As the new year dawns, the cultural calendar for 2026 is already brimming with highly anticipated releases and events poised to capture the public's imagination. From blockbuster cinema aiming to revive the big-screen experience to major music reunions and long-awaited video game sequels, the next twelve months promise a diverse array of headline-grabbing moments across film, television, music, and gaming.
Cinema's Spectacular Saviour Mission
The state of cinema will be a dominant narrative, with Christopher Nolan's monumental follow-up to Oppenheimer taking centre stage. His adaptation of Homer's 'The Odyssey', releasing on 17 July, boasts a staggering ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya as Athena, and Charlize Theron as Circe. The film is seen as a crucial test for the theatrical experience, especially amidst industry upheavals like the proposed Netflix purchase of Warner Bros.
Other major cinematic events set to draw crowds include Ryan Gosling in the space epic Project Hail Mary (20 March), Steven Spielberg's return to aliens with Disclosure Day (12 June), and Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three (18 December). That same day will see the release of Avengers: Doomsday, marking the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first mega-team-up since Endgame, featuring the return of Chris Evans as Captain America and Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.
Perhaps the most intriguing project is Alejandro Iñárritu's Digger (2 October), his first English-language film since The Revenant. Starring Tom Cruise as "the most powerful man in the world" who causes a disaster, details remain scarce but expectations are sky-high.
Television: Sprawling Series and Westeros Redemption
In television, the trend for limited series is being challenged by the return of ambitious, multi-season dramas. The critically acclaimed finance series Industry returns for its fourth season on BBC iPlayer on 12 January, just over a year after its third. This year should also see the reliable returns of Slow Horses and The Bear.
For fantasy fans, hope rests on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (19 January, Sky/Now). Based on George R.R. Martin's beloved Dunk and Egg novellas, this six-episode Game of Thrones spin-off promises a more focused, lower-stakes story free from the CGI dragon spectacle that weighed down its predecessor, House of the Dragon. The latter gets another chance at redemption with its third season, adding James Norton to the cast.
Additionally, the adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale sequel, The Testaments, is expected, and the much-hyped real-time medical drama The Pitt may finally arrive in the UK via the launch of HBO Max.
Music Tours and Gaming's Long-Awaited Return
With Oasis's monumental 2025 reunion tour now over, the race is on to dominate the 2026 summer live season. Leading contenders include My Chemical Romance playing huge stadium shows, Ariana Grande embarking on a ten-night residency at London's O2 Arena, Lewis Capaldi headlining Hyde Park and the Isle of Wight Festival, Tyler, the Creator taking over All Points East, and Bad Bunny playing the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in July.
In gaming, all eyes are on Grand Theft Auto VI, currently pencilled in for release on 19 November. The follow-up to 2013's era-defining GTA V returns to the franchise's Vice City setting and will feature the series' first female protagonist. After multiple delays, its arrival is one of the most anticipated events in entertainment, promising to capture a radically changed American cultural landscape.
The Year's Most Talked-About Film?
No 2026 release is likely to generate more heated debate than Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Wuthering Heights (13 February). Starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, the Saltburn director has already signalled her provocative approach with a reported S&M bondage scene, ensuring it will be a major cultural flashpoint. The film will feature a gothic soundtrack from Charli xcx, who is also set to act in several dramas this year, including the mockumentary The Moment, based on her Brat tour.
From the epic scale of Nolan's Odyssey to the intimate provocation of Fennell's Brontë, 2026 is shaping up to be a year where bold cultural statements aim to define the new era in entertainment.
