Film fans, prepare your calendars. The cinematic slate for 2026 is shaping up to be a monumental year, packed with long-awaited sequels, prestigious literary adaptations, and major franchise returns. From the first week of January through to the Christmas blockbusters, audiences will be taken on a journey through grief, rage, love, and epic spectacle.
Winter & Spring: Prestige Drama and Chilling Returns
The year kicks off with poignant drama as Hamnet, adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel, arrives on 9 January. The film stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William Shakespeare, focusing on family loss and the grief that inspired a timeless play.
Just days later, the rage virus resurfaces. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple hits cinemas on 14 January, with Cillian Murphy returning alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer to explore a Britain forever changed.
February brings a gothic classic and dark satire. Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie star in a new Wuthering Heights on 13 February, while Glen Powell leads the darkly comic How to Make a Killing on 27 February. That same day, Neve Campbell returns in Scream 7, facing a new Ghostface killer.
March offers a feminist horror twist and a space survival mission. Jessie Buckley stars in The Bride! opposite Christian Bale on 6 March. Later, Ryan Gosling is an amnesiac astronaut in Project Hail Mary, adapted from Andy Weir's novel, landing on 20 March.
Summer Spectacle and Beloved Sequels
Spring heats up with relationship drama and fashion's return. Zendaya and Robert Pattinson star in The Drama on 3 April, the same day Chris Pratt leads The Super Mario Galaxy Movie into cosmic adventure. The iconic The Devil Wears Prada 2 reunites Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt on 1 May.
May also brings quirky mystery with The Sheep Detectives, voiced by Olivia Colman, on 8 May. June is huge: Steven Spielberg directs Emily Blunt in the alien disclosure thriller Disclosure Day on 12 June, followed by the emotional return of Toy Story 5 with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen on 19 June.
The summer season continues with Disney's live-action Moana on 10 July and Matt Damon's mythical journey in The Odyssey on 17 July. Tom Holland's Spider-Man swings back in Spider-Man: Brand New Day on 31 July.
Autumn & Winter: Franchise Finales and Epic Conclusions
As leaves fall, witches return and classics are reborn. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman reunite for Practical Magic 2 on 18 September. A fresh take on Sense and Sensibility with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Saoirse Ronan arrives 25 September.
October turns thrilling with Anne Hathaway in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover's Verity on 1 October. November heads back to Panem with The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping on 20 November, followed by Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro's comedic chaos in Focker In-Law on 25 November.
The year culminates with two colossal December blockbusters. Dune: Part Three continues Timothée Chalamet's saga on 18 December. That same day, the Marvel Cinematic Universe reaches a new peak with Avengers: Doomsday, uniting heroes across the multiverse.
With a line-up this diverse and star-studded, 2026 promises to be a landmark year for cinema, offering something for every kind of moviegoer and ensuring endless conversations both in and out of the theatre.
