Quentin Tarantino recently called 2019 the last great year for cinema, before the Covid-19 crisis, controversial editorial choices, and writers' and actors' strikes weakened Hollywood, affecting studios like Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney. Despite promising films for 2025, such as Superman and Avatar: Fire and Ash, it's the busy blockbuster schedule for 2026 and 2027 that seems to signal a major recovery for major American studios. Here is the list of the twenty most anticipated blockbusters between 2026 and 2027, with some analytical elements aimed at assessing their potential successes or failures.
#1 Hoppers, by Daniel Chong
Due to the financial situation of the Disney group, the Pixar studio has been forced to prioritize sequels and spin-offs of its own classics. As a result, the studio's original films are becoming true oases of originality. After Elio in 2025, fans will be able to discover Hoppers in 2026, which will focus on the animal world through the character of Mabel, a young girl who manages to transfer her mind into a beaver robot in order to approach other animals and study their way of life. While the pitch is very promising, the success of Hoppers will depend primarily on the promotional tool that the Disney group uses for it. Indeed, several Pixar films have unfortunately been neglected by the big-eared group from a promotional point of view.
Release date: March 4, 2026.
#2 Super Mario Bros., the movie 2, from Illuminations Entertainment
Who would have thought? After several failed attempts, Nintendo has finally succeeded in bringing its own video games to the big screen with Super Mario Bros. The Movie, released in 2023. By earning over $1.3 billion at the global box office, the film has risen to the top spot among the highest-grossing video game adaptations. Building on this success, Nintendo and Illuminations Entertainment have announced a release date of April 2026. There's no doubt that the film could also be a huge success; Nintendo could also boost the film's promotion with the hype surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World.
Release date: April 1, 2026.
#3 Avengers: Doomsday, by the Russo brothers
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in rather poor shape, the Russo brothers have agreed to return for the two new Avengers films, after the triumph of the diptych Avengers: Infinity War (2018) / Avengers: Endgame (2019). In this fifth Avengers film, our favorite heroes will join forces with the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts, and the Bryan Singer-era X-Men to defeat Dr. Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. A few weeks ago, Marvel held a huge event to announce the cast. But of course, all expectations will center around the new character played by Robert Downey Jr., the former Iron Man actor. The film is very likely to exceed $1 billion at the box office. Will it manage to exceed $2 billion? Only time will tell!
Release date: April 29, 2026.
#4 The Mandalorian & Grogu, by Jon Favreau
While The Mandalorian series has been regularly cited as one of the best Star Wars series since its launch in 2019, Din Djarin and Grogu will soon be making their first steps in theaters with a blockbuster film: The Mandalorian & Grogu. A real gamble for the Disney and Lucasfilm groups, since the feature film will be the first Star Wars theatrical release since the disappointing Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, which, despite its billion-dollar box office, disappointed the postlogy's detractors. Although the "The Mandalorian" brand is very strong, Disney has opted for safety by allocating a budget of $164 million to The Mandalorian & Grogu. Grogu, well below the $416 million of The Rise of Skywalker. The long-eared group wants Din Djarine and Grogu's next adventures to be profitable as quickly as possible.
Release date: May 20, 2026.
#5 Toy Story 5, by Andrew Stanton
Although Pixar announced at the end of the last decade its desire to focus primarily on original films, the financial situation of the Disney group forced the studio with the desk lamp to revise its plans. After the triumph of Inside Out 2, which for a time became the highest-grossing animated film of all time - before being overtaken by a Chinese film - it's the turn of Toy Story to get a new sequel. A risky bet, given that the story of Woody and Buzz Lightyear has already had a satisfying conclusion twice, in Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4. However, we can trust Pete Docter's gang, especially since the project has been entrusted to Andrew Stanton, co-writer of all the previous Toy Storys and director of two of the best Pixar films: Finding Nemo and WALL-E. The film therefore has the means to approach the astronomical results of the two previous ones installment of the saga, which had exceeded one billion dollars at the global box office.
Release date: June 17, 2026.
#6 Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, by Craig Gillespie
The second film in James Gunn's DCU, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will be released eleven months after Superman, in which Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, will make her first appearance. While DC Comics fans have pointed out how the choice of casting actress Milly Alcock (who played the young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the House of the Dragon series) in the lead role was entirely appropriate, James Gunn has presented the film as an epic science fiction film and "a beautiful story across the stars" exploring a "more hardcore" version of Kora. The film's producer also revealed that the film is an adaptation of Tom King's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic; an announcement that resulted in a shortage of the title in the United States. It seems that at this stage of production, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is generating a certain amount of excitement among DC fans.
Release date: June 24, 2026.
#7 The Odyssey, by Christopher Nolan
Having just come out of the 2024 Oscars with several statuettes for Oppenheimer, including Best Director, Christopher Nolan is expected to deliver on his next feature film. Still produced by Universal since the American-British filmmaker left Warner Bros, The Odyssey promises to be the most ambitious film of the career of the director of Inception, Interstellar and The Dark Knight trilogy. By telling the story of the difficult return of Ulysses (played by Matt Damon) to his island of Ithaca, Christopher Nolan promises to explore two of the most important themes in his cinema: heroism and time. The film can count on the impressive reputation of Chris Nolan, who is one of the most acclaimed directors of his generation, and on his completely crazy cast, to attract audiences. A future triumph, assuredly! Release date: July 15, 2026. #8 Spider-Man: Brand New Day, by Destin Daniel Cretton
While we left Peter Parker alone and isolated at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man will make his grand return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, scheduled for 2026. Although the script for the third feature film in Jon Watts' trilogy is content to be a gigantic nostalgia showcase, the film was a few tens of millions of dollars away from surpassing two billion. While there is little chance that the fourth installment will achieve similar revenues to No Way Home, rather approaching the results of the first two installments (more than 800 million for Homecoming and 1.131 billion for Far From Home), Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, which is a real reason to celebrations. We remind you that we owe the filmmaker the very pleasant Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Release date: July 29, 2026.
#9 Clayface, by James Watkins
After Superman by James Gunn and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Craig Gillespie, Clayface will be the third film in the DC Universe that the director of Guardians of the Galaxy is working on. The feature film is presented as a body horror film written by Mike Flanagan, the showrunner of the series The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, and directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil). While Clayface is far from being a major character in the DC universe, the character remains popular with Batman fans; he has already made an appearance in the series Creature Commandos written by James Gunn and which introduces the DCU. Moreover, we imagine that the budget of Clayface should be much lower than Superman, which would allow it to quickly become profitable. The film also seems to be aimed at both DC fans and genre cinema lovers. A surprise success is on the cards!
Release date: September 16, 2026.
#10 Dune: Messiah, by Denis Villeneuve
In 2021, Denis Villeneuve took on the crazy challenge of adapting Frank Herbert's novel Dune, which had been deemed unadaptable. Divided into two parts, his adaptation received a real acclaim from both audiences and critics. It must be said that in addition to their exceptional cast, both films benefit from the terribly elegant direction of Denis Villeneuve, who has proven himself to be the best sci-fi director of the moment with First Contact and Blade Runner 2049. While the Canadian filmmaker was initially only supposed to adapt the first installment of the literary space opera saga, he finally agreed to direct Dune: Messiah, which takes us twelve years after the events of Dune. While the first film earned $410 million, the second exceeded $710 million at the global box office. Warner Bros. hopes to achieve a similar result!
Release date: December 16, 2026.
#11 Ice Age 6, by Lori Forte
The main license of the Blue Sky animation studio, Ice Age 6 has become a product of the Disney group since the acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019 by the big-eared group. While Disney has closed Blue Sky, the newly created 21st Century Animation division has been tasked with providing a conclusion to the adventures of Sid, Manfred, Diego and their friends in Ice Age 6. The film will be released ten years after the fifth installment. Although box office revenues plummeted between the fourth and fifth films, dropping from over $877 million to $408 million, the prospect of a conclusion could be a welcome event for fans of the franchise. However, the film, coming out on the same day as Dune: Messiah and a week before Shrek 5, could see its influence diminished by the new adventures of Paul Atreides and the Green Ogre. Release date: December 16, 2026. #12 Shrek 5, by Walt Dohrn
Fifteen years after Shrek 4, we've learned that DreamWorks and Universal's famous Green Ogre will soon be making his big screen comeback. Directed by Walt Dohrn, who has worked on the writing of every Shrek since the second installment, Shrek 5is probably not the most essential film in this lineup; however, it's a pretty smart bet on Universal Pictures' part, considering that Shrekfilm revenues remained very stable between the second and fourth installments, with worldwide box office revenues ranging between $756 million and $919 million. Especially since Universal has decided to make Shrek 5 its big Christmas movie in 2026 and the animated feature film includes Zendaya in its cast, in the role of Shrek and Fiona's daughter. We hope that the film will be worthy of interest and will be in the tradition of Puss in Boots 2, which was praised by audiences and critics.
Release date: December 23, 2026.
#13 The Legend of Zelda, by Wes Ball
As Nintendo is about to release its Nintendo Switch 2, the Japanese manufacturer intends to continue digging into the cinematic vein following the triumph of the film Super Mario Bros., the movie. While Shigeru Miyamoto had promised a proliferation of films adapting Nintendo licenses, it was clear that Link and Zelda would succeed the famous mustachioed plumber. However, The Legend of Zelda by Wes Ball will not be an animated film, but a live-action one, heavily influenced by Hayao Miyazaki's cinema. Nothing is yet known about this feature-length film, but the appeal of Nintendo, and especially the Hyrule universe, could strongly attract audiences. Big N and its partners must not miss the aesthetic of the feature film and produce a film that looks cheap, otherwise it will be penalized at the box office.
Release date: March 24, 2027.
#14 Avengers: Secret Wars, by the Russo brothers
Supposed to close the Multiverse Saga, will Avengers: Secret Wars achieve the phenomenal success of Avengers: Endgame? Of course, it's the crazy project of the Disney group and its subsidiary Marvel Entertainment, who called on the Russo brothers to direct the project. Same team, same success? For now, it's probably too early to say. Especially since the success of Secret Wars will depend primarily on that of Doomsday, which was planned for a year earlier. Moreover, Infinity War and Endgame, which concluded phases 1 to 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, were very successful, which is not the case for phases 4 to 6, which were generally heavily criticized by fans and the press. However, the Russo brothers have begun teasing a shocking cliffhanger at the end of Avengers: Doomsday, which could well have positive consequences for the sequel's box office. Release date: May 5, 2027. #15 Star Wars: Starfighter, by Shawn Levy Barely a year after The Mandalorian & Grogu, the Star Wars universe will return to theaters with Star Wars: Starfighter. Unveiled at Star Wars Celebration 2025, held last weekend in Tokyo, Shawn Levy's film will take place five years after the events of the post-logy. While the film's mission is to set the stage for the next Star Wars trilogy, it remains a standalone film, which can be both an asset and a liability (Rogue One had surpassed $1 billion at the box office, Solo was a resounding failure). Although the film will be led by Ryan Gosling—a much-loved actor—Disney will have to be careful of two issues: first, successfully capturing the public's attention for a period following a hated post-logy; second, avoid drowning viewers in an avalanche of Star Wars productions, at the risk of creating a general dissatisfaction. And given the number of announcements for the next two years, it feels like that's the direction things are going...
Release date: May 26, 2027.
#16 Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, by Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson
Sony Pictures has finally announced the release date for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, the sequel to Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse. While the first two films were unanimously acclaimed by both the press and the public, the third installment is highly anticipated, especially since it had been postponed to a date that remained unknown for a long time. The anticipation for Beyond the Spider-Verse is all the greater given that the second film ended with a rather cruel ending for viewers. In any case, the final chapter of the Spider-Verse also promises to be a huge critical and public success. The trilogy continues to exert a large influence on contemporary animation; let's not forget that it is one of the sources of inspiration for the series Asterix & Obelix: The Battle of the Chiefs by Alain Chabat and Netflix. Will the third and final installment of Miles Morales' adventures across the Multiverse manage to exceed $690 million at the box office? We believe it!
Release date: June 2, 2027.
#17 The Incredibles 3, by Brad Bird
One of Pixar's greatest assets remains the long list of geniuses who work for this company. Among them, of course, are Pete Docter, but also Andrew Stanton and Brad Bird. The latter, who directed Ratatouille, The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2, will return in 2027 with the third installment of the Parr family adventures. As usual, we can expect a feature film that is as funny as it is thought-provoking, brilliantly directed. The film could achieve a success equal to the second installment, which exceeded $1.2 billion in revenue.
Release date: July 7, 2027.
#18 The Batman Part. II, by Matt Reeves
While the end of the DC Extended Universe launched with Zack Snyder's Man of Steel had been confirmed by Warner Bros., Matt Reeves' The Batman film was a huge critical success. Praised for its stunning artistic direction and its script that reconnected with the detective spirit of the Dark Knight, the feature film won over a large portion of the public. Quickly presented as the first film in a trilogy, The Batman is a great financial success, having earned $772 million in revenue. Scheduled for release in 2027, The Batman: Part II could also manage to win over audiences. In addition to having the fame of the first installment on its side, the feature film can also count on the success of the series The Penguin, acclaimed by critics and audiences and which serves as its introduction. Additionally, the series was one of the most-watched shows on the Max platform in 2024 and one of the most awarded series of the year.
Release date: October 1, 2027.
#19 Frozen III, by Jennifer Lee and Marc Smith
While Disney seems to have set aside its own animated classics to focus primarily on its other franchises (Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar), the studio with the big ears also intends to continue to exploit its most successful films. After Zootopia 2, it will be Elsa and Anna's turn to make their return in Frozen 3. While the first two installments both exceeded $1 billion at the box office, and the second film was even the highest-grossing animated film in history until 2024, Frozen 3 could well be another success for the two sisters and for Disney. Watch this space!
Release date: November 24, 2027.
#20 The Hunt for Gollum, by Andy Serkis
Several months ago, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery outlined his plans to get the company out of an extremely difficult financial situation: to focus on its most profitable licenses, namely DC Comics, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings. For rights reasons, Warner Bros. has a contractual obligation to produce content related to The Lord of the Rings as regularly as possible. While the recent failure of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, released in December 2024 - $20 billion at the box office for an estimated budget of $30 million - seems worrying at first glance for the future of the license, Warner Bros. seems pretty sure of his move.
Indeed, unlike Amazon Prime Video, which produces the series The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power and which is facing the anger of fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's work, the Warner studio has decided to link all its projects to Peter Jackson's cult trilogy. Producer of the film The Hunt for Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis, Peter Jackson appears to be the second creator of The Lord of the Rings in the eyes of fans, as researcher Anne Besson recently explained in an article published in Chimères. While it's still too early to say that The Hunt for Gollum will be a huge success, we can bet that the presence of Gandalf and Aragorn could help convince some audiences to buy a ticket. If the first trailers are effective, the film could well exceed $600 million. (By comparison, the first The Hobbit film exceeded $1 billion at the box office.)
Release date: December 2027.
And you, what blockbusters are you most looking forward to? Tell us in the comments section.
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