Next year will be massive for movie fans, as 2026 is full of dozens of exciting releases on the big screen. Event pictures like Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey are on the calendar, his first film since Oppenheimer, while Emerald Fennell is putting her take on Wuthering Heights, and Baby Yoda will make his jump to the big screen in The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars movie to hit theaters since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. These aren’t the only familiar titles that will be gracing the big screen, as 2026 is currently scheduled to unveil 30 new films that serve as the next chapter for beloved franchises.
Whether you prefer family-friendly animation, horror, or sci-fi, there’s a lot to look out for in 2026. While many of the sequels are outright continuations of established properties, we’ve also included spin-offs that expand the lore of an iconic world, as well as some films that are conceptually reboots, yet have previously earned fan-favorite installments.
30
‘SOULM8TE’ – Jan. 9
M3GAN came to theaters in 2023 and, thanks to social media, became a major success, as audiences quickly became passionate fans of the titular doll. The sequel, 2025’s M3GAN 2.0, didn’t quite earn the same love from audiences, as critical reactions and box office earnings fell short of its predecessor. The series is far from over, though, thanks to SOULM8TE.
Starring Lily Sullivan and David Rysdahl, the movie will explore similar themes to what we saw in M3GAN – a human relying on an android for one too many facets of their life – and the deadly aftermath that follows. Making matters more interesting is that, rather than being an outright horror movie, the upcoming spin-off is being billed as an “erotic thriller.”
29
‘Greenland 2: Migration’ – Jan. 9
The original Greenland was released in 2020, becoming one of many cinematic adventures that failed to earn the attention it deserved due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite not becoming a major hit instantly, the apocalyptic family drama and its exploration of a family trying to make it to Greenland under a global extinction event has since earned a larger, deserving following.
Director Ric Roman Waugh and stars Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin return for this sequel, which will see their on-screen family having to leave the confines of their bunker in Greenland five years later and make their way across Europe in Greenland 2: Migration.
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’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ – Jan. 16
Danny Boyle returned to the 28 Days Later franchise earlier this year with 28 Years Later, with the film marking an ambitious and unsettling return to genre storytelling for the director. Some fans were disappointed in how 28 Years Later ended on what felt like a cliffhanger, with not all audiences being aware that this film was meant to be the first chapter in a trilogy, which continues with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels) directs from a script by Alex Garland, with stars Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson all returning. Not much is known about the sequel, other than we’ll see what happens when Williams’ Spike is taken under the wing of O’Connell’s Jimmy, and we’ll likely learn more about Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson and the titular Bone Temple he has constructed.
27
‘Return to Silent Hill’ – Jan. 23
The Silent Hill franchise is one of the most beloved and unsettling video game series in history, with the horrors of the game not quite earning the same live-action legacy of Milla Jovovich’s Resident Evil films. The first Silent Hill was released in 2006 and Silent Hill: Revelation debuted in 2012, neither of which was able to break into the mainstream.
Return to Silent Hill serves as an adaptation of the Silent Hill 2 game, where a man is drawn to the mysterious town of Silent Hill in hopes of being reunited with his love. As you can imagine, he finds a lot more freaky stuff in this town than he bargained for. Return to Silent Hill stars Jeremy Irvine and Hannah Emily Anderson and was directed by Christophe Gans, who directed the 2006 Silent Hill.
26
‘The Strangers – Chapter 3’ – Feb. 6
One of the more ambitious horror revivals in recent years, filmmaker Renny Harlin wasn’t content with merely reviving The Strangers, and instead directed an entire trilogy of films that were meant to unfold like one four-hour movie. Initially shot for a streaming debut, the first installment was released in 2023 while the next installment was unleashed just this past September.
Likely picking up right where The Strangers – Chapter 2 left off, the upcoming The Strangers – Chapter 3 will follow what happens after Maya (Madelaine Petsch) has been terrorized, hospitalized, escaped, and apprehended by masked maniacs, and without many plot details having been revealed, Chapter 3‘s teaser has implied Maya might have to carry out heinous acts alongside the Strangers if she wants to live through the night.
25
‘Scream 7’ – Feb. 27
The 2022 Scream marked the first installment in the series that wasn’t directed by the late Wes Craven, with the film’s success reviving the series indefinitely. Scream VI continued the journey of the Carpenter sisters (Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega), setting up even more terror to unfold. Neither Barrera nor Ortega will be appearing in the upcoming Scream 7, however, as Barrera was removed from the project due to comments she made in support of Palestine and Ortega is reportedly sitting out the sequel due to scheduling conflicts.
Instead, original writer Kevin Williamson makes his directing debut in the franchise with a story that will bring back Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox). Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, whose characters made up the “Core Four” that also included the Carpenter sisters, are both returning for the new installment. Despite Matthew Lillard and David Arquette’s characters previously being killed, they’re both appearing in this new movie in some capacity.
24
‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ – April 3
Super Mario is one of the most recognizable and successful franchises in pop culture, so it’s no surprise that 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie would become a tremendous financial success, ultimately taking in $1.7 billion worldwide. A sequel was inevitable, which is why we’re getting The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Stars Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, and Kevin Michael Richardson are all returning for the sequel, as are directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and writer Matthew Fogel. The new movie will adapt the events of the Super Mario Galaxy, with Brie Larson joining the cast as Rosalina and Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr.
23
‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ – April 10
The original Ready or Not was a modest success when it was first released, earning a decent box office haul but becoming a standout with critics, while the home video release and streaming debut helped cement it as one of the best horror-comedies in recent years. Audiences are set to return to the bizarre world with Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.
The first movie followed Grace (Samara Weaving) on her wedding night, with her in-laws forcing her to take part in a deadly game of hide and seek in order to appease a demonic presence that granted this family tremendous wealth. Details about the plot of this follow-up haven’t been fully revealed, though it sees Weaving reprising her role, with Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin returning to direct. The sequel also added Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and David Cronenberg to its cast.
22
‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ – May 1
After breakout roles in The Princess Diaries and Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada pit Anne Hathaway against Meryl Streep, with the former playing a newcomer at a fashion magazine controlled by the latter’s ruthless editor. 20 years later, the pair are reuniting for The Devil Wears Prada 2, catching up with these characters two decades later.
Based on the novel Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns from Lauren Weisberger, Hathaway’s Andy is now the editor of her own magazine, only for Streep’s Miranda to linger in her mind before fate puts them on a collision course. Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt also reprise their roles from the original film.
21
‘Mortal Kombat II’ – May 8
The ’90s saw a lot of video game adaptations being made, and while the first two Mortal Kombat films weren’t particularly good, they helped cement the franchise’s place in pop culture. One of the biggest complaints was that their PG-13 tone prevented them from embracing the blood and gore the video game franchise embraced, which the 2021 Mortal Kombat aimed to correct. That movie was one of many Warner Bros. offerings that debuted in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously, so while this strategy impacted the film’s financial performance, it resonated with audiences strongly enough to warrant this sequel.
The previous movie was meant to set up the nature of the “Mortal Kombat” tournament, with Mortal Kombat II bringing to life the tournament itself. The sequel is directed by Simon McQuoid and written by Jeremy Slater, and stars Karl Urban, Lweis Tan, and Joe Taslim.
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