2026 Movie Releases Set for Brutal Box Office Battle

With 2025 wrapping up, everyone is starting to look ahead to the movies coming in 2026. While it’s too early to predict which films might win awards at the end of the year, now’s a good time to see which big movies are likely to be box office hits. Major studios plan well in advance, and we already know that several popular franchises will be back in theaters.

Several major studios are planning big releases in 2026, and the competition is expected to be intense. This could lead to some movies changing their release dates to avoid clashing with bigger films. Here’s a preview of the most anticipated releases, which ones are likely to be successful, and where the biggest rivalries will be.

‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ vs. ‘Hoppers’

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Universal is predicting that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, set to release on April 3rd, 2026, could be a massive hit, potentially becoming the year’s biggest animated film. This expectation follows the huge success of 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which earned $1.3 billion at the box office (according to Deadline). With video game adaptations like Sonic the Hedgehog and Five Nights at Freddy’s proving popular with audiences, a new animated Mario film is likely to perform very well, especially given the franchise’s established fanbase and appeal to families.

Disney has a month to prove an original film can attract audiences before the next Super Mario movie comes out. Hoppers, a new Pixar animated film, tells the story of people who transfer their consciousness into robotic animals to improve communication with wildlife. While it’s not a sequel and features well-known actors like Jon Hamm, Meryl Streep, Dave Franco, and Kathy Najimy, the film might struggle to stand out since it doesn’t rely on an established franchise. Hoppers opens on March 6th, 2026, with relatively little competition, so it will be interesting to see how well it performs at the box office before Super Mario arrives in April.

Spielberg’s ‘Disclosure Day’ vs. ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’

It’s been a while since a new Star Wars movie was in cinemas, with Disney choosing to release content on Disney+ instead. The popularity of the The Mandalorian TV series could now bring fans back to theaters. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu will be the first theatrical release continuing the story of the bounty hunter and his companion, arriving on May 22nd, 2026. Disney hopes audiences will be excited to see these well-known characters on the big screen after following them in the popular TV show for the past six years.

Another science fiction movie could potentially challenge Star Wars‘ box office numbers. This one comes from Stephen Spielberg, who hasn’t directed a sci-fi film in a while. His new movie, Disclosure Day, which is about aliens contacting Earth, will be released by Universal Pictures on June 12, 2026. An original sci-fi film from a well-respected director often generates a lot of excitement and could be a big hit. Although it’s coming out just two weeks after Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, the release dates are close enough that the two films could impact each other’s success.

‘Supergirl’ vs. ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

Sony Pictures Releasing

Following the success of Superman, Warner Bros. is gearing up for Supergirl next summer. The trailer for the new film, which stars Milly Alcock as the spirited Kara Zor-El and features Jason Momoa as the bounty hunter Lobo, has already generated a lot of excitement. While James Gunn didn’t direct this one – Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Cruella) is at the helm – the positive reception to Gunn’s Superman suggests a promising start for Supergirl, set to hit theaters on June 26, 2026.

Marvel’s next superhero movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, starring Tom Holland, is coming to theaters, but it isn’t creating a lot of buzz right now. Disney is releasing it on July 31st, 2026, a month after Supergirl, in a similar strategy to last year when Fantastic Four: First Steps followed Superman by a few weeks. While Marvel is being cautious about avoiding direct competition, they’re hoping Spider-Man’s proven popularity—No Way Home earned $1.9 billion in 2021—will bring audiences back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Spider-Man consistently performs well at the box office, making him a strong candidate to boost ticket sales for Marvel.

‘Toy Story 5’ vs. Minions

Universal Pictures

Even if Pixar’s Hoppers doesn’t perform well in theaters, Disney has a guaranteed hit coming up with Toy Story 5, scheduled for release on June 19, 2026. The Toy Story franchise has been incredibly popular for three decades, and the continuing story of Woody and Buzz Lightyear is expected to be a success, especially since Toy Story 4 earned over a billion dollars worldwide in 2019. Pixar has also demonstrated the continued appeal of its sequels, with 2024’s Inside Out 2 grossing $1.6 billion globally (according to Forbes).

As a huge movie fan, I’m always watching box office predictions, and it’s pretty clear that the Despicable Me franchise is a real force. It’s the only animated series that seems capable of challenging a true blockbuster. This year, Universal is hoping to own the July 4th weekend again with Minions 3, which comes out July 1st. Being the seventh film in the series, I fully expect Gru’s little yellow helpers to be all over the box office charts again. While Toy Story 5 will definitely get some attention, I’m curious to see if it can compete long-term. Knowing how well Despicable Me 4 did last year – nearly a billion dollars worldwide! – I don’t think Universal is planning on giving up the top summer spot anytime soon.

‘Avengers: Doomsday’ vs. ‘Dune: Part 3’

The biggest movie battle of 2026 will likely be between a science fiction series and a superhero franchise. Disney is already starting to promote the next Avengers film, even though it’s still a year away. Currently scheduled for release on December 18th, 2026, Avengers: Doomsday could be a gamble for Disney. While Avengers movies were huge box office successes in the 2010s, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t performed as well recently. Plus, Avengers films have always been released in the summer, making a December release a new and potentially risky move.

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Disney’s upcoming major Marvel crossover event might have some competition for the Christmas release date. Warner Bros. is planning to release Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three at the same time as Avengers: Doomsday. The first two Dune films, released in October and March, were both box office successes, with Dune: Part Two earning almost twice as much as the original. With strong audience and critical reception over the past five years, and numerous awards, Dune could be poised to take over the holiday box office in 2026.

As a huge movie fan, I’m really keeping an eye on the potential showdown between Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three this December. It’s going to be fascinating to see which one decides to move its release date first, if either does. I don’t think either film will actually pull out of December, but if they both open on the same day, it would be a huge loss for both – they’d end up splitting the audience and ticket sales. Honestly, it feels like a high-stakes game of chicken for 2026’s biggest films, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about this as the year goes on. The Avengers trailer even had a countdown to the release, but there’s an even shorter countdown to see who blinks first – there’s so much more at stake than just the story, it’s about the future of these franchises!

2025-12-31 09:34