How a wise man once saida new year has now begun – which means we can expect a whole lot of new films. We’ve looked at what’s coming to cinemas and streaming platforms over the next 12 months. And 50 titles have been selected that are likely to excite us, thrill us, move us and cause a stir.
From a big-budget Elvis concert documentary in IMAX to Charli XCX’s metafictional portrait of a pop star under pressure. A sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to new chapters in the sagas star Wars, Dune and Avengers. Christopher Nolan, who is at The Odyssey dares, up to a brand new interpretation of Wuthering Heights.
Here’s everything you need to know about the must-sees of 2026. (Not only are the dates subject to change, but in some cases they almost certainly will.)
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” (January 16)
We had to wait almost 18 years to see a new part of Danny Boyles 28 Days Later-Row to get. But here’s to the sequel from 28 Years Later from last year we only had to wait seven months. This latest installment in the series follows Alfie Williams’ brave young hero Spike as he joins the so-called Jimmys, a wild band of tracksuit-clad miscreants we met at the end of the previous film. Jack O’Connell plays the leader of the Jimmys; Eleanor the Great‘s Erin Kellyman is his deputy; and Rafe Fiennes returns as a former doctor trying to tame an infected “alpha” superhuman. Nia DaCosta (Hedda) takes over as director instead of Boyle.
“The Moment” (January 30)
Remember how Charli XCX and “Brat Summer” dominated 2024? The singer-songwriter is now ready to give you a first-hand look at what it was like to be in the eye of this pop superstar storm, in the form of a cheeky metafictional comedy! The director, co-writer and long-time Charli collaborator Aidan Zamiri (he shot the videos “Guess” and “360”) described this faux chronicle of the hitmaker on tour as a “alternative history of the Brat era…if she made all the wrong decisions.” We’re convinced. Alexander Skarsgård plays the hottest director in town, hired to document everything. Rachel Sennott, Kate Berlant, Rosanna Arquette, Jamie Demetriou and Hailey Gates co-star. We’re predicting this film will shock us like a defibrillator.
“Send Help” (January 30)
He (Dylan O’Brien) is the asshole boss of all asshole bosses, a corporate bro who thinks nothing of humiliating his employees. She (Rachel McAdams) is an old-fashioned junior vice president who is often the target of his taunts. But when a plane accident during a business trip leaves them both stranded on a deserted island, her surprising survival skills reverse the balance of power – essentially turning this “cast away” situation into a horror scenario full of carnage. Bonus: None other than the great Sam Raimi (“The Evil Dead”, “Drag Me to Hell”) directs this revenge thriller.
“Pillion” (February 6)
Colin (Harry Melling) is a shy young man who lives with his parents in a south-east London suburb and is content to spend his time with his barbershop quartet. Then he meets Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), a tall, handsome gay biker who is into BDSM and decides that Colin would be the perfect submissive. Writer-director Harry Lighton’s feature debut made a splash when it premiered at Cannes last spring, and his deliciously subversive romantic comedy has been turning heads at festivals all year long. Now’s your chance to see for yourself what all the fuss is about.
“Scream 7” (February 6)
Frankly, we’re surprised the venerable horror franchise even spawned a seventh installment, given all the “creative redesigns” of the many dramas behind the scenes and of departure – voluntarily or involuntary – of talent.
But the series seems to have picked itself back up, dusted itself off and made a series of OG Scream-People hired, including filmmaker Kevin Williamson, Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox; The film’s IMDb page also lists David Arquette, Matthew Lilliard and Scott Foley Scream 3 listed in the cast. We’re guessing the plot is about Campbell’s survivor having to deal with the return of Ghostface, who makes her life hell again. You already know how it goes.
“Wuthering Heights” (February 14)
“Heeeeeeathcliffff, it’s me, Cath-yyyyy, I came home, I’m so cold!!!” Emily Brontë’s novel of love and death on the Yorkshire moors is being made into a film again – but this time directed by Emerald Fennell, the filmmaker behind Promising Young Woman/Saltburn, and starring two smoking hot A-list stars in the roles of book lovers’ beloved pair of star-crossed lovers. (No offense, Romeo and Juliet!)
Jacob Elordi, aka the star of “Euphoria”, “Frankenstein” and your dreams, is expected to bring the brooding sensuality as Heathcliff, and Margot Robbie, aka Barbie, Harley Quinn and multiple Oscar nominee, is the first couple in gothic literature to put her hand on her forehead, which is moist with lust. We’ve heard rumors that whenever Watch the trailer online See, every kettle within 100 meters of your laptop simply starts boiling on its own.
“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” (February 20)
When Baz Lurhmann was researching his Elvis biography, he came across an archive in a salt mine in Kansas on unused footage from two concert films from the early 1970s (Elvis: That’s the Way It Is and Elvis on tour). Some of them were additional performance footage, others were candid clips of Presley backstage – and in Lurhmann’s head was all the material for a very different documentary about the King of Rock & Roll. Truly epic. The film will be showing in IMAX cinemas (!) from February 20th and will be released in cinemas on February 27th.
“How to Make a Killing” (February 20)
When Beckett Redfellow was a young boy, his mother told him that he was actually related to the rich and famous Redfellow family – imagine a cross between the Rockefellers and the Murdochs, only richer. But his mother was rejected by her family when she became pregnant with him, and so he grew up poor.
Nonetheless, the boy would be seventh in line to inherit the family fortune. A few decades later, the now grown-up Beckett (Glen Powell) wants to speed up the process by any means possible. The title “Killing” was chosen for a reason, folks. Margaret Qualley, Ed Harris, Topher Grace, Zach Woods and Bill Camp star in supporting roles. Directed by John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal).
“Man on the Run” (February 27)
There’s this guy from Liverpool called Paul who forms a rock band with his mates. Long story short: you become quite successful. Everyone loves her. Then the quartet splits up. What should this talented guy do now?
Morgan Neville’s documentary traces Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles career, from his first recordings after the Fab Four split to the formation of the group Wings. If you’re one of those Macca fans who love his solo album Ram and know all the lyrics to Magneto and Titanium Man by heart, this film is for you.
“The Bride!” (March 6)
The actress and director Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter) gives The Bride of Frankenstein their own uniquely twisted twist, as our protagonist/monster Frankie (Christian Bale) begs his creator to provide him with a mate. He is then given a bride (Jessie Buckley) who proves to be the perfect accomplice.
In the truest sense of the word: Did we mention that the story was relocated to 1930s Chicago and made into a kind of old-fashioned gangster film in which the pair go on a Bonnie and Clyde-style killing spree? And that there are also musical performances? The combination of a truly unleashed Buckley – her portrayal in Hamnet remains the most shocking thing we’ve seen in ages – and the exclamation point in the title suggests that this film is going to be particularly crazy.