The calendar has turned to June, which means we’re already nearing the halfway point of the year. Over the past handful of months, moviegoers have been treated to some notable films that made a memorable impression. Project Hail Mary turned out to be the sci-fi masterpiece genre fans hoped it would, riding waves of critical acclaim to a record-breaking box office performance. Indie horror took over the box office, with Backrooms and Obsession managing to defy odds and top The Mandalorian and Grogu. Families have had plenty to choose from to, as Hoppers and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie had successful runs. A lot has happened since 2026 began, and there’s plenty more still on the way.
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We’re still in the early days of the summer movie season, meaning there’s an entire lineup of studio tentpoles on the way. Looking further down the line, awards season hopefuls will be looking to become the talk of the town during the fall festivals, and there are some heavy hitters scheduled for the always busy holiday window in December. There’s so much on deck that it can be difficult to keep track of it all, so we’re running down some of the most anticipated films for the rest of 2026, ranked by hype.
9) The End of Oak Street (August 14th)
Kicking off our list is one of the more intriguing original films coming out this summer. Drawing inspiration from sources like The Twilight Zone, director David Robert Mitchell’s (It Follows) The End of Oak Street promises to be one of the most exciting dinosaur movies in recent memory. The story follows a suburban family thrust into extraordinary circumstances when their home street is mysteriously transported to prehistoric times, putting them and their neighbors in the crosshairs of deadly creatures. The premise seems to be delivering on the unfulfilled potential of an old Jurassic World plot line: dinosaurs interacting with everyday life in the “real world.”
The End of Oak Street trailers have done a great job of striking the right balance between selling general audiences on the concept while also preserving enough of the mystery to keep people guessing. The marketing materials are giving off old-school Amblin vibes, capturing the awe and tension of so many classic blockbusters of yesteryear. Mitchell earned raves for his creativity on the horror film It Follows, and if those sensibilities translate well to sci-fi, audiences could be in for something fresh and special.
8) Clayface (October 23rd)
DC Studios is looking to build on the success of last summer’s Superman with a pair of theatrical releases in 2026. This fall sees the premiere of Clayface, bringing the tale of the classic Batman villain to the big screen. Directed by James Watkins, it occupies a unique space in the DC Universe franchise. Clayface is a body horror film revolving around Matt Hagen, an actor who suffers a traumatic accident and takes a substance that transforms him into a shape-shifting being.
Clayface is a very exciting addition to the DCU canon because it’s looking to break the mold of what a comic book adaptation can be. From the beginning, DC Studios co-head James Gunn promised Clayface would fully embrace the R rating, holding nothing back in its gruesome, terrifying horror. The first Clayface trailer brilliantly illustrated Watkins’ approach, eerily setting the stage for what’s to come. One of Gunn’s goals with the DCU is to have each project be unique with its own tone and style. If the mid-budget Clayface is successful, it’ll open other opportunities for experimentation.
7) Supergirl (June 26th)
A handful of months before Clayface hits the big screen, DC fans will be able to go on an intergalactic adventure with Kara Zor-El. Building off Milly Alcock’s cameo in Superman, Supergirl sees its titular heroine take center stage in a feature film for the first time since 1984. Marketing materials have essentially sold Supergirl as DC’s long-awaited answer to Guardians of the Galaxy, combining an irreverent tone with poignant character drama (notably, Krypto’s life-threatening condition). Supergirl is obviously aiming to be much more than just a Guardians clone, but after years of trying (Suicide Squad), it’s exciting to see DC (hopefully) nail this approach.
Like all DCU projects, Supergirl is first and foremost aiming to work on its own merits as a standalone film. And while an exploration of Kara Zor-El’s grief and trauma should make for a compelling narrative, Supergirl should also boast larger connections to the DCU that are worth getting excited about. It’s already been confirmed that Alcock is reprising her role in next summer’s Man of Tomorrow, so it’ll be interesting to see how Supergirl advances the overarching DCU story. There are few directions it can go there, including a tease of Brainiac. For that reason, Supergirl is the more anticipated DCU film of 2026, though both should be great.
6) The Adventures of Cliff Booth (November 25th)
Cinephiles are still waiting for Quentin Tarantino’s 10th (and final) directorial effort, but they’ll be treated to something new from the Oscar winner later this year. Tarantino wrote the script for The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up that sees Brad Pitt reprise his famous role. Pitt’s frequent collaborator David Fincher is calling the shots. Fincher and Tarantino are two of their generation’s most accomplished auteurs, but their sensibilities are typically quite different, so people are curious to see how this pairing pans out.
Fincher and Tarantino teaming up for anything would be deserving of our excitement, but the fact that this project is connected to one of Tarantino’s most acclaimed works makes it all the more thrilling. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood brilliantly transported audiences back in time, telling a wildly entertaining and surprisingly poignant story populated by memorable characters. Pitt’s performance as Cliff Booth was arguably the biggest highlight, and it should be fun to see him back on screen again. Netflix has huge plans for The Adventures of Cliff Booth, which could be the streamer’s major awards contender this year. It’s receiving an IMAX release at Thanksgiving before debuting at home over Christmas, making this one of the biggest releases of the holiday season.
5) Toy Story 5 (June 19th)
Four years after Lightyear became a rare Pixar box office bomb, the animation studio is looking to get their flagship Toy Story franchise back on track with a new mainline entry. This time around, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the gang find themselves in a struggle against technology after Bonnie becomes infatuated with her new tablet, Lilypad. Throughout the course of the series, the toys have faced multiple crises and existential dilemmas and have overcome them all, but they may have met their match here.
The Toy Story series is so revered that whenever a new entry is on the way, a subsect of fans worry if the latest installment will “ruin” the perfection of what came before. That fear is understandable (Toy Story seemingly went out on a high note not once but twice), but Toy Story 5 is shaping up to be a worthy addition to the canon. The “toys vs. tech” angle is a way to keep the franchise feeling fresh, tapping into current, real-world concerns. Plus, focusing more on Jessie will flesh out one of the franchise’s best characters, including an emotional flashback to her time with Emily. Toy Story 5 should be one of the most special films to come out this summer, continuing the legacy of one of cinema’s most iconic properties.
4) Dune: Part Three (December 18th)
Anticipation for Dune: Part Three is so high that tickets for IMAX screenings were selling out eight months in advance. Considering how the previous two installments panned out, it’s easy to understand why moviegoers are so excited for the finale. Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal novel is perhaps the greatest sci-fi film franchise of the decade, blending jaw-dropping visuals, incredible spectacle, and captivating performances to deliver something unforgettable. From the teases we’ve seen so far, Dune: Part Three could be the best of the bunch.
Based on the teaser trailer that premiered earlier this year, Dune: Part Three seems to be a fittingly epic conclusion to the trilogy. This time around, it’s an all-out war, with footage drawing comparisons to Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. Villeneuve is taking full advantage of all of the tools available at his disposal, crafting something that deserves to be seen on the biggest of screens. Warner Bros. is supremely confident in Dune: Part Three, scheduling it to open directly against Avengers: Doomsday. Dune 3 won the battle for the IMAX screenings, which only adds to the hype. This will be one of the most significant movie events of the year.
3) The Odyssey (July 17th)
Any time Christopher Nolan has a new movie coming out, it immediately becomes one of the most anticipated titles of the year. He’s one of the few directors working today who can draw in an audience with just his name alone. Even a three-hour biopic about the creator of the atomic bomb can soar past $900 million worldwide because it’s Nolan. But even by the Oscar winner’s lofty standards, hype for The Odyssey is off the charts. This generation’s premier blockbuster filmmaker is bringing one of the oldest tales in fiction to life in a way like never before — and it was entirely shot using IMAX cameras.
In addition to Nolan, The Odyssey features a star-studded cast that’s a who’s who of the Hollywood A-list, with everyone from Matt Damon to Tom Holland to Robert Pattinson to Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong’o playing key roles. The combination of talent on both sides of the camera, the source material, and the fact that this is a big-screen event unlike anything we’ve seen makes The Odyssey one of the hottest tickets in Hollywood this year. After finally winning his long-overdue Oscar for Oppenheimer, Nolan is taking an even bigger swing with his follow-up by painting on an even larger canvas, and it should be awe-inspiring.
2) Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31st)
As a big of a deal as The Odyssey is going to be this summer, there’s one other studio tentpole that arguably has it beat on the hype scale. July also sees the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first new solo Spider-Man movie in nearly five years. Excitement for this film has been steadily rising since it was announced, particularly after it was promised that Brand New Day returns Spider-Man back to his street-level roots, telling the kind of classic Peter Parker story that the MCU hasn’t really delved into before. Fans are thrilled to see the web head go back to being a friendly neighborhood hero.
The MCU has experienced its fair share of ups and downs over the past handful of years, but Spider-Man is typically a reliable bet. The character is Marvel’s most popular superhero, and fans can’t wait to see the next chapter of Peter’s story begin. Brand New Day is delivering an emotional character-driven story about rediscovering the value of connection, all while featuring appearances from fan-favorite MCU veterans (Hulk, Punisher), a cornucopia of Spidey villains, and plenty of hard-hitting action. Whether or not this has any ties to Avengers: Doomsday, Brand New Day will be the defining movie event of the summer.
1) Avengers: Doomsday (December 18th)
Speaking of Avengers: Doomsday, it’s shaping up to be the most anticipated movie for the rest of the year. The Multiverse Saga has been uneven, but the MCU remains a cultural touchstone. If people had little interest in Doomsday, there’s no way a five-hour livestream of chairs could have generated so much attention. That infamous cast reveal made one thing very clear: Marvel is making perhaps its most ambitious film yet, bringing together multiple superhero teams from different realities for the confrontation against Doctor Doom (played by none other than MCU poster boy Robert Downey Jr.).
The sheer size of the ensemble, lack of set up for Doctor Doom, and a reliance on nostalgia raise some questions about how exactly Marvel is going to pull Doomsday off. Moviegoers are quite curious to see how the film pans out, but if the Russo brothers successfully land the plane again (after bringing the Infinity Saga to a satisfying conclusion years ago), Doomsday will perhaps be the most epic Avengers film yet. The trailer shown at CinemaCon (which hasn’t officially been released online yet) teased standout moments between fan-favorite characters and jaw-dropping action highlighting the power of Doom. If Doomsday works, the MCU will be back on track, setting the stage for an even more exciting release next year (Secret Wars).
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