Best Movies of 2026... So Far

There were some expected hits in the animated film category. Toy Story 5 is one of them. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the other. Those were expected to get into the billion-dollar range. There were some people who were also expecting the biopic Michael (2026) to make a boat-load of cash. It didn't disappoint in terms of the box office revenues. The only real question is if the studio behind it will green-light a sequel, given the controversy over the material that wasn't included and given that the original plan was to cover more of Michael Jackson's life. As of this article, the film has grossed over $1 billion.

What could also be seen as a surprise hit was the film Project Hail Mary (2026), which was an adaptation of a popular book from a popular author. It starred Ryan Gosling as an unlikely astronaut who meets and befriends an alien who is as adorable as E.T. from the famous Steven Spielberg film. It's funny because Spielberg released an alien film this summer called Disclosure Day, which won't come anywhere near what this Gosling film made in the box office. Disclosure Day was an interesting thriller with some great filmmaking, but it wasn't the fun, action-adventure that Project Hail Mary was.

Backrooms (2026) by Kane Parsons, a YouTuber, is now the youngest person to have a #1 film at age 20. It's also the highest opening for A24 at $81 million domestically and $118 globally. It had a $10 million budget. It has gone on to make $367 million globally.

Obsession (2026) by Curry Barker, opened three weeks prior, to $17.1 million, landing in third place. Its second weekend, it earned $23.9 million, which is an increase of nearly 40-percent, which is rare for a wide-release film to increase the amount of money it made from the weekend before. This film nearly doubled its intake. Its third weekend, it earned $26.4 million, which is an increase of 10-percent. A third weekend increase is even rarer. It's clear that this film is a hit, now standing at $427 million globally, especially since its budget was only $1 million.

It's not surprising that these YouTubers are seeing success. Banking on horror films, no matter their origin, is usually a safe bet in cinema. A lot of people seem surprised or shocked by their successes. I would be more shocked if these filmmakers were producing anything other than horror and achieving this level of success. All of the films on my list aren't horror and most of them didn't achieve great success or much success in the box office. As such, they're more than likely to be overlooked by mainstream audiences or even so-called younger generations. If nothing else though, I feel obliged to put a spotlight on them and make sure they're acknowledged. Others have acknowledged them, but I want to reiterate them.

15. HOPPERS by Daniel Chong

14. MORTAL KOMBAT II by Simon McQuoid

13. THE FURIOUS by Kenji Tanigaki 

12. STOP! THAT! TRAIN! by Adam Shankman 

11. CRIME 101 by Bart Layton

10. THE SHEEP DETECTIVES by Kyle Balda 

9. DEPARTURES by Lloyd Eyre-Morgan & Neil Ely

8. GOAT by Tyree Dillihay & Adam Rosette

7. BEAST by Tyler Atkins

6. PILLION by Harry Lighton

5. MY FATHER'S SHADOW by Akinola Davis, Jr.

4. ONE SPOON OF CHOCOLATE by The RZA 

3. IS GOD IS by Aleshea Harris

2. COLOR BOOK by David Fritz Fortune

1. RICKY by Rashad Fett