Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg both have new movies going head-to-head in the summer of 2026 for the first time since their blockbuster showdown in 2008. Nolan and Spielberg both have upcoming projects set to be released within the same window in 2026 — Nolan in July, Spielberg in May — which means these two titans of big-budget filmmaking will be competing for the attention (and disposable income) of cinema audiences. This will be the first time that Nolan and Spielberg have had competing blockbusters hitting theaters at the same time since way back in 2008.
There have been other years since 2008 when Nolan and Spielberg both had movies released, but they were more when Spielberg had awards-season fare that wouldn’t compete with Nolan’s mega-budget spectacle films. Spielberg released Lincoln in the Oscar season of 2012 after Nolan had released The Dark Knight Rises in the summer. Spielberg released The Post in the Oscar season of 2017 after Nolan had released Dunkirk in the summer. 2026 will be the first time that they’ve both had major releases in the summer blockbuster season since 2008.
Christopher Nolan & Steven Spielberg Will Both Release Summer Blockbusters In 2026
Most Of The Details Are Being Kept Under Wraps
Spielberg may have presented Nolan with the Academy Award for Best Director at the Oscars earlier this year, but in 2026, they’ll be going to war. Nolan and Spielberg will both release their next movies in the summer of 2026: Nolan’s untitled film is set for release on July 17, 2026, while Spielberg’s untitled film is set for release a little earlier on May 15, 2026. As is usually the case with big event movies from A-list directors, most of the details on these respective projects are being kept under wraps — but some key information has been revealed.
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In April 2024, it was announced that Spielberg was developing a movie about UFOs as his follow-up to his autobiographical drama The Fabelmans. Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds writer David Koepp is attached to write the script, based on an original idea by Spielberg himself, with Emily Blunt set to star. The movie doesn’t have an official plot synopsis yet — or even an official title — but even just the thought of the director of E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind making another movie about aliens is tantalizing.
Spielberg was previously working on a
Bullitt
reboot starring Bradley Cooper, but that seems to have been put on hold.
Even less is known about Nolan’s next project. In October, it was announced that Nolan was reteaming with Universal — the studio that made Oppenheimer such a resounding success, both at the box office and at the Oscars — for an as-yet-untitled new movie. All that’s known about Nolan’s new film is that Matt Damon will play the lead role, it’ll be released in IMAX (typical of Nolan), and it’ll begin shooting in early 2025. Nolan was previously rumored to be working on a movie reboot of The Prisoner, so maybe Damon is replacing Patrick McGoohan as Number Six.
Who Won The Last Time Nolan & Spielberg Both Had Summer Blockbusters In The Same Year
They Both Had Big Box Office Hits, But Nolan’s Movie Received Much Better Reviews
The last time Nolan and Spielberg had competing blockbusters released in the same summer was in 2008. Nolan had The Dark Knight and Spielberg had Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. They were both highly anticipated entries in beloved movie franchises. Nolan’s was the follow-up to his acclaimed gritty reboot Batman Begins, while Spielberg’s was his long-awaited return to the pulpy old-school action-adventure serial that revolutionized the genre. They were both successful movies, critically and commercially, but The Dark Knight arguably won the battle.
|
RT Critics’ Score |
RT Audience Score |
IMDb Rating |
Worldwide Box Office |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull |
77% |
53% |
6.2 |
$786,636,033 |
|
The Dark Knight |
94% |
94% |
9.0 |
$1,009,025,676 |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has a respectable Rotten Tomatoes score of 77%, but The Dark Knight has an even more respectable rating of 94%. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has an underwhelming IMDb rating of 6.2, while The Dark Knight has one of the best scores on the entire site with 9.0. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had an impressive worldwide box office gross of $786,636,033 (via Box Office Mojo), but The Dark Knight had an even more impressive gross of $1,009,025,676 (via Box Office Mojo). Clearly, The Dark Knight won.
Why Nolan Vs. Spielberg Is So Exciting
Two Of The Greatest Living Filmmakers Are Going Head-To-Head
The prospect of Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg releasing new movies in the same summer is exhilarating, because they’re two all-time great filmmakers, especially when it comes to blockbusters. Spielberg invented and perfected the summer blockbuster, while Nolan has proven himself a modern master of it. Their most recent works — Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Spielberg’s The Fabelmans — have shown that they’re both still at the top of their game. Regardless of who wins at the box office, filmgoers should be the real winners.
Source: Box Office Mojo
