Hollywood is loading up 2026 with epic franchises

Hollywood’s biggest studios are loading up their 2026 release calendar with heavyweight franchises and big-name titles, promising a year dominated by superheroes, sci-fi epics, beloved cartoons and horror revivals as audiences return to theaters for big-scale spectacle.

The year opens with “Return to Silent Hill,” a dark psychological horror in which a man is drawn back to the cursed town after receiving a mysterious letter from a lost love whose memory he cannot escape.

Marvel returns to the fold with ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, reuniting famous stars under Anthony and Joe Russo for another universe-shaking chapter, while ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ sees Peter Parker again struggling to leave heroics behind when danger threatens friends.

Denis Villeneuve continues Frank Herbert’s sweeping saga with “Dune: Part Three,” following Muad’dib’s rise to unimaginable power as ancient plans come to fruition in a gritty universe of prophecy, politics and rebellion.

Disney powerhouse franchises are also returning, including “Toy Story 5,” where Woody, Buzz and Jessie face the challenge of modern electronics that threaten playtime, and a live-action remake of “Moana,” led by Catherine Laga’aia with Dwayne Johnson reprising Maui.

The “Star Wars” universe expands with “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” sending Din Djarin and his little companion on another galaxy-spanning adventure, promising a mix of Western-style action and big-screen space mythology for loyal fans.

DC focuses on “Supergirl,” a darker origin story for Kara Zor-El before her arrival on Earth, while “Clayface” explores Gotham’s tragic shape-shifting figure torn between villainy and an uneasy alliance with Batman.

Horror keeps its claws at the schedule through titles like ‘Scream 7’, ‘Evil Dead Burn’, ‘Terrifier 4’ and ‘Thread: An Insidious Tale’, alongside the return of the apocalyptic ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’.

Younger audiences are drawn to “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie,” “Minions 3” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” underscoring how cartoons and family franchises remain reliable box office engines for studios chasing global numbers.

Elsewhere, “Masters of the Universe” brings He-Man back to the screen, “Mortal Kombat II” continues the brutal saga of the tournament and “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” brings the story of Panem back to Haymitch Abernathy’s deadly youth.

Twenty years after the first ‘Devil Wears Prada’ comes a sequel with the same writer-director-producer trio and many of the same actors reprising their roles. The plot itself is not fully known, but it will likely follow 2013’s “Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns,” the sequel to the original novel.

With household names, bankable nostalgia and high narrative stakes dominating the set, 2026 is already looking like another year where franchise power will dictate the shape of the global box office – for better or worse.