Midyear Top 10 of '26
Today we dissect the biggest surprises and flops along with the year's best at the halfway point of promising box office year.
Hi there, movie fans. It’s been a while. Hopefully, you’ve been trying to beat the heat a few times at your local movie theater or down at the Independent Picture House. They are featuring a pretty “rad” Summer of ‘86 series (though no Rad itself), amongst many other talkbacks happening daily. Honestly it’s worth the drive on its own to see all the major construction projects surrounding the once isolated building off Sugar Creek.
Things are looking good overall for Tinseltown as we have a year-to-date bump from $4.35 billion up to $4.9 billion at the box office. That 13% increase has me pretty comfortably stating it should post the best ticket sales since we emerged out of COVID in 2022. There have been some massive surprises as well as blunders from tentpole releases. Let’s take a look at who surprised and who flopped so far at the halfway point of 2026.
The Surprise of 2026
Obsession is, without a doubt, the greatest breakthrough of 2026. This original horror film by twenty-six-year-old Curry Barker and Blumhouse Productions is officially the largest-grossing feature with a budget under a million dollars in film history. It crossed the $400 million worldwide threshold this past week, passing the 1973 Bruce Lee classic Enter the Dragon (pre-inflation). Your mileage may vary on the dating horror, but we’ll see if it ends up making the top ten below.
Flops of 2026
Nostalgia combined with comic book IP has seemed to take a hit so far this year. You can probably contribute this to a combination of superhero fatigue, bad scripts, and unknown leading stars. You can’t say the genre is dead, as Spider-Man: Brand New Day is essentially Teflon and will have a decent chance of hitting a billion in sales. However, these two films stuck out as gambles that did not pay off for studios.
Masters of the Universe, based on the 1980s cartoon featuring now-gay icon He-Man, had close to a $200 million budget but only brought in $112 million worldwide. Crowds seemed to prefer the horror parody Scary Movie, the sixth installment of the franchise, as it brought in $224 million worldwide on just a $30 million production budget over the same period. It seems heartthrob rom-com English actor Nicholas Galitzine wasn’t a big enough name to fill this iconic character’s shoes.
Supergirl also featured an up-and-coming actress with a similar box office fate. Australian actress Milly Alcock, who may be best known from HBO’s House of the Dragon, plays the role very brashly and with angst, harboring anger from the loss of her home planet as a teenager. Her nonchalant and jaded attitude didn’t hit the same as her cousin’s reboot, Superman, in 2025, only currently earning $104 million against a nearly $170 million budget. DC Studios expected this film to potentially hit half a billion in sales, but a 74% drop by its second weekend most likely put a nail in the coffin for any future sequels.
Midyear Top 10 of ‘26
I’ve only logged around thirty-five new releases so far this year, as the post-Oscar lull is very real. There have been some real out-of-nowhere hits to go along with a bunch of average films that didn’t quite hit the mark (looking at you, The Bride!). At a quick glance, looking over the list, only two films were sequels, which can be a feat in and of itself. It also features genres from sci-fi to action to drama to horror, all mixed with a little bit of kinky dark humor.
*Editors note - The Invite would have made the top 5 if it was viewed before publication
Let’s check out some honorable mentions before we hit our Mid-Year Top 10 of ‘26 with Matt at the Movies.
Honorable Mentions
Send Help: Rachel McAdams brings an amazing tone in this suspenseful comedy horror. As she navigates a remote island with her true shitheel of a boss (Dylan O’Brien), the power dynamics are switched as they try to survive a deadly plane crash. Think Cast Away mixed with Fatal Attraction. (Streaming on Hulu or Disney+)
In the Grey: The Guy Ritchie directed action flick runs like a textbook clandestine operation as a team of fixers tries to recoup assets from a criminal organization. It has the feel of a crisply shot Tony Scott buddy comedy where the one-hour-and-thirty-eight-minute runtime flies by. (Stream on VOD)
They Will Kill You: This brisk action horror starring Zazie Beetz combines gnarly action set pieces, satanic cults, and plenty of slapstick gore throughout as the protagonist tries to save her sister as they move through a haunted NYC high-rise. (Streaming on HBO or Hulu)
Obsession: The story follows a “nice guy” protagonist who uses a cursed wishing toy to make his friend-zoned bestie fall for him. I found the incel-coded flick, which denied agency to the wish’s target, a bit reductive but was an absolute breakout for Inde Navarrette as Nikki. She may go down in the pantheon of horror scene-stealing roles for this deeply troubling story, where she completely steals the show. (In theaters or VOD)
The Sheep Detectives: This was a lovely little whodunit featuring, you guessed it, none other than sheep prowling the English countryside trying to solve the murder of their beloved shepherd. While it all seems very silly, including CGI Hollywood-voiced animals, you can’t help but love the juxtaposition. Extremely keen sheep who’ve been read murder mysteries by their owner, having to navigate the real world outside of their small grazing fields, were more enjoyable than I imagined. (Stream on Amazon Prime)
The Last Viking: When the Danish triumvirate of director Anders Thomas Jensen, along with actors Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas, team up, you’re going to experience some truly black comedy (see 2020’s Riders of Justice). The crime undertone of the film revolves around the familial baggage of two brothers. Anker is an ex-con (Kaas) looking to find his heist nest egg, and Manfred (Mikkelsen) suffers from dissociative identity disorder with suicidal tendencies, who can’t remember where the treasure is buried. They tap into Manfred’s current personality of John Lennon to create a Beatles tribute band to unlock their prior family trauma in hopes of finding the money’s location. It’s completely off the wall, with a wacky cast of supporting characters that still remains sincere throughout. (Stream on VOD)
Top 10 (Click for Trailers)
#10 – Backrooms (In Theaters and Streaming on VOD)
Matt at the Movies Score: 7/10
The Tea: Based on the 4chan and message board series, twenty-one-year-old first-time director Kane Parsons makes you feel more unsettled than scared for a majority of the film. Set in 1990, we see a furniture store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) discover an anomaly where his storeroom basement is a passageway to a never-ending series of repeating office rooms. Each is slightly different, each carries a different energy, and the further you dive in, the creepier it becomes. When faced with dialogue and storylines, Parsons falters, but this film is about what comes next. It’s incredibly well-paced and dread-inducing, placing it in the upper tier of the extremely profitable Blumhouse Productions horror catalog (box office over $357 million worldwide).
#9 – Project Hail Mary (Streaming on MGM+, Amazon Prime, and VOD)
Matt at the Movies Score: 7.5/10
The Tea: The biggest question of the second book adaptation from Andy Weir (2015’s The Martian) was, could Ryan Gosling finally carry a big-budget blockbuster film by himself? He has the looks, a diverse acting spectrum, and moviegoers love seeing him on the screen. His first shot was Blade Runner 2049, which broke even at the box office, and he was second fiddle to Margot Robbie in 2024’s Barbie, playing the Oscar-nominated role of Ken.
In short, Gosling crushed this performance as former molecular biologist-turned-middle-school science teacher Dr. Ryland Grace. Awakening from a long-induced coma, he must remember his past, his mission, and team up with an alien being whose home planet is fighting for the same survival as Earth. He’s affable, self-deprecating, and is able to spin his Gosling charm to make us care about both species’ ultimate outcome. This film became Amazon MGM Studios’ biggest hit ever, taking home over $683 million from ticket sales.
#8 – Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie (Streaming on VOD)
Matt at the Movies Score: 7.5/10
The Tea: This Canadian web series turned film by Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol has a simple premise: to book a show at their favorite local dive music venue, The Rivoli, by any means necessary. In this case, it involves a series of Back to the Future scenarios mixed with clever editing to bring together multiple timelines with a lot of laughs. Read more with my review here.
#7 – The Devil Wears Prada 2 (Streaming on VOD)
Matt at the Movies Score: 8/10
The Tea: I realize I am in the minority here, as the sacred cow that is 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada cannot be improved upon, but the second installment is, quite honestly, a better “movie.” Sure, it brings back some of the old hits like any sequel, but the character growth and story becoming a workplace comedy go deeper than the original. To read my breakdown of why this film, in a sea of terrible sequels, hits where others fail, click here.
#6 – Tuner (In Theaters and Streaming on VOD)
Matt at the Movies Score: 8/10
The Tea: Brad Ritter, the Executive Director of the Independent Picture House, asked me if I had seen this film yet. It was somewhat on my radar, as I find the film’s lead, Leo Woodall (White Lotus & Prime Target), intriguing. Brad said it was really solid and that it might be my biggest surprise of the year. I loved the idea of a former piano virtuoso plagued by hearing issues becoming a piano tuner with a penchant for picking locks. Add in some Dustin Hoffman, classical music, as well as intense heists, and you have yourself quite a fun picture.
Like always, it’s not about the rise of a thief but what happens when shit hits the fan. We see Niki (Woodall) dance between civilian life, which includes taking care of his sick mentor (Hoffman) and trying to maintain a relationship with an up-and-coming composer, and the dangerous underground world of crime that usually doesn’t take no for an answer. This is a great movie for grownups that they say doesn’t get made anymore.
#5 - The Drama (Streaming on VOD)
Matt at the Movies Score: 8/10
The Tea: This is the best film of the year to start a roundtable or bar discussion with your friends. Each person will have different opinions on the main characters, their motivations, and the outcome as viewers place themselves in the shoes of main character Charlie (Robert Pattinson) in the week leading up to his wedding to Emma (Zendaya). I go fully in depth on this fascinating film and the rise of A24 Studios in this piece from April.
#4 - Pillion (Streaming on HBO Max)
Matt at the Movies Score: 8/10
The Tea: A pillion is the secondary seat on any two-wheeled vehicle. You are a passenger and along for the ride. Your agency is tied to the driver and their whims. It’s a great metaphor for the BDSM relationship between Colin (Harry Melling) and Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) in this film. Colin is a nice bloke who is mesmerized by Ray’s aura as a mysteriously confident, extremely handsome, and sexy biker who is miles out of his league physically. When Ray agrees to meet him and shows him the ropes of this one-sided but consensual lifestyle, Colin is in over his head.
Both Melling and Skarsgård turn in wonderful performances. Colin has never been able to find his niche in the gay community and learns a lot about himself while being subjected to a dating lifestyle rarely shown on the big screen. Watching his journey through their sub/dom relationship was a breath of fresh air. How Skarsgård portrays Ray with glints of his “normal” self was really beautiful and leads to an amazing finale to the film.
#3 - 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Streaming on Netflix)
Matt at the Movies Score: 8.5/10
The Tea: Ralph Fiennes turns in one of his top performances as Dr. Kelson in the second reboot installment of the post-apocalypse zombie thriller series. We continue the journey of Kelson and young Spike throughout the isolated isle of Great Britain, where the few survivors either try to maintain their humanity or fully embrace the anarchy caused by the “Rage”. Don’t walk into this expecting the original 28 Days Later energy, as this film is more concerned with analyzing the idea of violence versus empathy. Read more about Fiennes’ greatest performances and a breakdown of the film here.
#2 - I Swear (Streaming on VOD)
Matt at the Movies Score: 9/10
The Tea: Here’s what I had to say from our Spring Preview article about this film:
“Robert Aramayo had an incredible year. He is already one of the stars of Amazon’s The Rings of Power series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings writings. He just played a chilling British intelligence officer in the film Palestine ‘36, which you can read about from my interview with the director, Annemarie Jacir.
However, his biopic role as John Davidson, a man with uncontrollable Tourette’s, won him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. His tics, which often involve incredibly offensive verbal spats, have gotten him into trouble his whole life. We see the incredible wake of destruction it has caused within his family, both socially and emotionally. The film explores the process of trying to pinpoint the root of his tics through therapy, medication, and new discoveries in the medical field for Tourette syndrome.”
I am not sure about the distribution rights or any politics that got in the way of not having this film playing in the States leading up to the Oscars, BUT THIS WAS THE BEST ACTING PERFORMANCE OF 2025, FULL STOP. Aramayo was incredible. The movie made you laugh and cry several times throughout as you connected with his lifelong battle for acceptance. Maybe I’m becoming a big softie, but I’m tearing up typing this sentence. Do yourself a favor and watch this whenever you get a chance.
#1 - The Furious (In Theaters)
Matt at the Movies Score: 9/10
The Tea: Action stars Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian are back in Southeast Asia with a new story directed by Kenji Tanigaka, the lifelong Japanese martial arts master. A father must rescue his kidnapped daughter from a criminal empire. Seems simple enough. An average Joe with nothing to lose teams up with a journalist to dive deep into the criminal underground to stop a child trafficking ring.
I went and watched it twice just to make sure my ten-year-old boy brain wasn’t activated when giving a review. This movie literally kicks ass. It was mentioned above with Backrooms that you don’t always buy a ticket for the dialogue or character story arc, but for the visceral feelings that stay with you as you walk out of the theater. The Furious brings to the table inventive new set-piece fights that shy away from the “Gun-fu” trends created by films like John Wick in favor of simple tools or the natural settings of each scene. Ice blocks, corrugated metal, and hammers take precedence over a never-ending stream of bullets to enhance each confrontation. This film creates a pile of defeated foes resembling a zombie swarm attack, as well as a five-man final face-off that had me shouting at the screen in excitement. For any particular genre of film that breaks through the glass ceiling of what “could be,” you have to tip your cap and rank it accordingly.
We are only at the halfway point of the year, and things are ramping up quickly. Next week’s summer blockbuster premiere of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon among a treasure trove of Hollywood elite, comes out on Thursday, followed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31. We’ll keep you posted with movie news and reviews throughout the summer. Thanks for reading Matt at the Movies over at Y’all Weekly.
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