Movie slate 2026: Val Morgan’s ones to watch.
Originally published on B&T.
It’s going to a massive year at the movies.
This year’s cinema slate runs deep in both quantity and quality, with movies that are set to entertain, shape pop culture and fuel conversation. Cinema creates the kind of bankable cultural moments that create emotion, connection and drive brand performance.
With so many heavyweight releases on the horizon, we’ve complied our predictions across three high value demos: Youth, ABs and Families, to help you easily navigate depending on your brand’s target audience. We’ve also collated a Sleeping Giants section, covering the titles that have cult followings and are expected to be huge for their target audiences.
So, grab your popcorn. Here are the ones to watch in 2026.
Family audiences
Our fastest growing audience segment last year. There’s a plethora of family titles releasing this year, including globally recognised IP and stories that have proven their place in the hearts of generations, time and time again.
Kicking off the year we have a stack of films all releasing around the Easter school holiday period.
On the 12th of March, GOAT is releasing. The film is produced by NBA superstar Steph Curry and is set to capitalise on the incredible popularity of basketball in Australia, which ranks as the second most popular team sport in Australia according to AusPlay.*
Coming to cinemas two weeks later on 26th of March is Hoppers - a brand-new creation from animation powerhouse, Pixar, which is also set to be one of the key films of the lucrative Easter period.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the sequel to 2023’s highly successful Super Mario Bros. Movie, is releasing on 2nd April and is expected to be a guaranteed box office hit.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie broke Shrek 2’s nearly 20-year record to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time. That success was driven by its powerful dual appeal across families and youth audiences, with generations of Australians growing up alongside the iconic games.
Ahead of the winter school holidays, we have what could be the Barbenheimer for kids, with Toy Story 5 and Minions 3 releasing on 18th June.
Both franchises are box office behemoths. Despicable Me is the highest-grossing animated film franchise in the world, with each film consistently delivering nearly $1B at the global box office.
Toy Story was Pixar’s first film, which was released over 30 years ago and has since grown to be one of the most loved family IPs. According to our CineTAM Plus survey, Toy Story 5 ranked as the #1 most anticipated film for 2026 among primary school-aged families.
July will see one of Disney’s most iconic modern princesses, Moana, return to the big screen in live action, just in time for the winter school holidays on 9th July.
The original film remains the most-streamed movie of the past five years, despite releasing in 2016. Its sequel, released in 2024, went on to become the second-biggest animated film of all time in Australia, reinforcing the franchise’s ongoing appeal amongst family audiences
AB audiences
There is no shortage of films set to connect with affluent audiences this year, whether through original content or long-awaited sequels.
Releasing on 19th March is Project Hail Mary – the highly anticipated adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 sci-fi novel starring Ryan Gosling. When the trailer launched six months ago, it amassed over 400 million views globally in its first week, making it the most-watched trailer in history for a non-sequel or remake.
Releasing on 30th April is The Devil Wears Prada 2, which is set to be one of the biggest talked about cultural moments of the year.
The original remains iconic and continues to resonate with new audiences. It is one of the most-streamed films on Disney+ among women under 30 and currently ranks as the #1 most anticipated film of 2026 among Australian women, according to our recent CineTAM Plus survey. It’s a natural fit for premium brands looking to connect with affluent female audiences.
The Odyssey, releasing on 16th July, is Christopher Nolan’s next big film, shot entirely on IMAX cameras. The hype for this movie is unprecedented, so much so that the 70mm IMAX sessions at IMAX Melbourne went on sale a full year in advance and sold out within hours, despite audiences not seen a single frame of footage.
December brings the epic conclusion to Denis Villeneuve’s modern masterpiece-in-the-making, Dune: Part Three, releasing on 17th December.
The sci-fi franchise launched in 2022 and has already become critically acclaimed. When Dune: Part Two was released, it cemented the franchise as a true cinematic event, pulling in nearly double the box office of the first film, so we expect that audience appetite for this upcoming release will be at an all-time high.
Youth audiences
Cinema is the best place to connect with this increasingly hard-to-find demographic, and the 2026 movie line-up shows us why.
After three record-breaking seasons on Disney+, The Mandalorian & Grogu will make the jump to the big screen in what will be a multi-generational cultural event on 21st May.
One in four internet users globally identify as Star Wars fans*, so this release will allow brands to align with fandom, legacy, and youth culture all at once, with audiences 1.8x more likely to be within the 14-39 demographic.
On 30th July, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is releasing. The previous instalment, Spider-Man: No Way Home, cemented the character as the world’s biggest superhero when it grossed nearly $2 billion globally and became the seventh highest-grossing film of all time in Australia. According to Roy Morgan, Spider-Man ranks as the #1 superhero in Australia among Gen Z, so for brands, it’s an ideal title for reaching this young audience.
Landing on 17th December, Avengers: Doomsday is set to feature one of the largest superhero casts ever assembled. It’s seriously huge. The previous two Avengers instalments also sit within Australia’s all-time top 10 box office rankings, so this one is set to be big.
On Boxing Day, the final instalment in the modern Jumanji franchise, Jumanji 3, is releasing. This film will skew more towards youth, however, it has true four-quadrant appeal spanning families, kids, teens, and adults and is the kind of title that guarantees massive, repeat-visit audience turnout.
Sleeping giants
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the highly anticipated Wuthering Heights is releasing on 12th February, starring two of Australia’s own, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. The film is based off the novel written by Emily Brontë in 1847 and is directed by Emerald Fennell (Saltburn). This title is expected to resonate with audiences that are twice as likely to be females aged 14-39 - perfect for beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands.
The follow up to last year’s successful film Superman, is Supergirl, releasing on 25th June. DC lovers across the P14-39 demographic will be flocking to see this one.
Another Colleen Hoover book to screen adaptation, Verity, is releasing on 1st October, starring Hollywood heavyweights Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. Like many of Hoover’s books, it has a cult-following on BookTok and will be a sure hit with females across the 25-54 demographic.
26th November will also see the return of the legacy comedy franchise, Meet the Parents, with the release of Focker-In-Law. Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro will reunite on the big screen 16 years later, draw in P25-54 audiences.
The ones to watch - in order of release date:
Wuthering Heights: 12th February
GOAT: 12th March
Project Hail Mary: 19th March
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: 2nd April
The Devil Wears Prada 2: 30th April
The Mandalorian & Grogu: 21st May
Toy Story 5: 18th June
Minions 3: 18th June
Supergirl: 25th June
Spider-Man: Brand New Day: 30th July
Moana: 9th July
The Odyssey: 16th July
Verity: 1st October
Focker-In-Law: 26th November
Dune: Part Three: 17th December
Avengers: Doomsday: 17th December
Jumanji 3: 26th December