2026 is the year of cinema. Blockbuster hits such as “The Odyssey,” “Dune 3,” “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and “Spiderman: Brand New Day” are among a slew of big budget films taking the screen this year. The box office is off to a hot start reigning in $1.77 billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to The Wrap. Films like “Project Hail Mary,” “Wuthering Heights” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” are all contributors to such a record-breaking start this year.
“We’re going to hit Marvel fans, Star Wars fans, and DC fans. The majority of my paychecks will be going to an AMC Theater.” – Grace Quick, Junior, Communications Major
As the year continues, more highly-anticipated films are set to take to the screen. Grace Quick, Communications major at the University of North Georgia said, “I’m most excited to see ‘The Odyssey’ because we read it in school as kids. I’m a huge fan of Christopher Nolan, and it has an A-list cast so I’m really excited. I’m definitely going to go see it in theaters, probably twice.” Variety describes Christopher Nolan movies as, “Legendary blockbuster(s).”
The theaters are expecting to rebound this year in ticket sales. With the question circulating, ‘are movie theaters dying,’ Screendaily reports that North American ticket sales in 2025 finished “around the $8.8 billion mark,” and, “The theatrical community expects much, much better in 2026.” Many have turned to streaming services rather than the theaters. UNG Organizational Communications major, Issac Mathewes said, “It’s less a matter of movie theaters dying and more a matter of big movies being less of a thing now. Let’s be honest we are in a bit of a dry spot, but I feel like we’re coming back.” Quick agreed saying, “It’s on film executives to decide what movies to make, what the people want, are you following the trends, are you marketing it correctly?” There’s a lot of movies that are not marketed correctly,” and added the point that Covid-19 led to the downfall of theaters and the uprise in streaming services.
With so many coveted films hitting screens, the award-buzz conversations are already spreading. Who will score the most nominations? Who will take home the most awards? Quick and Mathewes agreed on “The Odyssey” racking up both high numbers in nominations and wins. Quick said, “I love Dune, I think it will obviously be nominated, but I don’t think it has the star power that ‘The Odyssey’ does.” Mathewes felt as if “Dune” was catered more towards the fans rather than the Academy voters.
2026 is slated to be a big year for cinema. With so many big names, big budgets and big premieres taking the screen, fans are sure not to fall bored with the movie theaters. Which film are you most excited to see? Answer the poll below.
