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Most Anticipated Movies of Holiday 2026 (November-December Releases)

Theatrical releases dated between November 1 and December 31, 2026, ranked on anticipation, not quality: franchise pull, the director, the cast and how the release is set up (IMAX deals, holiday dates). Nobody has a review score here because most have not screened. Dates are US release dates as announced on Oct 21, 2026 and they can still move; Narnia already slipped to 2027.

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12 entriesAdded Oct 21, 2026

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Avengers: Doomsday

The Russo brothers return to Marvel with Robert Downey Jr. back, this time as Doctor Doom, alongside Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal and Florence Pugh. Disney has it dated December 18 in over 4,000 US theatres after two moves (from May 2025, then May 2026). The catch: Dune holds US IMAX screens for the first three weeks, so Doomsday plays Dolby, ScreenX and 4DX instead.

4 pros · 3 cons

Dune: Part Three

Denis Villeneuve finishes his Dune run on the same day as Doomsday, December 18, and Warner Bros. has the US IMAX screens to itself for three weeks. Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya return, with Robert Pattinson and Anya Taylor-Joy joining. Most of it was shot on 65mm film with some 15/70mm IMAX sequences, and Wikipedia reports IMAX 70mm seats selling out within minutes in April and again in August.

4 pros · 3 cons

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Adapts Suzanne Collins's 2025 novel about the 50th Games and a young Haymitch, played by Joseph Zada. Francis Lawrence directs his fifth Hunger Games film, and the cast is stacked: Ralph Fiennes as Snow, Elle Fanning as Effie, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch. Lionsgate has held November 20 worldwide with no reported delays, and it is booked for IMAX.

4 pros · 3 cons

The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth

David Fincher directs a Quentin Tarantino script with Brad Pitt back as the stuntman from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It is a Netflix film, but it gets a two-week run in IMAX theatres worldwide from November 25, which Netflix calls a first for the streamer, then lands on Netflix on December 23. If you want it on a big screen, those two weeks are the window.

4 pros · 3 cons

Jumanji: Open World

The third modern Jumanji puts Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan back in the game, with Danny DeVito returning too, and Jake Kasdan directing again. Sony first dated it December 11, then moved it to Christmas Day in March 2026 so it would not open on the second weekend of Avengers and Dune. That makes it the main family comedy option over the holiday break itself.

4 pros · 3 cons

Werwulf

Robert Eggers, of The Witch and Nosferatu, goes back to medieval England for a werewolf story he co-wrote with the Icelandic writer Sjon. Aaron Taylor-Johnson leads, with Willem Dafoe and Lily-Rose Depp. Focus Features releases it in the US on Christmas Day, as it did with Nosferatu; the UK date is January 1, 2027. It is the counter-programming choice if your family does not want Jumanji.

4 pros · 3 cons

Godzilla Minus Zero

Takashi Yamazaki follows his Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One. Toho opens it in Japan on November 3 and its subsidiary GKIDS brings it to North America on November 6, in IMAX, after a New York Film Festival premiere in September. Wikipedia notes it is the first Japanese production filmed for IMAX and the first Godzilla film rated R in the US.

4 pros · 3 cons

Focker-In-Law

The fourth Meet the Parents film brings Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo back, with Ariana Grande joining. John Hamburg, who co-wrote the original, writes and directs. Universal opens it in the US and Canada on November 25, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It is the adult comedy of the season, which is a short list.

4 pros · 3 cons

Hexed

Walt Disney Animation's original film for the year follows Billie, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, who is expelled from school and discovers she belongs to a world of witches. Fawn Veerasunthorn (Wish) and Jason Hand direct; Rashida Jones, Jodie Foster and Walton Goggins voice other roles. Disney opens it November 25, with a Lilo and Stitch short, Lilo and Scratch, in front of it.

4 pros · 3 cons

Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol

Ti West, who made X and Pearl, directs Johnny Depp as Scrooge in his first lead in a major studio film since 2018. Rupert Grint, Ian McKellen, Daisy Ridley and Andrea Riseborough co-star. Paramount opens it November 13. The trailer from San Diego Comic-Con sold it as a darker take, with the ghosts played closer to horror than to a lesson. Interest here is real, and so is the curiosity factor.

4 pros · 3 cons

The Cat in the Hat

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's Dr. Seuss film casts Bill Hader as the Cat, with Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, Giancarlo Esposito and Matt Berry in the voice cast. It has moved a lot: from March 2026 to February 27, 2026, and then in August 2025 to November 6, 2026. Warner plans it as the start of a Seuss film universe. It is the first big family film of the window.

4 pros · 3 cons

Violent Night 2

David Harbour is back as a brawling Santa, with director Tommy Wirkola and writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller also returning; Kristen Bell joins the cast. Universal opens it December 4, the weekend after Thanksgiving and two weeks ahead of Avengers and Dune. The first film was a modest-budget surprise, and the sequel keeps the same violent action-comedy idea.

4 pros · 3 cons

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