{"id":2117800,"date":"2026-08-28T16:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T13:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2117800"},"modified":"2026-08-28T16:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T13:00:31","slug":"io9s-top-5-films-of-summer-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2117800","title":{"rendered":"io9\u2019s Top 5 Films of Summer 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/best-movies-summer-2026-1200×675.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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The 2026 summer movie season was historic. Not only did we see two films, The Odyssey<\/em> and Spider-Man: Brand New Day<\/em>, break major box office records, but several smaller films from young directors, mainly Obsession<\/em> and Backrooms<\/em>, broke through in a way few could\u2019ve foreseen. So it\u2019s been a fantastic summer. But how many of those films made this list? You\u2019ll have to read to find out.<\/p>\n

What you have below is io9\u2019s five favorite films of the summer of 2026. Each member of the staff picked their favorites, we gave them weighted values, added them up, and voila. Let\u2019s count it down.<\/p>\n

First, honorable mentions. Here are films that got votes but did not make the top five: Disclosure Day, The End of Oak Street, Coyote vs. Acme, <\/em>and Toy Story 5.<\/em> Now, on to the list.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Furious<\/em> \u00a9 Lionsgate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. The Furious<\/em><\/h2>\n

Sometimes you sit down at the movies and just want to see a bunch of guys beat the crap out of each other for a few hours. Kenji Tanigaki\u2019s new film, The Furious,<\/em> was that and so much more. The premise is simple: a man\u2019s daughter is kidnapped, and he has to fight his way to find her. But that story weaves into other things, and allows for some of the most over-the-top, unbelievable, and beautifully shot martial arts choreography we\u2019ve seen in a long, long time. If you love films like The Raid<\/em> or John Wick, The Furious<\/em> is exactly what you\u2019ve been looking for.<\/p>\n

\"Campmiasma
Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder \u00a9 Mubi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma<\/em><\/h2>\n

Having already dazzled horror fans craving offbeat genre takes with We\u2019re All Going to the World\u2019s Fair<\/em> and I Saw the TV Glow<\/em>, writer-director Jane Schoenbrun delivers a surreal slasher film that showcases equal love for gory campfire stories, Hollywood satire, fandom at its most earnest, sexual awakenings, and gummy candy. Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder deliver top-notch performances as a reclusive scream queen and the determined young filmmaker who idolizes her, and despite all the homages crammed into Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma<\/em>, the exuberant end result is an absolute original. \u2013 Cheryl Eddy<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Spider
Spidey and Frank \u00a9 Sony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Spider-Man: Brand New Day<\/em><\/h2>\n

We all expected the new Spider-Man<\/em> to be good. So much time had passed since the excellent No Way Home<\/em> that there was a sense that Tom Holland and Zendaya wouldn\u2019t have come back unless it was something special. Then you add director Destin Daniel Cretton into the mix, several mega names from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Jon Bernthal as Punisher), and also make it a crucial piece of the entire puzzle as an origin story for Jean Grey (Sadie Sink), and Brand New Day<\/em> was so much more. Which is why we loved it and why audiences are loving it, to the tune of it potentially being the highest-grossing movie in U.S. history.<\/p>\n

\"Odyssey
The Odyssey <\/em>\u00a9 Universal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. The Odyssey<\/em><\/h2>\n

When you think summer movies, you think blockbusters. Massive, action-packed, effects-driven spectacles that need to be seen on a big screen. With The Odyssey,<\/em> though, director Christopher Nolan somehow took that entire notion up a notch. The Odyssey<\/em> is all of those things, but it demanded to be seen on bigger screens with bigger stars, a bigger story, and a filmmaker at the top of his game. The end result is a movie that not only entertains and wows, but engages your feelings and curiosities. The Odyssey<\/em> demands debate. It demands discussion, and it created cultural conversations the likes of which we hadn\u2019t seen in years.<\/p>\n

\"Inde
Inde Navarrette as Nikki \u00a9 Focus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Obsession<\/em><\/h2>\n

We hate to say \u201cWe told you so,\u201d but \u201cWe told you so.\u201d Last year, we saw Obsession<\/em> and loved it. From there, at every single chance we had, we tried to hype up what we thought was one of the best, most original, and most messed-up horror films we\u2019d seen in years. And yet, even so, no one could have predicted the tale of Bear and Nikki would\u2019ve grossed almost half a billion dollars globally. It was the rare movie that made more money over its first few weekends because of the incredible word of mouth. Quickly, it worked its way into pop culture and film history. Obsession<\/em> is a movie we\u2019ll be obsessed with for a long time, and it was our favorite movie of not just the summer of 2026, but maybe the year too. We\u2019ll see how it all plays out.<\/p>\n

\n

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

\n

The 2026 summer movie season was historic. Not only did we see two films, The Odyssey<\/em> and Spider-Man: Brand New Day<\/em>, break major box office records, but several smaller films from young directors, mainly Obsession<\/em> and Backrooms<\/em>, broke through in a way few could\u2019ve foreseen. So it\u2019s been a fantastic summer. But how many of those films made this list? You\u2019ll have to read to find out.<\/p>\n

What you have below is io9\u2019s five favorite films of the summer of 2026. Each member of the staff picked their favorites, we gave them weighted values, added them up, and voila. Let\u2019s count it down.<\/p>\n

First, honorable mentions. Here are films that got votes but did not make the top five: Disclosure Day, The End of Oak Street, Coyote vs. Acme, <\/em>and Toy Story 5.<\/em> Now, on to the list.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Furious<\/em> \u00a9 Lionsgate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. The Furious<\/em><\/h2>\n

Sometimes you sit down at the movies and just want to see a bunch of guys beat the crap out of each other for a few hours. Kenji Tanigaki\u2019s new film, The Furious,<\/em> was that and so much more. The premise is simple: a man\u2019s daughter is kidnapped, and he has to fight his way to find her. But that story weaves into other things, and allows for some of the most over-the-top, unbelievable, and beautifully shot martial arts choreography we\u2019ve seen in a long, long time. If you love films like The Raid<\/em> or John Wick, The Furious<\/em> is exactly what you\u2019ve been looking for.<\/p>\n

\"Campmiasma
Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder \u00a9 Mubi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma<\/em><\/h2>\n

Having already dazzled horror fans craving offbeat genre takes with We\u2019re All Going to the World\u2019s Fair<\/em> and I Saw the TV Glow<\/em>, writer-director Jane Schoenbrun delivers a surreal slasher film that showcases equal love for gory campfire stories, Hollywood satire, fandom at its most earnest, sexual awakenings, and gummy candy. Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder deliver top-notch performances as a reclusive scream queen and the determined young filmmaker who idolizes her, and despite all the homages crammed into Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma<\/em>, the exuberant end result is an absolute original. \u2013 Cheryl Eddy<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Spider
Spidey and Frank \u00a9 Sony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Spider-Man: Brand New Day<\/em><\/h2>\n

We all expected the new Spider-Man<\/em> to be good. So much time had passed since the excellent No Way Home<\/em> that there was a sense that Tom Holland and Zendaya wouldn\u2019t have come back unless it was something special. Then you add director Destin Daniel Cretton into the mix, several mega names from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Jon Bernthal as Punisher), and also make it a crucial piece of the entire puzzle as an origin story for Jean Grey (Sadie Sink), and Brand New Day<\/em> was so much more. Which is why we loved it and why audiences are loving it, to the tune of it potentially being the highest-grossing movie in U.S. history.<\/p>\n

\"Odyssey
The Odyssey <\/em>\u00a9 Universal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. The Odyssey<\/em><\/h2>\n

When you think summer movies, you think blockbusters. Massive, action-packed, effects-driven spectacles that need to be seen on a big screen. With The Odyssey,<\/em> though, director Christopher Nolan somehow took that entire notion up a notch. The Odyssey<\/em> is all of those things, but it demanded to be seen on bigger screens with bigger stars, a bigger story, and a filmmaker at the top of his game. The end result is a movie that not only entertains and wows, but engages your feelings and curiosities. The Odyssey<\/em> demands debate. It demands discussion, and it created cultural conversations the likes of which we hadn\u2019t seen in years.<\/p>\n

\"Inde
Inde Navarrette as Nikki \u00a9 Focus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Obsession<\/em><\/h2>\n

We hate to say \u201cWe told you so,\u201d but \u201cWe told you so.\u201d Last year, we saw Obsession<\/em> and loved it. From there, at every single chance we had, we tried to hype up what we thought was one of the best, most original, and most messed-up horror films we\u2019d seen in years. And yet, even so, no one could have predicted the tale of Bear and Nikki would\u2019ve grossed almost half a billion dollars globally. It was the rare movie that made more money over its first few weekends because of the incredible word of mouth. Quickly, it worked its way into pop culture and film history. Obsession<\/em> is a movie we\u2019ll be obsessed with for a long time, and it was our favorite movie of not just the summer of 2026, but maybe the year too. We\u2019ll see how it all plays out.<\/p>\n

\n

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/best-movies-summer-2026-1200×675.jpg”] The 2026 summer movie season was historic. Not only did we see two films, The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, break major box office records, but several smaller films from young directors, mainly Obsession and Backrooms, broke through in a way few could\u2019ve foreseen. So it\u2019s been a fantastic summer. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,53],"class_list":["post-2117800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-gizmodo-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2117800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117800\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2117800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2117800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2117800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}