What to Watch: New Movies Releasing in May 2026
May is shaping up to be a packed month for movie lovers, with a wave of new releases hitting both theaters and streaming platforms. From action and drama to horror and comedy, there’s something for everyone. Big name franchises are making a return with highly anticipated sequels and spinoffs, including The Devil Wears Prada 2, Mortal Kombat II, The Punisher: One Last Kill, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War, and The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Horror fans, in particular, have plenty to be excited about, with five major releases arriving this month: Hokum, Obsession, Passenger, Saccharine, and Backrooms—all promising new scares. Those looking for lighter entertainment can look forward to a variety of comedies like I Love Boosters, Driver’s Ed, The Sheep Detectives, and The Breadwinner. No matter your taste, May’s lineup is stacked with options worth watching.
Check out our full slate of new movies releasing in May 2026 below.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (May 1, in theaters)
Genre: Comedy Drama
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Justin Theroux, Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Tracie Thoms, Lucy Liu
Synopsis: “Almost 20 years after making their iconic turn as Miranda, Andy, Emily and Nigel—Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci return to the fashionable streets of New York City and the sleek offices of Runway Magazine in the eagerly awaited sequel to the 2006 phenomenon that defined a generation.”
Hokum (May 1, in theaters)
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Cast: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh
Synopsis: “When novelist Ohm Bauman retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he’s consumed by tales of a witch that haunts the honeymoon suite. Soon, disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance force him to confront dark corners of his past.”
Mortal Kombat II (May 8, in theaters)
Genre: Martial Arts Action Fantasy
Cast: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Hiroyuki Sanada
Synopsis: “Johnny Cage joins other fighters in the ultimate, no-holds-barred battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn, a powerful tyrant who threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.”
Remarkably Bright Creatures (May 8, Netflix)
Genre: Drama Mystery
Cast: Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, Colm Meaney, Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Sofia Black D’Elia, Alfred Molina
Synopsis: “A widow who works at a local aquarium finds joy again when she forms an unlikely bond with a Giant Pacific Octopus and a wayward young man who comes to town in search of family. Together, they will uncover a mystery that will lead them to a life-changing discovery and restore their sense of wonder. Based on the best-selling book.”
The Sheep Detectives (May 8, in theaters)
Genre: Comedy Mystery
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Molly Gordon, Nicholas Galitzine, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Hong Chau, Emma Thompson, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Bella Ramsey, Patrick Stewart, Brett Goldstein, Rhys Darby
Synopsis: “In this witty, new breed of mystery, George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can’t possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.”
The Punisher: One Last Kill (May 12, Disney+)
Genre: Superhero Action Drama
Cast: Jon Bernthal, Jason R. Moore, Nick Koumalatsos, Colton Hill, Jamal Lloyd
Synopsis: “As Frank Castle searches for meaning beyond revenge, an unexpected force pulls him back into the fight.”
Driver’s Ed (May 15, in theaters)
Genre: Road Trip Comedy
Cast: Sam Nivola, Sophie Telegadis, Aidan Laprete, Mohana Krishnan, Molly Shannon, Kumail Nanjiani, Lilah Pate, Alyssa Milano
Synopsis: “A group of teens hits the road in a stolen driver’s ed car to help a lovesick high-school senior win back his college girlfriend.”
In the Grey (May 15, in theaters)
Genre: Action Thriller Drama
Cast: Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González, Rosamund Pike, Kristofer Hivju, Fisher Stevens,
Synopsis: “In The Grey follows a covert team of elite operatives who live in the global shadows, as comfortable wielding power and influence as they are automatic weapons and high explosives. When a ruthless despot steals a billion-dollar fortune, the team is sent to steal it back on what would be for anyone else a suicide mission. What begins as an impossible heist gets much worse, spiraling into an all-out war of strategy, deception and survival.”
Obsession (May 15, in theaters)
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless
Synopsis: “After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic gets exactly what he asked for. However, he soon discovers that some desires come at a dark and sinister price.”
The Wizard of the Kremlin (May 15, in theaters)
Genre: Political Thriller
Cast: Paul Dano, June Law, Alicia Vikander, Will Keen, Tom Sturridge, Jeffrey Wright, Kaspars Kambala, Andris Keišs
Synopsis: “In the chaos of post-Soviet Russia, rising KGB officer Vladimir Putin (Jude Law) joins forces with master manipulator Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) to reshape life behind the Iron Curtain, using violence and deception to change the world forever. Putin and Baranov’s reign of chaos begins with lies and corruption, and quickly escalates to assassinations, tyranny, and eventually all-out war.”
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War (May 20, Prime Video)
Genre: Action Thriller
Cast: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Michael Kelly, Sienna Miller, Betty Gabriel
Synopsis: “In this new film, Jack Ryan is reluctantly thrust back into the world of espionage when an international covert mission unravels a deadly conspiracy, forcing him to confront a rogue black-ops unit, and the clock is ticking. Operating in real time with lives on the line and the threat escalating at every turn, Jack reunites with battle-tested CIA operative Mike November (Michael Kelly) and former CIA boss James Greer (Wendell Pierce), their combined experience the only edge they have against an enemy who knows their every move. Backed by an unlikely new partner – razor-sharp MI6 officer Emma Marlowe (Sienna Miller) – Jack and the team navigate a treacherous web of betrayal, facing a past they thought was long put to rest – making this the most personal, high-stakes mission any of them have ever faced.”
Ladies First (May 22, Netflix)
Genre: Rom-Com
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Emily Mortimer, Fiona Shaw, Charles Dance
Synopsis: “A ladies man finds his life upended when he wakes up in a parallel world dominated by women. With the rules of engagement changed, he goes head-to-head with a fiery female colleague in a playful satire about what happens when the script is flipped.”
Passenger (May 22, in theaters)
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Cast: Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, Melissa Leo
Synopsis: “A few weeks into their van life adventure, a young couple witnesses an accident that leaves the driver dead. Soon, they’re being pursued by a demonic stalker who’s impossible to outrun and follows them wherever they go.”
The Mandalorian and Grogu (May 22, in theaters)
Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver
Synopsis: “The evil Empire has fallen but Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they enlist the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu.”
I Love Boosters (May 22, in theaters)
Genre: Crime Comedy
Cast: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, Demi Moore
Synopsis: “A group of shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven.”
Saccharine (May 22, in theaters)
Genre: Horror
Cast: Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden, Robert Taylor
Synopsis: “After succumbing to an obscure weight-loss craze involving the eating of human ashes, lovelorn medical student Hana finds herself haunted by the ghost of the person she’s eating.”
Backrooms (May 29, in theaters)
Genre: Horror Sci-Fi
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell
Synopsis: “After a therapist’s patient disappears into a dimension beyond reality, she must venture into the unknown to save him.”
Miss You, Love You (May 29, HBO/HBO Max)
Genre: Dark Comedy Drama
Cast: Allison Janney, Andrew Rannells, Bonnie Hunt, Suzy Nakamura, Oscar Nuñez, Lisa Schurga
Synopsis: “A blunt, grieving widow, Diane Patterson (Allison Janney) is forced to plan her husband’s funeral with a total stranger: her estranged son’s assistant, Jamie Simms (Andrew Rannells). As they fumble through grief and their strange, darkly funny circumstances, buried secrets and long-held resentments surface, but their partnership becomes an unlikely conduit for connection, laughter, and healing for this mother and her unexpected surrogate son.”
Pressure (May 29, in theaters)
Genre: Historical War Drama
Cast: Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, Damian Lewis, Henry Ashton,
Synopsis: “In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, and the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, Pressure follows General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg as they face an impossible choice—launch the largest and most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.”
The Breadwinner (May 29, in theaters)
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Nate Bargatze, Mandy Moore, Will Forte, Colin Jost, Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Cherry, Kate Berlant
Synopsis: “A man becomes a stay-at-home dad when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity takes his wife on a prolonged business trip for one month. With three young daughters and little experience handling their day-to-day needs, he soon realizes that running a household is the toughest gig he’s ever had.”
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