Fall 2026 Movie Preview: The BeMovieSeeMovie Top 10 Most Anticipated Popcorn Movies
Other than a Halloween Horror movie or a big Christmas Break film, it takes some guts to release a popcorn movie in the fall, with the film snobs attention more fixated on the big Oscar contenders of the year. The slate for 2026 is in my opinion, one of the weaker ones in recent memory, with a lot of wishful thinking on the studio’s part, surrounded by a cavalcade of lazy kids movies, unwanted sequels, and slumming streamer flicks.
And yet, there’s always something to hold on to. The “weaker” movie theater slate means untested. Eg, that means mostly NEW stuff on the list! And, for myself and maybe all of you, the rise of the trashy fun flick, be it a crazy thriller or a disaster movie thanks to successes like The Housemaid last year. There are also fewer sequels thankfully, and in fact, the best of em are some of the most exciting movies on the docket!
The big “Red Flag” winner: no contest, for all the reasons I was psyched for Avengers: Endgame, all the opposite are true for Avengers: Doomsday: feels like a last gasp of the superhero era with botched character arcs and rushed rehashing of stuff we’ve seen before.
Here’s 5 Intriguing Honorable Mentions, that are gonna make me turn my head:
There are two very interesting movies coming out in India this fall. Apologies to SRK, but Nitesh Tiwari’s movie has me more intrigued. Based on an ancient Indian epic poem, we’ll see if this film can rise above Bollywood’s predictable filmmaking to deliver something truly legendary and worthy of its historical inspiration.
Was on my list last year but it got delayed. Alejandro Monteverde has elevated himself out of Angel Studios B director quagmire with a decent eye for a great image and memorable movie moments in his previous films. If the trailer is any indication for this one, looks like Monteverde has continued to improve, making Jesus’s first year of life look like a cross between Dune and a Zack Snyder movie montage. Who knows if it’ll be good or drown in its messaging, but color me intrigued.
This is a potent combination. Take a story everyone loves: Robin Hood, and combine it with one of the great action movie directors of his era (David Leitch), and you have a swash buckling bank heist thriller with style and pizazz, kinetic with a point, in hopefully deliriously fun ways.
One movie always makes the anticipated list because of a high Rotten Tomatoes score with a lot of reviews. James McAvoy’s directorial debut is this years banger. This is a movie musical pitch I can get into: two con artist Scottish rappers convince MTV they’re legit California talent, a classic fake it till you make it caper that’s gonna be hella stupid and hella fun.
The first Colleen Hoover adaptation I’m legit excited for. Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway are gonna rise beneath vulgarity for this trashy psychosexual thriller, with Josh Hartnett doing the bad boy thing he’s so good at. I think everyone here, including director Michael Showalter, know what this movie is, and will make it the campy over the top lunacy I hope it goes for.
Maybe the highest I have had a Christmas movie on this list, ever. This is a story we all know, with a, shall we say, at best controversial cast of people like Johnny Depp and Andrea Riseborough. And yet, Ti West’s writing/direction by far makes this the most intriguing of the Christmas movies of the year: making at its best live action Nightmare Before Christmas meets Edward Scissorhands energy. A horror Christmas movie that isn’t about Santa slaying? All preconceived notions are thrown out the window here.
Yes! Godzilla Minus One was a revelation a few years ago, as the Japanese took back their most popular monster and made an incredible reboot for him. Hopes are sky high for the sequel, now putting us right on the OG Godzilla from the 1950s timeline. What allegory about society is this film going to be about? No idea, but trust has been earned here, let Takashi Yamazaki cook!
This is the greatest trashy monster movie disaster pitch I have heard in a long time. Austin Abrams is a deep sea SCUBA diver going through a sad day. When, naturally, a giant sperm whale sucks him into his belly while trying to eat. He escapes…only for a giant squid to tentacle pull Abrams into the stomach anyway. As long as this movie isn’t too dark, you’re gong to hear me cackle and woot like a dipshit idiot watching this gorgeous stupidity on display.
All apologies to Pixar and Hoppers, which was delightful. But I’m much more interested in Disney Animation’s big release. This movie looks like the best fusion of Harry Potter and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, filtered through Disney’s literal and figurative magic. Expect a badass heroine, incredible imagery, and hopefully a story for the ages.
Probably would have been 1 on both the Oscar Contender and Popcorn Movie List. Here’s hoping Denis Villeneuve’s final journey to Arrakis is a Return of the King like capper on an amazing trilogy of movies. Everyone’s back, with new faces like Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, and Anya Taylor-Joy bringing in some new, exciting energy to the epic tale. If the trailer’s boldness holds, we could be witnessing something truly special with this one.
