This year is shaping up to be a blockbuster year at the box office. With massive movie franchises making returns and loads of highly anticipated movies lined up throughout the year, movie-goers should rejoice at what lies ahead.
That being said, movies can crash and burn upon its release, while others end up being just as good as advertised. That’s why I’m here to give my takes as a casual movie-watcher on whether the most anticipated upcoming movies will disappoint or surpass expectations.
“The Odyssey”: Christopher Nolan’s latest project is arguably the most anticipated film of 2026. Starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and many others, the classic tale is being brought to the big screen by this star-studded cast and a director who’s produced numerous classics throughout the years, such as “Interstellar” and “Oppenheimer.” With a lineup like this, it would be hard to mess this one up on the filmmakers’ parts, but not impossible. With the expectations and the standard set so high for Nolan, it would be understandable to see why fans could feel disappointed if they feel like “The Odyssey” doesn’t meet these astronomical expectations when the film comes out. With all the big names in this cast, it’ll be interesting to see how they work together. I do think that “The Odyssey” will be a good movie, but right now I believe it will end up being a level below some of Nolan’s past films.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” : The fourth and final movie in the Tom Holland “Spider-Man” franchise is set to follow Peter Parker after the world has completely forgotten him. Last movie leaned heavily into the nostalgia of 2000’s “Spider-Mman” movies with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield making appearances as well as classic villains like Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin and Jamie Foxx as Electro. I feel like the directors can’t make the mistake of doing the same thing for this fourth movie. They need to deliver on a solid plot line, not nostalgia bait. While Marvel has had substantial misses over the years (“Secret Wars,” “Multiverse of Madness,” etc.), I believe the writers will do this franchise justice and deliver a great fourth movie.
“Super Mario Galaxy”: the second “Mario” movie is set to release on April 1, where the franchise will move in the direction of another one of its mario game franchises, “Super Mario Galaxy.” Chris Pratt and Jack Black are back as Mario and Bowser, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach. New additions to the cast include Charlie Day as Bowser Jr. and Brie Larson as Rosalina. It’s hard to expect much for the plot of a movie like this, but It’ll be a guaranteed fun movie for the kids, and definitely not disappoint at the box offices after the first movie grossed $1.36 billion.
“Toy Story 5”: The classic franchise is making its return to movie theaters for its fifth installment. This movie feels like it will be a classic example of taking a franchise a step too far. When “Toy Story 4” was announced, fans were outraged, believing that it would ruin the ending of “Toy Story 3,” which many thought was the best possible ending for the franchise. Now, the addition of a fifth movie just feels like a cash grab to most fans. There are also lots of plot holes to be filled, like how Woody is returning after leaving the other toys with Bo Peep at the end of “Toy Story 4.” While it’s expected that the movie will surpass “Toy Story 4″ as the highest grossing of the franchise, I predict that this movie will be the lowest rated of all five movies, and will be largely forgotten by the fans of “Toy Story.”
“Avengers Doomsday”: This is the movie that will make or break Marvel. After over half a decade trying and failing to follow up “Avengers Endgame” in terms of star power and plot, this is the movie that will determine Marvel’s future success. Robert Downey Jr. is making his MCU return not as Tony Stark, but as Dr. Doom, who many tout as the greatest comic book villain ever. It’ll fall on his shoulders to deliver another amazing performance that launches Doom as the next great Marvel villain after Kang the Conqueror was scrapped. Lots about the movie is still unknown with filming and sets being kept airtight and nothing being leaked to the public. The movie looks like it’s going to be one that involves lots of cameos and special appearances by different characters, similar to Endgame, with other stars like Chris Evans set to appear in the movie. I think that regardless, the movie should be fun but I doubt that it will be different to anything else Marvel has put out this decade in terms of quality. For those expecting a return to the glory days of Avengers movies and the MCU, I would advise them to not get their hopes up.
This year looks like it’s going to be an amazing year for movies and the movies mentioned here are just scratching the surface of projects coming out, like “The Mandalorian” or potentially the third “Dune” movie. As a disclaimer, I am no experienced or credited movie critic, and there’s a good chance I might be completely wrong about these movies. All I know is that this year will definitely be the most times I’ve been to the theaters in years.
