Against all odds, 2025 was a very good year for movies. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe effectively sidelined, Hollywood placed its bets on ambitious original stories instead. Even the biggest franchise hits bucked convention to offer fresh perspectives and unique experiences. (Before you get too excited, remember that the two biggest movies of 2025 were still live-action adaptations of Minecraft and Lilo & Stitch; baby steps.)
So will 2026 continue this trend or revert back to what’s reliable? Looking ahead, the answer seems to be: a bit of both. This year brings the first new Avengers movie since 2019 and the first new Star Wars movie since 2019 (I bet Disney really wishes it could go back to the pre-COVID era). At the same time, Christopher Nolan will cash in his Oppenheimer check to unleash The Odyssey, while Denis Villeneuve wraps up his Dune trilogy. Genre masters like Sam Raimi and Steve Spielberg are also staking their claim to 2026 with original stories.
We’re even getting a new Scream movie and a new Scary Movie movie. Plus, there’s a new Spider-Man out that’s supposed to be nuts.
One thing seems clear: 2026 will be a jam-packed year for fans of science fiction, fantasy, horror, superheroes, and epic blockbuster movies in general. Below, you’ll find the 25 movies we at Polygon are most excited for in the coming year.
1
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Release date: Jan. 16
Filmed in tandem with 28 Years Later, but directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels), The Bone Temple picks up where Danny Boyle’s sequel left off, with young Spike (Alfie Williams) welcomed into a group of murderous survivors led by Jimmy (Jack O’Connel). A third 28 Years Later film is already confirmed, so The Bone Temple serves as a crucial middle-point in Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland’s post-apocalyptic trilogy.
2
All You Need Is Kill
Release date: Jan. 16
The Japanese light novel that inspired Edge of Tomorrow gets an adaptation of its own. Trailers for the anime film promise a visually stunning adaptation that’s equal parts psychedelic and blood-soaked. Murmurs out of a New York Comic Con screening last year suggest maybe it’s not aaaas good as the Tom Cruise movie, but it certainly has a look all its own that should serve the big screen.
3
Send Help
Release date: Jan. 30
After his detour into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, director Sam Raimi returns to what he does best: gory comedy-tinged horror. Send Help stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brian as co-workers stranded on an island after their plane crashes and everyone else onboard dies. Violence appears to ensue.
4
Scream 7
Release date: Feb. 27
Wes Craven’s iconic horror franchise returns once again. After shedding some of its next-gen cast (including Jenna Ortega, who maybe got too famous), Scream 7 brings back original screenwriter Kevin Williamson — this time to direct, too. He’s joined by recognizable faces like Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and Matthew Lillard who… died in Scream… twist.
5
Project Hail Mary
Release date: March 20
While we all wait for the Beyond the Spider-verse to arrive, the minds behind the animated trilogy are offering up a live-action epic adapted from the book by Andy Weir (The Martian). Phil Lord and Christopher Miller co-direct Project Hail Mary, which stars Ryan Gosling as an astronaut who wakes up in space with no memory of what he’s doing there. Beware: the trailers get pretty spoilery — which Weir tells us was to “put butts in seats” — for where this space odyssey goes.
6
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
Release date: March 27
Ready or Not probably didn’t need a sequel, but this follow-up horror comedy looks pretty darn good. Plus, they nailed the title. Samara Weaving returns as endangered bride Grace, but this time she’s got a sister (Kathryn Newton). Meanwhile, the devil-worshiping Le Domas family is replaced by a murderers row of talent including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elijah Wood, and David Cronenberg.
7
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Release date: April 3
The Super Mario Bros Movie made over a billion dollars, so of course we’re getting a sequel. Nintendo and Illumination reteam here for a follow-up that skips right past the obvious “World” expansion and instead heads into outer space where we meet Rosalina, voicd by Brie Larson. For the sequel, Nintendo looks to be roping in tons of deeper-cut references from across the entire… galaxy… of Mario games so that’s something!
8
The Mummy
Release date: April 17
Lee Cronin (Evil Dead Rise) takes on the Mummy in Blumhouse’s latest film to modernize a classic horror icon. We know almost nothing about Cronin’s vision for the franchise — and it may even be retitled The Resurrected by the time it hits theaters — but the movie stars Jack Reynor (Midsommar) taking on a leading man role held in previous iterations by Tom Cruise and Brendan Fraser. Good luck, Jack!
9
Mortal Kombat 2
Release date: May 8
After delaying this sequel by six months, Warner Bros. will finally release Mortal Kombat 2 this spring. The film introduces Karl Urban and Johnny Cage and promises to do the one thing the last one didn’t: show us an actual martial arts tournament. Oh, and our boy Noob Saibot is in it. Noob hive rise up.
10
The Mandalorian & Grogu
Release date: May 22
After a brutally long hiatus, Star Wars returns to the big screen with the latest installment of Baby Yoda (aka, Grogu) and Mando’s adventures. Whether showrunner/director Jon Favreau’s serialized-western take on the franchise translates to cinema remains to be seen, but we’re just happy to have Star Wars in theaters again.
