It’s almost halftime on 2026. So let’s take a little breather, grab some hydration, and enjoy the film nerd equivalent of a halftime show: A list of the best movies of the year so far.
Despite the stereotype that all the best films come out from September to December, the first half of 2026 has already given us a pretty great batch of titles, an unusually large number of them thoughtful horror thrillers and comedies. I would think the real world is terrifying enough these days, but no! Movie theaters are just as scary!
Others include a carefully observed character study about musicians fighting over a great song, and a carefully observed character study about artists fighting over valuable paintings. We’ve seen a documentary about Walt Disney’s ultimate Hail Mary as an entrepreneur, and we’ve also watched the movie Project Hail Mary. (Hey, there’s another football metaphor. Make sure you check out our worst of the year so far list, where I will be sure to compare something to a fumble.)
Between a day job and two kids, there are still a couple notable titles released from January to June that I’ve yet to catch up with. (I will definitely see David Lowery’s Mother Mary before the end of the year.) In the meantime, here are my ten favorite 2026 movies so far. Let us pray to the Bone Temple that the back half of the year brings us even more great movies to watch.
The Best Movies of 2026 So Far
ScreenCrush’s film critic picks the best movies of the first half of the year.
READ MORE: The Best TV Shows of the Year
The Most Underrated Movies of 2025
Let’s give some love to the 2025 films that deserved more attention.
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