There is no need to adjust your calendar. We really are half way through 2026 which means that while we still have the back half of the year to go, a good chunk of the year’s anticipated movie and television releases have already arrived. While superheroes and sci-fi are big this year between the upcoming Marvel and DC releases and the massively popular Project Hail Mary, fantasy has a strong presence this year, too. Most of the major offerings are yet to come, but we’ve had a handful of fantasy films and shows hit screens already this year—and they’ve been solid.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Here are the five best fantasy movies and television series released so far in 2026. That distinction is important; while there are a lot of eagerly anticipated projects still arriving this year, these are the ones that are already here (or, in one specific case, is about to be here in just a few more days after this article’s writing.) It’s a qualification that certainly narrowed the playing field but still gave us some quality entertainment. It’s also worth noting that at least one entry on this list stretches the definition of fantasy a little but it is certainly fantastic so we say it counts. Ready to see what’s been good in the realm of fantasy so far this year? Let’s dive in.
5) House of the Dragon
The third season of House of the Dragon doesn’t arrive until June 21, but if the reviews are any indication it’s going to be not only one of the best fantasy offerings this year but the best season of the HBO series to date. As of this writing, the series has a 98% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes with the general consensus being that the Game of Thrones prequel series is finally starting to get good and it its stride. Some have even said this new season is comparable to the quality of Game of Thrones (you know, before that ending threw everything off the rails and we are still unhappy about it.) This is exciting because it sounds like the series is making a massive improvement over its un deeply underwhelming Season 2 finale and with it having been teased as “the biggest season to date” by showrunner Ryan Condal, these early reviews have us confident that this one is going to end up being among the best of the best.
4) Mortal Kombat 2
Mortal Kombat 2 might not have been a smash hit with critics, fans had a lot of fun with the sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat. The film saw martial arts actor Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) recruited by the thunder god Raiden and Sonya Blade to fight in an interdimensional tournament against the Outworld warriors and stop a tyrannical emperor. The film might not be something that comes directly to mind when one thinks about the fantasy genre, but the video-game based film fits into the martial arts fantasy subgenre and it did pretty well at the box office in addition to simply being a fun watch for moviegoers.
3) Starbright
There is a pretty good chance that you have never heard of Starbright. The independent film opened in theaters back in February and didn’t really get a lot of fanfare in its rather limited release but that only makes it an underrated gem of a fantasy film. Starbright stars John Rhys-Davies, Diego Boneta, Alexandra Dowling, Ted Levine, Becky Ann Baker, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Tom Carey, and John Westley. The story is pretty straight forward: a young woman discovers a fallen star and has to protect said fallen star from the forces that want to exploit its power. The movie received some critical acclaim for its nostalgic, 1980s fantasy feel and its heartfelt story. Interestingly, the film had a very long development, originally announced back in 2010 with James Earl Jones originally cast in what would end up being Rhys-Davies’s role.
2) Masters of the Universe
By the power of Greyskull, Masters of the Universe is definitely one of the best fantasy films so far this year. Another case of the film performing better with audiences than with critics, Masters of the Universe definitely underperformed at the box office, but c’mon, it’s He-Man on the big screen in live action. It’s a straight shot of pure nostalgia that also happens to feature some truly great performances from its cast, which includes Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Idris Elba and more. Sometimes “best” is really just a metric for how much fun something is and Masters of the Universe? It’s a lot of fun.
1) The Vampire Lestat
There is likely some debate to be had as to whether vampires fall under the fantasy umbrella, but as is the case with most genre entertainment, the truth is that fantasy is made up of a lot of different elements and we’re putting vampires firmly in that category—hence the addition of The Vampire Lestat here. Technically the third season of AMC’s Interview With the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat is the titular Lestat’s time to shine. We get the fallout from the publication of Daniel Molloy’s book, Lestat’s new adventure as a rock star, and while the season is currently still airing, there’s the impending global catastrophe of a vampiric sort being teased that we’re on a collision course with. The Vampire Lestat has a perfect 100% Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes and fan reviews aren’t far behind. This is easily the best show you’re not watching—and one of the best fantasy offerings this year so far.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
