Movies to watch out for: January 2026
A lovely, fresh and optimism-filled new year is with us, and that means a whole host of movies to look forward to, from blockbusters to independent films, drama to horror and much more besides, such that we reckon, having cast an eye over the line-up, this could be one of the best years for film in some time.
January has plenty to offer, including a spin-off of a classic modern zombie franchise, a part-real, part-parody effort from one of the world’s foremost pop stars and even the reuniting of a pair of best friends who won Oscars at their first time of asking.
Last year might have felt like a bit of a damp squib, but scratch beneath the surface and there were some magnificent efforts, including The Secret Agent, Sinners, Train Dreams, The Ballad of Wallis Island and Weapons, so let’s hope the first month of 2026 provides some more of the stellar stuff.
Check out the list below and get ready to buy one of those limitless passes to your local cinema, whatever that might cost these days, probably the same as a deposit on a house, and kick back to enjoy a promising month.
Five films to watch out for this January:
’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ (Nia DaCosta, Jan 13th)
Alex Garland really should get talked about more, especially because the hit list of movies he’s written and directed is insane, which includes Judge Dredd, Annihilation, Civil War, and even Ex-Machina.
He’s also penned this spin-off of Danny Boyle’s undead franchise, with directing duties handed to Candyman’s Nia DaCosta, and the evil combination of Jack O’Connell and Ralph Fiennes is enough in itself to have us shelling out our hard-earned Christmas money to witness more post-apocalyptic carnage.
‘The Rip’ (Joe Carnahan, Jan 16th)
Imagine Good Will Hunting, but instead of cocky speeches about liking apples, you instead have two hunky chaps in their 50s as gritty Miami cops trying to infiltrate a crooked group of their colleagues after millions of dollars of drug money gets stolen.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck take the lead roles in this Netflix-produced effort, which should feature plenty of action from Smokin’ Aces director Joe Carnahan, and a bromance that’s always been successful onscreen.
‘Mercy’ (Timur Bekmambetov, Jan 23rd)
This cyber-thriller feels increasingly timely given how much free rein we appear to be handing over to whatever AI actually is lately, as Chris Pratt has 90 minutes to convince a computer-brained judge that he actually didn’t murder his wife, or else he will be sentenced to some kind of terrible fate.
It’s directed by Timur Bekmambetov, which means it’s a toss-up between being great, because he directed 2008’s brilliantly bullet-bending Wanted, or not great, because he also directed last year’s Ice Cube travesty War of the Worlds; only time will tell.
‘The Moment’ (Aidan Zamiri, Jan 30th)
Prepare for cinemas to be packed full of phone-wielding Gen Z’ers talking loudly about last summer and saying the word ‘literally’ over and over again as Charli XCX continues her world dominance with a knowing A24 effort that neatly straddles spoof and real life.
Cameras follow her during her Brat tour as she navigates the attention of the assembled press, rabid fans and several celebrity cameos, including Rosanna Arquette, Alexander Skarsgård and ubiquitous to Charli’s entourage, Rachel Sennott.
‘Send Help’ (Sam Raimi, Jan 30th)
Sam Raimi makes great, effectively shocking films and always has done, from A Simple Plan to Drag Me to Hell, so hopes are high for this Rachel McAdams-starring horror involving a woman and her incredibly sexist boss stuck on an island after surviving a plane crash.
Moreover, it being a Raimi film, they don’t just munch coconuts and wait for a passing boat, but instead try to overcome differences and fight for their lives in this slightly off-the-beaten-path survivalist drama that really puts things in perspective.
