The first quarter of 2026 is in the history books, which makes now a pretty good time to take stock of the year in movies so far. I’m a huge film buff who aims to see at least 100 movies on the big screen every year, and I’ve already been to my local cinema nearly 30 times in 2026, which has me well on track.
Looking back, the first three months of the year, at least in terms of movies, have been quite the mixed bag. There’s been a handful of new releases that could go the distance and still be in the conversation for my top movies of the year come December, while some of the low points have been particularly woeful. My current worst of 2026 pick was a borderline painful watch.
If you’re not fully caught up on all the new movies that have landed in theaters in 2026 so far, here’s my guide to the best and worst movies I’ve seen on the big screen this year to date.
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3 best movies of 2026 (so far)3. ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’
28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE – Official Trailer (HD) – YouTube
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“28 Years Later” was almost a great movie, marred by odd tonal shifts; its sequel, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” strikes a more consistent balance and is all the better for it. I do miss the erratic editing style of its predecessor, with director Nia DaCosta opting for a more conventional feel, but “The Bone Temple” is truly bone-chilling. This is one of the most brutal movies I’ve seen in ages, and it builds to a highly memorable showstopping finale.
If you thought Jack O’Connell’s blood-sucking character in “Sinners” was evil, wait till you meet Jimmy Crystal. But for as much as O’Connell delivers a fear-inducing villainous performance, Ralph Fiennes steals the show as the returning Dr Ian Kelson. The sequel-baiting ending is a bit of a bum note to end on (even more so now that the third movie’s future could be in doubt), “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” ranks only behind the original “28 Days Later” in my franchise ranking, which is quite some achievement.
Watch “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” on Netflix now
2. ‘Wasteman’
Wasteman – Official Trailer – YouTube
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The minute I walked out of “Wasteman,” I knew this prison-set thriller was going to be a movie I would be recommending all year long. It’s an intense look at life on the inside, but what really makes this movie work is the performances from David Jonsson and Tom Blyth. They play cellmates, one is meek and just trying to get by, the other has grand plans to control the prison’s chaotic inmate community. It’s a dynamic ripe for character drama.
Director Cal McMau also makes some gutsy filmmaking choices, such as interweaving phone-recorded footage, which really draws you into the prison environment. “Wasteman” is also extraordinarily well-paced, running a tight 90 minutes; it keeps the momentum building throughout, culminating in a heart-in-mouth finale that is tense enough to spike your anxiety levels. I have a horrible fear this might end up being one of 2026’s unfairly overlooked gems, but I implore you to seek out “Wasteman” as soon as you possible.
Watch “Wasteman” in U.S. theaters from April 17
1. ‘Project Hail Mary’
Project Hail Mary – Official Trailer – YouTube
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I’m going to win zero points for originality with this top pick, but to borrow a phrase from the universe’s biggest bro, “Project Hail Mary” is simply “amaze, amaze, amaze.” I’m far from alone in loving this brilliant sci-fi epic. In a recent poll of Tom’s Guide readers, 38% of the 2,500 voters picked “Project Hail Mary” as their favorite flick of 2026 so far, winning the poll in a landslide. This is a crowd-pleaser in every sense of the word. The most entertaining sci-fi movie since … well, since the last time an Andy Weir novel was turned into a film.
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Ryan Gosling is endlessly likeable as amnesiac astronaut Ryland Grace, but as great as Gosling is, there’s only one star of this movie: Rocky. The stoney extraterrestrial completely steals the show, and through every narrative twist and turn, I was wholly invested. It’s also gorgeous to look at, and has Sandra Hüller in a supporting role; what more could you ask for? I loved “Project Hail Mary” so much that I immediately downloaded the audiobook afterward, which is helping to pass the time until it hits streaming and I can see it again.
Watch “Project Hail Mary” in theaters now
3 worst movies of 2026 (so far)3. ‘The Bride!’
THE BRIDE! | Official Trailer – YouTube
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I had some hope for “The Bride!” before release, just based on the talent involved, but the final result is a real mess. It’s a movie that seems to make the wrong decisions at every turn, whether that be the horrific mid-movie dance sequence, which is so cringe-inducing I felt secondhand embarrassment, or the wretched choice to include a meta element with a miscast Jessie Buckley playing “Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley as an omniscient narrator. The very first scene of this movie is terrible, and it doesn’t improve from there.
Wasting a cast that includes Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal and Penélope Cruz is a crime against cinema. But perhaps worst of all for a movie that appears to be trying to have a real blast with the gothic source material, “The Bride!” is just a joyless experience. I think the only entertainment it gave me was laughing at the awful ending for its sheer ridiculousness. This isn’t a “so bad, it’s good” affair; it’s just really bad.
2. ‘The Strangers – Chapter 3’
The Strangers – Chapter 3 (2026) Official Trailer – Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath – YouTube
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To start with a positive, “The Strangers – Chapter 3” is the best of the new “Strangers” trilogy. But that’s like saying an eight-hour delay is preferable to a 10-hour delay. Sure, the former is technically better, but both seriously suck. Much like its predecessors, “Chapter 3” is a horror movie with no scares, suspense, or tension, and is stuffed with head-scratchingly awkward dialogue.
Most of all, it continues to be remarkable to me that this reboot series fails to understand what made the original “The Strangers,” released in 2008, so spooky. By exploring the backstory of its central masked murderers, they are no longer terrifyingly mysterious. Instead, they have become cookie-cutter slasher villains with nothing memorable about them. “The Strangers – Chapter 3” brings to an end one of the most consistently terrible trilogies in Hollywood history, and the saving grace is that in 2027, I won’t have to write about how much this new spin on “The Strangers” falls flat. That’s at least some comfort.
1. ‘Return to Silent Hill’
RETURN TO SILENT HILL Trailer 4K (2026) | Jeremy Irvine, Hannah Emily Anderson | Horror – YouTube
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It’s only April, but I highly doubt any movie released in 2026 will butcher its source material more than “Return to Silent Hill.” Based on one of gaming’s great horror experiences, Silent Hill 2, this movie had so much good to draw inspiration from, but it wastes what was an easy layup. Instead of sticking to what makes Silent Hill 2 unnerving even 25 years after its PS1 launch, “Return to Silent Hill” is arrogant enough to think it knows better. It does not.
The movie reworks elements of the game’s story, and every tweak and change is for the worse. Silent Hill 2 tells a haunting psychological yarn, but the only nightmare on offer here is in watching the filmmakers tarnish everything that makes the game so phenomenal. The performances are poor, the attempts to scare viewers are half-hearted, and the frequent flashbacks are excruciating (including a woeful opening). At least I was able to replay 2024’s excellent Silent Hill 2 remake to wipe away the foul memory of this awful adaptation.
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