Off the Shelf Media

The past few months for film fans have been somewhat of a drag in 2026. Aside from big box office wins like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026), which made around $629 million, and the fan-hit Project Hail Mary (2026), there hasn’t been much to praise on the silver screen this year. 

It’s no big surprise either. Everyone knows that studios bring out the big guns for the summer. But even so, this season feels a bit light. 

Regardless, there will be reasons to head to the theaters, even if it’s only to have something to do. 

As always, we’re starting with a few honorable mentions: 

• Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu – May 22, 2026
• Masters of the Universe – June 5, 2026
• Toy Story 5 – June 19, 2026

5. The Dink – July 24, 2026

The Dink (2026), starring Jake Johnson of New Girl (2011-2018) and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) fame, is a film based on a tennis prodigy who finds himself forced to play pickleball instead. 

The premise seems humorous enough, but I find Jake Johnson to be one of the better comedians of our time right now and trust him to take a mildly funny concept and make it an underrated classic. 

But we’ll see. 

4. Coyote vs. Acme – August 28, 2026

If you didn’t see my coverage of the controversy surrounding this film, you might want to give it a read first. 

Despite some drama, this film has been on my radar for a while now, thanks to film fans on Twitter. The premise always seemed funny: Wile E. Coyote sues mega-corp Acme for the faulty products he’s used throughout the years. It’s already a strong start. 

But marketing and public relations using the drama with Warner Bros. as a strategy to promote the film is the icing on the cake. 

From the trailer, the animation looks great, the cast seems like the right fit for a Looney Tunes reboot, and the plot is solid enough. I may be more excited for this one than most, but I have a feeling it’s going to be one worth heading to the theaters for. 

3. Supergirl – June 28, 2026

If you follow my writing at all, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that James Gunn is a name that comes up frequently. So far, I’ve had nothing but positive things to say about his revival of the DC Universe of films and TV, from Peacemaker (2022-2025) to Superman (2025), and even the animated Creature Commandos (2024- ) series, which is set to return in 2027. 

While Gunn isn’t directing this one as he has with the others, it is instead being directed by Craig Gillespie, I don’t doubt that it will keep with the same level of quality as the rest have so far. The plot, however, has me unsure of whether or not my emotions can stand to see Kara’s beloved but misdirected, superpowered mutt, Krypto, be at risk. If Gunn knows how to do anything, it’s how to pull on the heartstrings of animal lovers (and how to put together a killer soundtrack). 

Critically, I’m not sure this film will be award-winning by any means, but I think it’s going to be fun, which was probably what I enjoyed most about Superman. Sometimes, a movie doesn’t have to be produced by Oscar-winning teams with nothing but A-listers. Sometimes, movies can just be fun. And that should be the point. 

2. Spider-Man: Brand New Day – July 31, 2026

Whenever putting these lists together, I always hate putting too many superhero titles on them, but it’s almost impossible to avoid. They’re the most prolific form of media these days, for what feels like a competition against indie horror films. 

I’d be remiss as well to not divulge that Spider-Man is one of my favorite characters of all time. 

Even so, the new Spider-Man film seems like it’s going to eve beat out Spider-Man: No Way Home (2023). 

Peter Parker is broke, broken, and has nothing left to lose. Or maybe he does?

This version of Spider-Man feels much more grounded than what we were initially delivered in earlier iterations. No hate to the prior films; they’re still good. But this trailer seems like it’s finally nailed the comic book version fans have been dying for. Not to mention, we finally have a film that doesn’t look completely washed out and dull. 

Again, it’s a comic book movie. I don’t think it’s being made to impress fans with the writing or stunning cinematography, but I do think it’s going to take a big step in the right direction for this version of the character and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as a whole. 

1. The Odyssey – July 17, 2026

This one should come as no surprise whatsoever. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) is obviously the most anticipated film of the summer, if not the entire year. 

It’s got an incredible director, is full of the most talented actors and actresses in the business at this moment, and is going to bring modern film technology to a classic story. 

Everyone knows this movie is going to be a hit. There’s not much more that even needs to be said. 

In truth, even though I put this list together, it’s a bit underwhelming. There are practically zero titles on this list that aren’t already tied to large intellectual property (IP), and the one original title seems like a risk. Aside from this list, there really isn’t much being released, and most of it did not catch my eye whatsoever. 

The Odyssey is undoubtedly the film of the season with arguably one of the greatest directors of all time and the most absolute star-studded cast I could’ve ever thought of. Yet, that’s the only impressive film on this list. Superhero films aren’t for everyone, and I intentionally left off the live-action remake of Moana (2026) because I think it’s going to totally tank, and it should. 

When big-budget producers care more about box office numbers than anything else, not much good comes of it. Yes, summer is the time for the big blockbusters to come out full force, but this season didn’t really have much. 

Maybe it won’t be the best summer for movies, but it still has a few titles worth grabbing some popcorn and an ice-cold slushie over.