Cinema’s Highly Anticipated Releases of 2026
As a new year opens we take a look at some of the new films set to be released that are sure to grab the attention of movie goers everywhere.
Avengers: Doomsday (December 18, 2026): The Russo brothers are returning to direct this MCU film involving several characters including the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, and Xmen joining forces. They will be going up against a newly portrayed villain Doctor Doom played by Robert Downey Jr known for portraying the hero Iron Man aka Tony Stark throughout the franchise.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (November 20, 2026): A prequel in the popular franchise which will focus on the 50th Hunger Games 24 years before the first film The Hunger Games (2012). Directed by Francis Lawrence the prequel will follow a young Haymitch Abernathy [the future mentor of the series main protagonist Katniss Everdeen] who is selected to compete in the games where he must fight to the death.
The Odyssey ( July 17, 2026) An adaptation of the epic poem by Homer will be brought to life by popular director Christopher Nolan. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus the Greek king of Ithaca who undergoes a long journey home following the Trojan war. Nolan was interested in Odysseus’s cleverness and ability to strategize and encouraged Damon to grow a full beard as opposed to using artificial hair to capture the physicality of real hair. Other notable casting includes Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, a potential suitor for Penelope and Tom Holland as Telemachus, Odysseus’s son. The film will also be the first of Nolan’s films to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras.
Toy Story 5 (June 19, 2026) The fifth installment in Pixar’s flagship franchise; despite earlier speculation that Toy Story 4 (2019) would be the final film, Tim Allen expressed interest in returning for this sequel. Directed by Andrew Stanton the film follows Bonnie’s room after dealing with the arrival of digital tech in the form of a frog-like tablet named Lilypad an allusion to the kids entertainment & electronics company Leapfrog and how this threatens their relationship with Bonnie.
Scream 7 (February 27, 2026) an upcoming slasher film and the seventh installment in the famous horror franchise. Directed by Kevin Williamson and starring actress Neve Campbell returning as Sidney Prescott after her absence in Scream VI (2023) who has built a new life for herself in Indiana. However when a new ghostface killer appears and targets her daughter Tatum she is forced to face her past and bring the killings to their ultimate end.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (April 3, 2026) Illumination’s sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) and adaptation of the 2007 video game Super Mario Galaxy. Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and stars Chris Pratt reprising his role as the titular character joining Princess Peach and his brother Luigi on an outer space adventure to face off against Bowser’s son Bowser JR. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furkawa said that they’d be interested in producing more animated films based on their video game franchises if the first Mario film was a success and its box office success resulted in the release of this one.
