Movie Preview 2026: 20 Films We Can’t Wait to See
A new year on the cinematic calendar is both a promise and a provocation: what stories will move us, scare us, make us laugh or make us think? As 2026 unfolds, movie lovers face a rare alignment of ambition and star power. From soaring sci‑fi epics to intimate family comedies, from legendary directors pursuing long‑held passions to unexpected sequels breathing fresh life into beloved worlds, this year’s slate reads like a manifesto of cinema’s broadest possibilities.
This is not the year for timid films. It’s a year for directors aged 79 and rising‑star newcomers alike, for actors reprising iconic roles and others stepping into shoes no one else could fill. It’s a year that insists on spectacle and soul, on blockbuster thrills alongside quiet, character‑driven gems.
Here, in release order, are 20 films we simply can’t wait to see in 2026.
January 9 — Dead Man’s Wire
R — In Theaters
If 2026 opens with a jolt, it’s because Dead Man’s Wire arrives as one of the most unsettling thrillers in recent memory. Director Gus Van Sant, best known for Good Will Hunting and Elephant, turns his gaze back to tense, character‑driven storytelling with a real‑crime silhouette that feels eerily timeless.
Bill Skarsgård plays a desperate man pulling off a violent takeover of a bank — literally wiring a shotgun to a clerk’s neck and demanding both ransom and apology for deep financial wound. Al Pacino, defying age with electric presence at 85, and Colman Domingo round out the cast in a narrative set in the 1970s that feels as much a psychological study as a crime thriller. With Dead Man’s Wire, Van Sant takes the fraught anxieties of past and present and bends them into something cinematic and unforgettable right from the year’s first weekend.
January 16 — The Rip
R — Netflix
The Rip reunites Hollywood friends and collaborators Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in a crime thriller that promises mischief and moral collapse in equal measure. Set in Miami, the film follows a group of cops who discover millions in cash during a bust — and then begin to wonder what might happen if they kept it.
This is classic noir reimagined through a contemporary lens: infidelity to duty, the psychological tumble that follows, and the seductive pull of easy money. Damon and Affleck, Oscar winners who now play partners in narrative as well as history, bring both charisma and weariness to a story that may snap like a wire at any moment.
February 13 — Wuthering Heights
In Theaters
Adaptations of literary classics rise and fall on casting and tone. Wuthering Heights may be one of the most promising yet, thanks to an incandescent pairing: Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. This rendition places Emily Brontë’s brooding Gothic romance against the sweeping winds of the Yorkshire moors, creating an environment for Catherine and Heathcliff that is both elemental and devastating.
Straddling love and vengeance, the story is as much about the landscapes within the heart as it is about the land itself. A mid‑February release — just ahead of Valentine’s Day — signals confidence that audiences will return to theaters not for quaint nostalgia, but for raw emotional immersion.
March 6 — The Bride!
R — In Theaters
From the classic to the reimagined comes The Bride!, a stylish twist on The Bride of Frankenstein directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. With Jessie Buckley leading a formidable ensemble that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Annette Bening, Penélope Cruz, and Christian Bale as the creature, this film marries horror heritage with sharp contemporary artistry.
Relocating the 1935 original’s tale to 1930s Chicago, Gyllenhaal’s version promises lush period detail and psychological complexity. Horror is not simply revived here — it is reinvented.
March 13 — The Breadwinner
PG‑13 — In Theaters
Comedy has always supplied the heart of any great year in movies, and The Breadwinner steps into that role with Nate Bargatze’s feature debut. Known for razor‑sharp stand‑up and electrifying moments as a guest host on SNL, Bargatze now anchors a family comedy about a hopelessly clueless stay‑at‑home dad.
The premise evokes the spirit of Mr. Mom, but lightning can strike twice when the comedian has the timing and empathy to make every misadventure both hilarious and heartfelt. If laughter is the best medicine, The Breadwinner looks poised to be this year’s dose.
March 5 (Select) / March 20 (Netflix) — Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
R
After years of fevered anticipation, the world of Peaky Blinders arrives on the big screen. Cillian Murphy reprises his unforgettable role as Tommy Shelby, joined by Stephen Graham, Rebecca Ferguson, and Tim Roth in a film that promises to extend the grit, style, and psychological ferocity of the beloved Netflix series.
Theatrical release in early March gives way to a streaming premiere on March 20 — a hybrid strategy that acknowledges both the franchise’s cinematic potential and its massive home audience.
March 20 — Project Hail Mary
In Theaters
For fans of science fiction rooted in human resilience, Project Hail Mary may be this year’s most thrilling space journey. Based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, this sci‑fi epic stars Ryan Gosling as a disgraced college professor recruited to save the dying sun.
Directed with precision and heart, the film taps into the sense of wonder and vulnerability that made The Martian such a cultural touchstone. Gosling’s journey is both scientific and deeply personal — a blend of survival instincts and emotional stakes that feels quintessentially modern.
April 24 — Michael
In Theaters
If pop culture events happen once in a generation, Michael aims to be one such milestone. Director Antoine Fuqua’s biopic of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, stars Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson. Surrounded by a stellar cast that includes Nia Long, Colman Domingo, and Miles Teller, this film dives into the myth, music, and contradictions of one of the world’s most influential artists.
It’s not just a film about a life — it’s a cultural reckoning with the impact of music itself.
April 24 — Apex
R — Netflix
Also on April 24 comes Apex, a survival thriller that taps into Charlize Theron’s proven action prowess. In this latest role, Theron plays a grieving woman drawn into a deadly cat‑and‑mouse game with a merciless serial killer in the wilderness.
Supporting performances from Taron Egerton and Eric Bana add fuel to what looks like a lean, tense thriller — one that promises more than bullets and chases, and instead explores the psychological scars of survival and loss.
May 1 — The Devil Wears Prada 2
In Theaters
Few sequels evoke as much collective nostalgia — and anxiety — as The Devil Wears Prada 2. Two decades after the original became a cultural phenomenon, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway reunite, joined by Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, for another round of fashion‑industry mayhem.
This time around, the stakes (and shoulder pads) look even higher — nastier perhaps, funnier certainly, and threaded with that insider’s satire that made the original a global favorite. For many, this is the year’s most delightful guilty pleasure.
May 22 — Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
In Theaters
Just when it seemed Star Wars might slow its engines, The Mandalorian and Grogu blasts into theaters. Pedro Pascal’s intergalactic gunslinger and the endlessly expressive Grogu (a.k.a. Baby Yoda) make the leap from streaming to the big screen in what promises to be an expansive, heartfelt adventure.
The galaxy far, far away feels both familiar and newly thrilling — a testament to the franchise’s enduring allure.
June 12 — Disclosure Day
In Theaters
Steven Spielberg, now 79, returns with Disclosure Day, a UFO‑themed thriller that seems to tap directly into the public’s fascination with the unknown. After Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T., few directors are better positioned to explore what might lie beyond our skies.
With a cast that includes Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, and Colin Firth, the film’s trailer offers mystery rather than exposition — and in doing so, suggests that Spielberg believes in cinema as enigma and exploration, not just spectacle.
July 17 — The Odyssey
In Theaters
Summer brings one of the year’s most ambitious titles: The Odyssey from Christopher Nolan. Following the billion‑dollar success of Oppenheimer, Nolan turns to one of the oldest stories in Western literature — Homer’s epic of the Trojan War and the long journey home.
Matt Damon headlines as Odysseus, promising both intellectual depth and visceral scope. This is cinema that asks nothing less than how myth becomes meaning in our collective imagination.
August 28 — The Dog Stars
In Theaters
Information on The Dog Stars remains tantalizingly sparse, but that hasn’t dampened anticipation. Ridley Scott — the director behind Alien and Blade Runner — returns at 88 with a post‑apocalyptic sci‑fi adventure about virus survivors and the scavengers who hunt them.
Josh Brolin, Jacob Elordi, and Margaret Qualley anchor a story that looks primed for thoughtful dystopian spectacle. On reputation alone, this film earns a bold circle on calendars.
September 18 — Practical Magic 2
In Theaters
Nearly 30 years after Practical Magic became a beloved cult classic, its sequel finally arrives. Based on Alice Hoffman’s follow‑up novel The Book of Magic, this film reunites audiences with a world of love spells, broken hearts, and soulful enchantment.
Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock — now icons of their generation — return to a story that is as much about family and belonging as it is about witchcraft.
October 2 — Digger
In Theaters
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Digger offers what the filmmaker calls a “comedy of catastrophic proportions.” The details are slyly elusive, but the cast — led by Tom Cruise, Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, and Jesse Plemons — promises blockbuster energy.
Cruise plays “the most powerful man in the world,” battling impending disaster. When disaster meets Iñárritu’s unpredictable eye, the result may be one of the year’s most unforgettable experiences.
October 9 — The Social Reckoning
In Theaters
Aaron Sorkin returns to the terrain that made him a cultural force with The Social Network, now spinning a sequel that follows a young engineer‑turned‑whistleblower exposing the darkest secrets of Facebook.
With an ensemble cast including Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, and Jeremy Strong, The Social Reckoning looks poised to be a razor‑sharp drama about power, truth, and the unseen architecture of our digital lives.
December 18 — Dune: Part Three
In Theaters
No year is complete without epic science fiction, and Dune: Part Three promises to be just that. Denis Villeneuve returns to continue the saga of Paul Atreides, with Timothée Chalamet anchoring a narrative that has captivated audiences for decades.
Expect visionary world‑building, philosophical depth, and spectacular cinematic craft — the very definition of a year‑end blockbuster.
Also in 2026 — Coming Soon
Not all anticipation fits neatly into a release date. Among the most intriguing projects:
The Adventures of Cliff Booth
Netflix premieres a sequel in the Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood universe — directed not by Quentin Tarantino, but by David Fincher, with the script penned by Tarantino himself. Cliff Booth, the stuntman played by Brad Pitt, returns under a collaboration that could be one of the year’s most fascinating creative experiments.
Madden
David O. Russell directs a biopic of NFL legend and broadcaster John Madden, with Nicolas Cage starring and Christian Bale as Raiders owner Al Davis. This unlikely pairing suggests humor, heart, and unforgettable performances.
Why 2026 Matters
There’s a line in cinema criticism: a year’s worth of films reveals something about the culture that made them. By that measure, 2026 is a year of confidence. Big‑budget science fiction sits beside mid‑range comedies; auteur cinema shares space with genre reinvention. Directors at opposite ends of their careers — Spielberg at 79, Scott at 88, and next‑generation storytellers in their 50s — all stake a claim in what movies can be.
This year’s slate isn’t just about box office dollars. It’s about cinema as conversation: who we are, what we fear, what we laugh at, and what we hope for. Whether it’s a father’s misadventures, a space mission to save the sun, or a digital reckoning about a tech empire’s soul, the films of 2026 push us to look outward — and inward — in equal measure.
So mark your calendars. 2026 is more than a list of dates and titles. It’s a year of stories waiting to be lived.