This issue; a look forwards. Upcoming cinematic releases for this year are dominated by smart, cheap horror films, but also include a raft of prestige directors who have been handed enormous budgets. As ever, Hollywood’s endless appetite for sequels continues, but these somehow coexist with some genuinely original and ambitious filmmaking. Here are some of the biggest and most interesting films still heading towards cinemas this year. 

OBSESSION

The tiny horror film that somehow became one of the year’s biggest success stories. Word-of-mouth has transformed this from a small curiosity into a genuine cultural event. Horror continues to thrive because audiences want experiences that feel unpredictable and communal again and this apparently delivers both. Expect tense atmospheres, deeply uncomfortable moments and probably at least one scene that social media won’t stop talking about for weeks. 

THE BACKROOMS

One of the strangest film concepts to become mainstream in years. Based on the viral internet horror phenomenon involving endless yellow office corridors and the creeping sense that reality itself has broken, this feels like the perfect example of how online culture is beginning to shape cinema itself. The idea sounds faintly ridiculous until you see even a single image from it and immediately feel uncomfortable. Internet horror continues to have a moment. 

GODZILLA MINUS ZERO

The previous film, GODZILLA MINUS ONE,  quietly became one of the best blockbuster films of recent years by remembering that giant monster films work much better when the human characters are actually interesting. Alongside the extraordinary destruction sequences was a surprisingly emotional story about guilt, trauma and survival in post-war Japan. Expect this follow-up to be absolutely enormous in every sense of the word. 

DISCLOSURE DAY

Steven Spielberg making a UFO conspiracy thriller in 2026 feels oddly comforting and also perfectly confusing: early details suggest something darker and stranger than CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, with paranoia and secrecy replacing wonder. Spielberg remains one of the few directors capable of turning people simply standing in a room looking frightened into genuinely gripping cinema. 

DIGGER

Alejandro G. Iñárritu directing Tom Cruise is an enticing prospect in part, because nobody seems entirely certain what the plot actually is yet, but this only makes it even more exciting. Modern blockbuster cinema often feels painfully over-explained before release, so the mystery surrounding this is refreshing. 

THE END OF OAK STREET

Perhaps the most intriguingly odd film on this entire list. Directed by David Robert Mitchell, responsible for IT FOLLOWS, this appears to involve suburban America, mysterious events and dinosaurs. Yes, dinosaurs. The early imagery feels somewhere between Steven Spielberg and a fever dream discovered on Reddit at three in the morning. Which, honestly, is a compliment.

THE ODYSSEY

Christopher Nolan tackling Homer’s epic poem was inevitable really. The man has spent years making films about time, obsession, sacrifice and men staring intensely at large practical effects, so ancient mythology feels like a natural next step. Expect colossal visuals, thunderously loud music and at least one sequence that will make audiences immediately book IMAX tickets. 

DUNE: MESSIAH

The previous DUNE films somehow managed to make giant spaceships landing in sand feel like the most important thing humanity had ever witnessed. Denis Villeneuve’s latest adaptation of the Dune books moves the story into much stranger and darker territory, focusing less on revolution and more on power, religion and consequence. Also: more giant sandworms. 

AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY

Marvel films no longer completely dominate culture in the way they once did, but bringing Robert Downey Jr back as Doctor Doom is such an absurdly enormous swing that curiosity alone will probably make this one of the year’s biggest films. Whether it turns out to be brilliant or an expensive catastrophe, everyone will have an opinion on by the Monday after release. 

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY

There is now an entire generation for whom Spider-Man films simply arriving every few years feels like a law of nature. Thankfully, the character still works because these films usually remember something important: Spider-Man is at his best when he’s awkward, overwhelmed and trying to balance ordinary life with world-ending chaos. 

THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING

Hollywood’s current obsession with revisiting successful franchises continues here, but at least THE HUNGER GAMES series has always had more substance than most blockbuster franchises. The original films balanced spectacle with political commentary surprisingly well and the return to Panem feels timed perfectly given the renewed popularity of dystopian fiction. Also, this cast is stacked full of contemporary talent that are perfectly aligned with the cast of the original film. 

TOY STORY 5

The emotional manipulation continues. Somehow, against all logic, Pixar keeps managing to make audiences deeply emotionally attached to bits of plastic. There’s every chance this won’t reach the heights of the earlier films, but people said that before TOY STORY 3 as well and many of us still haven’t emotionally recovered from that ending. 

MINIONS & MONSTERS

Pure chaos. Bright colours, loud noises, slapstick comedy and small yellow creatures speaking a language that sounds like somebody accidentally sat on a remote control. Yet somehow these films remain weirdly charming. More importantly, they reliably keep children entertained for ninety minutes, which for many parents may be the single most important cinematic achievement of all.