The Most Anticipated Movies of 2026 (And When You’ll Watch Them in Cinemas)

2026 is stacked for cinema. From Marvel’s next Avengers event to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy closer, via Nolan’s mythic epic The Odyssey and a new Hunger Games prequel, your movie calendar is going to be busy.

The release dates below are based on current global schedules; UAE releases usually land in the same week or even a day early. As always, you’ll want to keep an eye on New in Cinemas UAE and our weekly What to Watch This Week UAE hub for the latest local dates and formats.

Project Hail Mary – 20 March 2026

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller go full hard sci-fi with Project Hail Mary, adapted from Andy Weir’s novel. Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, who wakes up alone on a spacecraft with no memory and slowly realises he’s on a last-chance mission to save Earth. 

Amazon MGM Studios is releasing it worldwide on 20 March 2026, with the film shot specifically for IMAX, so expect a proper big-screen spectacle from deep space to tight ship interiors. 

The Devil Wears Prada 2 – 1 May 2026

Miranda Priestly is back. The Devil Wears Prada 2 brings Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci together again, this time in a story about Miranda fighting to keep her power in a world where print is dying, and ad budgets have moved to digital. 

20th Century Studios has it set for 1 May 2026 in cinemas, with a first teaser already out. Expect weaponised fashion, devastating one-liners and a very meta look at how media has changed since 2006. 

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu – 22 May 2026

Din Djarin and Grogu finally get their own theatrical adventure in The Mandalorian and Grogu. Jon Favreau directs, with the film picking up after the series as the “clan of two” are pulled into a new mission for the New Republic. 

Disney and Lucasfilm are releasing it on 22 May 2026, with an IMAX rollout planned. The first teaser promises classic trilogy adventure energy plus lots of creature work and, of course, maximum Grogu. 

Disclosure Day – 12 June 2026

Steven Spielberg returns to UFO territory with Disclosure Day, an original sci-fi thriller written by long-time collaborator David Koepp. The film follows a global “reveal” moment in which the existence of extraterrestrial life becomes undeniable, sparking chaos, possession-like phenomena, and a race to expose buried secrets. 

Universal has the film dated for 12 June 2026, with Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor leading the cast. Think Close Encounters meets modern conspiracy panic, on a very big canvas. 

Toy Story 5 – 19 June 2026

The toys are back. Toy Story 5 sees Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the gang facing a new rival: the electronics kids are obsessed with today. Pixar describes the film as “Toy meets Tech” as the classic toys deal with a frog-like tablet called Lilypad, becoming the new favourite. 

Disney and Pixar will release it on 19 June 2026, only in cinemas. With Andrew Stanton directing and IMAX-friendly visuals, expect another emotional hit about growing up, moving on and what toys mean in a screen-first world. 

Supergirl – 26 June 2026

The DCU continues with Supergirl, based on Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El teams up with young Ruthye Marye Knoll on a revenge quest across space, with Jason Momoa appearing as Lobo in a darker, road-movie style story. 

Warner Bros. is releasing it on 26 June 2026, with IMAX confirmed. James Gunn and Peter Safran are producing, and the film is part of the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, so it should link closely to 2025’s Superman. 

The Odyssey – 17 July 2026

Christopher Nolan follows Oppenheimer with a huge, IMAX-shot take on Homer’s epic in The Odyssey. Matt Damon plays Odysseus on his long journey home from the Trojan War, with Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as Telemachus. 

Universal will release it on 17 July 2026, in IMAX 70mm and other premium formats worldwide. The trailer teases the Trojan Horse, Cyclops, Sirens and more, with Nolan’s usual non-linear structure and enormous scale. 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day – 31 July 2026

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man returns in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Set after No Way Home, Peter is fully anonymous again and leaning into life as “just Spider-Man” in a story that pulls from the comic storyline of the same name. 

Sony has shifted the release to 31 July 2026 to give it a little more space from The Odyssey. Sadie Sink joins the MCU in a secret role, and reports suggest the film’s events run in parallel with Avengers: Doomsday. 

Resident Evil – 18 September 2026

Horror fans get a fresh reboot with Resident Evil (2026), directed by Zach Cregger (Barbarian). This is a new take rather than a straight game adaptation, following a hapless courier drawn into a nightmare connected to the Umbrella Corporation. 

Sony will release it on 18 September 2026, with an IMAX rollout and a cast led by Austin Abrams and Paul Walter Hauser. Expect something closer to grounded survival horror than the more action-heavy older films. 

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – 20 November 2026

We head back to Panem with The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, based on Suzanne Collins’ 2025 prequel novel. Set 24 years before Katniss, it follows a young Haymitch Abernathy in the brutal 50th Hunger Games, where each district must send double tributes for the Second Quarter Quell. 

Lionsgate has dated it for 20 November 2026, with an IMAX release planned. A big ensemble cast led by Joseph Zada, Ralph Fiennes and Elle Fanning should make this one of the year’s biggest YA-leaning tentpoles. 

Dune: Part Three – 18 December 2026

Denis Villeneuve closes his saga with Dune: Part Three, adapting Dune Messiah and jumping forward to Paul Atreides as emperor, dealing with the fallout of the jihad launched in his name. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and others all return, joined by Robert Pattinson. 

Warner Bros. has set 18 December 2026 for release, with a major IMAX push expected. Parts of the film are again shot in desert locations like Liwa, so UAE viewers can look out for familiar landscapes on screen. 

Avengers: Doomsday – 18 December 2026

Releasing on the same day (for now), Avengers: Doomsday brings together the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers and the “original” X-Men against Victor von Doom. Robert Downey Jr. returns as Doom, not Tony Stark, and Chris Evans is back as Steve Rogers. 

Marvel has confirmed 18 December 2026 as the global date, with Doomsday forming a two-part story with Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. Expect one of the biggest IMAX rollouts of the year and huge midnight screenings across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 

How to Keep Track of These in the UAE

Release dates move, and UAE sometimes gets big titles a little early. Easiest way to track them:

Once the theatrical window closes, keep an eye on What to Watch This Week UAE plus our streaming hubs – New on Netflix UAE, New on Disney+ UAE, New on Prime Video UAE, New on Apple TV UAE, New on OSN+ UAE and New on StarzPlay UAE – to see where each of these lands on streaming.

Use New in Cinemas UAE as your weekly check for what’s actually playing near you.

That way you can plan your IMAX trips now, and your couch catches later.

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