ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The year is already halfway over, which means there has never been a better time to check out the 2026 movies you may have missed. Read on for our list of the 10 best flicks of 2026… so far.

Honorable mentions

I have seen 62 new releases this year. While it was easy to put together a list of the 10 greatest, that does not mean the other 52 should be discounted entirely. In alphabetical order, here are 10 more movies that also deserve a look:

1. “Backrooms” – Read our review
2. “Crime 101”
3. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” – Read our review
4. “Erupcja”
5. “Forbidden Fruits”
6. “Hokum”
7. “Hoppers” – Read our review
8. “The Moment” – Read our review
9. “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” – Read our review
10. “Toy Story 5”

There are also a couple of notable features I have not yet seen, including “The Christophers,” “The Death of Robin Hood,” “The Furious,” “The Invite,” “Marc by Sofia” and “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie.” You will not find those below, but tune in at the end of the year. Maybe a few will have jumped up my ranking.

This list arrives right before a few flicks I am hotly anticipating. I’m already popping my popcorn for “Evil Dead Burn,” “The Odyssey,” “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “Her Private Hell” and “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.” We shall see what comes of them in December.

Now, let’s rewind our video tape six months. 828reviewsNOW presents… the 10 best movies of the first half of 2026.

10. “The Sheep Detectives”

I am not sure what’s warmer, cozier or more comforting: my favorite wool sweater or “The Sheep Detectives,” a terrific whodunit starring Hugh Jackman and a flock of sheep Sherlocks. Every inch of Kyle Balda’s film is just plain lovely. The performances are delightful, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Bryan Cranston leading a bleating barrage of voice talent, and the mystery is well-crafted, although the real puzzler here is the fact that a couple of CGI sheep were able to make me cry. As family films go, you cannot ask for much better.

“The Sheep Detectives” is now streaming on Prime Video.

9. “Project Hail Mary”

As though Ryan Gosling needed more proof that he is our greatest modern movie star, along came “Project Hail Mary.” Gosling captivates in this science-fiction tale of mathematical problem-solving and unlikely friendship, carrying vast swaths of the film by the power of his own charisma. The visuals of the Phil Lord and Christopher Miller film are equally stunning. In the grand scale, the all of the space sequences are breathtaking, as well as the visual design of the spaceships. On a more intimate level, the puppetry behind Gosling’s scene partner, a faceless, rock-like alien named Rocky, is extraordinary in its expressiveness. “Project Hail Mary” is certainly the defining blockbuster epic of the first half of 2026, but don’t be surprised if its popularity extends far beyond this solar cycle.

Read our full review.

“Project Hail Mary” is now streaming on Prime Video.

8. “Mother Mary”

This is truly the year of Anne Hathaway. The actor stars in five major features in 2026: “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “The End of Oak Street,” “Verity,” “The Odyssey” and, a personal favorite, “Mother Mary,” David Lowery’s ethereal portrait of a pop star in crisis. Hathaway plays the titular musician, a Lorde or Madonna-style artist seeking reconciliation with Sam, her estranged creative collaborator, played with icy precision by an excellent Michaela Coel. The film is framed around a single conversation between the two, which Lowery morphs from an intimate chamber drama into something much stranger. “Mother Mary” was a commercial failure and critically polarizing, but in my book, its ghostly phantasma, sumptuous visuals and strikingly good music result in an irresistible oddity.

Read our full review.

“Mother Mary” is now streaming on VOD.

7. “I Love Boosters”

6. “The Drama”

To date, “The Drama” may be the most controversial movie of 2026. The romantic dramedy features Robert Pattinson and Zendaya as a soon-to-be-married couple on the brink of a breakup after the reveal of a shocking secret. If the twist hasn’t been spoiled for you yet, you are in for a poison-coated treat. The movie is an acid-tongued critique of American politics, relationship anxiety and the wedding industry. Writer-director Kristoffer Borgli walks the line between toe-curling tension and breathless hilarity with poise, but it takes actors of Pattinson and Zendaya’s caliber to pull something like this off. “The Drama” is a special one. See it with your significant other.

“The Drama” is now streaming on VOD and will arrive on HBO Max on July 31.

5. “Send Help”

Man, I love Sam Raimi. I mean, Rachel McAdams. I mean, island survival movies. I mean, office satire. I mean, “Send Help,” which spotlights all of the above in a wonderfully gonzo way. Raimi, returning to the horror genre for the first time in 17 years, has crafted a deliciously disgusting piece of work. McAdams and Dylan O’Brien play an underappreciated employee and a bullying boss whose power dynamic is suddenly reversed after a plane crash strands them on a remote island. McAdams unsheathes a dual-bladed knife of a performance, balancing between psychotic unpredictability and sympathetic dorkiness at every turn. She is the definition of fun to watch. If you had to choose one 2026 movie to take with you to a desert island, “Send Help” is the perfect pick.

Read our full review.

“Send Help” is now streaming on Hulu.

4. “Blue Heron”

Boy, does Sophy Romvari know how to direct a camera. In “Blue Heron,” Maya Bankovic‘s cinematography, paired with the first-time feature director’s cinematic eye, create some of the most visually arresting compositions I have ever seen. Every shot is painterly, appropriate for a portrait of a family fraying at the seams. “Blue Heron” is a family drama, but its most dramatic moments are not rooted in sharp dialogue, loud arguments or other hallmarks of the genre. Romvari’s film sets off emotional explosions through small, cinematic details. As the adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In “Blue Heron,” there are about a thousand of those pictures. This one deserves your attention.

“Blue Heron” is now streaming on VOD.

3. “Disclosure Day”

Steven Spielberg. Have you heard of him? “Disclosure Day” is the famed director’s triumphant return to big-budget sci-fi storytelling. Emily Blunt gives an Oscar-worthy performance in a film that aims to be a compassionate antidote to our cynical modern moment. I was incredibly moved by it, idiosyncrasies and all. It is not a perfect movie by any means, but Spielberg has given us enough of those. I appreciate that, for this one, he took a big, ambitious swing. For me, it’s a home run.

Read our full review.

“Disclosure Day” is now playing in theaters.

2. “Obsession”

“Obsession” has been the preeminent obsession of moviegoers everywhere this year. It deserves it. The no-name, micro-budget horror flick – first-time director Curry Barker made his $400 million movie for about $750,000 – is a new genre classic. The movie is incredibly scary, features a star-making performance by an unbelievable Inde Navarrette and delivers a cogent takedown of “nice guy” entitlement, to boot. While not one for the faint of heart, I recommend it with all of mine. I’m obsessed with it, too.

“Obsession” is now playing in theaters.

1. “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple”

It feels odd to call a big franchise sequel that came out just six months ago underseen and underrated, but that is precisely what “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is. Nia DaCosta’s electrifying follow-up to Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later” is a fantastic showcase of everything that makes movies great: gorgeous cinematography, gnarly special effects, a terrifying villain, clever plot twists and the inimitable Ralph Fiennes. Though “The Bone Temple” underperformed at the box office, bringing the production of its planned sequel into question, if DaCosta’s film truly marks the end of Boyle’s end-of-the-world zombie series, you would be hard-pressed for a finer – Fiennes-er? – finale.

Read our full review.

“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is now streaming on Netflix.