Between blockbusters like Project Hail Mary and Michael, as well as unexpected indie smashes like Backrooms and Obsession, there’s a sense that 2026 is the year that movie theaters finally shake off the post-COVID lull they’ve been in for years and make a comeback. And things are just getting warmed up. There’s a huge swath of exciting sci-fi and fantasy movies on their way in the rest of 2026, so clear your calendars, buckle down, and be part of the revival!
Disclosure Day
In theaters June 12
A lot of the movies on this list are going to be sequels and spin-offs, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but there’s something nice about the prospect of a completely original, big-budget sci-fi movie that dares to do something different. That’s what we’re getting with Disclosure Day, about the day the world finally finds out about the existence of extraterrestrial life.
We don’t know a ton about the story beyond that, which is part of the appeal. But we know it’s directed by Steven Spielberg, the man behind sci-fi classics like Close Encounters of the Third King, E.T., and War of the Worlds, which is more than enough to sell me on it.
- Release Date
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June 12, 2026
- Runtime
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145 Minutes
- Director
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Steven Spielberg
Cast
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Emily Blunt
Margaret Fairchild
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Josh O’Connor
Daniel Kellner
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Eve Hewson
Jane Blakenship
Supergirl
In theaters June 26
The new DC movie universe got off to a good start last year with Superman, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. It’ll continue with Supergirl, about Clark Kent’s hard-living, foul-mouthed cousin Kara (Milly Alcock). We met her briefly at the end of Superman, and now she’s off on her own adventure somewhere out there in the stars.
The movie looks a little looser and wilder than Superman, which fits with the character. Kara will go against the space bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa) and spent a lot of time with her dog Krypto.
- Release Date
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June 26, 2026
- Runtime
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110 Minutes
- Director
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Craig Gillespie
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Milly Alcock
Kara Zor-El / Supergirl
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Matthias Schoenaerts
Krem of the Yellow Hills
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Eve Ridley
Ruthye Mary Knolle
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The Odyssey
In theaters July 17
One of the most hotly anticipated (and most controversial) movies of 2026 is The Odyssey. It hails from acclaimed director Christopher Nolan, the man behind films like The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer. An adaptation of Homer’s 2,500-year-old epic poem about Odysseus (Matt Damon) returning home from the Trojan War, it’s a huge production with tons of big stars, an enormous budget, and very high expectations. Nolan shot it to be seen on the biggest screen possible, so he’s going for shock and awe here.
- Release Date
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July 17, 2026
- Runtime
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172 Minutes
- Director
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Christopher Nolan
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
In theaters July 31
Tom Holland will return for his fourth go as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The movie will find him living an isolated life in New York City while he battles a new crime wave as well as dealing with strange mutations in his own body.
Every Spider-Man movie thus far has been a huge hit, and Brand New Day will probably follow suit. It would take a lot for this movie to fail.
- Release Date
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July 31, 2026
- Director
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Destin Daniel Cretton
- Writers
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Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Steve Ditko, Stan Lee
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Tom Holland
Spider-Man / Peter Parker
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-
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Mark Ruffalo
Bruce Banner / Hulk
Practical Magic 2
In theaters September 18
Practical Magic 2 will reunite Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as magically inclined sisters Sally and Gillian nearly three decades after the original movie in 1998. Sally now has kids who are coming into their own power, and the family has to come together to probe the source of their magical abilities.
- Release Date
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September 11, 2026
- Director
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Susanne Bier
- Writers
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Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett
Cast
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Nicole Kidman
Gillian Owens
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Sandra Bullock
Sally Owens
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-
Resident Evil
In theaters September 18
The Resident Evil franchise has been through a lot onscreen, and could well get a boost from this new movie directed by Zack Cregger, who scored a hit last year with his original horror film Weapons. His Resident Evil movie is set during the events of 1998’s Resident Evil 2 video game, when a zombie plague spreads through the metropolis of Raccoon City. It’ll follow Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier caught in the middle of it.
- Release Date
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September 18, 2026
- Director
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Zach Cregger
- Writers
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Shay Hatten, Zach Cregger
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
On Paramount+ October 9
Avatar: The Last Airbender ends with Aang defeating Fire Lord Ozai, bringing peace to a rich fantasy realm inspired by East Asian cultures. This animated feature will catch up with characters like Aang, Katara, and Zuko as adults, something fans had previously only glimpsed on shows like The Legend of Korra.
Originally, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender was going to be released theatrically, but will now drop straight on Paramount+. Also, the movie was leaked ahead of time. So it’s had to overcome a few hurdles, but hopefully fans of the original series will find something to enjoy at the end of the road.
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Clayface
In theaters October 23
Supergirl isn’t the only DC movie coming out this year. Clayface is a horror movie about Matt Fagan (Tom Rhys Harries), an actor whose face gets disfigured. He turns to alternate treatments, which leaves him with a whole new set of problems.
In DC lore, Clayface is a Batman villain, but it’s unclear how far this movie will go in that direction.
- Release Date
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October 23, 2026
- Director
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James Watkins
- Writers
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Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini, Bill Finger, Bob Kane
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Tom Rhys Harries
Matt Hagen / Clayface
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Naomi Ackie
Dr. Caitlin Bates
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The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
In theaters November 20
In 2023, Lionsgate put out The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, a prequel movie that showed viewers how the deadly Hunger Games contests came to be. That movie was a hit, so now we’re getting another prequel.
Sunrise on the Reaping will jump ahead some years to show us what happened at the 50th Hunger Games, when a young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada, playing a younger version of the character that Woody Harrelson played in the original Hunger Games films) is chosen to compete to the death with other tributes. The twist in this particular Hunger Games is that the various districts in the tyrannical empire of Panem must send twice the number of tributes as usual, which means that many more teenagers trying to kill each other.
- Release Date
-
November 20, 2026
- Director
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Francis Lawrence
- Writers
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Billy Ray, Michael Lesslie, Suzanne Collins
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Joseph Zada
Haymitch Abernathy
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Mckenna Grace
Maysilee Donner
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Whitney Peak
Lenore Dove Baird
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Jesse Plemons
Plutarch Heavensbee
Avengers: Doomsday
In theaters December 18
The Marvel Cinematic Universe may not be the cultural juggernaut it once was, but Disney is going to do its best to revive interest with Avengers: Doomsday, a good old-fashioned mega-movie that will bring together dozens of characters from across the MCU. That will include original Avengers stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), and Robert Downey Jr., who’s returning to play new arch-villain Doctor Doom.
Normally, you could count on Doomsday being the biggest movie of December, but this year it has some competition.
- Release Date
-
December 18, 2026
- Director
-
Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
- Writers
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Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee
-
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Vanessa Kirby
Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
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Joseph Quinn
Johnny Storm / Human Torch
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Ben Grimm / The Thing
