Not every box office winner comes with a billion-dollar budget or a superhero suit. Some of the biggest surprises in movie history have been films that crept up on audiences and took over multiplexes before anyone saw it coming.
With 2026 shaping up to be a stacked year for cinema, there are some seriously exciting films flying just under the radar. Here are 15 movies that could quietly dominate the box office next year.
1. The Devil Wears Prada 2
Almost 20 years later, Miranda Priestly is back and the internet is already losing its mind. Anne Hathaway is expected to return, and early buzz around the teaser suggests this sequel could triple the original film’s opening weekend numbers.
Friend groups across the country are already planning their opening-night outings. When a beloved film gets a long-awaited follow-up, the nostalgia factor alone can push it straight to the top of the charts.
2. Project Hail Mary
Ryan Gosling plays humanity’s absolute last hope in this sci-fi adaptation of Andy Weir’s acclaimed 2021 novel, and that premise alone is enough to hook almost anyone. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller bring their sharp comedic timing to a surprisingly emotional story.
Their track record with The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street proves they can balance heart with humor. Science fiction fans and casual moviegoers alike should find plenty to love here.
3. Disclosure Day
Steven Spielberg directing a movie about aliens and information control, scored by John Williams, and starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, and Colin Firth? That combination sounds almost unfairly stacked.
The premise alone feels like it was designed to spark conversation.
Spielberg has a legendary history of turning mysterious sci-fi concepts into cultural events. With this much talent assembled in one place, Disclosure Day has the makings of a sleeper hit that wakes everyone up at once.
4. Evil Dead Burn
Horror fans have been riding high on the Evil Dead revival, and Evil Dead Burn looks set to keep that momentum going strong. Arriving in July 2026, this standalone chapter brings a fresh cast and a brand-new setting while keeping the franchise’s famously brutal style intact.
Standalone horror entries often attract both loyal fans and curious newcomers. If the marketing leans into the scares the way previous entries have, this one could own the summer horror season outright.
5. Masters of the Universe
By the power of Grayskull, He-Man is finally back on the big screen after nearly 40 years away. That kind of gap builds serious anticipation among people who grew up watching the original cartoons and action figures define their childhoods.
Nostalgia-driven films can be massive crowd-pleasers when they respect the source material. If this new adaptation captures that mix of campy fun and genuine adventure, it could pull in both longtime fans and a whole new generation of viewers.
6. The Cat in the Hat
Warner Bros. and Dr. Seuss Enterprises are teaming up for a fresh 3D animated musical take on the 1957 classic, and the voice cast is genuinely exciting. Bill Hader, Xochitl Gomez, and Quinta Brunson are among the names attached, which gives it real comedic firepower.
Animated films built on beloved children’s books consistently draw families to theaters in huge numbers. A catchy musical format could push this one into the kind of repeat-viewing territory that fattens box office totals week after week.
7. Digger
Alejandro G. Inarritu directing Tom Cruise, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, and Michael Stuhlbarg in a dramedy is one of the most unexpected combinations of 2026.
Inarritu won back-to-back Oscars for Birdman and The Revenant, so expectations are always sky-high when his name is attached.
Tom Cruise still pulls serious audiences, and pairing him with this caliber of cast and director feels electric. Award season buzz combined with A-list star power could make Digger a genuine breakout story.
8. Werwulf
Robert Eggers built one of the most devoted fanbases in modern horror through films like The Witch and Nosferatu, and Werwulf looks like his most ambitious project yet. Set in 13th-century England, it reunites much of the Nosferatu cast, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe.
Eggers has a gift for making historical settings feel genuinely terrifying rather than theatrical. Horror lovers who followed his career from the beginning will almost certainly show up opening weekend in droves.
9. Flowervale Street
Almost nothing is known about the plot of Flowervale Street beyond a family noticing strange happenings in their neighborhood, and somehow that mystery is exactly what makes it fascinating. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor starring in a David Robert Mitchell film is already a compelling reason to pay attention.
Mitchell directed It Follows, a genre film that became a massive critical and cultural touchstone. That reputation for smart, unconventional storytelling could make Flowervale Street one of August 2026’s biggest surprises.
10. Minions and Monsters
Released on July 1, 2026, this sequel drops right into the heart of summer when families are actively looking for fun, low-stress entertainment. The Minions franchise has already proven it can rake in enormous numbers without needing critical praise to back it up.
Universal knows exactly how to market these films to kids, parents, and nostalgic young adults all at once. A well-timed summer release slot combined with that brand recognition makes this one of the safest box office bets on this entire list.
11. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Predictions have already placed this Hunger Games prequel at a potential $300 million domestic haul, which is a staggering number for a franchise entry. Prequels to beloved Young Adult series tend to draw deeply loyal audiences who treat opening weekend like a personal event.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes showed the franchise still has serious pulling power even without Katniss at the center. Sunrise on the Reaping carries that momentum forward and could be one of 2026’s defining theatrical events.
12. Clayface
Naomi Ackie, Eddie Marsan, and Tom Rhys Harries headline this DC horror entry directed by James Watkins, and the genre approach sets it apart from typical superhero fare. Early projections estimate around $250 million at the box office, which would be a remarkable achievement for a villain-centric story.
Horror-leaning comic book films have found real traction with audiences recently. If Clayface leans hard into its creepy shapeshifting premise rather than softening it, it could genuinely surprise people who show up expecting something more conventional.
13. The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan adapting Homer’s The Odyssey is the kind of announcement that makes film lovers immediately mark their calendars. Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway are both set to appear, lending the project both youthful energy and serious dramatic credibility.
Unlike most Nolan blockbusters, this one is not a franchise sequel, meaning its success will depend entirely on storytelling and word-of-mouth. That challenge actually makes it more exciting, because a great Nolan original can become a once-in-a-decade cinematic experience.
14. Wildwood
Based on Colin Meloy’s novel with illustrations by Carson Ellis, Wildwood has a distinct artistic identity that sets it far apart from the typical animated blockbuster formula. The source material has a genuinely devoted readership who will be excited to see this world brought to life on screen.
Animated films with a truly unique visual style sometimes sneak up on audiences in the best possible way. If the animation captures Ellis’s illustrated look faithfully, Wildwood could earn the kind of passionate word-of-mouth that turns modest openers into long-running hits.
15. Practical Magic 2
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are reuniting for the long-awaited follow-up to the 1998 cult classic, and the fanbase for that original film has only grown stronger over the decades. Director Susanne Bier brings serious dramatic chops, and the addition of Lee Pace and Joey King freshens things up nicely.
Cult classics that finally get sequels carry enormous emotional weight for their audiences. Much like The Devil Wears Prada 2, this one could dramatically outperform expectations simply because people have been waiting so long for it.