Movies Are Off To A Great Start
I know we say this every time the box office gets a little juice, but I’m gonna say it anyway: we are so back, baby! 2026 has seen some of the biggest wins (and flops) at the box office, signaling that if the movie is right, people will come. We’re only halfway through the year and have already seen some massive successes and huge movie moments, and that’s without the festival circuit indicating the best picture lineup early. There’s still a lot of year left – I’m over the belief that over half of the best picture lineup hasn’t even been released yet – and we’ve still got some major releases coming soon. So as we cross the halfway mark, I thought we should take a look at the best films of the year so far.
As a rule for these early lists, I only include films that have actually been released and are available in some capacity to general audiences. So if it killed at Sundance or Cannes but has not been released yet, it is ineligible for this ranking. I am also not including documentaries, sticking to feature film only. There are some truly incredible docs out there and more to come for sure, but I would have to kill one too many darlings to fit them all so it’s best to keep them separate. And of course, as with all of these kinds of exercises, this list is my own; comprised of films that fit my personal cinematic sensibilities and are not meant to serve as any kind of authority. There are so many movies out there to love, and every list is the right one if it is yours.
So, let’s get into the rankings! The best films of 2026 so far!
#10 – The Furious
What an absolute treat The Furious is. Just an unrelenting action packed romp packed with some of the most incredible fight choreography I’ve seen in a long time. The martial arts genre has been needing a big of a level up, and The Furious gladly steps in to push the genre forward. I can’t remember the last time I was out of breath just watching OTHER people fight. The way these fighters move is a marvel, a real feat of action choreography and trust among the fighters. The Furious blew me away, especially the final 30 minutes which just might be some of the best action you’ll see all year. Loved this one, no notes.
#9 – Wasteman
If you haven’t already bought stock in David Jonsson, now is the time before the price gets too high. Wasteman is a taut, nail biting prison drama that functions like a thriller and simmers with tension throughout its entirety. Jonsson is phenomenal here, conveying a well of emotion with every look despite his character being a mild mannered prisoner. Tom Blythe explodes onto the screen with such voracity he feels brand new on the cusp of a breakout. Wasteman uses both of its stars to great effect, and has an unforgettable ending that left my jaw on the floor. Prison dramas are easy to make but hard to make well, and through its magnetic leads and excellent ending, Wasteman rises about the rest.
#8 – Project Hail Mary
Don’t come for me – it made the top 10 ok? Project Hail Mary is a tried and true crowd pleasing blockbuster. The kind designed to make audiences soar and give themselves over to the big screen. There’s such a beautiful sense of wonder and movie magic, each set piece and visual creation painstakingly hand crafted in ways we just don’t see that often anymore. The fact that there is virtually no CGI in a movie about space travel and alien friendship is astounding and sets Project Hail Mary in a league of its own within its own genre. It’s a level up, and while I don’t think it has a chance of winning I think it may be the one film on this list I’m sure we will see again come awards season.
#7 – Carolina Caroline
I may not be a fan of the romance genre, but my heart is not so black that I can’t enjoy a good romance drama every now and then. Carolina Caroline just does something for me cinematically, largely due to the undeniably electric chemistry between Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner. A Bonnie and Clyde inspired romance with a heavy dose of americana, this good girl falls for bad boy story may not deviate too much from its tropes, but it does them so right it’s hard not to get swept up into their con artist love. Carolina Caroline is so assured and emotionally moving, even when it falls into some melodrama it never fails to get me in the end. I can’t compliment Weaving and Gallner enough, and I could literally watch them fall in love and do crimes forever.
#6 – Obsession
Of course one of the most successful horror movies of the year made the list! Obsession absolutely rocked me when I saw it back at TIFF in September, and even then I could not have predicted it would go on to do the things it’s doing this year. Indy Navarette is revelation, the new definition of a break out star and the kind of performance that levels up the game of what you can do as an actor. Curry Baker has crafted something truly special, and Obsession is an announcement of a new voice in filmmaking. Not just his, but also a testament to what you can do with a little money and big ideas. I’m so glad something like this exists, and I hope we get more like it and start to change the game by taking more chances that pay off big like Obsession did.
#5 – The Sheep Detectives
I’m as shocked as you are, but The Sheep Detectives came out of nowhere for me and cracked the top 5. Delightful, funny, sweet, and surprisingly deep, this charming whodunnit left me in a pool of tears more than once. I certainly did not expect talking sheep to effect me so much, but there’s something so endearing about them wrestling with grief and change and death in ways that prove clever and palatable for children. Family films use to teach us things and beneath the silly shenanigans The Sheep Detectives actually has a lot to say about a lot of larger themes. I seriously loved this film, and were it not for a few other bangers it would be even higher on my list. Yes, The Sheep Detectives melted this grumpy old man’s heart.
#4 – Is God Is
Directorial debuts are dominating the box office this year, and I can’t recall the last time my top 10 had so many near the top. Is God Is floored me with its imaginative style and gritty revenge tale, delivering a violent yet poigniant tale of cycle violence and often discarded and forgotten struggle of black women. Is God Is is an angry film, bursting with unfettered black rage and allowing its characters to feel – passionately.
There is no weak link in the cast, but it’s Kara Young who explodes on the scene with her presence. I don’t want to diminish her co-star Mallori Johnson (who is reserved on purpose by the nature of her character) but Young is a lightning rod here and delivers an unforgettable lead performance. Revenge movies don’t get better than Is God Is, and it is easily one of the best films of the year so far.
#3 – Tuner
If you put Thief and Good Will Hunting with a pinch of Collateral and sprinkle of Damien Chazelle jazz score into a blender, you would get Tuner. A real MOVIE movie, this one gives yet another breakout performance from Leo Woodall and proves that Daniel Roher can make features as well as he makes documentaries. Tuner is simply comprised of everything I enjoy about movies, turns in another crowd pleaser that makes this list. I saw about 90 films at TIFF last year and the one film I couldn’t stop thinking about and immediately recommended to everyone was Tuner. Who knew pianos and safe cracking was a perfect pair played with perfect pitch?
#2 – The Invite
I could write an essay on how hard it was to get my eyeballs on this one, but now that I HAVE seen it, The Invite is everything I hoped it would be and more. Easily the sharpest script of the year, this cringe core chamber piece is the most uncomfortable dinner party that perfectly balances its laugh out loud humor with its profound, sometimes bleak ideas about modern relationships. I’m a huge sucker for a good chamber piece, and on the right day in the right mood this could be my number one. This list will change drastically once the back half of the year concludes, and I’d put hard earned money down that The Invite will still be here near the top of the top 10. It’s THAT good.
#1 – Blue Heron
A beautiful portrait of fractured memory, Blue Heron hit me like a ton of bricks. Precise, personal, universal, and deeply impactful, this film launches Sophy Romvari into the stratosphere of new cinematic voices. It’s a film I could write a thousand words on trying to describe yet simultaneously leaves me completely speechless. Blue Heron is something special, quiet and confident and deeply profound, examining the trickery of memory and our own misunderstandings of lives and those in it. Incredible work; I can’t believe this is feature film debut and we are so lucky to have something like this film. Only cinema can make these kinds of miracles, and they just don’t get better than Blue Heron.
What were some of your favorite films of 2026 so far?
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