Yesterday, we shared our picks for the 10 best movies of 2026 so far. Now it’s time to turn things over to you, our readers, who are ultimately the ones paying good money to see these films in theaters.
So far, 2026 has been a fascinating and unpredictable year at the box office. Established franchises have delivered mixed results. While animated sequels continue to be unstoppable—with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Toy Story 5 both proving absolutely gargantuan hits—other major IP has been far more hit-and-miss.
Despite terrible reviews, Scream 7 became a box office success, while The Devil Wears Prada 2 turned into a genuine phenomenon. On the other hand, Amazon MGM’s Masters of the Universe reboot died on the vine, and perhaps most telling of all, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu proved to be a major disappointment. The film won’t even clear $180 million domestically and seems likely to finish with a worldwide total roughly comparable to Solo: A Star Wars Story’s $393 million haul, resulting in a significant loss for Disney.
Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat II also fell short of expectations. While its $80 million domestic haul is respectable, weak overseas numbers have left it with only about $130 million worldwide, meaning it will likely finish its run in the red.
The good news is that original films have staged an impressive comeback. Project Hail Mary has become a massive success, closing in on $700 million worldwide, including a stellar $343 million domestic total. Meanwhile, a trio of YouTube creators—Markiplier, Kane Parsons, and Curry Barker—have all scored major hits with Iron Lung, Backrooms, and Obsession. In fact, the latter two are already being hailed as potentially industry-changing successes.
All of which is to say that 2026 has been anything but predictable. That makes the question of which film will win our poll even more intriguing. Cast your vote below, and be sure to let us know your favorites of the year so far in the comments!
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