A cracking slate of films are coming this Easter school holidays.

Family friendly titles stole the spotlight in this year’s Super Bowl trailer lineup, setting the scene for a huge year ahead at the movies. With the Easter school holidays just around the corner, cinema sits at the heart of family entertainment, bringing kids and parents together in high-attention, shared viewing moments. In this shared environment, influence travels across generations, with 8 in 10 parents agreeing children play a role in household purchasing decisions.**

For brands, that shared influence translates into action. Cinema not only creates desire but converts it, with 1 in 2 audiences likely to shop directly after watching a movie.* From well-loved IP, to book adaptations, iconic video game franchises and original storytelling, here are the upcoming films that draw family audiences in droves across one of the most valuable viewing windows of the year.

GOAT

Releasing March 12.

GOAT is an original animated film from Sony Pictures Animation, backed by the creative pedigree behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and KPop Demon Hunters. Built around basketball and an underdog journey, the film is set to resonate strongly with Australian audiences.

AusPlay data shows basketball is now Australia’s second-highest participation team sport, with around 1.3 million players nationwide. Combined with Australia’s expanding presence across the NBA and WNBA, and the rise of household names such as Josh Giddey, Patty Mills and Sami Whitcomb, the sport continues to resonate with younger audiences and families alike. With NBA icon Stephen Curry attached as executive producer, GOAT has a clear and credible connection to basketball culture.

For brands, GOAT presents a timely opportunity to align with modern sporting culture. The film’s originality, paired with basketball’s momentum, creates a high-energy environment where brands can show up in ways that feel connected to the next generation of sporting fans.

The Magic Faraway Tree

Based on one of the most enduring children’s book series of all time, The Magic Faraway Tree reinforces the lasting strength of literary IP in family cinema. Translated into more than 35 languages and selling over 500 million copies worldwide, the series carries significant global recognition that spans generations, bringing a beloved story to a new big screen audience.

That legacy is further elevated by an all-star cast including Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan and Rebecca Ferguson, broadening its appeal across parents and children alike. The deep sense of nostalgia rooted in this IP creates a natural opportunity for brands to align with a shared, memory-making cinema experience for family audiences.

Hoppers

Hoppers reflects Pixar at its best, pairing meaningful life lessons with a story designed to connect with multigenerational audiences. Early critic reactions point to humour as a defining strength, with The Wrap’s Drew Taylor calling it Pixar’s funniest film to date, while also highlighting its depth, heart and strong environmental perspective. That momentum is reinforced by a high-profile voice cast led by Meryl Streep, alongside Dave Franco and Jon Hamm.

The film builds on Pixar’s proven storytelling framework, where emotional resonance and entertainment are well balanced. With a track record that includes Inside Out, Toy Story and The Incredibles, Pixar continues to explore family, friendship and personal growth in ways that resonate across generations. For brands, Hoppers offers a clear alignment with the themes of progress, curiosity and learning, within a family context that is both trusted and widely appealing.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Built on one of the most recognisable gaming franchises in the world, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie brings cross-generational appeal and undeniable cultural credibility. Video game adaptations have become one of the most powerful drivers of box office success, with A Minecraft Movie becoming the biggest video game adaptation of all time, surpassing the two-year record held by The Super Mario Bros. Movie. With the bar raised in quick succession, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie prepares to launch into cinemas, leveraging strong audience appetite for gaming adaptations and the lucrative Easter school holiday window with a proven box office track record.

For brands, gaming franchises deliver scale and familiarity at speed. They create high-energy, high-impact environments where nostalgia meets modern entertainment, making them especially effective for brands seeking broad reach, strong recall and cultural relevance across both parents and children during peak holiday periods.

Sources:

*CineTAM PLUS, Primary – High school children in HH, Been to cinema Summer 25/26, n= 141, DIVAPortal: "The Influence of Media on Toy Sales," 2024.

**Marketing and consumer research from cinema advertising studies, Deloitte (2025), Axios/DKC (2025),Ampere Analysis, L.E.K. Consulting / CineTAM PLUS, Primary – High school children in HH, Been to cinema Summer25/26, n= 141