--- title: 'The Best Movies of 2026 So Far — Plus What’s Next' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=JN-ZrmBbaX0' video_id: 'JN-ZrmBbaX0' date: 2026-06-30 duration_sec: 724 --- # The Best Movies of 2026 So Far — Plus What’s Next > Source: [The Best Movies of 2026 So Far — Plus What’s Next](https://youtube.com/watch?v=JN-ZrmBbaX0) ## Summary This video provides a comprehensive rundown of the most anticipated movies of 2026, covering a wide range of genres including horror, sci-fi, animation, action, and franchise sequels. It lists major titles in release date order, from early-year releases like "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" to late-year blockbusters like "Avengers: Doomsday." The overview highlights key directors, cast members, and plot points for each film, giving viewers a preview of what to expect in theaters throughout the year. ### Key Points - **Video Introduction** [00:00] — The host introduces the video as a look at the best movies of 2026 so far and the biggest upcoming releases, covering franchise giants, original stories, and various genres. - **Early Horror and Thriller Releases** [00:31] — "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" continues the infected saga with Nia DeCosta directing and Alex Garland writing. Sam Raimi's "Send Help" is a survival thriller about a boss and employee stranded on an island. - **Heist and Crime Films** [01:12] — "The City of Ember" is a Los Angeles heist thriller adaptation from Bart Layton. "Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man" follows Tommy Shelby in wartime Birmingham. - **Sci-Fi and Animation Highlights** [02:10] — Pixar's "Hoppers" is an original sci-fi comedy about a girl transferring consciousness into a robotic beaver. "War Machine" is a sci-fi thriller with a man vs. machine showdown. "Project Hail Mary" adapts Andy Weir's novel with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directing. - **Franchise Sequels and Biopics** [03:03] — "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" expands into space. A Michael Jackson biopic traces his life. "The Devil Wears Prada 2" brings back the original cast. "Mortal Kombat 2" expands the roster. - **Star Wars and Fantasy Reboots** [05:01] — "The Mandalorian and Grogu" continues the series on the big screen. "Masters of the Universe" gets a live-action reboot with Travis Knight directing. - **Spielberg and Major Franchises** [05:49] — Steven Spielberg returns to sci-fi with an original extraterrestrial story. "Toy Story 5" tackles screen time competition. "Supergirl" draws from "Woman of Tomorrow." - **Live-Action Adaptations and Epic Films** [07:16] — "Moana" gets a live-action reimagining. Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is shot on IMAX. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" starts a fresh chapter after No Way Home. - **Original Sci-Fi and Horror** [08:27] — "The End of Oak Street" is a suburban sci-fi thriller. "Coyote vs. Acme" turns Looney Tunes into corporate satire. "The Dog Stars" is Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic adaptation. - **Game Adaptations and Sequels** [09:53] — "Street Fighter" focuses on iconic fighters. "Godzilla Minus Zero" is a direct follow-up. "Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" is a prequel about young Haymitch. - **A-List Directors and Marvel** [10:47] — David Fincher directs "The Adventures of Cliff Booth." Denis Villeneuve completes his Dune trilogy with "Dune 3." "Avengers: Doomsday" brings back the Russos and Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom. ## Transcript I think these games are going to be different. Welcome to see next. Today we're looking at the best movies of 2026 so far, plus the rest of the year's biggest movies, all in release date order. We've got franchise giants, original stories, sci-fi, horror, animation, action, and a few surprises in the lineup. Let's get started. 28 years later, The Bone Temple. As an early-year horror sequel, this continues the infected saga after 28 years later, with Nia DeCosta directing and Alex Garland writing. The story follows Dr. Kelsen's spike and cult leader Jimmy Crystal, where human survivors can be just as dangerous as the infected. Sam Raimi takes a stripped-down survival setup and turns it into a tense battle of wills. A boss and his employee survive a plane crash, end up stranded on a deserted island, and are forced between cooperation, resentment, and manipulation. As an original thriller, it keeps the focus tight and personal. This Don Winslow adaptation is a sleek Los Angeles Heist Thriller from Bart Layton. It follows an elusive jewel thief, a frustrated insurance broker, and a relentless detective, all circling the same high-stakes score. The setup has modern noir energy, with character tension and big crime ambition driving the story. Peaky Blinders, The Immortal Man. Sam Harper directs and Steven Knight writes this follow-up, with Silly and Murphy returning as Tommy Shelby, alongside Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth, and Barry Keoghan. Set against wartime Birmingham and a Nazi plot, the story pulls Tommy into a brutal fight over family, power, and legacy. Hoppers, an original Pixar sci-fi comedy adventure directed by Daniel Chung. This follows animal lover Mabel as she transfers her consciousness into a robotic beaver to communicate with wildlife. From there, the story opens into the animal world, with plenty of strange rules, comedy, and chaos. War Machine Patrick Hughes directs this sci-fi thriller starring Alan Richardson, Dennis Quaid, and Stefan James. A Ranger training mission becomes a fight against an otherworldly killing machine with survival action, squad tension, and a brutal man versus machine showdown. Project Hail Mary Adapted from Andy Wears novel, this follows Ryland Grace as he wakes up alone in deep space with humanity depending on his mission. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller direct, blending problem-solving science, emotional character work, and big sci-fi scale around one man slowly uncovering what he was sent to do. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Aaron Horvath, Michael Jalenik, Matthew Fogel, and the main voice cast are all back for a sequel that expands Mario's world beyond the mushroom kingdom and into space, with Yoshi, Rosalina, Bowser Jr, and full cosmic Nintendo chaos. This music biopic traces Michael Jackson's life beyond the songs, from childhood talent with the Jackson 5 to global superstardom. Jafar Jackson plays him with Antoine Fuqua directing as the story follows the performances, pressure, and public image behind the making of one of music's biggest icons. The Devil Wears Prada 2 A long awaited sequel nearly 20 years after the original, this brings Andy, Miranda, Emily, and Nigel back into the fashion world. David Frankl and Aline Brosh McKenna return to, with the new conflict built around a changing publishing industry, luxury advertising power, and old tensions resurfacing. Mortal Kombat 2 The 2021 reboot gets a larger follow-up, again directed by Simon McCoyd. This sequel expands the roster with Johnny Cage, Kitana, Jade, and Shao Kahn, pushing it closer to the game mythology fans expect. The big draw is simple, more fighters, broader lore, and a bigger earth realm versus outworld scale. The Sheep Detectives Adapted from Lini Swann's three bags full, this mystery comedy turns a flock of sheep into amateur sleuths after their shepherd's mysterious death. Craig Mason wrote it, Kyle Balda directed it, and the hook is exactly what makes it memorable. A cozy who done it told from the funniest, weirdest point of view. The Mandalorian and Grogu This continues the Disney Plus series on the big screen with John Favreau directing. Dinjarian and Grogu are drawn into new Republic era conflict, while Imperial remnants still linger, keeping their father and child bond at the center while expanding the story into a full theatrical Star Wars adventure, Masters of the Universe. The franchise gets a new live-action reboot with Travis Knight directing, and Nicholas Galatine playing Prince Adam and He-Man. The story follows Adam from Earth back to Eternia where he must reclaim his destiny and face Skeletor, bringing the classic Mattel fantasy world back to the big screen. Steven Spielberg returns to original sci-fi with a story built around the discovery that humanity is not alone, and what happens when that truth reaches the world. David Kept writes the screenplay with Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor leading the cast, while Spielberg steps back into mystery-driven extraterrestrial territory. Toy Story 5 This sequel puts the toys up against a very current problem, electronics competing with playtime. Andrew Stanton directs with Woody, Buzz, Jesse, and the rest facing a screen-heavy world that reframes the old question of purpose for a new generation of kids. Supergirl This brings Kara into a bold new DC story, drawing from woman of tomorrow, and placing her at the center of a cosmic revenge story. Craig Gillespie directs, Millie Alcock plays Kara, and the setup pairs her with Crypto the Superdog, and a grieving young girl on a mission that stretches far beyond Earth. Minions and Monsters The 3rd Minions led movie takes the chaos crew to 1920s Hollywood for a playful monster movie twist. Pierre Coffin returns to direct, giving the franchise an old Hollywood flavor while keeping the fast, silly, family-friendly energy fans expect. Moana This is the live-action reimagining of the 2016 animated hit, with Thomas Kyle directing and Catherine Lagaeus stepping into the lead, opposite Dwayne Johnson's returning Maui. The story keeps the ocean voyage, music, and Polynesian-inspired mythology at its heart. The Odyssey Christopher Nolan brings Homer's classic epic to the big screen, with Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king trying to return home after the Trojan War. Shot entirely with IMAX film cameras, the film has massive scale, even if early reactions have been more divided than expected. Spider-Man Brand New Day This starts a fresh chapter after No Way Home erased Peter Parker from everyone else's memory. Destin Daniel Cretan directs with Tom Holland returning as a more isolated Peter, now trying to rebuild his life while carrying the full weight of being Spider-Man. The end of Oak Street David Robert Mitchell writes and directs this original sci-fi thriller starring Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisie Stella, and Christian Convery as a family whose suburban street is suddenly uprooted and dropped into an impossible new world of survival, mystery, and prehistoric danger. Coyote vs. Acme Have you been horribly injured by a product made by the Acme Corporation? It's not your fault, there's probably someone to blame. Dave Green directs this live-action animated comedy with Will Forde, John Cena, and Lana Condor turning while E. Coyote's endless Acme disasters into a legal battle. It re-imagines classic loony-tuned slapstick as corporate satire and an underdog courtroom fight. The Dog Stars Ridley Scott directs this adaptation of Peter Heller's novel, giving the post-apocalyptic story a major filmmaker behind it. It follows Hic, a pilot surviving in a dangerous, isolated world, until a mysterious radio transmission pushes him beyond safety in search of hope and human connection. Street Fighter Another major game adaptation, this one focuses on the franchise's most iconic fighters and the World Warrior Tournament. Kitau Sakurai directs, while Ryu, Ken, and Chun Li anchor a set-up filled with fan-favorite fighters, rivalries, and a larger conspiracy. For longtime fans, that immediately sounds like the right lane. Godzilla-minus-0 Takashi Yamazaki returns as director, writer, and visual effects lead for a direct follow-up to Godzilla-minus-1. Set in 1949, two years after the first film's catastrophe, the story continues the Shikishima Family Thread, bringing back the human grief, post-war tension, and prestige monster scale that made the previous film so powerful. Hunger Games, the sun rise on the reaping. This prequel takes place after the ballad of songbirds and snakes, but still long before catnists. The story returns to Panam for the 50th Hunger Games, with young Hamich Abernathy at the center. Francis Lawrence is back to direct, making this both a Hamich origin story, and a deeper look at the second quarter quell. The adventures of Cliff Booth David Fincher directs Brad Pitt's return as Cliff Booth from a Quentin Tarantino script. Set in 1977 Hollywood, the story follows Cliff moving through the studio system as a fixer, mixing old Hollywood atmosphere with a darker edge. Dune 3 Dene Villanuev completes his trilogy by adapting Dune Messiah, shifting the story away from Paul's rise and into the cost of power. Set years after the second film, it follows Paul as emperor under the weight of religion, prophecy, politics, and backlash, with bigger consequences, a darker mood, and a more tragic center. Avengers Doomsday This is the giant crossover event on the board, with Joe and Anthony Russo back in the director's chair after Infinity War and Endgame. Robert Downey Jr. also returns to the universe this time as Dr. Doom, setting up a massive superhero conflict that connects different corners of the Marvel saga. That wraps up our 2026 movie rundown, which title has you most interested and which one do you think will end up being the year's biggest? Let us know in the comments and subscribe to see next for more videos like this. Thanks for watching!