There’s a lot to look forward to from the film industry in 2026. Popular, big-budget movies like Avengers: Doomsday, The Odyssey, Dune: Part Three, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day are guaranteed to be blockbuster hits. However, there are plenty of other movies coming out in 2026 that may achieve success in theaters.
Right now, many filmmakers have new projects lined up that feature exciting, original stories or tales that simply aren’t talked about enough. Though the future is uncertain, these films display great promise, and they could become the sleeper hits of 2026.
Primate (January 9, 2026)
January hasn’t always been the best month to release films, as school, work, or bad weather has kept audiences from going to theaters. However, Primate could be one of the first profitable movies to come out in 2026.
Primate follows a young woman (Johnny Sequoyah) who goes on a tropical vacation with her friends, but they must fight for their lives after her family’s adopted chimp is bitten by a rabid animal and becomes ferocious. The movie is essentially Cujo but with a monkey, which should make for a unique and terrifying experience for viewers.
Primate has already shown great promise with its chilling first trailer. The film has also garnered an impressive 92% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning it could have a future as a Certified Fresh hit.
Return to Silent Hill (January 23, 2026)
Directed by Christopher Gans, Return to Silent Hill follows a man (Jeremy Irvine) who, after the loss of his true love (Hannah Emily Anderson), receives a letter from her that brings him back to the titular town. Once he arrives, he sees the town has been corrupted by a terrifying force, filling it with monsters and throwing him into a waking nightmare that makes him question what is and isn’t real.
Video game adaptations have experienced a modern resurgence thanks to movies like Sonic the Hedgehog, Mortal Kombat, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Since Silent Hill is one of the most acclaimed horror gaming franchises ever made, a movie adaptation of its second game should attract longtime fans.
Though the original Silent Hill movie, which Gans also directed, received negative reviews, it was still a commercial success and has received a cult following. A sequel to this film should draw fans into theaters, even after 20 years of waiting.
Cineverse has also been highlighted as a distributor, having gained prominence in the horror community with the shocking success of Terrifier 3. Whatever the reviews are for Return to Silent Hill, we may be looking at another terrifying box office hit.
Hokum (May 1, 2026)
This creepy film follows an author who travels to Ireland to scatter his dead parents’ ashes, only to discover that the inn he’s staying at may be haunted by a witch. Right now, Hokum seems to hint at a folk horror version of The Shining, which should appeal to members of the niche horror community.
Though it’s an original indie horror film, Hokum has generated quite some buzz thanks to its eerie trailer. The film’s distributor, NEON, is known for attracting plenty of audiences with some clever marketing for its horror movies, particularly Longlegs.
Hokum is also directed by Damian McCarthy, who has broken out into the horror scene with acclaimed movies Caveat and Oddity. It even features Severance star Adam Scott in the lead role, so he could help bring in a decent crowd.
Flowervale Street (August 14, 2026)
Right now, very little is known about this sci-fi film. Flowervale Street reportedly follows a family in the 1980s that starts to see stranger occurrences in their neighborhood. While this may sound generic, one image from the film’s production features a giant Brontosaurus appearing in the night. This suggests that this film will be a time-warping adventure that pays homage to the works of Steven Spielberg.
If that isn’t intriguing enough, this original story also heralds the long-awaited return of writer/director David Robert Mitchell, who helmed the modern horror hit, It Follows. In addition, J.J. Abrams is serving as a producer, while prominent actors Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor have joined the cast. While Flowervale Street is shrouded in mystery, so far, it seems to have the makings of a classic summer blockbuster.
Practical Magic 2 (September 18, 2026)
1998’s Practical Magic follows sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman), sisters born into a family of witches, who use their ancestral abilities to destroy the spirit of Gillian’s serial killer boyfriend. The upcoming reboot movie sees the return of Bullock, Kidman, Stockard Channing, and Dianne Wiest to their roles from the original film.
While the original movie bombed at the box office, it did develop a cult following large enough to warrant a sequel. It is unclear if a second movie released decades after the first will succeed in theaters. However, Practical Magic 2 is based on the acclaimed sequel to the source novel by author Alice Hoffman, so the story already has a strong foundation that has maintained public interest in the franchise.
Verity (October 2, 2026)
Directed by Michael Showalter (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Verity follows Lowen (Dakota Johnson), a struggling writer hired to finish a book for author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), who has been left comatose from a car accident. However, the former discovers a manuscript that reveals some unsettling secrets about Verity.
Based on the acclaimed book of the same name, Verity should bring in fans of the source material to theaters. The original book was also written by author Colleen Hoover, who wrote the book that became the hit film, It Ends With Us. After the latter’s extraordinary success in cinemas, another Hoover adaptation like Verity could achieve comparable box office numbers, especially if it has stars like Johnson, Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett.
Whalefall (October 16, 2026)
Based on the novel by Daniel Kraus, Whalefall sees scuba diver Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) swallowed by a whale while searching for his father’s (Josh Brolin) remains underwater. He is then given only an hour to escape the leviathan’s stomach before he runs out of air.
Overall, Whalefall promises a bizarre and wholly original thriller that must be seen to be believed. It also helps that the film has two beloved Weapons stars, along with director Brian Duffield, who recently wowed audiences with his Hulu horror hit, No One Will Save You.
The Backrooms (2026)
Inspired by the hit Backrooms web series from director Kane Parsons, this sci-fi horror film follows a therapist who ventures into a strange dimension to rescue one of his patients. Since indie film giant A24 has attached itself as the distributor, The Backrooms should have plenty of eyes on it when it hits theaters in 2026.
The Backrooms has plenty of other big names bringing it to life, such as producers Shawn Levy (Stranger Things) and James Wan (The Conjuring franchise), along with actors Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Life of Chuck) and Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value). While The Backrooms is Parsons’s first feature as director, the popular young filmmaker could have one of cinema’s most surprising success stories in 2026.