CinemaCon 2026 is in the books, and it was one for the ages. For four straight days, almost every movie studio in Hollywood showcased their upcoming films to theater owners, and having watched all the presentations, theater owners are probably going to have a very good year. There are a ton of fantastic-looking films coming in the next 12 months or so, and below, we’ve got a roundup of all our favorite things that played at the convention.
Spaceballs: The New One
The original Spaceballs is one of my favorite movies ever, so to get to see the first footage from a sequel 40 years in the making was quite the experience. It looks properly bonkers, and it’s evil to make us wait another year for it. Read more here.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
One of our most anticipated films of all time didn’t disappoint with a dazzling selection of footage that teases a movie way bigger and more emotional than its two predecessors. Read more here.
Dune: Part Three
We’ve all seen the trailer, but Denis Villeneuve showed the opening of the film at CinemaCon, and holy shit. You aren’t ready. It’s a sci-fi Saving Private Ryan as the Fremen drop to a new planet and get eviscerated by killer lasers. Read more here.
Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel Studios showed the first footage from Avengers: Doomsday, and it didn’t disappoint. We still have no idea what’s happening, but watching Shang-Chi fight Gambit, Thor fight Doctor Doom, and more was so epic. Read more here.
Whalefall
This one was not on our radar at all, but now, it’s one of the movies we’re most looking forward to. Brian Duffield (No One Can Save You) directs Austin Abrams (Weapons) in a movie about a diver who gets swallowed by a whale. The footage was intense as hell. Think Jaws, but underwater. It’s out in October.
Disclosure Day
Any movie from Steven Spielberg is worth getting excited about, but new footage from Disclosure Day somehow made us even more excited for the master’s return to sci-fi. Read more about it here.
Highlander
Henry Cavill is still filming the new Highlander movie, but that didn’t stop him from featuring in a cool behind-the-scenes sizzle reel at CinemaCon. It looked exciting, massive, and very heavy on the neon, thanks to John Wick director Chad Stahelski. We’d expect it sometime in late 2027.
Grandgear
We didn’t see much from the first-ever English-language film from Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki, but the little we did see has us HYPED. He’s making a movie with giant robots fighting. Need we say more? Read more here.
Clayface
The third DC film from the James Gunn regime is unlike any DC film we’ve seen before. And we can say that safely, having seen a tiny tease from the October release, which was legitimately disturbing, but in a great way. Read more here.
Werwulf
Focus Features didn’t show a lot from Robert Eggers’ new film, but the little we did see was exactly what we wanted it to be. Dark. Scary. Gorgeous. And a brief look at Aaron Taylor-Johnson turning into a werewolf. Oh, sorry. “Werwulf.” It’s out this Christmas.
Resident Evil
The first footage from Resident Evil was not at all what you’d expect from Resident Evil. And yet, it was scary, gory, and had lots of little nods to the games. So that and Zach Cregger at the helm have our expectations incredibly high. Read more here.
Children of Blood and Bone
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s star-studded adaptation of the hit novel by Tomi Adeyemi looked unlike anything we’ve ever seen. It’s sort of the aesthetic of Black Panther infused with the magic of Harry Potter and the scope and creatures of Lord of the Rings. But also, that still doesn’t quite capture it. We can’t wait to see the full thing in January 2027.
Other Mommy
Here’s another one that came out of nowhere. Jessica Chastain plays a mom whose family is terrorized by an evil spirit—an evil spirit that appears as her. So, the family can never tell if it’s actually Mom or a killer demon. From Blumhouse and director Rob Savage, this one looks really promising. It’s out on October 9.
Violent Night 2
We love the first Violent Night, so to see David Harbour back in the Santa outfit at all was exciting enough. To see him get put on the Naughty List and have to fight through a shopping mall to save Christmas, along with Mrs. Claus, played by Kristen Bell, was even better. It’s out on December 4.
Hope
Another one that we previously knew nothing about and now can’t wait for. Neon is releasing the Cannes 2026 entry, which is a South Korean sci-fi action film about an extraterrestrial invasion. Two of the aliens are played by Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. The footage gave us It: Welcome to Derry vibes, but with more action and alien monsters.
The Great Beyond
Director J.J. Abrams showed the first trailer for his upcoming movie, starring Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega, and Samuel L. Jackson, and while we saw lots of action and whimsy, we still don’t know exactly what it’s about. But we are very, very excited to find out. It’s coming on November 13.
Those were our favorites, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. We also saw footage from The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Godzilla Minus Zero, Supergirl, Mortal Kombat II, Masters of the Universe, Street Fighter, Scary Movie, Toy Story 5, The Mandalorian and Grogu, and more. So yeah, it’s going to be a great year.
And last thing, though they aren’t io9 movies, we had to shout out three films that would’ve 100% made this list if they had aliens or monsters in them. Footage screened from Michael B. Jordan’s 2027 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, the making of Rocky movie I Play Rocky, and especially Tom Cruise’s new movie with Alejandro Iñárritu, Digger, were all beyond incredible. They’re all gonna be very, very special too.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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