While the cinematic world surrounding the Hollywood industry is rapidly changing with the domination of streaming and the arrival of Artificial Intelligence, it seems that major films still attract a huge number of tickets for the studios, something that will continue during 2026. At the end, you will also read about a few movies expected in 2026 that will become worldwide box-office hits.
A few days before the announcement of the nominations for the Academy Awards (Oscars), let’s see our three highlighted film picks for 2025.
SINNERS
Directed and written by Ryan Coogler
Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Delroy Lindo
The story takes place in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta, USA, when identical twins, war veterans and criminals Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore, return to Mississippi. Previously, they were located for a few years in Chicago, during a gloomy period when it was dominated by gangsters. The Smokestack Twins bought a lumber mill to make it a barrelhouse for the local black community, for music, dancing, drinking and gambling. During the first night, everything goes dark and bloody when vampires appear.
The film is influenced by Brian De Palma, Kathryn Bigelow, Quentin Tarantino, and mostly Robert Rodriguez, since, in a way, it is a reverse version of Rodriguez’ From Dusk Till Dawn. However, it includes a variety of themes like racism, religion, the bond between family and friends, love, loss and the power of memory, adding a layer of authenticity to a story that we’ve seen before.
The film is actually separated into two parts: The first part is during the daylight with its storytelling, and building characters within a specific dramatic period of the American South, while the second part is during the nighttime with the supernatural horror, the violence and the bloodshed. It is a genre mashup movie, but it is not confusing. The cast is perfect for that film and the characters keep an emotional and human depth, even during the conflict with the vampires. Emotion and action are mixed and, at the same time, they’re both separate there. That’s a big part of a good story, even when it becomes a vampire-blood-fest.
The director’s vision and the cinematography are magnificent. The film has a wonderful and artistic framing with style and strong, balanced colours, while the set design looks realistic and accurate. The dancing scene in the juke joint, which shapeshifts into different eras — past and future — of music and dance, is visually stunning, and an allegory that music is eternal, an inner need for humans, no matter the time or the origin. One can even discover, somewhere beyond the story, the myths and legends behind the blues’ masters of the South. The blues music parts and the score are a huge part of the movie with their own symbolism.
WEAPONS
Directed and written by Zach Cregger
Cinematography: Larkin Seiple
Starring: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Toby Huss, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan, Justin Long
Seventeen children from the same classroom ran out of their homes at 2:17 a.m. and disappeared in the dark. Only one student didn’t run and didn’t disappear, while the classroom’s teacher is placed off duty surrounded by suspicion that she is responsible for the children’s disappearance. Divided into six chapters, the film follows the story and the perspective of six different characters with story jumps, and they all come together in the end, connecting the dots to a creepy and surprising story with unexpected twists.
Among the films that inspired the born-in-1981 Zach Cregger is Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners, but Cregger already appears as a visionary new horror auteur and a master of mystery and twists, especially if you’ll take into account his previous horror film, Barbarian (2022). Having a brilliant cast, Weapons is an arthouse horror movie with brilliant cinematography and camera angles. A visually stunning and eerie film, you can’t take your eyes off it.
A missing child is every parent’s ultimate horror and Cregger builds tension quietly around that feeling, involving mystery and suspense. While the story takes a route that can be considered hilarious, the supernatural takes the lead to a shocking and completely unexpected ending of a cinematic feast that won’t be appreciated by everyone.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Directed and written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Cinematography: Michael Bauman
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Tony Goldwyn
Another genre mashup of black comedy, action thriller and drama that only someone like Paul Thomas Anderson could do. The writer and director of Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999) and one of the greatest epic dramas in the history of cinema — There Will Be Blood (2007) — brings a story starting with a far-left resistance group, the relationship between two of its members and the consequences of their acts. Consequences that will resurface years later involve many more people; different people that will be caught in chaos and injustice. There is a thin line between good and evil in the story, with the failure of past acts following the characters of that insane film. If you consider the timing of that movie with the political status in the United States in 2025, this is a wild cinematic ride.
The casting is absolutely perfect. Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro deliver captivating performances, while DiCaprio also shines through the stoned main character who wants to reconnect with his daughter amidst all the chaos and blood surrounding them. While most of the actors look overacting, this is one of the rare cases that doesn’t bother me. On the contrary, it adds intensity to the insanity.
The story is bold and sharp — and chaotic — even if it won’t be delightful for everyone, since it can make some people feel uncomfortable. It dwells somewhere between political commentary and a satirical view. Technically though, the film is impressive and the cinematography masterful. The car chase scene in the finale is a cinematic masterclass that deserves every possible award.
FILMS EXPECTED IN 2026
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! is another take on the myth of Frankenstein with actors including Christian Bale, Jessie Buckley, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Penélope Cruz, and Maggie’s brother Jake Gyllenhaal. The film is expected in March.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is the sequel to the 2019 horror hit with the modern screaming queen, Samara Weaving.
Antoine Fuqua will direct Michael, a film around the life of Michael Jackson, and it will be interesting to see how this excellent action film director of motion pictures such as The Replacement Killers (1998), Training Day (2001) and The Equalizer movies will handle this biopic which hits theaters in April.
Alejandro González Iñárritu is back directing Digger starring Tom Cruise, and it seems that 2026 is a year of living legends since a few of the greatest directors return with new films, including Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars, and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Messiah. Probably except for The Dog Stars, the rest of the films will become successful box-office hits.
At the end of the year, theaters will be hit by Avengers: Doomsday directed by the Russo brothers, and no matter of the film’s quality, my prediction is that it is going to break the barrier of 2 billion dollars in the worldwide box-office and will become one of the highest-grossing films in the history of cinema.
