2026's 10 Movie Sequels Releasing In The Next 3 Months, Ranked By Excitement

Published Sep 30, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. Only three months are left in 2026, and while plenty of major sequel movies have already been released, 10 more exciting franchise additions are still coming. The Odyssey, Project Hail Mary, Obsession, and more have found success by adapting familiar source material and telling original stories, but sequels in major franchises have been 2026's most dominant movies. Audiences proved to be wildly interested in Tom Holland's fourth solo movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day becoming a near $2.5 billion hit. Pixar got viewers excited to see Woody, Buzz, and Jessie again in Toy Story 5, as did Illumination for Mario and Minions fans with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Minions & Monsters. 2026's franchise movies include Disney bringing sequels for The Devil Wears Prada and The Mandalorian. Horror franchises in Scream, Insidious, Evil Dead, 28 Years Later, and Ready or Not got new entries, as did horror spoof series Scary Movie. With sequels to Practical Magic, Mortal Kombat, and more already coming, it'd be easy to think 2026 is out of follow-ups. The remaining fall and winter months still have exciting movie sequels on the horizon. They range from animation to superheroes to sci-fi to post-apocalyptic. Some are sequels to movies that have been at the center of pop culture for the last several years, while others are tied to franchises making long-awaited returns. Each is exciting in its own right. 10 Angry Birds Movie 3 There has to be a movie at the bottom of the list, and Angry Birds Movie 3 slots in as the least exciting sequel to come in 2026. Audiences have had to wait seven years to see Red, family, and friends again, so the time away has helped build some natural anticipation for the sequel. Adding to its exciting elements is a stacked voice cast, one that brings back franchise regulars and adds in new stars like Keke Palmer, Lily James, Nikki Glaser, and Sam Richardson. The Angry Birds movies are fun, light-hearted entertainment, making the sequel a likely good time when it comes out on December 23. 9 Violent Night 2 David Harbour's Santa Claus returns for more violence and Christmas cheer with Violent Night 2. The original movie offered a fun, R-rated twist on the jolly old gift-giver. The sequel looks to double down on the best elements, leaning more into Harbour's comedic abilities and ensuring Santa keeps giving bad guys a beating on top of coal. Violent Night 2 gets some additional excitement thanks to its new cast members. Kristen Bell joins the franchise as Mrs. Claus, who isn't afraid to get in on the action herself. Jared Harris, Joe Pantoliano, and Daniela Melchior also have roles. The sequel hopes to be an early Christmas present with its December 4 release. 8 Jumanji: Open World Seven years after the last Jumanji, Sony brings the core quartet and additional stars back for a trilogy-capping installment on December 25. Jumanji: Open World looks to have found a fun way to explore the game concept again, this time with the game world leaking into the real world. Part of what makes Open World exciting is the knowledge that it has found new avenues for Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan to have a blast as their video game characters. Whether its being stuck in demo mode or taking on the personalities of different humans, Open World looks to be a charming and action-packed final entry. Following up The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning arguably has more pressure on it than 2026's other remaining sequels. The David Fincher-directed original is a masterpiece in interrogating Facebook's rise. Sorkin aims to do the same by tackling Facebook's role in the political climate with Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, and more playing central real-life people. The anticipation of seeing whether The Social Reckoning is a worthy extension is part of what makes it so exciting. The movie's marketing campaign hasn't been the smoothest, and questions remain about whether Sorkin should have ever tried extending The Social Network's story. Thankfully, we'll know soon if Reckoning lives up to its predecessor or disappoints with its October 9 release. 6 Focker In-Law Credit: MovieStillsDB The Fockers are returning after over 15 years for Focker In-Law. Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, and Owen Wilson return, with Ariana Grande, Skyler Gisondo, and Beanie Feldstein among the new additions. The excellent ensemble provides plenty of reasons to look forward to the comedy, as more hijinks will ensue. As fun as it will be to see De Niro and Stiller's back-and-forth again, Grande's addition is what makes Focker In-Law a must watch. She proved with the Wicked films that she has great comedic timing. Her role and dynamic with both De Niro and Stiller look like a blast. Grande will help draw additional attention to Focker In-Law on November 25. 5 The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Hunger Games' new sequel earns a spot in the top 5, as the new film (which is both a prequel and sequel thanks to its timeline placement) looks to be a return to form. Sunrise on the Reaping goes back to tell Haymitch Abernathy's origin story and how he won the 50th Hunger Games. As book readers can attest, it's a journey loaded with tragedy, action, and seeds of rebellion. Audiences have been pleading for Haymitch's origin to be a movie for years, so the fulfillment of that wish is a huge reason why Sunrise on the Reaping is so highly anticipated. It also boasts an incredible cast, striking visuals, a grander scope, and the return of original franchise stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. November 20 can't get her soon enough. 4 The Further Mis-Adventures Of Cliff Booth Brad Pitt returns as Cliff Booth for a surprise Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel. Based on a script from Quentin Tarantino, it's David Fincher who steps in to direct the Netflix original film, The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. While its limited theatrical run is disappointing, one can't help but be excited to see Pitt return to his Oscar-winning role. The original 2019 movie made the stunt double character one of Pitt's most iconic and likeable, so any chance for him to return is great. Doing so alongside words from Tarantino, Fincher's direction, and castmates like Elizabeth Debicki, Timothy Olyphant, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Peter Weller, and Carla Gugino makes it even better. 3 Godzilla Minus Zero Godzilla Minus One took the world by storm a few years ago thanks to the epic but grounded and trauma-filled story told by Takashi Yamazaki. There is every expectation that more of the same is coming with Godzilla Minus Zero. Now with the added scope of being filmed for IMAX and adding in more monsters, like King Ghidorah, excitement levels are off the charts. Somehow, anticipation has risen further ahead of the sequel's November 6 release. Godzilla Minus Zero's early reactions showered Yamazaki's film with praise. Whereas the rest of these movies are still sight unseen and exciting based on pure potential, Godzilla Minus Zero is the only one that has proven to deliver. 2 Avengers: Doomsday Avengers: Doomsday comes in as 2026's second most exciting remaining sequel. The movie is poised to unite the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men in a war against Doctor Doom for the fate of the multiverse. The cast, headlined by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth, is exceptionally large, as is the scope of the story the Russo brothers are telling. While there is undoubtedly still skepticism around Avengers: Doomsday, there is still plenty of hype behind it. Seeing RDJ's take on Doom, new character crossovers, and how it redefines the MCU's status quo make it a cinematic event audiences can't miss on December 18. They'll just need to also find time for an even more exciting movie sequel. 1 Dune: Part Three Denis Villeneuve and Timothée Chalamet's Dune trilogy wraps up on December 18, and expectations couldn't be higher. Dune and Dune: Part Two are some of the finest modern sci-fi movies ever made, thanks to Paul Atreides' complex arc, intricate world-building, and impeccable visuals, sound, and performances. Dune: Part Three may be the best of them all. The trailers have been absolutely electric, setting the stage for an epic war and a devious plot to overthrow Paul. Chalamet has grown perfectly into this role, and it is exciting to think about how he and Villeneuve will close out his story. Given the quality of the past two films, Dune: Part Three has its eyes on being 2026's best movie sequel when it comes out on December 18.