George Clooney and Adam Sandler lead a magnificent ensemble cast in Netflix’s tentpole festive period release – a sweeping comedy-drama following a beloved Hollywood movie star (Clooney) and his doting manager (Sandler) as they travel through Europe reflecting and reminiscing on their lives.

Given the subject matter, this could have been saccharine or sentimental in certain creative hands, but Jay Kelly is co-written and directed by Noah Baumbach, so we have hugely high expectations for it. The film has already been screened at festivals, and the critics seem impressed; we’re just looking forward to see Sandler and Clooney trading witticisms on the big (or small) screen.

Release date: 14 November 2025 (cinemas); 5 December 2025 (Netflix)

Rian Johnson’s third movie in the Knives Out series brings together another star-studded group of misfits (among them Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Glenn Close, Mila Kunis and Andrew Scott) in a new murder mystery – this time centring around a Catholic congregation where the sins being committed require something a little stronger than a few Our Fathers, atonement-wise. Presiding over the case once again is Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, a flamboyant private detective whose mind is as quick as his Southern drawl is slow.

This film will be Jeremy Renner’s first major creative project since his horrific snowplough accident almost two years ago.

Release date: 26 November 2025 (cinemas); 12 December 2025 (Netflix)

Originally slated for release in August 2024, the third Avatar movie is finally nearing touchdown. Judging by the trailer, and from comments from director James Cameron, this time around we’ll see Na’vi take on Na’vi, via the introduction of the warlike, aggressive Ash People.

But, really, it’s an Avatar movie – so we’re expecting technical mastery, breath-taking visuals, action aplenty… and a fairly forgettable story. We’re also expecting it to make an ocean full of cash during its theatrical run, after which it’ll arrive on Disney+ for home streaming.

As well as the huge returning cast, including Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, there’ll be new additions in Oona Chaplin and David Thewlis.

Release date: 19 December 2025

Filmed back-to-back with the recently released 28 Years Later, this sequel (directed by Nia DaCosta and written by Alex Garland) centres around two characters from that film: Ralph Fiennes’ Ian Kelson, who has already appeared in the series; and Alfie Williams’ Spike, who has been inducted into a psychotic cult inspired by Jimmy Savile (yes, really – and they have the greasy blond hairdos, tracksuits and copious amounts of gold baubles to prove it).

Rumour has it that Cillian Murphy’s 28 Days Later character Jim (will return to the post-apocalyptic horror series with a small appearance here, setting the scene for yet another potential sequel in the near future. Watching Danny Boyle’s 2002 original all those years ago, we’d never have banked on it spawning a wave of sequels decades hence. It’s testament to the series’ inventive take on zombies and post-collapse societies that audiences still want to go back to this grim and gritty future version of the UK.

Release date: 16 January 2026

Chris Hemsworth leads a star-stuffed cast in this thriller, playing a stylish and masterful jewel thief who steals from the rich along Los Angeles’ Highway 101. But he’s no Robin Hood, and there’s no giving to the poor here – although a portion of his multi-million dollar takings do go to Halle Berry’s insurance broker, who’s tipping him off about her clients’ assets and whereabouts.

Hot on their heels are detective Mark Ruffalo (playing a world-weary cop for what seems like the millionth time) plus Barry Keoghan’s psychopathic criminal, all of which promises to be a diverting revisit to the sort of car-chase-and-shootout antics we’ve seen in the likes of Heat and Drive. Will Crime 101 be as good as either of those classics? Highly unlikely, but we’d be more than happy with an entertaining crime thriller full of big-name actors.

Release date: 13 February 2026

The campaigns to forcibly engineer Glen Powell into Hollywood’s next go-to leading man and to make every second movie about how awful billionaires are continue apace with this A24 black comedy-drama. Powell’s working-class average Joe, disowned from infancy by his disgustingly rich family, decides to reclaim his birth right – by murdering any relative ahead of him in the line of succession.

The film is reportedly inspired by the 1949 Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets. Ed Harris, Margaret Qualley, Topher Grace and Jessica Henwick round out the cast.

Release date: 20 February 2026

Scream started off by parodying the tropes of the multi-sequel slasher movie franchises of the 1980s, and has now become a trope-filled, multi-sequel slasher franchise itself. Still, this seventh big screen Scream does bring back some familiar old faces, not least Kevin Williamson, who wrote the very first movie and her both co-writes and directs. Also returning are Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, and a few surprise guest stars from beyond the cinematic grave – we’ve heard that both David Arquette and Matthew Lillard have also been cast.

Judging by the trailer – which, as is usual these days, seems to reveal far too much – Scream 7‘s plot looks like pretty standard horror fare, with a new knife-wielding, ghost-masked murderer appearing and threatening the family of Campbell’s heroine Sidney Prescott in the town she’s made her home. But our fingers are crossed for Williamson to deliver some shocks and surprises this time around.

Release date: 27 February 2026

David Koepp is known as a screenwriter of triple-A Hollywood blockbusters like Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible and 2002’s Spider-Man, but he’s clearly got a love of b-movies too – hence penning this horror comedy based on his own 2019 novel, in which a deadly fungus emerges from a sealed lab and threatens to bring about the end of the world.

The cast features not only horror-adjacent youngbloods like Joe Keery, Sosie Bacon and Georgina Campbell, but esteemed thespians like Lesley Manville and Vanessa Redgrave. Not to mention Liam Neeson because, well, why wouldn’t you cast Liam Neeson as the straight-talking military man in an ultra-violent splatterfest?

Release date: 2026

Usually, when a film is delayed it’s a bad sign – perhaps restive actors, post-production hell, reshoots or negative test screenings have spooked the studio. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here; after originally being slated for an October 2025 release, Warner Bros. eventually decided Mortal Kombat II was simply too big, bold and brilliant to be a fall movie – and consequently pushed it back to May of 2026 where it can bask in summer blockbuster status.

With Karl Urban joining the cast as action star turned fighter Johnny Cage, it’s time for another brutal, no-holds barred tournament featuring a roster of martial artists, monsters and demigods. Expect gallons of gore as Cage, Sonia Blade, Kitana and more battle it out in an attempt to dethrone the evil emperor Shao Khan.

Release date: 8 May 2026