It’s Barely 2026, and We Already Know the Most Anticipated Movies of…

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1. Ice Age: Boiling Point (February 5, 2027)

A lot of franchise revivals feel like pure nostalgia plays, but this one already sounds like it has enough chaos to justify coming back. Disney’s official event description pitched a dinosaur-and-lava-heavy adventure that sends Manny, Sid, Diego, Ellie, Scrat, and the herd into new corners of the Lost World, which is exactly the kind of big, silly premise this series tends to handle well. The real hook, though, is seeing a major Ice Age movie return to theaters with the core gang in place after such a long gap. If the film leans into ensemble comedy and survival-mission momentum, Ice Age: Boiling Point could land as more than a nostalgia sequel. | © 20th Century Animation

2. Gatto (March 5, 2027)

Pixar going back to Italy with Enrico Casarosa already gives this project a strong identity before a trailer even exists. The early details for Gatto point to Venice, a black cat named Nero, and a story shaped by superstition, belonging, and the kind of emotional reset Pixar usually hides inside a deceptively simple setup. What makes it especially intriguing is the contrast in the premise: a feline underworld angle mixed with a personal, searching character story. That combination sounds playful on paper, but also specific enough to avoid feeling like “just another talking-animal movie.” For an announced title with limited footage, Gatto already has a very clear personality. | © Pixar Animation Studios

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3. The Exorcist (March 12, 2027)

Horror fans are watching this one closely for one reason above all: Mike Flanagan is steering it. Universal’s new The Exorcist reboot has been described as a fresh reworking rather than a continuation of the recent trilogy plans, which immediately makes it feel like a creative reset instead of a patch job. Flanagan’s track record with grief, faith, dread, and character-first horror is a big part of the anticipation, especially in a franchise that can turn flat if it relies only on iconography. With Scarlett Johansson and Jacobi Jupe among the announced cast, the project already has a stronger “serious horror event” profile than a standard legacy reboot. | © Blumhouse Productions

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4. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (March 19, 2027)

If the previous movie’s ending lit up your group chat, this follow-up is probably already on your radar. Jeff Fowler is back, Ben Schwartz returns as Sonic, and the biggest headline so far is Amy Rose officially joining the action, with Kristen Bell voicing the character after that tease set expectations sky-high. There still isn’t much confirmed plot information, which is normal at this stage, but the franchise has built enough goodwill by mixing kid-friendly energy with fan-service payoffs that people are ready to speculate anyway. The early production teases have leaned into Amy’s iconography for a reason: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 knows exactly what fans are waiting to see. | © Paramount Pictures

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5. Godzilla x Kong: Supernova (March 26, 2027)

MonsterVerse titles are rarely subtle, and honestly, that’s part of the fun. Godzilla x Kong: Supernova already sounds like an escalation, but the interesting part is the creative handoff: Grant Sputore directs this time, with David Callaham writing, so there’s real curiosity about whether the movie keeps the last film’s crowd-pleasing tone or shifts into something slightly different. The cast lineup is also doing a lot of work in terms of hype, especially with Dan Stevens returning and new names like Kaitlyn Dever and Sam Neill entering the mix. Even before a full trailer, the title alone tells you the pitch – go bigger, go weirder, and let the scale sell the event. | © Legendary Pictures

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6. The Legend of Zelda Live Action (May 7, 2027)

Video game adaptations don’t get many “prove it” moments bigger than this. Nintendo’s live-action The Legend of Zelda movie has a built-in fanbase that spans generations, so every update – casting, first-look photos, release-date shift – gets dissected instantly. Wes Ball directing gives the project a useful signal that the film is aiming for a fantasy-adventure tone with movement and scope, while the first official images of Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth made the adaptation feel real in a way announcements alone never do. The challenge will be tone more than lore, and that’s exactly why this is one of the most anticipated films on the slate. | © Nintendo / Columbia Pictures

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7. Star Wars: Starfighter (May 28, 2027)

The biggest reason this one feels different from the usual Star Wars announcement cycle is that Lucasfilm framed it as a new story with a new lead in a later point on the timeline, not another prequel puzzle piece. Shawn Levy directing and Ryan Gosling starring instantly gives Star Wars: Starfighter mainstream pull beyond the core fandom, but the real appeal is the promise of a standalone theatrical adventure set after the sequel trilogy. That opens the door to fresh characters, fresh conflicts, and a little more room to surprise people instead of playing only on recognition. With a prime holiday corridor release slot and a cast rollout already underway, Star Wars: Starfighter is positioned like a major event from day one. | © Lucasfilm Ltd.

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8. How to Train Your Dragon 2 Live Action (June 11, 2027)

The first live-action remake hadn't even finished its theatrical run yet, and Universal is already betting big on the sequel, which says a lot about confidence in the franchise. That makes this one more interesting than a standard follow-up announcement, because the anticipation is tied not just to nostalgia, but to whether the adaptation can scale up the emotional and visual ambition of the original second chapter. Fans already know the animated version is where the story grows darker, wider, and more mythic, so expectations are naturally higher here. If the new film preserves that sense of growth instead of simply recreating familiar beats, How to Train Your Dragon 2 Live Action could be one of the biggest family-event releases on the calendar. | © Universal Pictures

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9. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (June 18, 2027)

A cliffhanger this strong was always going to create years of hype, but the wait has also turned this finale into a pressure-cooker release. What people want from Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse isn’t just spectacle; they want payoff for Miles, Gwen, and everything the second film set in motion about canon, choice, and identity. The good news is the team has repeatedly treated the delay like a quality move, not a panic move, and that matters for a trilogy this visually ambitious. There’s also a strange advantage to the long gap: it has made the final chapter feel less like “the next one” and more like a genuine event. When it lands, the conversation around Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is going to be huge. | © Sony Pictures Animation

10. Shrek 5 (June 30, 2027)

No matter how many animated franchises come and go, this series still has a very specific kind of pop-culture gravity. The reason Shrek 5 feels so anticipated isn’t only the nostalgia factor – it’s the curiosity around how the franchise updates its humor, its animation style, and its fairy-tale satire for a very different movie landscape. People grew up with these characters, quoted them into the ground, and then spent years wondering if the ogre comeback would ever actually happen. That built-in familiarity gives the sequel a head start, but it also raises the bar: fans want the irreverence back, not just the brand name. If it finds the right tone, Shrek 5 could become one of the loudest animated releases of the year. | © DreamWorks Animation

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11. Superman: Man of Tomorrow (July 9, 2027)

What makes this one especially compelling is that it arrives with momentum already built into the new DC era. Instead of feeling like a vague “sequel someday” tease, Superman: Man of Tomorrow has a title, a slot, and a clear sense that DC Studios is treating it as a major next chapter for this version of Clark Kent. That gives the movie a stronger identity early, even before full plot details are on the table. The biggest question now is tone: whether it leans more toward cosmic escalation, political pressure, or character-driven fallout from what came before. Either way, anticipation is high because people aren’t just waiting for another Superman movie – they’re waiting to see what direction Superman: Man of Tomorrow says this new universe is actually taking. | © DC Studios

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12. The Minecraft Movie 2 (July 23, 2027)

Sometimes the hype for a sequel is about mystery, and sometimes it’s about pure box-office logic – this is very much the second kind, at least for now. With Minecraft 2, the fascination comes from how a sandbox game adaptation follows up its first big-screen hit when the source material can support almost any tone, structure, or world-building angle. That flexibility is a strength, but it also means expectations are weirdly broad: some viewers want bigger adventure spectacle, others want more game-specific chaos, and plenty just want the sequel to embrace the absurdity even harder. There still isn’t much story detail publicly available, which is normal at this stage, but that hasn’t stopped people from circling the date. The brand alone makes Minecraft 2 one of the easiest crowd-magnets on the schedule. | © Legendary Pictures

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13. A Quiet Place 3 (July 30, 2027)

Horror franchises rarely keep this much goodwill unless they protect the core idea, and that’s exactly why this sequel is being watched so closely. The mainline story still has unfinished emotional and world-building threads, so A Quiet Place 3 carries more narrative curiosity than a typical “Part III” label might suggest. There’s also a built-in tension around scale: fans want the same dread and precision that made the earlier films work, but they also expect the mythology to expand in a meaningful way. If the movie can balance intimate survival horror with smarter escalation, it could be one of the strongest franchise returns of the year. That’s the lane where A Quiet Place 3 becomes more than a continuation – it becomes a real payoff. | © Paramount Pictures

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14. The Simpsons Movie 2 (Sepember 3, 2027)

After such a long gap, the biggest challenge here isn’t awareness – it’s relevance, and that’s exactly what makes the sequel interesting. The world around the show has changed, audience habits have changed, and comedy itself has shifted, so The Simpsons Movie 2 has a real opportunity to comment on the current moment in a way the series can’t always do within its usual format. There’s already built-in excitement just from seeing Springfield return to theaters, but curiosity goes beyond nostalgia this time. People want to know whether the film aims for broad chaos, sharper satire, or a mix of both. If the writing team finds the right target, The Simpsons Movie 2 could feel less like a late sequel and more like a timely comeback. | © 20th Century Animation

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15. The Batman Part II (October 1st, 2027)

Even without trailers, this sequel stays near the top of anticipation lists because the first film created such a specific Gotham that people want to get back into it. The appeal of The Batman Part II isn’t just Robert Pattinson returning in the cowl; it’s the promise of more detective noir, more city-scale corruption, and another villain rollout shaped by Matt Reeves’ grounded-but-stylized approach. That tone gave the first movie its identity, and fans are clearly hoping the follow-up doubles down instead of expanding into something more generic. The wait has been long enough to build frustration, sure, but it has also raised the stakes in a good way. When The Batman Part II finally arrives, expectations will be massive – and deservedly so. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

16. Frozen 3 (November 24, 2027)

Disney doesn’t put a Thanksgiving corridor date on a sequel like this unless it expects a major event, and that alone explains why anticipation is already high. Plot details for Frozen 3 are still tightly guarded, but the franchise’s built-in momentum gives this movie a different kind of hype: people aren’t just waiting for songs and spectacle, they’re waiting to see where Anna and Elsa go emotionally after the previous chapter’s ending. There’s also extra curiosity because the story is now part of a larger ongoing plan, which makes every early tease feel more important than usual. Even with limited confirmed information, the project already carries the weight of a legacy sequel and a holiday blockbuster at the same time. | © Walt Disney Animation Studios

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17. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (December 17, 2027)

Middle-earth has a long history of owning December, so this release slot feels less like a coincidence and more like a statement. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum arrives with built-in intrigue because it isn’t simply revisiting the trilogy’s biggest battles; it’s zooming in on a character and a stretch of the lore that longtime fans have wanted to see explored on screen for years. Andy Serkis directing and returning to the role gives the movie a strong hook before trailers even enter the conversation. The pressure, of course, is enormous, but that’s exactly what makes this one one of the most talked-about fantasy releases on the schedule. | © New Line Cinema / Warner Bros. Pictures

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18. Avengers: Secret Wars (December 17, 2027)

Marvel release calendars move all the time, but the moment a prime December slot was attached to this project, it immediately became one of the defining theatrical bets on the board. There’s still a lot the studio is keeping under wraps with Avengers: Secret Wars, which is expected for a movie this central to the MCU’s larger arc, yet that mystery is part of the draw rather than a weakness. Fans already treat it as a culmination title, so every casting update and production rumor gets analyzed like a major clue. The challenge will be scale versus coherence, and that’s also why excitement is so intense: people expect something huge, but they also want a payoff that actually lands. | © Marvel Studios