For our Content Americas 2026 issue, we are exploring the most anticipated films of 2026.
The 2026 cinema calendar is truly impressive. A packed and exciting year lies ahead. We’ve listed the most highly anticipated films of 2026 for you. Let’s take a closer look at the movies everyone is eagerly waiting for in 2026. Enjoy the read!
The Odyssey
After Christopher Nolan dominated the Oscars with Oppenheimer, his new film The Odyssey has emerged as one of the most anticipated releases of 2026. A proven box office powerhouse, the director is known for his recurring thematic motifs, stylized visual language, consistent aesthetic and his unique realistical imaging. The cinematic form he brings to Homer’s world-renowned epic ‘Odisseia’ has further fueled anticipation.
The Odyssey, with its $250 million production budget, is the most expensive film of Nolan’s career. Known for his maximalist approach to cinema, Nolan shot the entire film using IMAX cameras.
Let’s see how the star director brings to the screen the literary classic The Odyssey and the homecoming journey of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca cursed by Poseidon, through a lens of cinematic grandeur. A mythological voyage awaits, stretching from the Cyclops Polyphemus and the Sirens to the sorceress Circe and the depths of the Underworld.
Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel Cinematic Universe’s recent releases have failed to achieve the desired impact, as superhero fatigue has increasingly set in. However, Avengers: Doomsday is getting ready to open a new chapter for MCU.
The last Avengers film, Endgame, premiered in 2019, after which MCU entered its ‘Multiverse Saga’ era. However, it is not possible to say that this multi universe era delivered what was desired. Featuring the return of one of Marvel’s most iconic faces, Robert Downey Jr., this time as Doctor Doom, Avengers: Doomsday is set to take the MCU’s Phase Six, which began with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, to a new level.
The first trailer from the film shows Chris Evans returning to the MCU as Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America. Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters on Dec. 18.!
Disclosure Day
Acclaimed director Steven Spielberg is returning to the big screen with his new film Disclosure Day, set for release in 2026. Steven Spielberg told a semi-autobiographical story with The Fabelmans in 2022. Disclosure Day marks his first feature film since The Fabelmans and centers on extraterrestrial life.
Steven Spielberg has a long history of classic extraterrestrial life films under his belt, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. With Disclosure Day, he returns to his UFO roots and revisits the theme of alien lifeforms.
Disclosure Day, starring Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor, is written by David Koepp. Steven Spielberg and David Koepp have previously worked together on films such as Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Dune: Part Three
Frank Herbert’s groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy novel series Dune is a modern myth that has directly influenced countless works of literature and cinema that followed. Dune, which lies at the roots of franchises like Mad Max and Star Wars, stands out with its retro-futuristic imagery, as well as the motifs and allegories it draws from Zen Buddhism and Middle Eastern culture.
The cult series, reimagined for the screen by Denis Villeneuve, is set to continue with Dune: Part Three. The film, following the series’ second novel Dune Messiah, is one of the most ambitious projects of recent years. After the first two movies’ success, Denis Villeneuve scales up in Dune: Part Three, with IMAX cinematography and heightened visual grandeur taking center stage.
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy and Robert Pattinson, the film is set to hit theaters on the same day as Avengers: Doomsday. Which film will dominate the box office? The next Barbenheimer moment, Dunesday is on the way.
Digger
One of the leading figures of contemporary Mexican cinema, Alejandro González Iñárritu, is set to return in 2026 with his new film Digger. Starring the boundary-pushing global star Tom Cruise, Digger stands out as a collaboration full of surprises.
Digger’s script is written by Mexican playwright Sabina Berman and Nicolas Giacobone known for Birdman and Alexander Dinelaris. In Digger, which Alejandro González Iñárritu describes as a “disaster-scale mad comedy,” Tom Cruise is joined by acclaimed talents such as Sandra Hüller and Jesse Plemons.
Digger is also the first English-language film Alejandro González Inárritu shot after The Revenant, which shook the Oscars in 2015.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expecting to make a major splash in 2026 not only with Avengers: Doomsday but also with a new Spider-Man film. The MCU’s fourth solo Spider-Man outing, Brand New Day, serves as a continuation of No Way Home (2021), which ended with Peter Parker’s identity being erased from everyone’s memory.
No Way Home also featured a multiverse storyline, which saw the return of actors who previously portrayed Spider-Man, like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. The new Spider-Film movie is a subject of curiosity as to where the story will go next.
Mark Ruffalo, who drew attention with one of 2025’s standout series Task, being set to return as Bruce Banner in Brand New Day has also generated significant interest. Jon Bernthal’s return as the Punisher and Stranger Things star Sadie Sink joining the cast further fuels the anticipation.
Supergirl
James Gunn’s Superman was one of the releases that left its mark in 2025. Signaling a new beginning in the DC universe, the film was a major success commercially. The film also marked the first on-screen appearance of Kal-El’s cousin, Kara Zor-El.. Supergirl, making her debut with that brief cameo in Superman, is set to have her own adventure with this film.
Starring Australian actress Milly Alcock, unlike Superman, the film will explore a more anti-hero-driven narrative. Supergirl, with a darker mood and many internal struggles, will move differently than Superman. Supergirl will add new excitement to the reestablished DC universe as a new and fresh character.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
Created by Jon Favreau and streaming on Disney+, The Mandalorian holds a special place in the hearts of old-school Star Wars fans. Returning to the roots of Star Wars mythology, the series compellingly explores Mandalorian doctrine and culture, while following the thrilling adventures of a lone gunslinger in a galaxy far, far away.
Following its success on television, The Mandalorian and Grogu, who is under his protection, will continue their story on the big screen. As a follow-up to the three-season story on Disney+, the film might bring some joy to heartbroken Star Wars fans. Sigourney Weaver, who became a legend with the Alien franchise, is part of The Mandalorian and Grogu as Colonel Ward.
Werwulf
Robert Eggers had penned a love letter to F. W. Murnau, one of the iconic figures of German Expressionism, and to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a cornerstone of Gothic horror literature, with Nosferatu.
Next is a werewolf story set in 13th-century England. Robert Eggers, having explored witchcraft with The Witch and a unique vampire myth with Nosferatu, focuses on a dark fear of the Middle Ages with Werwulf. Eggers writes the story with Sjón, who he has previously worked with on The Northman. Werwulf is already shaping up to be one of the most talked-about films of 2026.
Watching the evolving trajectory of Robert Eggers’ cinema continues to be a deeply rewarding experience.
The Drama
A24’s new film The Drama centers on the story of a couple who experiences an unexpected crisis in the week leading up to their wedding. The Drama is directed by Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli, who previously garnered attention with Dream Scenario, starring Nicolas Cage. One of the producers of The Drama is Ari Aster.
Starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, The Drama is one of the most highly anticipated films of 2026. Zendaya plays Emma Harword, who works in a publishing house, while Robert Pattinson plays Charlie Thompson, the British director of the Cambridge Art Museum.
Full of unexpected turns, The Drama explores the chaos a seemingly happy couple rapidly descends into.
