2026 may be the year of Marvel blockbusters and a Christopher Nolan epic, but I'm looking forward to these 6 movies that might not be on your watchlist yet

Happy new year, and happy new watching from Big Screen Spotlight! While 2026 may be bringing us major new superhero flicks like Avengers: Doomsday and Supergirl, and a new Christopher Nolan epic with The Odyssey, it isn't just blockbusters that should be on your watchlist this year.

We're always looking to bring you new recommendations and put different titles on your radar, which is why we've compiled a list of the best independent, international, and potentially overlooked films coming our way over the next few months. You'll find highly anticipated dramas, comedies, and thrillers from directors like Park Chan-wook and starring big names from Robert Pattinson to Josh O'Connor.

For more on what to watch this year, check out our guide to 2026's other biggest movie release dates and our wider look at the year's upcoming movies.

No Other Choice

Release date: January 23, 2026

The latest from Oldboy director Park Chan-wook is a satirical black comedy with its fair share of laughs and wince-worthy violence. Based on the '90s novel The Ax by Donald Westlake, Squid Game's Lee Byung-hun stars as Man-su, a successful employee of a paper company who abruptly loses his job. With his comfortable lifestyle at risk, Man-su turns to extreme measures to eliminate his competition in his search for new employment. It's been a hit with critics and made the Oscar shortlist as Korea's entry for Best International Film.

The Testament of Ann Lee

Release date: February 20, 2026

Amanda Seyfried swaps Mamma Mia for a very different kind of musical in The Testament of Ann Lee. She plays the titular character, who was the founder of the Shaker religious movement in the US in the 18th Century. The Shakers were categorized by their dedication to communal living, equality, and the pursuit of "ecstatic devotion" in their worship through shouting and dancing. Directed by Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote The Brutalist (and that movie's director, Fastvold's partner Brady Corbet, co-wrote The Testament of Ann Lee), the cast also includes Thunderbolts star Lewis Pullman and Captain America: Brave New World's Tim Blake Nelson.

The Drama

Release date: April 3, 2026

Before they venture to Arrakis in Dune 3, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya star in The Drama, a mysterious new rom-com. They play bookstore employee Emma and museum director Charlie, a couple whose relationship is shaken when one of them discovers some unsettling truths about their partner just days before their wedding. Intriguing…

The film is directed by Kristoffer Borgli, who previously helmed Dream Scenario, starring Nicolas Cage, and Ari Aster is on board as a producer, so it's safe to assume that things aren't quite as they seem.

Bad Apples

Release date: April 10, 2026

After turns in Steve McQueen's war drama Blitz and moving recovery drama The Outrun in 2024, we were missing Saoirse Ronan on our screens in 2025. This year, though, she makes a comeback in Bad Apples, a new comedy thriller. She stars as Maria, an elementary school teacher who finds herself going to extreme measures to stop her class being disrupted by one unruly kid. Interview with the Vampire's Jacob Anderson also stars.

Rebuilding

Release date: April 17, 2026

After starring as a boxer-turned-priest in Knives Out 3 last year and before he hits the big screen in Steven Spielberg's next major flick, Josh O'Connor will take center stage in Rebuilding. The film follows Dusty, a cowboy whose ranch is destroyed by wildfires, as he finds himself living in a federal emergency camp alongside his estranged ex-wife and young daughter. Amy Madigan, who terrified us as Aunt Gladys in 2025's Weapons, The White Lotus' Meghan Fahy, and True Detective's Kali Reis also star.

Rose of Nevada

Release date: April 24, 2026

Director Mark Jenkins is back with his first film since 2022's quietly discomfiting folk horror Enys Men. This time around, he's taking on sci-fi and time travel with Rose of Nevada, which follows a boat that returns to a village 30 years after it vanished. Callum Turner and George MacKay play two men who decide to join its crew in search of better fortunes, but end up travelling back in time after being mistaken for members of the original crew.

For more on what to watch, check out the rest of our Big Screen Spotlight series.