The Most Anticipated Movies of 2026: Doomsday, Baby Yoda, and Nolan’s Odyssey
By Sarah Wilmington, NC
Here are the most anticipated movies of 2026.
The Mandalorian & Grogu
Release Date: May 22
It has been seven long years since The Rise of Skywalker left us all with… let’s call them "mixed feelings." Since then, the galaxy far, far away has been strictly a living room affair. That changes in May. Jon Favreau is bringing Mando and the little green merchandising machine to the big screen. Look, I’m as tired of IP-churn as the next critic, but there is something undeniably cinematic about Star Wars. It belongs in a dark room with sticky floors. If this movie is just two hours of Pedro Pascal (or his stunt double) blowing things up while Baby Yoda coos in Dolby Atmos, it’s going to be the biggest hit of the summer.
Toy Story 5
Release Date: June 19
Did we need a fourth one? No. Do we need a fifth one? Absolutely not. Will I be there on opening weekend, weeping into my popcorn as Woody faces some new existential crisis about obsolescence that hits a little too close to home for a middle-aged woman? You bet. Pixar claims this installment tackles "Toy meets Tech," with the gang facing off against iPads and screens. As a parent losing the battle against TikTok daily, I feel seen.
The Odyssey
Release Date: July 17
Christopher Nolan. Homer. An IMAX camera. It’s the kind of pitch that makes film nerds hyperventilate. After turning a biopic about a physicist into a billion-dollar thriller, Nolan is tackling the OG epic poem. With Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and Tom Holland as Telemachus, this isn't just a movie; it’s an event. Nolan seems determined to prove that he can make anything a blockbuster. If he can make 2026 audiences care about hexameter verse and Greek mythology, give him the keys to the kingdom.
The Bride!
Release Date: October 2 (Projected)
While the boys fight over capes and spaceships, Maggie Gyllenhaal is doing something much more interesting. Her take on The Bride of Frankenstein stars Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley, and it promises to be the punk-rock antidote to the polished studio fare. Gyllenhaal proved she has a unique, prickly vision with The Lost Daughter, and seeing her tackle a classic monster movie with this cast? It’s the goth girl’s dream I never grew out of.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Release Date: November 20
We thought we were out, but they pulled us back in. The YA dystopian wave of the 2010s has receded, but Panem remains real estate gold. This prequel focuses on Haymitch Abernathy’s games—the 50th Hunger Games. We know how it ends (spoiler: he drinks), but seeing the trauma that shaped Katniss’s mentor is a compelling hook. It’s nostalgia for the Millennials, content for the Zoomers.
Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date: December 18
Here it is. The big one. The "Pivot." After the Jonathan Majors debacle, Marvel didn't just recast; they rewrote the playbook. Bringing back the Russo Brothers was a safety play. Bringing back Robert Downey Jr.—the man who built the MCU in a cave with a box of scraps—to play Doctor Doom? That is either the most desperate move in Hollywood history or a stroke of evil genius. I’m leaning toward the latter. Seeing the face of Tony Stark behind the mask of Marvel’s greatest villain is going to break the internet, and probably the box office.
Dune: Part Three
Release Date: December 18 (Tentative)
If the schedule holds, we are looking at a Barbenheimer-level clash in December. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Messiah adaptation. Timothée Chalamet as the Emperor of the Known Universe, now less of a plucky hero and more of a terrifying god-figure. The second film was a masterpiece of sci-fi scale. If Villeneuve can stick the landing on the weirder, darker third act of Paul Atreides’ story, he cements his legacy. Plus, Florence Pugh is back. We love to see it.
Project Hail Mary
Release Date: TBD 2026
Ryan Gosling in space. Again. But this time, it’s based on the novel by Andy Weir (The Martian), and it’s directed by Lord and Miller (The LEGO Movie, Spider-Verse). It’s the story of a teacher waking up from a coma on a spaceship with no memory, tasked with saving Earth. Gosling’s charm plus Lord and Miller’s visual wit? This is the sleeper hit potential of the year.