Best New Movies of 2026, Ranked by Tomatometer

Critics Consensus: A tenderly crafted, often devastating portrait of childhood in rural Iraq, The President's Cake vividly brings to life its morally complex world through richly drawn characters and intimate storytelling.

Synopsis: While people across 1990's Iraq struggle to survive, 9-year old Lamia has been selected to prepare a cake to celebrate the President's birthday. In a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Rahim AlHaj

Directed By: Hasan Hadi

Critics Consensus: Anchored by writer-director Simón Mesa Soto's wry detail and Ubeimar Rios' brilliantly uneasy performance, A Poet uses the tortured artist archetype to craft a story that's as darkly funny as it is unexpectedly affecting.

Synopsis: Middle-aged and erratic, Oscar is a failed writer who has given up on life. Unemployed and living with family, he wanders the streets of Medellín... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ubeimar Rios, Rebeca Andrade, Guillermo Cardona, Alisson Correa

Directed By: Simón Mesa Soto

Critics Consensus: A moving chronicle of generational trauma and perseverance, All That's Left of You is a riveting drama that takes on the thematic breadth of an epic work.

Synopsis: In the Occupied West Bank of the 1980s, a Palestinian teenager is swept into a protest that changes the course of his family's life. Reeling... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cherien Dabis, Saleh Bakri, Mohammad Bakri, Adam Bakri

Directed By: Cherien Dabis

Critics Consensus: A remarkable directorial debut by Harry Lighton, Pillion is an unconventional romance that soars thanks to its nonjudgmental perspective and knockout performances.

Synopsis: A timid man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive.

Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling, Douglas Hodge, Lesley Sharp

Directed By: Harry Lighton

Critics Consensus: It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights -- this spirited return to The Muppet Show's roots is clever, earnest, and feels exactly right.

Synopsis: It's "The Muppet Show!" Kermit, Miss Piggy and the beloved Muppet gang are back with a brand-new special event. Music, comedy, and a whole lot... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sabrina Carpenter, Seth Rogen, Maya Rudolph, Bill Barretta

Directed By: Alex Timbers

Critics Consensus: Weaving high-stakes political commentary with rich personal dynamics that are bolstered by Sope Dirisu's commanding performance, My Father's Shadow casts a highly promising light on feature-debut director Akinola Davies' future.

Synopsis: The UK's Best International Feature Film entry to the 98th Academy Awards® and recipient of the Caméra d'Or Special Mention at Cannes, Akinola Davis Jr.'s... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sope Dirisu, Godwin Egbo, Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, Efon Wini

Directed By: Akinola Davies

Critics Consensus: Redux Redux detonates as a fiercely imaginative, nerve‑shredding multiverse thriller that channels grief and terror into a tightly controlled, emotionally searing story of loss and reckoning.

Synopsis: In an attempt to avenge her daughter’s death, Irene Kelly travels through parallel universes, killing her daughter’s murderer over and over again. She grows addicted... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michaela McManus, Stella Marcus, Jeremy Holm, Jim Cummings

Directed By: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus

Critics Consensus: Combining slyly skillful filmmaking with gut-busting laughs, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie will be pure heaven for fans of the series while making happy converts of the uninitiated.

Synopsis: When their plan to book a show at the Rivoli goes horribly wrong, Matt and Jay accidentally travel back to the year 2008.

Starring: Ben Petrie, Ethan Eng, Luke Lalonde, Jay McCarrol

Directed By: Matt Johnson

Critics Consensus: A beguiling odyssey that offsets its scrappy production values with sumptuously analog presentation, OBEX is a wildly inventive riff on the digital world.

Synopsis: In pre-internet 1987, Conor and his dog Sandy live a life of seclusion, lost in the slow-rendering graphics of early Macs and televisions aglow with... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Albert Birney, Callie Hernandez, Frank Mosley

Directed By: Albert Birney

Critics Consensus: Quietly powerful and profoundly humanistic, Young Mothers deftly balances social observation with intimate character study to craft an essential portrait of resilience.

Synopsis: Five young mothers living in a shelter strive for a better future for themselves and kids amidst challenging upbringings.

Starring: Elsa Houben, Babette Verbeek, Janaina Halloy, Lucie Laruelle

Directed By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Critics Consensus: The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo uses rich magical realism and vividly realized characters to poetically explore queer resistance, found family, and the power of empathy over fear.

Synopsis: In the early 80's, in the Chilean desert, eleven-year-old Lidia grows up in a loving queer family pushed on the edge of an unwelcoming dusty... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tamara Cortés, Matías Catalán, Paula Dinamarca, Claudia Cabezas

Directed By: Diego Céspedes

Critics Consensus: Anchored by Sergei Loznitsa's impeccable staging and Aleksandr Kuznetsov's haunting performance, Two Prosecutors delivers its chilling portrait of bureaucratic deception and lost idealism with quiet, unsettling power.

Synopsis: The latest film from the great Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa (My Joy) is a scalpel-precise tale of the horrors of totalitarian bureaucracy. Adapting a novel... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Aleksandr Filippenko, Anatoliy Belyy, Andris Keiss

Directed By: Sergei Loznitsa

Critics Consensus: Somber and boldly intimate, Mother of Flies is a folk horror chamber piece that infuses its meditation on death with jaw-dropping practical effects and ferocious weirdness.

Synopsis: A young woman suffering from a life-threatening illness ventures deep into the woods to seek the help of a mystical healer offering an unconventional cure.

Starring: Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, John Adams, Lulu Adams

Directed By: John Adams, Toby Poser, Zelda Adams

Critics Consensus: A glossy, slow burn thriller carried by soulful performances, Islands compellingly explores loneliness with artful restraint and intoxicating atmosphere.

Synopsis: In this twisty thriller, a tennis coach at a tropical resort finds himself at the center of a missing persons mystery. Tom (Sam Riley) teaches... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sam Riley, Stacy Martin, Jack Farthing, Dylan Torrell

Directed By: Jan-Ole Gerster

Critics Consensus: Putting director Sam Raimi's penchant for diabolical mayhem to great use, Send Help doesn't need any assistance in thrills thanks to a very game Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien along with a viciously clever script.

Synopsis: In "Send Help," two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien, Edyll Ismail, Dennis Haysbert

Directed By: Sam Raimi

Critics Consensus: A direct continuation of 28 Years Later that ups the gore while deepening the dread, The Bone Temple is finely adorned by Nia DaCosta's unnerving direction as well as Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell's inspired performances.

Synopsis: Expanding upon the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland in 28 Years Later -- but turning that world on its head -- Nia... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams, Jack O'Connell, Erin Kellyman

Directed By: Nia DaCosta

Critics Consensus: An inventive horror flick with provocative ideas about fidelity to go along with its unnerving frights, Honey Bunch remains thrillingly unpredictable to the very end.

Synopsis: Diana's husband is taking her to an experimental trauma facility deep in the wilderness, but she can't remember why.... As her memories begin to creep... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Jason Isaacs, Julian Richings

Directed By: Dusty Mancinelli, Madeleine Sims-Fewer

Critics Consensus: A melancholy journey leading to a mysterious destination, Omaha rewards patience with its cumulative emotional wallop and John Magaro's quietly haunting performance.

Synopsis: A struggling father embarks on a road trip across the American West with his two children. What begins as a seemingly spontaneous family journey gradually... View Full Synopsis

Starring: John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis, Talia Balsam

Directed By: Cole Webley

Critics Consensus: Anchored by Daisy Ridley's magnetic performance and a grimly inventive premise, We Bury the Dead keenly uses familiar zombie tropes as a framework to deliver a beautifully shot, emotionally resonant meditation on loss and grief.

Synopsis: After a catastrophic military disaster, the dead don't just rise -- they hunt. The military insists they are harmless and slow-moving, offering hope to grieving... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daisy Ridley, Brenton Thwaites, Matt Whelan, Mark Coles Smith

Directed By: Zak Hilditch

Critics Consensus: Magellan blends Lav Diaz's slow cinema rigor with the biopic form to create a visually hypnotic, deliberately paced historical epic that immerses viewers in a spiritually charged meditation on power, mythology, and colonial ambition.

Synopsis: 16th century. Magellan, a young and ambitious Portuguese navigator, rebels against the power of the King, who doesn't support his dream of discovering the world.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gael García Bernal, Ângela Azevedo, Amado Arjay Babon, Ronnie Lazaro

Directed By: Lav Diaz

Critics Consensus: Crime 101 has studied the greats of L.A. Noir closely and shows its homework with sleek action set pieces and vivid characterizations, receiving top marks and graduating near the top of its class.

Synopsis: Set against the sun-bleached grit of Los Angeles, Crime 101 weaves the tale of an elusive jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose string of heists along... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, Nick Nolte

Directed By: Bart Layton

Critics Consensus: Putting a bracingly unique spin on poltergeists, A Useful Ghost is a refreshing genre-bender that distinguishes debut writer-director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke as a filmmaker to watch.

Synopsis: March is mourning his wife Nat who has recently passed away due to dust pollution. He discovers her spirit has returned by possessing a vacuum... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon, Wanlop Rungkumjad

Directed By: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

Critics Consensus: A gleeful high-concept comedy with a serious message at its core, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die lets Sam Rockwell rip with thrilling results while marking a very welcome return of director Gore Verbinski in peak form.

Synopsis: A man claiming to be from the future takes the patrons of an iconic Los Angeles diner hostage in search of unlikely recruits in a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz

Directed By: Gore Verbinski

Critics Consensus: A Private Life mixes Hitchcockian suspense, glossy aesthetics, and a playful streak of camp into an entertaining if somewhat slight mystery that's held together by Jodie Foster's captivating presence.

Synopsis: When renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner learns of the death of one of her patients she is deeply troubled. Convinced that it was murder, she decides... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric

Directed By: Rebecca Zlotowski

Critics Consensus: Pairing Claire Foy's psychologically raw performance with lush, evocative imagery, H Is for Hawk approaches its tale of grief and acceptance with bruising realism and thoughtful candor.

Synopsis: H is for Hawk follows Helen (Claire Foy), who, after the sudden death of her father (Brendan Gleeson), loses herself in the memories of their... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Claire Foy, Brendan Gleeson, Denise Gough, Sam Spruell

Directed By: Philippa Lowthorpe

Critics Consensus: Leveraging Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's classic chemistry to texturize a friendship tested by greed, The Rip tears into its potboiler setup with compulsively watchable confidence.

Synopsis: Upon discovering millions in cash in a derelict stash house, trust among a team of Miami cops begins to fray. As outside forces learn about... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor

Directed By: Joe Carnahan

Critics Consensus: That's one bad ape, and Primate is one lean, mean, effective chiller.

Synopsis: In PRIMATE, a group of friends' tropical vacation turns into a terrifying, primal tale of horror and survival.

Starring: Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, Troy Kotsur, Victoria Wyant

Directed By: Johannes Roberts

Critics Consensus: People We Meet on Vacation is a breezy adaptation that boasts charming leads in Tom Blyth and Emily Bader, delivering a romantic endeavor worth staying for.

Synopsis: Free-spirited Poppy (Emily Bader) and routine-loving Alex (Tom Blyth) have been unlikely best friends for a decade, living in different cities but spending every summer... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Emily Bader, Tom Blyth, Sarah Catherine Hook, Lucien Laviscount

Directed By: Brett Haley

Critics Consensus: Scarlet is a narratively ambitious take on Hamlet that delivers awe-inspiring fantasy, wondrous animation, and an unforgettable atmosphere.

Synopsis: A sword-wielding princess embarks on a dangerous quest to avenge the death of her father. She soon meets an idealistic young man who shows her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mana Ashida, Masaki Okada, Masachika Ichimura, Kôji Yakusho

Directed By: Mamoru Hosoda

Critics Consensus: The Wrecking Crew is as brawny and disarmingly charming as its two leading men, smashing through a thin story with colorful pyrotechnics and a satisfying amount of attitude.

Synopsis: In this action comedy, two estranged half-brothers, Jonny (Jason Momoa) and James (Dave Bautista) are forced to reunite after their father's mysterious death. As they... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison

Directed By: Angel Manuel Soto