As a self-certified cinephile and Letterboxd account holder, a new year not only means time for new resolutions and reflecting, but also a time for new movie releases! 2026 is already coming in hot with a stacked lineup, so I thought I’d share what movies I’m looking forward to the most this year.
The Bride!
Releasing March 6th, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! looks like it’ll be a great addition to the current gothic literature film adaptation trend we’ve been seeing take shape. With films such as Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 Best Picture Nominee Frankenstein and Emerald Fennell’s recently released Wuthering Heights, The Bride! seems to be shaping up as a campy mix of both. If you’re a fan of any of the above, you definitely don’t want to miss this one.
The Drama
Zendaya and Robert Pattinson playing opposite of each other? I’m already there. Set in Boston and revolving around the soon-to-be-married couple, Emma and Charlie, Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama hits theaters April 3rd. As an advertising and marketing major, I also have to give props to this film’s marketing team because the rollout has been superb. Putting an actual engagement announcement in The Boston Globe for promo, I mean, how could you not be excited for this release?
The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to 2024’s Best Picture Winner Oppenheimer is set to release on July 17th. This film has an absolutely stacked cast, once again including both Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, and other showstoppers such as Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon. I can’t wait to see Nolan’s take on such an iconic mythic tale.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Okay, I have to admit, I don’t really care for the MCU as a whole, but Spider-Man on its own is a different story. Hitting theaters July 31st, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the long-awaited and highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. I recently rewatched the latter over winter break and was instantly brought back to sitting in the theater watching it for the first time again. I truly believe I peaked watching the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man reveal, but I digress. Having left off on such an intense note, I can’t wait to see how this story continues. And not to mention Sadie Sink also joining the cast for this movie; needless to say, I will be sat on July 31st.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
To round out the list, we are going out with an absolute banger. The highly anticipated 6th installment to the Hunger Games movie series (5th installment to the book series), Sunrise on the Reaping, releases November 20th, and I could not be more excited. The book, of which the movie is based off, is from bestselling author Suzanne Collins, and if you have not had the chance to pick it up, I could not recommend it more. The novel was one of my favorite reads of 2025, and I’m sure the film adaptation will be no different for me this year.
I hope this list was able to supply some new additions to your watchlist this year. I can’t wait to see what other hidden gems emerge from this year of releases. Here’s to another great year of cinema!