Top 10 Most Anticipated Summer 2026 Movies

Top 10 Most Anticipated Summer 2026 Movies

Despite summer still being a couple of months away, the summer movie season is coming up. That means it’s time to stop and share the 10 summer 2026 movies that I’ve MOST looking forward to. Here we go!

10. The Sheep Detective (May 8th, 2026): This is one that I originally didn’t have on the list but I’ve actually gotten fairly excited about it. This is a film that’s based on a children’s book with the same name that follows sheep who investigate the murder of their Shepard, played by Hugh Jackman. I’ve seen the trailer more times than I care to admit, but I find the trailer to be absolutely charming. It feels like a family movie that we would’ve gotten back in the late ‘90s to early 2000s but haven’t gotten a lot of over the last several years. On paper, it might not be the freshest idea but it feels fresh given where the modern era movies are at. One of the things I recently learned was that it’s produced by Lord and Miller. They’ve both produced and directed a whole lot of movies that I absolutely adore. Even one earlier this year with Project Hail Mary that was absolutely fantastic. It’s also written by Craig Mazin who has written some very prestigious television programs from Chernobyl to The Last of Us. Now I haven’t seen those shows but I’ve heard nothing but extremely positive things about them. This is one that probably won’t appear on many people’s most anticipated summer 2026 lists, but it’s on mine and I think it could be kind of fun. 

9. Carolina Caroline (June 5th, 2026): One of the smaller releases coming out. The basic concept and the two leads is why it’s on this list. It’s described as this “a young woman joins a charming con man on the run, leaving a trail of crime and passion as they hustle through the Southeast in search for her estranged mother.” That right there is a concept I’m very intrigued by and sounds like a lot of fun. The film stars Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner, two actors that I really like and they tend to pick very interesting smaller projects so the fact they’re interested in this movie has me very excited to check it out. We did get a quick teaser that was under a minute long. It seems to have a lot of style and energy to it and making it a film that seems like it’ll be right up my wavelength. The fact that we’ve only gotten that quick minute long teaser does have me a bit concerned that the film will get pushed back. But yet again, it’s not a big franchise film so the marketing budget was never going to be super high. 

8. Obsession (May 15th, 2026): This is one that I’m trying to go in as blind as possible and not watch a trailer or look at a plot synopsis. This film is on this list for two reasons. First up, the film has got overwhelming positive reviews coming out of film festivals. Every single review I’ve seen for this film has praised it as one of the best horror films of the last couple of years. Could that be over exaggerating the hype for the film? It’s certainly possible. But, I’ve sort of loved finding these smaller indie horror films and falling in love with them. Some of them I really did enjoy and thought they were very well done. Some of them I thought were disappointments that didn’t hook me the way I hoped they would, Shelby Oaks from last being a prime example. Which camp will this film fall into? I have no idea. I hope it’s a fun tim at the movies and it’s able to deliver a wild and insane ride that keeps me guessing and thrilled from start to finish.  

7. Toy Story 5 (June 19th, 2026): Now I know that a lot of people probably won’t include Toy Story 5 on this list and that’s completely fair. Would I rather see Pixar do another great original film instead of the fifth trip to the toy chest? Yes. But the Toy Story franchise track record is so good that it’s easy to guess that this movie is going to be awesome. I’m currently rewatching all of the Toy Story films and it’s such a fun rewatch and has only raised my excitement for this film. It made me realize that this world that I love spending time in and characters I love spending time with. Beyond that, I like the basic setup for the film. They’re introducing this idea of technology taking over childhood wonder and imagination and in 2026, that idea seems very prominent and important. I think you can do something very fun and clever with this idea since we’ve been with these characters for 30+ years now. The Toy Story franchise is so nostalgic for me and seeing all of the characters again gets me excited.  I get why people are tired of Pixar continually doing sequels, I think this film looks fun and like another great outing with Woody and Buzz. 

6. The Rivals of Amziah King (August 14th, 2026): This is another smaller release, coming to theaters this summer. The reason why it’s one here is that it premiered at SXSW last year and all of the buzz coming out of it was absolutely fantastic. Two of my favorite YouTubers, Sean Chandler and Cody Leach, were praising this film. The way they described the film sounded so interesting and made me very curious to check it out. “A crime thriller as a charismatic beekeeper and bluegrass musician in rural Oklahoma whose life is upended when his estranged foster daughter returns, threatening his honey business and his rivals,” this is what a description for the film is. That premise sounds very interesting and while that premise gets me excited, I don’t fully know what that means or what the film is about. It stars Matthew McConaughey and Kurt Russell, two actors that I enjoy seeing in movies. It’s a smaller release that sounds very strange and different and sometimes those end up being the best movies of the year. We haven’t gotten a trailer for this film. I hope that once we do, it could make this film higher up on this list. 

5. Supergirl (June 26th, 2026): The first comic book movie releasing in 2026, which is weird that it’s in June and not sooner. Regardless, we’ve now gotten two trailers for this film and I’ve liked both of them. What’s nice about the trailers is that they seem to provide a great perspective as to what this film is going to be. The first trailer very much had a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe with the pop music and the James Gunn style to it. The second trailer they put out was darker but still having some of that fun that audiences want with a film like this. We see the emotional stakes with Krypto getting injured, I’m very curious as to how far they go with that idea and if they decide to kill Krypto off. It’s also fun that they got Jason Momoa to be Lobo here. It’s such obvious casting, but sometimes obvious casting is the best casting and Jason Momoa and Lobo seem like a match made in heaven. I’m also just loving the early stages of the DCU and seeing these trailers and seeing the similarities and differences between them. Especially since this is so connected to Superman, I’m curious if this film has any deeper connections to Man of Tomorrow that we’re getting next year. I don’t expect this film to be one of the best of the summer or the year, but I am expecting a fun time at the movies with characters that I want to spend time with. 

4. Casa Grande (May 1st, 2026): This is another smaller release that is a kick off film to the summer. The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips, an actor that I’m not super familiar with. I don’t really know any of the other actors or talent involved. The reason why this film is on the list is because it was shot in Carson City, Nevada which is about an hour from where I’m currently writing this. Several people that I know in real life and very close friends were PA’s on this set and were involved with the production. I haven’t watched a trailer for this film. I’m just excited for this film based on the fact that I know people that spent weeks of their lives on the film set helping this film get made. As somebody who is an aspiring filmmaker and wants smaller independent films to be made, I’m very excited to be able to check this film out and see the hard work that my friends put into this film. I think myself and my friends are going to try and do an outing seeing this film next weekend when it opens wide. 

3. Disclosure Day (June 12th, 2026): The latest film from Steven Spielberg that’s an alien invasion sci-fi film. That sentence right there should tell you exactly why I’m so excited to check this film out. Steven Spielberg is one of the best directors of all time and he hasn’t had a big event film in a while. The fact that we’re getting another big budgeted blockbuster from Spielberg when he’s in his 80s is absolutely incredible to me. The marketing for the film has been absolutely fantastic and shows you what this film is about without really telling the audience where the film is going. In fact, Spielberg has said that no part of the third act is being shown in the trailers which is cool and that means the third act is going to be even more exciting when I get to see it. Even the fact that we don’t know what the aliens look like is another aspect that I’m excited to be surprised by in the theater. Given that Spielberg is one of the top directors, that means he’s able to attract a lot of top talent so this film has an all-star cast with Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, and Wyatt Russell. All of those actors are ones that I enjoy seeing on screen. It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that a new Steven Spielberg film is this high up on the list. 

 

2. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31st, 2026): Tom Holland is having two movies released this summer, and both of them releasing within two weeks of each other. The top three on here, I probably don’t need to tell you why they’re on this list and this high up. I think Tom Holland has been a great Spider-Man. I loved ⅔ of his previous trilogy and coming off of the high that was Spider-Man: No Way Home, I’m excited to see more adventures with him. The fact that they didn’t rush this movie out also has me excited. They knew that they were following a beloved film and they took their time to get the script right. With so many Marvel films feeling rushed into production recently, getting a film that doesn’t is very exciting to me. The film just feels different from the previous film. It doesn’t feel like it’s as much high school inspired which makes sense given he’s now in college. But the film seems darker and more emotional because Peter Parker has been through so much. I love that Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is in the film, that’s great casting and getting to see him on the big screen is very exciting to me. I’m even just curious how a hard-R Punisher fits into a film friendly film like Spider-Man. There’s so much in here to get me excited for what’s to come that I have a feeling it’s going to be really good. 

1. The Odyssey (July 17th, 2026): Yet again, another movie that I probably don’t need to explain to you as to why it’s on this list and at my #1. Christopher Nolan is maybe the best director working today, where he’s made so many great films. He’s even made my favorite film of all time, The Dark Knight and that entire trilogy is pretty fantastic. Nolan won a bunch of Oscars for Oppenheimer, where after that film he was on the top of the world where he could do whatever he wanted. And he decides to adapt The Odyssey, one of the most influential pieces of literature and mythology of all time. He’s interested in telling this story and I’m interested in seeing a big cinematic adaptation of this story. I actually wrote an essay my freshman year of college on The Odyssey and got like a 96% on the essay, so I’m also excited for the reason. The trailer promises this big sweeping adventure with gorgeous set pieces and cinematography. I love the cast he’s assembled with a bunch of fantastic actors. I love the fact that Tom Holland is in this movie and doing something so different from Spider-Man and hoping to expand his acting range and seeing what else he can do besides playing Spider-Man.