The best new films to catch in 2026, from Toy Story to Peaky Blinders
New installations of classic franchises and brand new gambits from the likes of Christopher Nolan, there is a bumper set of new films lined up for cinematic release in 2026. Here are some of the new releases not to miss.
Toy Story 5
It’s been over 20 years since Woody captured the hearts of a generation, but it’s testament to the movies that plenty of those people – now middle-aged Millennials in their mid-thirties – will rock up to see this fifth installment. The franchise has retained the easy charm and whimsical feeling of the inaugural outing, which critics broadly positive about the sequels, which follow a wooden toy called Woody and his friends, including Mr Potato Head, Rex, Slink Dog, and sometime enemy, Buzz Lightyear. Tom Hanks returns as the voice of Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz. The fifth installation examines the role of traditional toys in a new technological era. 19 June, 2026
The Odyssey
For the chin-stroking, culturally esteemed cinephile: Christopher Nolan of the Batman Trilogy, Oppenheimer and Inception, returns with The Odyssey, a filmic version of Homer’s classic ancient Greek poem about the 10-year journey of King Odysseus who battles gods and monsters after the Trojan War. Matt Damon plays the title role and the wider cast features Tom Holland as Telemachus, son of Odysseus, his fiance Zendaya as Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Robert Pattison as arrogant plotter Antinous. Explaining how he approached the storytelling, he told Empire: “We shot over 2 million feet of film… “As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before. And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with – Ray Harryhausen movies and other things – I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do.” 17 July 2026
Michael
People don’t seem to be talking so much about cancel culture anymore: if anyone can, Michael Jackson may be the proof that cancellation isn’t straightforward. Following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against minors, a new critically-acclaimed musical about his life has opened in the West End, which has become a fan favourite, and now a new biopic Michael tells his life story on the big screen, directed by Antonie Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jacks. It’s one thing acknowledging his music is good despite the allegations – in other words, separating the artist from the art – but a whole other thing entirely committing to a biopic that faithfully examines his life. Michael is sure to be one of the most controversial films of this year.
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway return 12 years after the original movie for another helping of high fashion drama. We follow Pete and Anne, who work at style magazine Runway, as they navigate the modern media landscape. The movie is inspired by Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief at Vogue, the fashion publication which is itself rumoured to be navigating a challenging time as print sales decline and readers turn more to social media reels to read and take in content. How much of that, versus the frothier business of dating and glamorous parties, this new film will take on is the big question. Paparazzi shots of Streep and Hathaway on the New York set have been going viral for how both actors look pretty similar to how they did over a decade ago. Get your pitches ready: Priestly will see you now. 1 May 2026
Peaky Blinders The Immortal Man
Steven Graham had a heady 2025 with Adolescence, the crime drama examining masculinity and youth radicalisation that birthed a new era of TV production with its one-shot style, meaning that a whole episode was filmed in one shot, as live, without any takes. But before that he was known for Peaky Blinders, the crime drama set in the 1920s following the lives of the Shelby family, who lead a criminal empire in east London. This first feature film adaptation moves into the 1950s, and continues to star Cillian Murphy as a (now presumably older) Tommy Shelby. 20 March
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach return to the big screen following the first movie, Super Mario Bros Movie, which broke box office records in 2023, making almost £1 billion worldwide. Before that there was Super Mario Bros, the 1993 live-action movie starring Bob Hoskins as Mario. Of course, in the years in-between millions have played Mario Kart and Mario World on the Nintendo, and this new feature film will be inspired by the famous video game Super Mario Galaxy. Expect the characters to embark on a space-themed adventure. In an all-star cast, Chris Pratt plays Mario, Jack Black is Bowser, Anya Taylor-Joy is Princess Peach and Charlie Day is Luigi. April 2026