for the Tom Holland-MCU era of the web-crawler. Bringing in Destin Daniel Cretton brings in some fresh blood, sorely needed to jump-start things, not that the franchise is in a bad position after the juggernaut that was “No Way Home.” The biggest swing is how different this feels from anything we’ve seen in the character’s past decade, with Peter Parker back to his roots as a down-and-out hero, back at square one. Throw in some of the more alluring key jangles like Jon Bernthal’s Punisher and the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, and you may have something cooking here, even if it may feel a bit overstuffed.
TONY
Release Date: August 7th
There’s no film this summer that doesn’t have an automatic “Make Gio Cry Like a Baby” button like Matt Johnson’s “Tony.” In a tired genre of celebrity biopics, Johnson has more than earned the benefit of the doubt with “Blackberry,” which gave us one of the more quotable performances from Glen Howerton we’ve seen in some time. Here, Johnson is swapping his eccentric comedic stylings, recently brandished in “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” for a moving coming-of-age dramedy that chronicles a period in the life of celebrity chef and writer Anthony Bourdain. From the trailer alone, there’s enough to see that Johnson, who’s pulling from the few chapters of “Kitchen Confidential” that focus on Bourdain’s time in Providence, Rhode Island, understands what this film needed to be. Dominic Sessa appears to be the right actor to capture the scrappy, magnetic essence of Bourdain that made him a one-of-a-kind personality whose work has profoundly impacted many. This has all the makings of being one of the more moving features of this summer season, especially for people who have watched or read most of Bourdain’s work.
COYOTE VS. ACME
Release Date: August 28th
Frankly, it’s a miracle that this film is even being released to the public, a rare act of goodwill in the world that should have us thanking the cinema gods up above. Never in a million years could anyone have expected that a “Looney Tunes” film would be as unceremoniously dumped by its own home studio, Warner Brothers, but here we are. Thankfully, Ketchup Entertainment did what many were scared to do and swooped up what looks to be another amusing blend of live action and animated zaniness that we all expect from the characters of this world. The fact that screenwriter Sammy Burch, fresh off an Oscar nomination for writing “May December,” wrote a courtroom comedy centered around an aggrieved Wile E. Coyote suing Acme, and it became a tax write-off, is one of the coolest career moves anyone can make. It’s a more-than-hilarious premise that should have people showing up in droves at the theater.
RESIDENT EVIL
Release Date: August 28th
After the success of “Barbarian” and “Weapons,” Zach Cregger is on top of the world, and his next outing certainly doesn’t show any sign of him slowing down. Reuniting with Austin Abrams, Cregger is cutting the weeds of sloppily made video game adaptations in favor of a film that inherently captures the feeling of playing the game. “Resident Evil” is essentially a balls-to-the-wall nightmare, forcing our aimless protagonist to survive the worst night of his life as Abrams’ character, a lowly delivery guy, tries to make it back home to his girlfriend. He’ll have to forage for weapons, evade the most vile creatures created by the T-Virus, and, more importantly, stay alive as Cregger’s demented mind conjures all the worst types of horrors that we can’t wait to experience. This is very much not Paul W.S. Anderson’s “Resident Evil,” that’s for damn sure.
DIGGER
Release Date: October 2nd
Maybe one of the more intriguing marketing campaigns so far is the one centered on Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Digger,” which argues that Tom Cruise is the living embodiment of cinema itself. It’s a claim many wouldn’t dispel. Yet, the secrecy around Cruise’s transformation into what is his most “actorly” role in years has us all the more desperate to tune in to what is being described as a “comedy of catastrophic proportions.” In a post-“Mission: Impossible” world, now is the time we may see Cruise slide into more character-centric work, especially as he ages out of the action-hero role that has dominated his life for the past twenty years. “Digger” is also fascinating through the lens of a big-budget black comedy distributed by Warner Brothers, shot on VistaVision (by the one and only Emmanuel Lubezki), and directed by a predominantly arthouse filmmaker. Iñárritu has made a film on this scale since “The Revenant,” and years later, this feels like it may be the biggest risk he and even Cruise have taken in some time. There’s a wonderful wheel of talent here to help boost up a balding, southern drawl-speaking Cruise, such as John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, and Sandra Huller. Cruise is getting his own Strangelove-esque madness to relish in, and maybe, just, maybe, it may be just enough to get Cruise the hardware he’s never won.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
Release Date: October 16th
It’s easy to be skeptical upon hearing there’s a new “Sense and Sensibility” adaptation, since the consensus is that Ang Lee’s 1995 film is the definitive cinematic adaptation of this story. Georgia Oakley’s sophomore feature looks like a handsomely shot retelling of this iconic novel, which sees Daisy Edgar-Jones of “Normal People” fame far more suited to an emotionally rich performance that plays into her wheelhouse as a performer. Edgar-Jones and George MacKay seem to have the searing chemistry the film needs. If Greta Gerwig was able to pull off the impossible with “Little Women” after countless adaptations, there is a chance that Oakley may very well do the same.
WHALEFALL
Release Date: October 16th
Brian Duffield’s “Whalefall” has one of the wildest premises of any film coming out this year. The perfect bookend to the Austin Abrams getting-himself-in-trouble double feature, as “Whalefall” has a scuba diver hunting for his father’s missing remains, engaging in the fight of his life as a massive sperm whale decides to swallow him whole during his expedition. If the teaser is any indication of the tense filmmaking Duffield will be implementing, audiences are in for a treat. “127 Hours,” but in the ocean with a whale, rocks so much more than one could imagine, and Abrams has proved himself to be a performer to keep our eyes on. With how energized people have become about going to the movies this year, “Whalefall” has the potential to be that surprise hit of the fall that will have everyone talking about it endlessly.
CLAYFACE
Release Date: October 23rd
With the recent release of “Supergirl” not living up to the expectations many had, James Gunn’s DC universe is already cracking at the seams. There’s a lot of pressure riding with “Clayface,” which marks the franchise’s first divergence into the horror genre. Mike Flannigan writing the screenplay surely alleviates plenty of concerns, and also gives an actor like Tom Rhys Harries plenty of bait-y, signature Flanagan monologues that could make this one of the bigger breakout performances of the year. It’s refreshing to see DC Comics’ most tragic villains not only getting the spotlight but also having their stories told through the lens of body horror. The makeup work led by prosthetic guru Mike Marino, who helped transform Colin Farrell into the Penguin, will be a sight to behold. With a release date perfectly cued up for the Halloween season, “Clayface” is without a doubt on our radar.
WILDWOOD
Release Date: October 23rd
A Laika animated film is always worth celebrating, as the grueling production behind stop-motion animation is an art in itself. Travis Knight’s follow-up to “Kubo and the Two Strings” sure seems to be an epic adventure film, as two classmates venture into a realm beyond our wildest imagination in the search for a missing relative taken away by crows. The trailer, which has racked up over 89 million views and counting, is an indecipherable mood piece that perfectly sets up audiences for what they’re going to get: a jaw-dropping showcase with enough emotional wallop to stun every member of the family.
GODZILLA MINUS ZERO
Release Date: November 6th
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus One” felt like the first film in years in which the titular kaiju dazzled audiences in a way audiences haven’t felt in ages. The character work alone was above what we’ve seen from most Hollywood iterations in recent years, especially since he’s been busy teaming up with King Kong and messing around in the Monsterverse. Now, Yamazaki is running it back, taking Godzilla from tearing up a post-war Japan to wreaking havoc in the Big Apple. “Godzilla: Minus Zero” is going to have everything we all want to see: cities being leveled, Godzilla lazering airplanes with his atomic breath, Ryunosuke Kamiki’s Kōichi Shikishima continuing his journey from a cowardly deserter to the hero who saves us all. We also still have plenty of questions that need answers, mainly what will happen to Minami Hamabe’s Noriko Ōishi, whose survival gave audiences a sigh of relief, only to lead to something more sinister. Whatever Yamazaki and his Academy Award-winning VFX crew have in store for us, they sure have a Godzilla-sized feat in front of them.
WILD HORSE NINE
Release Date: November 6th
The fact that Searchlight dropped the trailer so early in the year speaks volumes to how confident they are in Martin McDonough’s latest feature. McDonough’s incredibly Irish blend of humor and heart is more than present here, as two bumbling CIA agents, played by Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich, are sent to Easter Island on the precipice of the infamous 1973 Chilean Coup. The opposing personalities of these disparate agents constantly clash, giving the two world-class talents plenty of bait for dialogue to chew on as their characters’ lives slowly begin to spiral out of their control. Sure, it’s somewhat giving “In Bruges” 2.0, but McDonough, when he’s in his zone, especially with a wonderful troupe of performers including Steve Buscemi and Parkey Posey, how can you not be excited? “Wild Horse Nine” without a doubt will make some sort of splash this fall festival season, launching it up to be one of the more discussed way-too-early Best Picture contenders at the Academy Awards we’ll talk about this year.
THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING
Release Date: November 20th
Who could have predicted that one of the most stacked ensembles of the year would be the latest “Hunger Games” film, “Sunrise on the Reaping?” Frances Lawrence, a steady hand who has shaped these adaptations, is now given a treasure trove featuring Jesse Plemons, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Maya Hawke, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ralph Fiennes, and our newly announced Governor Award recipient, Glenn Close. The latest novel by Suzanne Collins, which the film draws on, was met with more than a positive reception, as the story follows a young Haymitch Abernathy as he experiences the Hunger Games firsthand and becomes the bitter alcoholic cynic who would eventually mentor the woman who would bring revolution to the districts. How many more times can we watch people experience the “Hunger Games?” Turns out, as long as Collins keeps writing novels and Lawrence is eager to sit back in the director’s chair, people will keep wanting to return to Panem.
THE ADVENTURES OF CLIFF BOOTH
Release Date: November 25th
When the news first broke of this film during CinemaCon last year, we all assumed this was just an elaborate April Fool’s Joke. David Fincher reuniting with Brad Pitt to make a quasi-“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” written by Quentin Tarantino himself, sounds like a fever-induced Mad Lib. Well, it turns out it’s a very real thing, and despite every detractor chirping online about every aspect of it, my anticipation couldn’t be any higher. Pitt suiting up once again as one of his most iconic characters, driving around Hollywood as a fixer for a film studio in the ’70s, sounds like one of the coolest ways to kill three hours. Fincher is very much amplifying Tarantino’s breezy hang-out film aesthetic from the previous film while injecting his own sensibilities. Murderous twin hitmen hunting down Cliff, Scott Caan possibly playing his father, the great James Caan, and Elizabeth Debicki doing what she does best. No one can say anything to kill the immaculate vibes that the Super Bowl teaser brought us when it first aired. The fact that even Netflix is caving, giving “The Adventures of Cliff Booth” a legitimate IMAX release, should tell us all we need to know about how reuniting with our good ole pal and stuntman is gonna be one of the best things to happen in a theater this year.
THE DEBUT
Release Date: December 11th
Jessie Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” marked a major turn for the multi-hyphenate, who has improved in every aspect as an artist since his freshman feature. Now he embarks on his latest outing, “The Debut,” another Eisenberg-esque dramedy following a shy woman, played by Julianne Moore, who pushes herself out of her comfort zone to star in a local theater production directed by a headstrong Paul Giamatti. After seeing the performance that Eisenberg was able to get out of Kieran Culkin, one could only think of the potential powerhouse work of Moore and Giamatti. This could be the universe repaying the overdue actor the favor after he missed out on that Best Actor win for his hugely celebrated performance in “The Holdovers.” “The Debut” could be one of those tearjerking indies that wins the hearts of audiences everywhere. If anything, this will be the closest we’ll get to Eisenberg making a musical, especially with all the original songs he wrote for the project.
AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY
Release Date: December 18th
A lot has changed since “Avengers: Endgame” played in theaters. We’ve had a global pandemic, the New York Knicks won the NBA Finals, “The Bear” began and ended, and, most of all, as was said earlier, people are getting over superhero movies. Marvel has struggled to recapture the magic that last showered them with goodwill, something they’ve mostly squandered in the seven years since. It’s why Kevin Feige has had to call in the big guns for “Avengers: Doomsday,” roping in the Russo Brothers to direct, along with former pillars of the franchise, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, to give the franchise the facelift it needs. It seems a little desperate, but when their back has been against the wall, Marvel has been able to pull out something to keep them above water. “Doomsday” is the hit they urgently need to show that everyone involved still has plenty in the tank, at least with this series. Will it be a plea to audiences to stay filled with a barrage of nostalgia bombs that will make everyone clap like seals? Possibly, but there is a chance they strike again, and every doubter will have egg on their face. Guess we’ll have to wait and see; regardless, it’s undoubtedly one of the biggest releases of the rest of 2026.
DUNE: PART THREE
Release Date: December 18th
Denis Villeneuve’s work on the “Dune” films has been hailed as among the greatest works of sci-fi filmmaking in the 21st century. His masterwork adaptation of Frank Herbert’s beloved novel is finally coming to a close as “Dune: Part Three” aspires to be the monumental finale we have all hoped for since the first film played in theaters in 2021. There’s plenty to be excited to see, whether it’s Timothée Chalamet’s further descent into darkness as the once-promised messiah turned dictator Paul Atreides, the addition of Robert Pattinson (mostly for his potentially freaky voice work as Scytale), or Linus Sandgren’s cinematography (stepping in for Greig Fraser). The fact that it’s getting priority for large premium-format screens over “Avengers: Doomsday” speaks volumes about the social cachet the “Dune” franchise has amassed in such a short time. We’ve talked about how this trilogy has the level to be this generation’s equivalent to Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings,” and Villeneuve has more than proven himself to be one of the biggest filmmakers working today. Let’s hope he can land the plane before saying goodbye to Arrakis and starting to sip on those shaken-n-stirred martinis.
RAY GUNN
Release Date: December 18th
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since Brad Bird’s last film (“Incredibles 2“) and almost twenty years since his last original film (“Ratatouille”), but now he’s finally back. “Ray Gunn” is an original mystery film, heavily inspired by film noir staples like “The Maltese Falcon,” “The Big Sleep,” and “Chinatown,” that incorporates science fiction elements with a sleek retrofuturist art style. Pretty impressive for a film that features big names like Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits. But the name that should get everyone the most excited is Michael Giacchino. The Academy Award-winning composer consistently delivers exceptional work, but whenever he collaborates with Bird, they cook up something special. Netflix is fresh off its golden goose, “KPop Demon Hunters,” and has the chance to make a splash once again in the animation race with this longtime passion project that Bird will finally see come to life.
A PLACE IN HELL
Release Date: December 25th
Chloe Dumont’s follow-up to her sensually charged thriller “Fair Play” finds her delving back into the messiness of people’s moral dilemmas, mainly through a defense attorney played by the one and only Michelle Williams, who is thwarting the younger replacement taking her place. It’s a battle of the minds where Dumont’s sharp screenwriting perfectly places two powerhouses, Williams and Daisy Edgar-Jones, head-to-head in a riveting time at the movies. Then, there’s the Andrew Scott of it all, lurking in the background, who leaves you wanting more. With Neon behind this project, there’s enough confidence to intrigue audiences, especially if this can help propel Williams into the conversation for her very first Academy Award win.
WERWULF
Release Date: December 25th
Robert Eggers, the mad genius that he is, has dazzled us with his unnerving and all-too-historically accurate tales of vengeance, lust, and transformation. “Werwulf” proves to be no different as the gruesome tale of a cursed farmer, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, trying to protect his family from a group of hunters led by Eggers’ muse himself, Willem Dafoe. It’s gonna be a gory, gothic time at the movies, which could see Taylor-Johnson and Lily Rose Depp possibly one-up their work from their last collaboration with Eggers, “Nosferatu.” The look of “Werwulf” is spellbinding, as cinematographer Jarin Blaschke shot the film on 35mm, with black-and-white grain built into the color stock. Just like Count Orlock himself, it’ll be some time before we get to see Taylor-Johnson’s transformation into the titular creature, but until then, we’re counting down the seconds for all of the mud and madness Eggers has in store for us.
ARTIFICAL
Release Date: TBD
We’re all big Luca Guadagnino fans over here at Next Best Picture, and despite his last film “After The Hunt” disappointing us, his latest film “Artificial” is one of the most anticipated films of the 2026 awards season. It dramatizes the extraordinary few days in November 2023 when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was abruptly fired and then reinstated amid employee revolt, investor pressure, and global scrutiny. Written by Simon Rich, the timely film is sure to feature corporate intrigue and raise relevant questions about power, ambition, and the future of artificial intelligence. The ensemble cast includes Andrew Garfield as Altman, Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, Mark Rylance as Geoffrey Hinton, Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, as well as Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Hoffman, Zosia Mamet, Chris O’Dowd, Billie Lourd, and more. With comparisons to “The Social Network,” and NEON now backing its release and awards campaign after acquiring worldwide rights from Amazon MGM, the film has the potential to become one of the year’s biggest conversation starters and a major Oscar contender.
BEHEMOTH
Release Date: TBD
In this house, we stay excited for whatever the master scribe himself, Tony Gilroy, has in store. It’s been a while since Gilroy directed a feature, as he’s spent the past few years breaking his back delivering some of his best work as a writer, not only on one of the best “Star Wars” entries but also on one of the best television series of the decade with “Andor.” Now, he’s ready to make a splash while the iron is hot with his new feature, “Behemoth!” which follows a composer, played by Pedro Pascal, attempting to complete his magnum opus. What’s fascinating, besides a solid ensemble featuring Will Arnett, Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, and Matthew Lillard, is that the film will implement an array of musical works from a slew of working film composers. James Newton Howard, Alan Silvestri, and Brandon Roberts are just a few who will lend their compositions to what will surely be a razor-sharp tale of ambition and a love letter to films and the city of Los Angeles. With only “Wild Horse Nine” leading the charge for a savvy studio like Searchlight in awards season, there is a world in which not only could this exceed our expectations, but it could also become an awards darling.
ELSINORE
Release Date: TBD
“Elsinore” is a late breaking contender in this year’s awards race that has recently been acquired by Focus Features with considerable buzz surrounding Andrew Scott’s performance as acclaimed Scottish actor Ian Charleson, best known for playing Eric Liddell in “Chariots of Fire,” focusing on the final months of his life as he prepared to perform “Hamlet” at London’s National Theatre while privately battling AIDS. Written by Stephen Beresford (“Pride”) and directed by Simon Stone (“The Dig“), the film stars Scott alongside Olivia Colman, with an ensemble cast that includes Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Joe Locke, Luke Thompson, Adeel Akhtar, and Peter Mullan. With a fall film festival run set, Scott garnering lots of goodwill for “All Of Us Strangers” and “Pressure” and the emotionally powerful true story at its center, it’s the kind of transformative lead role the Academy often embraces. Seeing as how we’re all fans of Scott, we eagerly await the film to see if all this acclaim indeed comes his way. If it does, he would be the first openly gay man to win the Oscar for Best Actor.
HERE COMES THE FLOOD
Release Date: TBD
You’re telling me Fernando Meirelles made a crime thriller in the vein of “Heat” starring Denzel Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Daisy Edgar-Jones, and we’re not supposed to place this as one of the most anticipated films for the rest of the year? “Here Comes The Flood” follows three key figures: a bank guard, a teller, and a master thief, who are all caught up in a deadly game of cons and double-crosses. Early word on the street is that Meirelles has crafted a thrilling time at the movies, or in this case, on your couch, since it’s a Netflix release. There are very few action films slated this year that have as much potential as this, and with this amazing team in front and behind the camera, there’s no reason to believe Netflix doesn’t have another hit on its hands.
JACK OF SPADES
Release Date: TBD
Joel Coen couldn’t have had a better start on the eve of his break from collaborating with his brother Ethan than “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” a gorgeous adaptation of “Macbeth” pulling from German Expressionism and anchored by an unreal turn from Denzel Washington. With Ethan’s ventures into the zany world of sex-fueled comedies like “Drive-Away Dolls” and “Honey Don’t,” it is all the more apparent which aspects each brother brought to their dynamic. Joel has bided his time, but now he’s following up a Shakespeare adaptation with “Jack of Spades,” a gothic 19th-century murder mystery with a gnarly-looking Josh O’ Connor investigating crimes. Many are hopeful that Joel’s latest will make a splashy premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival, and there’s a pretty good chance it could. Few things sound as appealing this year as a Jack O’Connor-led Coen Brothers film shot by Bruno Delbonnel.
PRIMETIME
Release Date: TBD
The teaser for “Primetime” might be one of the more fascinating first looks we’ve seen this year, as Lance Oppenheim’s film is ready to delve deep into the creation of NBC’s “To Catch a Predator,” a series that, while also exposing a dark side of life that wasn’t so much on the social conscious at the time, was the beginning of seeing empathy as a something expendable. Robert Pattinson, whose name has already appeared on this list multiple times, is capping off his career year with his work as the infamous television host Chris Hansen, which promises to be a career-defining performance in a filmography already stacked with exceptional performances. It’s gonna be a dark, grimy, and out-there retelling of America’s obsession with the seedy desires of mankind and those willing to expose it, whether for the sake of justice or sensation.
SATURN RETURN
Release Date: TBD
Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley are on an absolute tear with their last two features, “Sing Sing” and “Train Dreams,” the latter of which was nominated for Best Picture earlier this year. The creative partners who alternate directing their screenplays have Kwedar back up to the plate with “Saturn Return,” a decade-spanning romantic drama about college sweethearts navigating their feelings about life and love. With Kwedar and Bentley’s films, they’re always capable of winning audiences over, often through emotionally cathartic stories that remind us of the medium’s power. Will Poulter, Rachel Brosnahan, and Charles Melton are all performers as brilliant as they are swoon-worthy. Without a doubt, they’ll feel perfectly right in with Kwedar and Bentley’s sensibilities as storytellers.
What do you think of our list? Which films are you most excited to see throughout the rest of the year? Please let us know in the comments section below or on Next Best Picture’s X account, and check out our latest Oscar predictions here.
