2025 ended up being a pretty great year for movies. Sinners, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, and more did a great job lifting what initially looked like a pretty bland slate of films. In 2026, the slate looks a whole lot more interesting at first glance, and that could mean we get a historically good year this year. Among those, here are the ones I am most looking forward to, in no particular order.

The Movies I Can’t Wait to Watch in 2026

Dune: Part Three

Dune: Part Two is the greatest movie ever made. It retroactively makes the first movie so much better, and it has the trilogy poised to be one of the best to ever be put to film. Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Denis Villeneuve are going to be an unstoppable group this winter.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

There has yet to be a truly bad Hunger Games movie. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is unlikely to be the first. I quite enjoyed the book, but what has me most excited is the cast. I am obsessed with Jesse Plemons playing Plutarch Heavensbee, and getting Ralph Fiennes to take on President Snow is a stroke of genius.

The Odyssey

Every single list about upcoming movies has to include The Odyssey. Even if it weren’t Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to Oppenheimer, it would still be one to watch. Tom Holland, Jon Bernthal, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, and Matt Damon all star, and that only scratches the surface.

Avengers Doomsday

The MCU may have fallen on hard times lately (the last two films excluded). This may have a cast way too full and may be trying to nostalgia-bait audiences. No one’s going to be able to look away, though. Avengers Doomsday is either going to be incredible or horrible. There will be no in-between.

Project Hail Mary

I’m not one of those people who think Project Hail Mary is a perfect book. But it is pretty close to perfection. The source material means this has to be decent, but the crew behind the camera means it will be excellent. Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Ryan Gosling, Drew Goddard, Daniel Pemberton, and Greig Fraser are all involved. It might be the movie of the year.

“Wuthering Heights”

Go ahead, crucify me. I tried to read the novel, but I couldn’t make it through it. That probably reflects poorly on me. Either way, I’m very curious to see what Emerald Fennell is cooking up here. I liked both Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, so this has my interest. Book purists lament the fact that “Wuthering Heights” seems to be a poor adaptation, but I wonder if that’s intentional. Either way, I must find out.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple follows 28 Years Later, which was one of 2025’s best movies. This time, though, Danny Boyle is handing it off to Nia DeCosta, so I’m very interested to see the narrative follow-up from Alex Garland and what DeCosta does when in control of the camera. I already have my tickets for next weekend.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

There has yet to be a bad MCU Spider-Man film, no matter what the silly Spidey purists say. Adding Sadie Sink is a smart choice, as is taking the character back to his ground-level roots. The ending of No Way Home puts Spider-Man in a difficult spot, which is exactly where he needs to be. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is very exciting.

Disclosure Day

I’ve got two words for you: Josh O’Connor and Steven Spielberg, must-see TV. Who knows how many more Spielberg movies we will get? That alone is reason enough, but Josh O’Connor is skyrocketing up Hollywood interest boards. He had a couple of great roles last year and seems poised for a massive breakout.

Digger

If you know anything about me, you know I adore Tom Cruise. He’s my favorite actor of all time, so anything he does is of interest to me. But moving out of action and working with a prestigious director again is very interesting. Plus, Digger stars Jesse Plemons and Cruise, so it literally does not get much better than that!

Scream 7

It’s an absolute shame what Spyglass did to Melissa Barrera, and it cost them dearly. Ultimately, this is likely to be, like Doomsday, a whirlwind of nostalgia. However, Scream is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I adore this franchise. I’m so excited to see Stu Macher back in some capacity, and that’s really all I need. I’m a simple man and the target audience.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is going to be so good. The first movie was great, and they appear to be taking it up a notch this time. The setting is better, the music is better, and the color/style seems to be better, too. What’s not to look forward to?

End Credits

I am well aware that this is essentially a list of movies coming out in 2026. What can I say? It’s going to be a really good year for film, and there are so many reasons why. Many of them are on this list, and some are not, so we all need to get out to the theaters more this year.