Newsaloon: where taste meets curiosity

Film Releases, Reviews and Awards

For upcoming movies this year, decide first whether you want a late-year event film or something already in cinemas. Wide releases are the safest to plan around, and release dates can differ between calendars. If you want a film this weekend, start with our guide to movies in theaters now. This page covers the rest…

Jordan Nash
upcoming movies this year

For upcoming movies this year, decide first whether you want a late-year event film or something already in cinemas. Wide releases are the safest to plan around, and release dates can differ between calendars.

If you want a film this weekend, start with our guide to movies in theaters now. This page covers the rest of the year: how to read a release calendar, how studios and box office totals fit in, how reviews are scored, and where to go next once you know your taste.

Start with the decision, then the film

A release calendar is a long list, and most of it will not suit you. Narrowing it by a few criteria works better than scrolling every title. Work through the questions below in order and stop when the list is short enough to choose from.

  • Event night or ordinary night out. Event films are the ones you plan around, buy tickets for early and see with a group. Ordinary releases can be picked on the day. Decide which you want before you open a calendar, because the two lists look very different.
  • Wide or limited release. Cinema United’s release calendar reflects wide releases expected to open at 2,000+ locations in North America. A film missing from that list may simply be opening more narrowly, so a smaller title is not necessarily less worth seeing. Expect to look in more than one place for it.
  • Rating and runtime. A rating decides who can come with you, and a runtime decides whether a weeknight showing is realistic. Check both before you commit, especially for group outings.
  • Review signal. Aggregated reviews tell you how widely a film is liked. They do not tell you whether you will like it, so use them to filter out the clear misses rather than to pick a winner.
  • Date confidence. A date that appears on several calendars is safer to plan around than one that appears on a single list. Where calendars disagree, treat the date as provisional until a cinema lists showtimes.

The sections below follow that order: dates first, then the studios behind the big titles, then box office, then reviews, then the practical question of what deserves a cinema seat.

Release dates and which calendar to trust

The most dependable calendar is the one with the clearest scope. Cinema United states that its list covers wide releases expected at 2,000+ locations in North America, which makes it a good first stop for the films most readers can reach. The Numbers’ release schedule has a different scope: it lists all upcoming films planned for release in theaters in the United States and/or Canada, so it also catches titles that open less widely.

A camera with a side-mounted monitor shoots two costumed actors on a location set. Studios finance and release this kind of work, which is why the studio name sits beside every title on a release calendar.

Consumer and tracking sites add useful detail. Box Office Mojo’s calendar lists runtime, genre and cast for a title such as Clayface, which a plain date list does not. Fandango’s coming-soon page shows opening dates in a form designed for ticket buyers.

The calendars do not always agree. Cinema United lists Hershey on November 26, 2026, while Fandango lists it as opening November 25. Fandango also shows Ghost Soldier opening November 6, 2026. By contrast, Avengers: Doomsday shows December 18 on Cinema United, on Fandango and on The Numbers, which is the kind of agreement that justifies planning.

The practical rule follows from this. When two calendars split by a day or more, do not book travel, babysitters or a group outing around either date. Wait until your local cinema posts showtimes, or check the studio’s own announcement. When the calendars match, you can plan with reasonable confidence and still confirm closer to the day.

Late-year event films and the studios behind them

Studios matter to a release calendar for a simple reason: the name beside a title tells you who is releasing it and, to a degree, what scale of release to expect. Disney and Warner Bros. are the two major studios behind the biggest listing on the late-year calendar, and Lionsgate and Amazon MGM have their own entries in the weeks before it.

The headline is December 18, 2026. Cinema United lists Avengers: Doomsday from Disney and Dune: Part Three from Warner Bros. on that same date, and The Numbers shows Avengers: Doomsday as a wide release from Walt Disney. Two large releases opening together puts pressure on screens and showtimes, so check early which of them has the better slot at your cinema.

Earlier in the season, the same calendar lists three other releases:

  • Clayface (Warner Bros., R). Opened October 23, 2026, so it is already in cinemas rather than ahead.
  • How to Rob a Bank (Amazon MGM, R). Opens November 13, 2026, and suits viewers who want an adult night out ahead of the holiday crowd.
  • The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (Lionsgate, PG-13). Opens November 20, 2026, and has the broadest rating of the three, which helps if you are planning for a mixed-age group.

Choosing between these comes down to company and appetite. If you want one big night out, pick the December pairing and decide which film gets the better screen. If you would rather avoid the crowds that gather around that date, the November titles leave more room and are a reasonable way to use your cinema budget earlier.

Box office totals: what is already in cinemas

Box office totals are the running tally of what audiences have paid to see, and they answer a different question from reviews. A big total tells you a film drew crowds. It does not tell you the crowds were pleased. Read totals as a snapshot of interest, not a verdict.

A ticket window with a multi-pane glass front and a sign above it. This is a stock photo of a ticket office, used to illustrate the moment of choosing a film, not a picture of a particular cinema.

The Numbers’ schedule shows these domestic totals to date as of October 24, 2026:

  • Clayface. $10,400,000 for the Warner Bros. film that opened wide on October 23. It is only days into its run, so the figure will keep moving.
  • Wildwood. $4,289,386 for a wide release from Fathom Entertainment.
  • Back to the Future (re-release). $225,267,287 from Universal, the largest total on this list by a wide margin.
  • A Beautiful Mind (special engagement, re-release). $170,708,996 from Fathom Entertainment.
  • Rocky (re-release). $117,235,147 from Fathom Entertainment.
  • V for Vendetta (special engagement, re-release). $70,511,035 from Fathom Events.

The notable pattern is how much of the list is older films. Re-releases and special engagements appear alongside new openings in the same listing, and Back to the Future’s total is far larger than Clayface’s. The lesson for planning is that older films returning to cinemas can be as strong a draw as a new opening. If you want a film you already love on a large screen, check what is returning before assuming the calendar is only new titles.

Totals also change daily, so treat any figure you read, including these, as true only for the date shown. For the long view, our guide to the highest grossing movies of all time sets current totals against the biggest earners in film history.

How films are ranked and reviewed

Films are ranked in two quite different ways: by how much money they take, and by how favourably critics review them. The box office list above is the first. For the second, the most visible system is Rotten Tomatoes, which turns a pile of reviews into one label.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, a movie or TV show is Fresh when at least 60% of its reviews are positive, and Rotten when fewer than 60% are positive. Certified Fresh is a separate, special distinction awarded to the best reviewed movies and TV shows.

Read those labels for what they measure. The percentage is the share of reviews that are positive, not an average score out of ten. A film that is just above the Fresh line has been liked by most reviewers, but that does not mean they loved it, and a film just below the line may still have strong champions. The label is best used as a filter. Skip the clearly Rotten titles unless a particular genre or cast draws you in, and give extra attention to Certified Fresh titles.

The two rankings can disagree, and that is useful. A film with a large box office total and a Rotten label is probably a crowd draw that critics did not warm to. A film with a modest box office total and a Certified Fresh label may be a smaller title worth finding. Use reviews to decide whether to go, and use box office to understand how many other people are going.

Which films are worth seeing in theaters

Whether a film is worth a cinema seat depends on what the cinema adds. Some films gain from a big screen and a full room. Others will lose very little at home. A few questions help you tell them apart.

  • A genre film with a clear identity. Box Office Mojo lists Clayface as horror, sci-fi and thriller, with Tom Rhys Harries, Ruby Sear, Naomi Ackie and Eddie Marsan in the cast and a runtime of 1 hr 48 min. That runtime is short enough to fit a normal evening. For more titles in the same territory, see our look at new horror movies 2026.
  • A film you already love. Box Office Mojo lists a Back to the Future re-release from Universal Pictures on October 21, 2026. Seeing a familiar film on the large screen is a low-risk choice, because you already know whether it works for you.
  • A family outing. Cinema United lists Hershey as PG and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping as PG-13. Those ratings put both within reach of a wider group than the R-rated titles on the same calendar.
  • A year-end spectacle. Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three are the obvious candidates for a cinema visit at the end of the year, since both are wide releases from large studios. The case for paying cinema prices is strongest when you are going with a group and want a shared event.

If none of that applies, wait. A film you are lukewarm about will still be there after its opening weekend, and reviews will have settled. The best use of a cinema trip is a film where being there changes the experience, and that is a judgement only you can make once you have checked the rating, runtime and review label.

Pick by taste while you wait

Not every night out needs a new release. If the calendar does not offer what you want yet, our guides by mood and genre can fill the gap, and each one is built around a clear starting taste.

Real events, comedy and romance

Adventure, thrills and genre favourites

Family and holiday viewing

Trivia and quotes for film fans

If your interest is in the films rather than the next ticket, several of our guides turn that into games and conversation. Try Ultimate 90s And 2000s Movie Trivia: 40 Questions, Answers, And Party-Ready Challenges for a party, Test Your Nerves: 20 Spine-Tingling Horror Movie Trivia Questions For Fans And Parties (With Answers) for a darker crowd, and 25 Festive Christmas Movie Trivia Questions And Answers (Family Quiz 2026) for the holidays. Younger players have Fun Movie Trivia For Kids: 50 Easy Questions, Games, And Party Ideas For 2026, and Life Lessons From the Silver Screen: 25 Movie Quotes About Life That Stick With You (And What They Mean) suits anyone who prefers a favourite line to a quiz.

Late-year calendar at a glance

This table brings the dated titles together for quick reference. Dates are the ones given on the Cinema United calendar, so confirm against local showtimes before you book.

Film Studio Opening date Planning use
Clayface Warner Bros. October 23, 2026 Already in cinemas; a rated-R genre pick that is quick to fit in.
How to Rob a Bank Amazon MGM November 13, 2026 An adult night out ahead of the holiday crowd.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Lionsgate November 20, 2026 The broadest rating of the November titles, so the easier group choice.
Hershey Not listed November 26, 2026 A PG option; other calendars show a day earlier, so wait for showtimes.
Avengers: Doomsday Disney December 18, 2026 Year-end event; book early because another large title opens the same day.
Dune: Part Three Warner Bros. December 18, 2026 Year-end event; decide which of the two to see first.

Dates, studios and ratings in this table come from Cinema United’s release calendar, which reflects wide releases expected at 2,000+ North American locations.

Frequently asked questions

Do Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three open on the same day?

Yes. Cinema United lists both for December 18, 2026, with Disney releasing Avengers: Doomsday and Warner Bros. releasing Dune: Part Three. If you want both, pick the one you most want on the biggest screen and book that first.

Is Clayface a family film?

Not by its listing. Cinema United rates Clayface R, while Hershey is listed PG and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping PG-13, so those are the easier choices for a mixed-age group.

Do re-releases count in box office listings?

Yes. The Numbers lists re-releases and special engagements, including Back to the Future and Rocky, with their own domestic totals alongside new openings such as Clayface.

Can a film labelled Rotten still be worth seeing?

It can. Rotten Tomatoes applies the Rotten label when fewer than 60% of reviews are positive, so it reflects how many reviews were favourable, not how well a particular genre or cast will suit you.

, , , , , , ,
Previous story

Keep exploring