Top 10 Most Awaited Movies Coming in the Next 3 Months (July–September 2026)

1. The Odyssey — July 17, 2026

I don’t use the phrase “event cinema” lightly. But The Odyssey is exactly that — an event.

Christopher Nolan adapting Homer’s epic poem with a cast that reads like a who’s who of Hollywood is the kind of thing that only happens once a decade. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, Tom Holland is Telemachus, and the supporting cast includes Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya (widely speculated to be Athena), Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, and Jon Bernthal. This film sold out 70mm IMAX screenings a full year before its release date. It reportedly broke the AMC app when tickets went live.

I watched the trailer at least twelve times. The scope of this thing — the sea, the mythology, the scale of the action — it doesn’t look like any Nolan film we’ve seen before. And that’s saying something for a guy who gave us Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Oppenheimer.

If you see one movie this summer, make it this one. Go in IMAX. Bring popcorn. Prepare to be stunned.

2. Spider-Man: Brand New Day — July 31, 2026

Primary keyword: Spider-Man Brand New Day 2026 | Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Okay, I’ll admit something: I’ve been avoiding spoilers for this one like they’re a plague. The marketing has been brilliantly slow — a costume reveal in August 2025, a piece-by-piece trailer in March — and every single drop sent the internet into a meltdown.

Tom Holland is back as Peter Parker, now in college, trying to leave Spider-Man behind after the events of No Way Home wiped his identity from everyone’s memory. But of course, new threats pull him back in — including the returning Scorpion and the menacing Tombstone. Mark Ruffalo is back as Bruce Banner, and Sadie Sink joins the cast in a role that’s still under wraps.

What makes this one especially exciting: it’s the only MCU film releasing before Avengers: Doomsday this winter. Which means every single Easter egg in this movie is going to be dissected for Doomsday clues. I’m already planning my second viewing specifically for that.

Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is helming this one, which gives me enormous confidence. He knows how to blend action with genuine emotional weight.

3. Minions & Monsters — July 1, 2026

I know. I know what you’re thinking. “It’s just another Minions movie.” But hear me out.

The premise of Minions & Monsters is genuinely bizarre and I’m here for it: the Minions summon real monsters — set against the backdrop of 1920s Hollywood. Steve Carell and Pierre Coffin are back as Gru and the Minions, and Universal dropped this premise during the Super Bowl, which caused an immediate explosion of fan art and memes online.

The Despicable Me and Minions franchise has delivered consistently — both in entertainment and at the box office. And the Gentleminions phenomenon from Rise of Gru proved this fanbase doesn’t just show up, they show out. Universal originally had this slated for 2027 and pulled it forward — a rare sign of studio confidence.

Also: it releases July 1, perfectly positioned to dominate the July 4th holiday weekend. Expect this to be the family blockbuster of the summer.

4. Moana (Live-Action) — July 10, 2026

Disney’s live-action remakes have had a complicated track record. I’ll say that plainly. But Moana feels different, and I want to explain why.

First, Dwayne Johnson is reprising his role as Maui — and not just lending a voice this time. The Rock as a live-action demigod is a genuinely exciting prospect. Second, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the beloved original soundtrack, is back for new musical material. Third, Catherine Laga’aia as Moana is a fresh, genuine talent whose casting alone generated enormous excitement.

The director is Thomas Kail, a Tony Award-winning theater director whose visual storytelling instincts are shaped by stage production. That’s an unconventional choice — and unconventional choices in live-action Disney have historically swung big in both directions.

I’m cautiously optimistic. If the music is anywhere near the level of the original — “How Far I’ll Go” still makes me emotional, I won’t pretend otherwise — this could be one of the biggest movies of the year.

5. Evil Dead Burn — July 2026

The Evil Dead franchise has a special place in horror history. Sam Raimi’s original films, the remake in 2013, and Evil Dead Rise in 2023 — each entry has found a way to terrify a new generation while honoring the series’ gruesome DNA.

Evil Dead Burn is a standalone entry, introducing an entirely new cast and a new setting. Details are still largely under wraps — no full trailer as of writing — but that itself is part of the excitement. The Evil Dead brand carries enough weight that horror fans are already bracing themselves.

For fans of practical effects horror, unrelenting dread, and the kind of filmmaking that makes you check if your doors are locked afterward — this is the must-watch of July.

6. Insidious: Out of the Further — August 21, 2026

The Insidious franchise has become a fixture of modern horror, and Out of the Further brings back the franchise’s original heart: Lin Shaye, returning to her iconic role. Alongside her is Brandon Perea — fresh off his breakthrough in Nope and Twisters — which signals a generational handoff happening in real time.

Director Jacob Chase previously worked with James Wan’s producing sensibility on Backrooms projects, and his eye for atmospheric dread fits right in with the Insidious universe. This film replaces the previously planned spin-off Thread: An Insidious Tale, which means the studio is doubling down on the core mythology.

The Further is one of horror cinema’s most effective settings — that dark, silent, spirit-haunted dimension that plays on primal fears of what lies beyond death. Anytime we go back there, I pay attention.

7. Coyote vs. Acme — August 28, 2026

This one has a backstory that is almost as dramatic as the film itself.

Coyote vs. Acme was completed, then shelved by Warner Bros. for a tax write-off — before being saved by Ketchup Entertainment and finally getting a release date. The premise is genuinely clever: Wile E. Coyote sues the Acme Corporation for the repeated failures of their products. It’s a live-action/animated hybrid with Will Forte, John Cena, and Lana Condor.

The fact that this film exists at all after its near-death experience is remarkable. And there’s a genuine emotional investment from audiences who rallied to save it. When a movie has that kind of origin story attached to it, people show up just to prove a point.

I’m showing up. Are you?

8. Clayface — September 11, 2026

The DC Universe under James Gunn is rebuilding itself carefully, and Clayface is one of its most intriguing solo bets. Tom Rhys Harries steps into the role of Batman’s shapeshifting villain — a character who has appeared in animated form and in Harley Quinn and Creature Commandos, but never had a live-action feature of his own.

Director James Watkins (The Woman in Black, No Good Deed) brings a British horror sensibility to what is, at its core, a deeply tragic villain origin story. Clayface isn’t just a monster — he’s a man losing his form, his identity, his grip on who he is. There’s serious dramatic potential here.

Naomi Ackie and Max Minghella round out the cast in roles not yet disclosed. If DC handles this with the tonal seriousness it deserves, Clayface could be the year’s most surprising comic book film.

9. Resident Evil (2026 Reboot) — September 18, 2026

I’ll be direct: the previous live-action Resident Evil films drifted very far from what made the games so terrifying. The 2026 reboot, however, has the right person at the helm.

Zach Cregger directed Barbarian — one of the most genuinely disturbing, cleverly constructed horror films in recent memory. His approach to building tension, withholding information, and delivering payoffs that make your stomach drop is exactly what Resident Evil needs. The studio has promised a darker approach that stays true to the survival-horror roots of the games.

Paul Walter Hauser leads the cast alongside Austin Abrams and Zach Cherry. That trio suggests a film leaning into psychological complexity as much as creature horror. If Cregger brings even half of what he brought to Barbarian, this reboot could reset the entire franchise’s trajectory.

For horror fans and gamers alike, September 18 can’t come fast enough.

10. Crime 101 — September 2026

David Leitch is one of action cinema’s most reliable craftsmen. Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Bullet Train, The Fall Guy — the man understands kinetic energy on screen. And Crime 101 continues in that tradition.

Starring Nicholas Hoult, Anna Sawai, Pete Davidson, Zoë Kravitz, and John C. Reilly, it’s a comedy heist film that feels like it was built in a lab to generate maximum fun. Leitch’s ability to blend wit, style, and action sequences that look genuinely painful is on full display in every trailer beat we’ve seen.

After the well-received The Fall Guy in 2024, there’s real momentum behind this one. Amazon MGM Studios is betting big on it as a marquee fall release, and honestly? So am I.