Godzilla x Kong: Supernova / Photo courtesy of Legendary Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures
Synopsis: 2027 is shaping up to be one of the most stacked movie years in Hollywood history. With sequels, reboots, and long-awaited finales all landing in the same twelve months, cinemas are going to be packed wall to wall. Avengers: Secret Wars closes out the MCU’s biggest saga. Shrek returns after over a decade. Batman gets darker. Gollum gets hunted. And somehow, Sonic, Zelda, and Spider-Man all show up too. This is the year movie lovers have been quietly waiting for.
There are good movie years, and then there are years that feel almost unfair in how much they’re offering. 2027 is the second kind. Studios have been stacking this calendar for years — delays, reshuffles, and post-pandemic recovery plans all quietly pointed toward this one year as a kind of grand cinematic convergence.
It’s not just about quantity. The quality of franchises landing in 2027 is extraordinary. We’re talking about the conclusion of the MCU’s multiverse saga, a brand-new Lord of the Rings film, the long-delayed Batman sequel, Shrek coming back after fifteen years, and a Star Wars movie starring Ryan Gosling. Any one of these would be the highlight of a normal year.
And that’s before you even get to Frozen III, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, Godzilla x Kong, the Legend of Zelda live-action, and Minecraft 2. 2027 isn’t just a movie year. It’s a movie event — and if you’re someone who loves cinema, big or small, there’s genuinely something here for every kind of audience.
Table of Contents
1. Ice Age: Boiling Point (Feb 5, 2027)
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios / Walt Disney Pictures
The Ice Age franchise went quiet after 2016’s Collision Course, and honestly? The break was probably good for it. Boiling Point brings back Manny, Sid, Diego, and the whole chaotic herd for a sixth installment, this time navigating a world that’s heating up in ways that even a woolly mammoth finds alarming.
The film is animated by 20th Century Studios and carries the voice talents fans grew up with — Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, and Denis Leary returning to their iconic roles. The previous five films collectively crossed $3.2 billion at the global box office, which makes this one of the most commercially proven animated franchises ever attempted.
What makes Boiling Point potentially special is that it’s leaning into a real-world urgency — climate change — without abandoning the comedy-adventure formula that made the series work. It’s a tricky balance, but if the writers pull it off, this could be the Ice Age movie that surprises everyone who’d written the franchise off.
- Franchise total: over $3.2 billion worldwide
- Returning voices: Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah
- Release: February 5, 2027
2. Gatto (Mar 5, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Pixar Animation Studios / Walt Disney Pictures
Not every 2027 movie is a mega-franchise entry. Gatto is the kind of film that sneaks up on you — a beautifully animated Pixar-adjacent story about a black cat named Nero who finds himself indebted to a feline mob boss and forced into an unlikely friendship that might just give him the purpose he’s been missing.
Directed by Enrico Casarosa, the same director behind Pixar’s Luca, Gatto has that warm Mediterranean visual flavor — sun-drenched cobblestone streets, glowing evening light, and a storybook charm that feels worlds away from the explosion-heavy blockbusters surrounding it on the 2027 calendar.
It opens March 5, making it one of the year’s earliest major releases. If the Luca comparison holds — a modest but deeply loved film — Gatto might be the quiet gem of 2027 that adults recommend to each other long after the superhero fatigue sets in.
- Director: Enrico Casarosa (Pixar’s Luca)
- Style: Animated, European-influenced visual tone
- Release: March 5, 2027
3. The Exorcist (Mar 12, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures / Blumhouse Productions
Horror fans have been waiting for a true revival of The Exorcist ever since The Exorcist: Believer left many underwhelmed. What was once planned as The Exorcist: Deceiver has now been scrapped, making way for a completely new direction.
This upcoming film isn’t a continuation of the previous reboot timeline — it’s a fresh reimagining led by Mike Flanagan, known for deeply psychological horror. The focus is expected to return to what made the original iconic: slow-building dread, emotional weight, and the unsettling intimacy of possession, rather than relying on surface-level shock.
While no official poster imagery has been confirmed yet, expectations lean toward a more restrained but disturbing visual tone — something that reflects the grounded terror of the original rather than exaggerated horror tropes.
With its release slated ahead of the blockbuster-heavy season, this film could stand out as a serious, story-driven horror experience in a year packed with spectacle.
- Franchise: New reboot of The Exorcist
- Tone: Psychological, atmospheric horror
- Director: Mike Flanagan
- Release: March 12, 2027
4. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (Mar 19, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures / SEGA
The Sonic movie franchise has done something genuinely impressive: it’s gotten better with every installment, both critically and commercially. The first film crossed $300 million. The second did better. The third crossed the cumulative $1 billion threshold for the franchise. And now Sonic 4 is expected to be the biggest yet.
Ben Schwartz returns as the voice of Sonic, and the fourth film is teasing a battle against Metal Sonic — a storyline fans of the games have wanted to see on the big screen for years. The movie is releasing March 19, giving it a strong spring release window without the brutal summer competition.
What’s worked about this franchise is its warmth. It doesn’t try to be a prestige film. It’s a genuinely fun, family-friendly adventure that knows exactly what it is. That self-awareness has kept it from the irony-poisoned fate of other video game adaptations.
- Franchise cumulative gross: Over $1 billion
- New villain: Metal Sonic (long-anticipated by fans)
- Voice cast: Ben Schwartz returning as Sonic
- Release: March 19, 2027
5. Godzilla x Kong: Supernova (Mar 26, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
The MonsterVerse has quietly become one of Hollywood’s most reliable franchise machines. Godzilla vs. Kong made $470 million worldwide in 2021. Its sequel, The New Empire, cleared $572 million in 2024. Now Supernova arrives as the third team-up film, and by every metric available, the trajectory suggests it could be the biggest entry yet.
The film stars Jack O’Connell, Kaitlyn Dever, and Sam Neill, and is directed by Grant Sputore. The title Supernova implies a scale of threat that dwarfs previous entries — something so catastrophic it requires both Godzilla and Kong at their absolute best just to survive it. For monster movie fans, that premise alone is worth the ticket.
Opening March 26 puts it in a position to own the spring box office before the summer heavyweights arrive. With two proven titans and an apparently massive new threat, Supernova has the ingredients to be the monster movie event of the decade.
- Previous entry The New Empire: $572 million worldwide
- Cast: Jack O’Connell, Kaitlyn Dever, Sam Neill
- Director: Grant Sputore
- Release: March 26, 2027
6. The Legend of Zelda (May 7, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Nintendo / Sony Pictures
For decades, a Legend of Zelda movie felt like the kind of thing gamers dreamed about but never seriously believed would happen well. Then Nintendo started taking its IP seriously — The Super Mario Bros. Movie crossed $1.3 billion — and suddenly everything changed. Zelda is now a live-action feature directed by Wes Ball, the filmmaker behind the Maze Runner trilogy and the Planet of the Apes reboot.
The cast is young and relatively unknown, which is actually the right call. Link is not a character built around star power. He’s a quiet hero, defined by his actions and his world rather than his personality. Casting a familiar face might have distracted from what makes Hyrule feel magical. The film is expected to capture the epic, painterly aesthetic of Breath of the Wild.
Opening May 7, The Legend of Zelda enters a summer season already crowded with giants. But the built-in fandom — generations of devoted players who’ve spent hundreds of hours in this world — gives it a headstart that very few films outside Disney can claim.
- Director: Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes)
- Based on Nintendo’s beloved video game franchise
- Release: May 7, 2027
7. Star Wars: Starfighter (May 28, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Star Wars has had a complicated decade. The sequel trilogy divided fans. The streaming shows ranged from exceptional (Andor) to shaky. But Starfighter feels different — and the reason is Ryan Gosling. Announced while production was ramping up in the UK, the film stars Gosling as a solitary pilot drawn into a crucial mission during a period of galactic rebuilding.
Directed by Shawn Levy — who recently proved his blockbuster instincts with Deadpool & Wolverine — Starfighter is deliberately set in a timeframe the franchise hasn’t explored yet. That’s a smart creative choice. No baggage. No expectations tied to known characters. Just a new story in a universe people genuinely love.
The supporting cast includes Amy Adams, Mia Goth, and Daniel Ings. Opening May 28 gives it the classic Memorial Day weekend slot that has launched some of the biggest films in history. If Starfighter gets the tone right — the texture and grit of Andor combined with the sweep of the original trilogy — it could be the film that fully restores faith in Star Wars cinema.
- Director: Shawn Levy
- Stars: Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams, Mia Goth
- Setting: Previously unexplored era in the Star Wars timeline
- Release: May 28, 2027
8. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (Jun 4, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation / Columbia Pictures
Into the Spider-Verse changed animated cinema in 2018. Across the Spider-Verse topped it in 2023. Now Beyond the Spider-Verse has to do the impossible: be the worthy finale to what many consider the best animated trilogy ever made. Miles Morales’ story reaches its conclusion here, picking up directly from the jaw-dropping cliffhanger that left audiences genuinely stunned.
The animation style alone is worth the price of admission. Each Spider-Verse film has pushed visual storytelling further than most people thought possible in an animated format — mixing comic-book art styles, glitch aesthetics, and painterly environments into something that feels alive in a way CG rarely does. Beyond the Spider-Verse is expected to go even further.
Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, and Brian Tyree Henry all return for what promises to be an emotionally massive finale. The question isn’t whether this will be good — it’s whether it can stick the landing after two films of extraordinary setup. If it does, Beyond the Spider-Verse could be the animated film of the decade.
- Sequel to Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
- Stars: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry
- Expected to push animated visual storytelling further
- Release: June 4, 2027
9. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Live-Action Remake) (Jun 11, 2027)
Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Animation / Universal Pictures
Nobody expected the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake to be as good as it was. It earned $636.4 million worldwide in 2025, and more importantly, it earned goodwill — audiences who feared a pale imitation of the beloved animated original walked out charmed. The sequel was greenlit almost immediately, before the first film had even finished its theatrical run.
This second live-action entry follows the emotional arc of the second animated film, which introduced Hiccup’s long-lost mother Valka — a warrior who’d been living among dragons. Cate Blanchett reprises her role as Valka (having previously voiced the character in the 2014 animated version), alongside returning stars Mason Thames and Gerard Butler. Dean DeBlois, who directed both animated originals and the 2025 live-action remake, is back to helm this one too.
That continuity matters enormously. DeBlois knows this story from the inside. He built the emotional architecture of the animated films, and having him shepherd the live-action version means the sequel isn’t just bigger — it should be deeper. Opening June 11 puts it ahead of the summer rush, giving it breathing room to find its audience.
- Director: Dean DeBlois (original animated trilogy + 2025 live-action remake)
- New cast: Cate Blanchett as Valka (reprising her animated role in live-action)
- Returning: Mason Thames, Gerard Butler, Nico Parker
- Release: June 11, 2027
10. Shrek 5 (Jun 30, 2027)
Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Animation / Universal Pictures
Fifteen years. That’s how long it’s been since Shrek Forever After. And somehow, despite the passage of time, the cultural love for Shrek has only grown — fueled by memes, nostalgia, and the genuine quality of those first two films that still hold up remarkably well. Shrek 5 arrives June 30, right in the July 4th weekend window, which means it’s positioned for a massive opening.
The franchise has made over $4 billion at the box office across its five films and two Puss in Boots spinoffs. The new film brings back Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz, and while the first posters stirred debate over the updated character designs, the core appeal hasn’t changed: an unlikely hero, a loyal donkey, and a world that lovingly mocks every fairy tale trope ever written.
For parents who grew up watching Shrek in theaters as kids, this is a chance to bring their own children to experience it fresh. That generational handoff is something few franchises achieve — and Shrek, perhaps uniquely, has earned it.
- Franchise total: Over $4 billion worldwide
- Returning voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
- Release: June 30, 2027 — July 4th weekend
11. Man of Tomorrow (Jul 9, 2027)
Photo courtesy of DC Studios / Warner Bros. Pictures
James Gunn’s Superman reboot — simply titled Superman — landed in 2025 to strong reviews and a $618.7 million global box office. Now DC Studios is wasting no time with the follow-up. Man of Tomorrow brings back David Corenswet as Clark Kent and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, whose green-and-pink mechanized battle suit became one of the visual highlights of the first film.
Very little plot detail has been released, which is typical of Gunn’s approach to marketing. What’s known is that it builds directly on the events of Superman and continues the DCU’s new continuity — a deliberate, thoughtfully constructed universe rather than the reactive chaos that defined the previous DCEU era.
Opening July 9, Man of Tomorrow has the advantage of massive pre-existing goodwill. If the first Superman won skeptics over, this one enters with an audience already invested in this version of the character. That’s a rare position for a superhero sequel, and Gunn seems determined not to waste it.
- Sequel to Superman (2025) — $618.7 million worldwide
- Stars: David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult
- Director: James Gunn (DCU architect)
- Release: July 9, 2027
12. Minecraft 2 (Jul 23, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures / Legendary Pictures / Mojang Studios
A Minecraft Movie surprised a lot of people in 2025. It was chaotic, loud, and completely committed to its own absurdist logic — and audiences loved it for exactly those reasons. Jack Black’s Steve became an instant fan-favorite character, and the film’s irreverent humor landed in a way that felt genuinely tailored to the game’s creative, unpredictable spirit.
Minecraft 2 brings the whole gang back. Jack Black returns, along with Jason Momoa, and the sequel apparently expands the scope of the world significantly — introducing new biomes, new mobs, and new threats that players of the game will recognize with glee. The returning director Jared Hess seems to understand that the key is leaning into the weirdness rather than sanitizing it.
Sharing the July 23 release date with The Simpsons Movie 2 makes that weekend one of the most interesting box office matchups of the year — family animation versus family live-action adventure, competing for the same audience. It’ll be a fascinating test of brand loyalty.
- Stars: Jack Black, Jason Momoa returning
- Director: Jared Hess
- Release: July 23, 2027
13. The Simpsons Movie 2 (Jul/Sep 2027)
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios / Gracie Films / Walt Disney Pictures
The original Simpsons Movie arrived in 2007 and made $536 million globally — a number that stunned even Fox executives. Then nothing. For nearly two decades, fans waited for a sequel while the show continued its endless television run. The Simpsons Movie 2 is finally happening, and the anticipation, fueled by two decades of waiting, is enormous.
Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are back on the big screen, this time in what appears — from early poster art — to involve a high-speed motorcycle chase through a wall of fire. Tonally, it looks like the first film: big, colorful, willing to go places the show can’t. The writers of The Simpsons at their best are still some of the sharpest satirists working in any medium.
Note: Some sources list the release as September 2027 rather than July. The exact date remains to be confirmed officially. Regardless, it’s one of the most purely exciting announcements in animation this decade — proof that sometimes the sequel the world has been waiting for actually shows up.
- Original film gross: $536 million (2007)
- Wait time: Nearly 20 years between films
- Release: July or September 2027 (to be confirmed)
14. The Batman Part II (Oct 1, 2027)
Photo courtesy of DC Studios / Warner Bros. Pictures
Matt Reeves’ The Batman was unlike any Batman film that came before it. Dark, grimy, structured more like a detective noir than a superhero spectacle, it made Robert Pattinson’s brooding, unpolished take on Bruce Wayne one of the most compelling in the character’s cinematic history. The sequel enters production in spring 2026, with a release set for October 1, 2027.
What we know about the script — penned by Mattson Tomlin — is that it deliberately avoids the fantastical elements of the Batman mythos. No interdimensional threats, no multiverse. Just Gotham, its corruption, and a Batman who is still figuring out what he’s doing and why. Reeves has teased that the sequel will dig deeper into the city’s institutional rot — which is, for this version of the story, exactly right.
Barry Keoghan is confirmed to return as the Joker, and Scarlett Johansson joins the cast in a role not yet disclosed. The October slot — away from the summer superhero pile-up — gives the film the breathing room it needs. Dark, patient, and deliberate, The Batman Part II could be the superhero film that transcends the genre entirely.
- Director: Matt Reeves
- Stars: Robert Pattinson, Barry Keoghan, Scarlett Johansson
- Tone: Grounded detective noir, no fantasy elements
- Release: October 1, 2027
15. Frozen III (Nov 24, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios / Walt Disney Pictures
Frozen II made $1.45 billion worldwide in 2019 and became the highest-grossing animated film of that year. Frozen III arrives November 24 — Thanksgiving weekend — which is essentially the most strategically sound release date Disney could have chosen. Families are together, children are excited, and the brand recognition is total. Elsa and Anna are among the most recognized animated characters on the planet.
The returning creative team includes directors Jennifer Lee and Marc Smith, with Kristen Bell, Idris Elba, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff all back in their roles. The story finds Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven on another adventure — presumably one that builds on the mythology that Frozen II established around the enchanted forest and the origins of Elsa’s powers.
For parents of young children, this is essentially a guaranteed theater visit. For fans of the first two films, it’s the chance to return to Arendelle one more time. Whether it can match the cultural explosion of Let It Go remains the only real question — but commercially, Frozen III is one of the safest bets on the entire 2027 calendar.
- Previous film: Frozen II — $1.45 billion worldwide
- Returning: Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Idris Elba
- Directors: Jennifer Lee, Marc Smith
- Release: November 24, 2027 — Thanksgiving weekend
16. The Hunt for Gollum (Dec 17, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios / Walt Disney Pictures
Andy Serkis is directing and reprising his role as Gollum in what may be the most emotionally loaded film on the 2027 calendar for a certain generation of moviegoers. The Hunt for Gollum tells the story of Aragorn’s quest to track down Gollum between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring — a chapter Tolkien wrote about but that has never been dramatized on screen.
Elijah Wood returns as Frodo, and Ian McKellen is back as Gandalf — two returning presences that will hit with a wave of feeling for anyone who grew up with Peter Jackson’s original trilogy. Kate Winslet joins the cast in a new role. The combination of Serkis’s intimate knowledge of Middle-Earth with a fresh narrative chapter makes this one of the more intellectually interesting entries on the 2027 slate.
It opens December 17 — the same day as Avengers: Secret Wars — which creates one of the most extraordinary box office showdowns in cinematic history. Two of the most beloved fantasy franchises ever made, opening on the same day, each with decades of emotional investment behind them.
- Director & star: Andy Serkis as Gollum
- Returning cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Kate Winslet
- Story: Aragorn’s hunt between Hobbit and LOTR events
- Release: December 17, 2027
17. Avengers: Secret Wars (Dec 17, 2027)
Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
This is the one. Avengers: Secret Wars is the culmination of what Marvel has been building since Phase Four — the Multiverse Saga — and it arrives December 17, 2027, alongside The Hunt for Gollum in what will be the most extraordinary movie weekend in years. Directed by the Russo Brothers, who helmed Infinity War and Endgame, Secret Wars carries the weight of enormous expectations.
The confirmed cast includes Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Robert Downey Jr. returning as the new villain Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom (not as Iron Man), and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman. The source material, Marvel’s 2015 Secret Wars comic event, is one of the most ambitious stories in comics history: a multiverse-collapsing crisis that brings alternate versions of heroes and villains together in a battle for the fate of all reality. If the MCU adapts even a fraction of that scope, this will be unlike anything seen in the franchise before.
Marvel has kept plot details under an extraordinary level of secrecy, which suggests they have genuine surprises in store. After the mixed reception of several Phase Four and Five projects, Secret Wars is the film that either restores total faith in the MCU or redefines what it becomes next. Either way, December 17, 2027 will be a day the internet remembers for a long time.
- Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo (Infinity War, Endgame)
- Stars: Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards), Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm)
- Release: December 17, 2027 — same day as Hunt for Gollum
- Based on Marvel’s landmark 2015 comic crossover event
The Year That Has Everything
Looking at 2027 as a whole, what’s remarkable isn’t just the number of big films — it’s the sheer variety of what’s on offer. Tender animated stories sit alongside universe-ending superhero battles. Horror films occupy the same calendar as family musicals. A black cat navigating an Italian mob shares a year with Godzilla fighting cosmic threats.
Every single month from February to December carries at least one film worth circling on the calendar. That kind of density is rare. It happens maybe once a decade if Hollywood is lucky, and 2027 appears to be that rare year where the stars — both celestial and Hollywood — have aligned into something genuinely extraordinary.
So whether you’re a lifelong Marvel devotee waiting for Secret Wars, a parent ready to share Shrek with your kids for the first time, a horror fan hungry for The Exorcist to scare you properly, or a gamer who’s dreamed of Zelda on a movie screen — 2027 has a seat saved for you. Start planning now. The queue is going to be long.
FAQs
Avengers: Secret Wars is widely considered the most anticipated release, being the MCU’s multiverse saga finale directed by the Russo Brothers and opening December 17, 2027.
Yes! Shrek 5 opens June 30 and Frozen III arrives November 24, 2027 — making it a massive year for animated family blockbusters.
It follows Aragorn’s quest to track down Gollum set between The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring, directed by and starring Andy Serkis, with Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen returning.
Yes. The Legend of Zelda live-action film, directed by Wes Ball, is confirmed for May 7, 2027 — based on Nintendo’s iconic video game franchise.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse leads the animation hype, serving as the final chapter of the Spider-Verse trilogy starring Miles Morales, releasing June 4, 2027.
No. The 2027 film is a live-action remake of the 2014 animated sequel, following the success of the 2025 live-action remake of the original film. The original How to Train Your Dragon 2 (animated) was released in 2014. The 2027 film stars Mason Thames, Gerard Butler, and Cate Blanchett (reprising her animated role as Valka in live-action), directed by Dean DeBlois.
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