10 Huge Sci-Fi Movies Coming In 2026, Ranked By Potential

2026 looks like a fantastic year for movies, with a lot of exciting releases across all genres. Horror fans can look forward to films like 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Scream 7, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, and Evil Dead Burn, as well as new takes on classics like Resident Evil and Clayface. Drama enthusiasts will have options like Wuthering Heights, Othello, Michael, and Sense and Sensibility. Comedy fans can anticipate How to Make a Killing, a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, Scary Movie 6, Practical Magic 2, and Super Troopers 3. Animation will be well-represented with Hoppers, The Cat in the Hat, another Minions movie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Toy Story 5. Finally, action fans have Cliffhanger, Mortal Kombat II, The Odyssey, Street Fighter, a new Jumanji film, and Violent Night 2 to look forward to.

Science fiction films have the best potential for success in 2026. Here are 10 of the most promising sci-fi movies slated for release that year, though they aren’t the only ones with a chance to become hits.

10) Flowervale Street (8/14)

Not much is known about the story of Flowervale Street, but here’s what we’ve gathered: The film is set in the 1980s and centers around a family who are somehow transported back in time by a strange storm. Once there, they must find a way to survive amongst dinosaurs.

While it might not reach the blockbuster levels of Jurassic World, this film seems poised for success. It has a similar feel to movies produced by Amblin Entertainment, though it actually comes from J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot company. The film also boasts strong lead actors – Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor play the parents. Plus, it’s directed by David Robert Mitchell, who’s known for his critically acclaimed films It Follows and Under the Silver Lake.

9) The Dish (6/12)

Very little information is publicly available about Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film, The Dish, even less than what’s known about Flowervale Street. In fact, the title The Dish hasn’t been officially confirmed, though it’s widely believed to be the final one – and it’s actually a pretty good title.

The film boasts a strong lead in Emily Blunt, along with a talented supporting cast including Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, and Wyatt Russell. Given it’s a large-scale movie directed by Steven Spielberg, it’s sure to attract attention. Spielberg has a history of making successful alien films, like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and War of the Worlds, which adds to the anticipation.

8) The Bride! (3/6)

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s film, The Bride!, is a bold move. It reimagines the classic monster movie, and with an $80 million budget, it’s a significant investment. While Jessie Buckley is a remarkably gifted actress, she hasn’t yet become a major box office draw. However, her performance in the popular indie film Hamnet, along with The Bride!, is likely to change that, establishing her as a leading name in Hollywood.

Even if the film The Bride! isn’t a box office success – which is possible given its impressive cast including Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penélope Cruz – it still has a strong chance of being critically acclaimed. It could be a fresh, modern take on The Bride of Frankenstein and earn several Academy Award nominations, which isn’t out of the question. This film will definitely be one to watch.

7) The Dog Stars (3/27)

Ridley Scott’s films have had varying levels of financial success, but his new movie, The Dog Stars, looks promising. As a post-apocalyptic science fiction film, it has the potential to be well-received by critics, which could then encourage investors to take notice.

The film stars Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, and Josh Brolin. Elordi and Qualley are currently very popular actors – Elordi thanks to his work in Frankenstein, and Qualley with The Substance. Brolin remains a well-known name, even though his recent film, The Running Man, didn’t perform strongly in theaters. While it’s hard to predict how The Dog Stars will do, a strong trailer could signal a successful film.

6) Project Hail Mary (3/20)

Although Ryan Gosling is a hugely popular and successful actor right now, his films haven’t always been massive hits. Recent movies like The Nice Guys, Blade Runner 2049, The Fall Guy, and First Man didn’t perform as well at the box office as expected.

The trailer for Project Hail Mary suggests it has real potential to be a success. The story centers around an unlikely hero – someone not traditionally suited for space travel – which is a compelling premise. The film is based on a popular 2021 novel by Andy Weir, and it’s directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who have a proven history of making crowd-pleasing movies like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the 21 Jump Street films, and The Lego Movie. With no major competing films opening around the same time, Project Hail Mary seems poised for success. If it takes off, the creators of The Dog Stars might wish they hadn’t released their film just a week later.

5) The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (11/20)

Some people don’t consider The Hunger Games to be science fiction, and that’s understandable – it leans more towards fantasy. However, it is set in a futuristic, oppressive world and features incredible technology, like dresses that ignite spectacularly without harming the person wearing them. That definitely qualifies as sci-fi!

As much as I love the Hunger Games world, I have to wonder if the franchise has lost a bit of its magic. The first movie was a total phenomenon in 2012, and the second one blew everyone away. The Mockingjay films did okay, but weren’t quite as huge. Then the prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, made a decent $361 million, but that was a big drop from Katniss’ final movie. So, why am I hopeful that Sunrise on the Reaping will do better? Because it feels much more connected to what I originally loved about the series. We’re going to see younger versions of characters like Plutarch Heavensbee, Caesar Flickerman, and, most excitingly, Haymitch Abernathy! This movie is his story – the Hunger Games he survived, which was only hinted at before. That feels like a prequel worth investing in, unlike Songbirds & Snakes, which didn’t quite feel like a must-see event.

4) Supergirl (6/26)

The future of the DC Universe is uncertain because Warner Bros. is likely to be bought by either Netflix or Paramount. If Paramount succeeds in acquiring Warner Bros., we might see new DC projects that weren’t part of the original plan created by James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Currently, DC is releasing films that were already planned from the start. Looking ahead, Supergirl is likely to be the major DC movie in 2026, especially considering the successful introduction of Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El and the positive reception to the new universe’s beginning. While Supergirl might not reach the same heights as Superman, it has a strong chance of surpassing it, as James Gunn’s launch of the first chapter has expanded the fanbase on HBO Max.

3) Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu (5/22)

The last Star Wars film released in theaters was Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018, and it wasn’t very successful.

Seven years is a significant gap between Star Wars films. Even without the success of The Mandalorian & Grogu, a new movie would probably perform well. However, because it directly follows The Mandalorian – a huge hit on Disney+ – it’s almost guaranteed to be successful.

2) Spider-Man: Brand New Day (7/31)

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has faced some challenges lately, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man continues to be a fan favorite. Despite not having the same kind of hype as Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is still expected to be a big box office success.

Tom Holland and Zendaya are huge draws for audiences, but the real excitement comes from continuing the story of a massive blockbuster that ended on a major cliffhanger. Everyone wants to know how Peter Parker will cope with a world where nobody remembers him, and a lot of people will rush to see the movie to avoid spoilers.

1) Avengers: Doomsday (12/18)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t been performing as strongly recently as Disney hopes. While Phase Four did okay, only No Way Home was a massive success. Phase Five has struggled even more, with films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts all failing to meet expectations or proving to be outright failures.

The recent success of Deadpool & Wolverine showed that Marvel can still deliver big, exciting movies, and Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be just that. Fans are especially excited about Robert Downey Jr.’s return, even in a different role, and how his new character, Doctor Doom, might connect to his time as Iron Man. Plus, the Russo brothers, who directed some of Marvel’s most popular and critically acclaimed films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame, are back at the helm. They clearly know what makes a Marvel movie work, so it’s unlikely Doomsday or Secret Wars will stray too far from the formula.

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2025-12-10 21:46