12 Most Anticipated Power Rankings Through End of 2026: Week 3

Letter from Editor

12 Most Anticipated Power Rankings Through End of 2026: Week 3

Published by

Tyler Durdan

on

September 21, 2026

“Where is this going?”

“Racoon City General.”

The only place to start an article like this is Zach Cregger.

In 2022, Cregger unleashed sleeper horror hit Barbarian, a movie that reminded us that no matter how unassuming a house looks, there could be true terrors waiting for us anywhere.

Then in 2025, we were all awoken from our sleep by the breakout smash Weapons.

Weapons is a sacred text of the Rockville Film Society, a title often discussed for the pacing and structure, the suburban unease, and how a story about grief and loss can be manifested with such artistic flair.

Shortly after the dust settled on the box office run of Weapons, we learned that Cregger would be adapting an original story in the Resident Evil universe.

Expectations were high but tepid: could this incredible new voice in horror give us something new and fresh in a tired IP, or would he fall flat where so many directors have before that make the move into franchise storytelling.

This past weekend we found out with a resounding answer that not only is Cregger the most exciting director in modern horror (I said it, we can debate), but is a box office brand himself.

Resident Evil exceeded expectations to finish the weekend with a global cume of $108 million. For context, that puts Resident Evil ahead of the total box office gross year to date of Send Help, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, Evil Dead Burn, and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Resident Evil will fall short of Obsession, but that’s entirely fine. We don’t need horror to be the next MCU.

What we need is fresh, exciting visions that push the medium, and therefore the greater movie going experience, to a new level.

Thankfully, 2026 has given us plenty of these stories to choose from, and a wealth to debut through the end of the year.

Most Anticipated Releases Through End of 2026

With the premiere of Resident Evil, our list loses a title that had been solidly in the top 10 for the first two weeks. Austin Abrams however does not leave the countdown, with Whalefall sliding up into the 11th spot.

Trailers released this weekend were a big influence on this weekend. Pure vibe check really, but that’s the point of a good movie preview isn’t it?

87 North, the production company behind Bullet Train and The Fall Guy, consistently cut engaging, excited clips with fast paced music and bright title graphics. How to Rob a Bank is no exception.

This week, we see three new titles join the countdown, moving up the anticipation meter from “will do my best to see it in a theater” to “I will call out of work right now to see it if I could”.

Each week, I will give you an update to the ever so not official “Anticipation Meter Power Rankings”. The list is sorted from my top 54 most anticipated releases for the remainder of 2026.

What are you most excited to see?

12. Artificial December 25, 2026

Week 2: 12th Place (-)