On one hand, the wait for the blockbusters promised by Hollywood in a last-ditch attempt to relaunch itself by clinging to tried-and-true models; on the other, the search for those innovations, often unexpected until discovered, that can turn the tables. In the middle, a promotion system that marketing has now fully contaminated and that, with influencers, fake AI-powered ads, and bombastic announcements, ensures that our tastes are conditioned months in advance.

The most disturbing question looms large: will there still be a "cinema model" suited to theaters when major platforms are acquiring or influencing the production market with the siren call of serialization and priority consumption on home screens? The major move to acquire a former giant like Warner Bros. could mark a sea change, and Netflix currently appears to be the master of the new era. The dangers are numerous, but the siren calls are attractive, especially since it's not the cinema itself that's in crisis, but the place of its "ritual," the traditional theater.

The first verdicts are expected this coming year, with thrillers guaranteed to feature new stars between now and the summer . We begin with MERCY by Timur Bekmambetov, starring Chris Patt, a detective accused of wife murder and judged by a seductive AI he himself helped invent. Next up is THE LAST ISSUE, starring Ryan Gosling, an astronaut with no memory who travels through space with an alien, united by their shared mission to save the Sun from a deadly enemy. In March, veteran Ridley Scott arrives with DOG STARS , starring poor Jacob Elordi as a hermit in a world ravaged by a deadly virus. In June, master Steven Spielberg enters the fray with DISCLOSURE , starring Emily Blunt, who comes face to face with real aliens.

The other genre still capable of monopolizing mainstream audiences is horror, which has made a strong comeback thanks to the support of young audiences. After the success of THE CONJURING (one of the most unexpected hits of 2025), it's up to Sam Raimi to defend the veteran category with SEND HELP , which reverses the battle of the sexes in favor of fragile office worker Rachel McAdams, while Maggie Gyllenhaal revisits the Frankenstein myth with a feminist twist in THE BRIDE , a remake of a 1930s classic. And one of the finest films of the last Venice Film Festival, DEAD MAN'S WIRE by Gus Van Sant, is truly a horror film, albeit a terribly believable and contemporary one, arriving in theaters in February.

Comedy will offer entertainment and alternatives to this dark depiction of reality, also offering alternatives to superhero fantasy, which will bring back famous champions like SPIDER-MAN and AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY by the Russo brothers, due in December, along with the final installment of Denis Villeneuve's DUNE trilogy. So everyone is looking forward to Meryl Streep's challenge as she faces her own legend in the most talked-about sequel of the season: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2, due in April.

The star of the year promises to be Robert Pattinson, a near-inevitable presence in nearly every cast of the most anticipated films, but he'll have to contend with Timothy Chalamet, already Oscar-nominated for Josh Safdie's MARTY SUPREME , which opens in Italy in January, and the ever-present Tom Cruise, who relied on Alejandro Inarritu's visual talent with DIGGER to prove he's a real actor and not just his own stuntman. And the real surprise could come from young Jaafar Jackson, who will play the role (and voice) of the King of Pop, whose nephew he is in Antoine Fuqua's MICHAEL , the biopic of the year dedicated to the legend of Michael Jackson.

But what will be the film of 2026? All predictions point to Christopher Nolan grappling with the gigantic production of his ODYSSEY , starring Matt Damon as Ulysses. A true event that the Cannes Film Festival will be trying to secure right up until the last minute in May, along with the new Spielberg.

And who isn't counting on the predictability and the gigantic nature of the studios? If the East will confirm—it's now a certainty—its passion for Japanese manga and anime in the wake of new installments of "Demon Slayer" and "Chainsaw Man," other auteur voices are expected after that of Korean Park Chan-wook with NO OTHER CHOICE, in theaters in January. This is the case of the Filipino Isabel Sandoval with the thriller MOONGLOW , the Franco-Japanese Christophe Gans with the horror RETURN TO SILENT HILL , but also of a great classic of Japanese cinema: GODZILLA MINUS ZERO by Takashi Yamazaki. It is from Europe, however, that we can expect precious variations on the edge of sentiment and passion. It's easy to think of Joachim Trier's SENTIMENTAL VALUE , the immortal WUTHERING HEIGHTS , now revisited by Emerald Fennell with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordie, the Shakespearean sufferings of the Bard in Chloè Zhao's HAMNET .

(Unioneonline)

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