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James Marsh

With the US box office currently dominated by micro-budgeted indie horror films like Backrooms and Obsession, Hollywood executives are increasingly anxious about the viability of mass-appeal, “four-quadrant” tentpoles in bloated, long-running franchises.
This summer will certainly prove telling, as a familiar line-up of superheroes, sequels and reboots jostles for attention amid a slate of wildly unpredictable smaller fare.
While audiences will not be underserved in the coming months, the performance of these expensive event pictures is more uncertain than ever.
Here are 12 summer blockbusters most likely to hold their own – opening dates are for Hong Kong.
1. Supergirl


Following her brief introduction in 2025’s excellent Superman reboot, the Man of Tomorrow’s younger cousin Kara Zor-El lands her own big-screen adventure, with House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock reprising the role.
Plot details are scant, but precocious pup Krypto makes a return, tagging along with his rebellious owner on an intergalactic quest for revenge. David Corenswet is also back as Superman, while Jason Momoa appears as the bounty hunter Lobo and Matthias Schoenaerts stars as the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills. (Opens on June 25)
2. Minions & Monsters


Having grossed more than US$5.6 billion across six films, the Despicable Me series stands as the most successful animated movie franchise of all time. This record looks set to extend as the Minions return for their third stand-alone adventure.
Set in 1920s Hollywood, the latest film sees the diminutive yellow troublemakers tasked with helming a monster movie and going in search of Earth’s most fearsome primordial beasts, ably assisted by a pint-sized Lovecraftian entity, Goomi (voiced by South Park co-creator Trey Parker). (Opens on July 1)
3. Evil Dead Burn


Following the enthusiastic reception to 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, a new entry in the supernatural horror franchise created by Sam Raimi seems like a safe bet. This time out, a grieving family, reunited following an unexpected death, congregates at a secluded house – only to become possessed by demonic spirits and turn on each other.
Recent entries have steered clear of the goofy humour that once defined the series, but lashings of goo and gore remain a signature attraction. (Opens on July 9)
4. Moana


Disney’s mission to remake all its beloved animated features as overblown live-action indulgences continues apace with this retelling of its 2016 hit.
The major draw this time out will be seeing Dwayne Johnson reprise the role of shape-shifting demigod Maui, whom he voiced in the original film. He appears alongside Catherine Laga’aia, who plays the adventurous young daughter of a Pacific Island village chief who is summoned by the ocean to find a mythical stone. (Opens on July 9)
5. The Odyssey


Christopher Nolan’s ambitious adaptation of Homer’s classic epic will be, for many, 2026’s hottest ticket. Matt Damon headlines a stellar ensemble cast as Trojan War veteran Odysseus, whose efforts to return home to his wife (Anne Hathaway) and son (Tom Holland) are repeatedly scuppered by the wrath of ancient Greece’s vengeful gods.
One of the defining texts of Western literature in the hands of Hollywood’s foremost creator of spectacle-driven cinema promises to be the summer’s ultimate moviegoing experience. (Opens on July 16)
6. Spider-Man: Brand New Day


Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), the world, including MJ and Ned, has forgotten who Peter Parker is, leaving Spider-Man to fight crime anonymously – that is, until the emergence of a powerful new threat in this 38th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon all reprise their roles under the direction of Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Mark Ruffalo also returns as Bruce Banner/Hulk, while Jon Bernthal’s Punisher makes his big-screen debut. (Opens on July 30)
7. The End of Oak Street


Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor star in this high-concept science fiction thriller from writer-director David Robert Mitchell (It Follows). In the wake of a bizarre cosmic event, an ordinary suburban family discovers that their neighbourhood has been transported to a strange world populated by deadly prehistoric creatures.
Produced by J.J. Abrams, the project sounds closer in tone to his television work like Lost and Fringe, while also harking back to the 1980s golden age of summer blockbusters. (Opens on August 13)
8. Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie


Rounding out a trilogy of big-screen adventures for the intrepid band of crime-fighting canines, Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie sends Ryder and his four-legged friends to a far-off world filled with dinosaurs.
Even in this faraway lost world, however, they soon stumble upon a plan hatched by their nefarious nemesis, Mayor Humdinger, who is dead set on capturing these long-extinct critters to serve his own sinister ends. Parents, brace yourselves. (Opens on August 20)
9. Insidious: Out of the Further


Horror impresarios James Wan and Jason Blum may be raking in the plaudits right now for championing emerging talents like Backrooms director Kane Parsons, but this is only thanks to the sustained success of long-running, money-printing juggernauts like this one.
This sixth instalment of Insidious stars Amelia Eve opposite franchise mainstay Lin Shaye as a young mother who discovers she not only has the power to travel into The Further, but also to bring its evil entities back into our world. (Opens on August 20)
10. The Dog Stars


Man of the hour Jacob Elordi (Wuthering Heights) takes the reins in Ridley Scott’s latest sci-fi thriller, adapted from the novel by Peter Heller. He plays a survivor of a devastating global pandemic who picks up a mysterious signal on his radio, prompting him, his dog and a world-weary former marine (Josh Brolin) to go in search of its source.
While post-pandemic thrillers are ten a penny these days, Heller’s novel received crackerjack reviews, and Scott’s success in this genre is almost unprecedented. (Opens on August 27)
11. How to Rob a Bank


In one of the summer’s only original films, this gun-toting, high-speed action satire from David Leitch (Deadpool 2, The Fall Guy) stars Nicholas Hoult and Anna Sawai as members of a gang of bank robbers turned online influencers who document their heists to an adoring following.
John C. Reilly plays the FBI agent who recruits Zoe Kravitz’s former hacker to track them down, leading to an escalating roller coaster of twists and turns that uncovers a bigger, evil conspiracy. (Opens on September 3)
12. Resident Evil


Following the critical and commercial triumphs of Barbarian and Weapons, writer-director Zach Cregger turns his attention to an all-new reboot of the long-running, zombie-infested video game franchise.
Austin Abrams (Weapons), Zach Cherry (Severance) and Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country) star in this new take on the events of the 1998 game Resident Evil 2, which follows a medical courier as he becomes embroiled in an apocalyptic viral outbreak that threatens to engulf the entire planet. (Opens on September 17)
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Renate Reinsve in a still from Backrooms.

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Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian in a still from Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd

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Supergirl, Minions & Monsters, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Resident Evil also feature on our list of the biggest films this summer


Supergirl, Minions & Monsters, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Resident Evil also feature on our list of the biggest films this summer.


12 new Hollywood films to watch in summer 2026, including Moana and The Odyssey

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Supergirl, Minions & Monsters, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Resident Evil also feature on our list of the biggest films this summer

Supergirl, Minions & Monsters, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Resident Evil also feature on our list of the biggest films this summer