The Odyssey, Avengers Doomsday, and Tom Cruise’s comic turn: Most anticipated Hollywood films of 2026
Despite some big-ticket releases, 2025 was not the red-letter year Hollywood expected it to be. Superman was a hit, but not as big as DCU would have wanted. Avatar: Fire and Ash did not set the box office ablaze the way Cameron expected. But despite it all, the Hollywood box office soared on the back of unexpected successes like Sinners and A Minecraft Movie. In 2026, beloved franchises return with their biggest offerings, while the reigning superstars and maverick directors also head back to the big screen in what is arguably the most packed release calendar in years.
Here’s a look at the 10 most anticipated Hollywood releases from 2026.
The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan goes back to ancient Greece to adapt Homer’s iconic tale of Odysseus of Ithaca. The film is the first to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras and boasts a stellar cast led by Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, and Robert Pattinson. Given Nolan’s legacy and the film’s scale, it is being called the thing to watch out for this year. The Odyssey releases in theatres on July 14.
Avengers Doomsday
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in doldrums. The last phase was, to put it mildly, a bit meh. Box office returns have not been as stellar as Disney would want. Enter Robert Downey Jr, again. The man who established MCU is being tasked with reviving it through their biggest film yet. The Russos are returning to direct, and almost anyone who has ever played a Marvel hero is featured in the film, including characters from the X-Men and the original Avengers. Doomsday, MCU’s last hope, arrives in theatres on December 18.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
We have not seen Peter Parker since he magically made everyone forget his existence in Spider-Man: No Way Home at the end of the MCU’s golden run – the Infinity Saga. But Tom Holland returns as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man this year with a film that is as pivotal to the Sony-Marvel combine as it is hyped among fans. No Spider-Man has ever gotten a fourth film, and fans are eager to see what Holland can do once the film releases on July 31.
Dune Part Three
The Dune films were Denis Villeneuve’s ode to cinema and Frank Herbert. The immense scale, fantastic visuals, and performances ensured that Dune would be a memorable saga in the history of world cinema. But the original novel’s story ended with Dune Part Two. The third part takes the story forward from the sequels, with the cast returning. Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Anya Taylor-Joy all return, while Robert Pattinson conquers yet another franchise. Dune 3 hits the screens on December 18, clashing with Avengers: Doomsday.
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Providing a breather from superhero action and sci-fi extravaganza is the return of Miranda Priestly. Meryl Streep is back after 20 years in The Devil Wears Prada 2, with Anne Hathaway and Stanley Tucci returning as well. The sequel, which sees Anne’s character climbing up the fashion corporate ladder, arrives in theatres on May 1.
Digger
After helping Leonardo DiCaprio win his first Oscar, Alejandro G. Iñárritu is returning to English-language cinema for the first time in a decade. This time, he directs Tom Cruise in a dark comedy, described as the quest of the ‘most powerful man in the world’. The combination of the poster and the logline is enough to pique curiosity for this odd film, which releases on October 2.
Mandalorian and Grogu
Cue more ‘Baby Yoda’ plushies and Star Wars theme songs as Grogu arrives in cinema halls this year to conclude his arc. A spinoff to Disney’s popular TV series The Mandalorian, the feature film adventure will be the first standalone Star Wars film in years, headlined by an in-form Pedro Pascal and the adorable face of Grogu. It releases on May 22.
Supergirl
Kara Zor-El brings her hard partying ways to the DC Universe as James Gunn brings Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) to the big screen as Supergirl. The film, a spinoff of Superman and a sequel, is set in Gunn’s new DCU and also brings back Krypto, the much-loved (and sometimes annoying) dog from the comics. The film, a lighter take on the comic book mythology, releases on June 26.
The Bride
One can never have too many Frankenstein films. If Guillermo del Toro terrified with his adaptation of the novel last year, Maggie Gyllenhaal arrives in 2026 with a tale about the Bride of Frankenstein. With a cast filled with Oscar hopefuls and previous winners like Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, this is a mouth-watering feature that releases on March 6.
The Social Reckoning
17 years after The Social Network introduced the audience to Aaron Sorkin’s genius, the filmmaker will take them back to Mark Zuckerberg’s life with The Social Reckoning. The film, which features a new cast, is as much about Facebook’s evolution as it is about its founder’s life story. The film features the massive Facebook safety leak scandal, and brings Jeremy Strong on as Zuckerberg, along with Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Billy Magnussen and Betty Gilpin. It releases on October 9.
