Film opinion: The biggest cinema releases in 2026 - Part 1
2026 is set to be a big year for films and cinemas.
With the Hollywood strikes firmly in the rearview mirror, there’s plenty to look forward to.
So, Film News Blitz’s Dan Lawrence picks his first five films to watch out for in 2026.
1 - ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’
Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland teamed up once again at long last to bring 28 Years Later to screens last year, and the second instalment in this newfangled trilogy is already on its way to cinemas.
This time around, director Nia DaCosta has worked Garland’s words onto the big screen, as young Spike is inducted into Jimmy Crystal's gang while Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) makes a shocking discovery.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is in UK cinemas on 14 January 2026.
2 - ‘Wuthering Heights’
Trailers for writer/director Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights have been infused with raw, romantic tension between the two leads: Margot Robbie as Catherine, and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliffe.
Fennell’s previous two films, Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, challenged conventions and audiences, so get ready for Wuthering Heights to do the same when it graces theatres on 13 January 2026.
3 - ‘The Bride’
2025 brought us Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, while 2026 will bring us Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride.
Gyllenhaal, who writes and directs, will hopefully deliver a riotous tale where Christian Bale’s iconic Frankenstein’s monster asks Annette Bening’s Dr. Euphronius to create him a companion.
That companion is the titular character, played by Jessie Buckley, who stars alongside Gyllenhaal’s brother Jake, Penelope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard.
The Bride is in cinemas on 6 March 2026, and it sure is exciting that this 1930s Chicago-set story inspired by The Bride of Frankenstein will be gracing our screens.
4 - ‘Project Hail Mary’
Ryan Gosling, space, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Drew Goddard and Andy Weir.
These are the ingredients working together on the hotly anticipated science fiction epic, Project Hail Mary.
Lord and Miller direct the screenplay by Goddard, who adapts Weir’s science fiction novel about astronaut Ryland Grace (Gosling), who goes alone into outer space to save the world.
Audiences enjoyed when Weir’s novel, The Martian, came to the big screen, and the ingredients for this latest adaptation are strong, especially when you consider cinematographer extraordinaire Greg Fraser is in the mix.
Project Hail Mary is in cinemas on 20 March 2026.
5 - ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’
The Super Mario Bros. Movie was an undisputed success, grossing $1.36 billion worldwide at the box office, making it the second-biggest film of 2023.
Now, animation powerhouse Illumination is back with a second interpretation of the beloved Nintendo video-game franchise: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
All of the favourites from film one return, and the additions of Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr. and Brie Larson as Rosalina will no doubt make this one another blockbuster when it opens on 3 April 2026.
