Part of the fun of being a film fan is trying to predict what upcoming movies will make an age-defining cultural splash and which ones will plop forgettably into oblivion. So here’s a hopeful look at the most anticipated films coming in 2026. 

THE BLOCKBUSTERS

“The Mandalorian and Grogu” (May 22)

Plenty of major franchises are looking to reverse their fortunes this year. This continuation of the TV adventures of Pedro Pascal’s masked Mandalorian and everyone’s favorite li’l green guy seeks to overcome “Star Wars” oversaturation and make a leap back to the big screen. 

“Supergirl” (June 26)

James Gunn already did the impossible by overcoming the dour taint of DC’s woefully misguided cinematic universe with last year’s stellar, hopeful “Superman.” So here’s to the former MCU mastermind’s next colorful outing starring Milly Alcock as Supes’ hard-partying, secretly troubled younger cousin as she discovers her own heroic legacy while reeling through the universe. 

“Disclosure Day” (June 12)

Stephen Spielberg’s new science fiction film is being kept under wraps. What we do know is that it’s about UFOs whose mysterious emergence makes TV meteorologist Emily Blunt speak an unknown language on-air, but that’s enough to whet our appetites for another awe-inspiring tale of — dare we hope — a close encounter? (And not another “War of the Worlds.”)

“The Odyssey” (July 17)

Christopher Nolan is spending all the money on his massive retelling of the Homeric epic tale of Odysseus’ voyage home. It’s got stars (Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya), it’s in IMAX 70mm, and the “Oppenheimer” director is preparing to once again blow some socks off. 

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (July 31)

Tom Holland’s big July continues with his latest outing as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Emphasis on the neighborhood, as the universe-hopping events of “No Way Home” see Peter Parker once more an unknown costumed crime fighter on the streets of New York. 

“Avengers: Doomsday” (Dec. 18)

Marvel fatigue is real, people, so there’s a lot riding on this regrouped Avengers movie. Seeking to give audiences what they presumably want, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans return from the dead (in admittedly mysterious guises), and the crowded MCU gets even more so with the introduction of everyone from the X-Men to the Fantastic Four into the massive superhero throwdown. 

“Dune: Part Three” (Dec. 18)

Give it up to director Denis Villeneuve. After helming two jaw-dropping adaptations of Frank Herbert’s beloved sci-fi classic, this third outing leaps into the future (of the future) to adapt a much more complex Herbert tale in which space messiah Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) copes with the implications of his rise to unthinkable power. And going up against the Avengers? That’s some Dune-sized moxie. 

FUTURE CULT FAVES

“I Love Boosters” (May 22)

Director Boots Riley made one of the damnedest, smartest films of 2018 with the scathingly imaginative “Sorry to Bother You.” So his first film since then is another wildly anticipated slice of social and racial satire starring Keke Palmer, LaKeith Stanfield, Naomi Ackie and Demi Moore in a tale of high-stakes shoplifters against a wealthy fashion maven.

“Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” (2026)

Director David Wain (“Wet Hot American Summer,” “They Came Together”) pretty much makes nothing but hilariously weird cult classic comedies. So here’s to his killer cast (Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Tom Lennon, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Kerri Kenney, Michael Ian Black) bringing to life this tale of a “celebrity sex pass” gone very wrong.

“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” (2026)

Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun has made two of the scariest, strangest movies in recent memory in “I Saw the TV Glow” and “Welcome to the World’s Fair.” So their new movie about an obsessed horror director (Hannah Einbinder) circling the final girl star (Gillian Anderson) of the horror flick whose legacy sequel she’s directing promises another fascinating, disturbing movie experience. 

“The Entertainment System Is Down” (2026)

Director Ruben Östlund has dominated at Cannes with his nigh-uncategorizable films “The Triangle of Sadness” and “The Square.” Now the Swedish auteur has major star power (Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst, Samantha Morton, Nicholas Braun) on board for this no-doubt head-spinning story of a luxury flight of rich travelers descending into madness once… well, you read the title. 

“Whitney Springs” (2026)

“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone return to the big screen for this undoubtedly outrageous comedy about a Black man (rapper Kendrick Lamar) who discovers that his white girlfriend’s family once owed his. Oh, and he currently works as a slave reenactor. 

“I Want Your Sex” (2026)

’90s indie punk icon Greg Araki (“The Living End,” “The Doom Generation”) heard those stories about Gen Z not having sex and comes storming back with this typically risqué take on love, sex, and more sex starring Charlie XCX in her film debut. 

HORRORS!

“Send Help” (Jan. 30)

Horror master Sam Raimi (“The Evil Dead” movies, duh) finally gets back to what he does best in this dark, bloody tale of a beleaguered employee and her jerk boss (Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, respectively) whose roles are reversed when they’re stranded on a dangerous island.

“The Bride!” (March 6)

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s take on “The Bride of Frankenstein” transports the body-snatching and monster-making to 1930s gangland Chicago. Jesse Buckley’s the Bride, Christian Bale’s Frank, and trailers suggest a suitably mismatched patchwork of classic Universal horror and Bonnie and Clyde. 

“Werwulf” (Dec. 25)

Robert Eggers has already proven he can do classic horror right with his “Nosferatu” remake last year, so hopes are high that he can find a way to revitalize the tricky werewolf genre with this 13th-century tale starring Eggers regulars Lily Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Dennis Perkins is a freelance writer who lives in Auburn with his wife and his cat.