There's nothing like an excellent drama movie—one that transports you into a captivating narrative and challenges your point of view. While the best dramas of 2025 are currently the subject of awards season celebrations, it's time to start looking forward to the films heading to theaters in 2026.
This year, several of Hollywood's biggest directors are set to release new films, from Christopher Nolan's take on The Odyssey to Steven Spielberg's latest alien invasion to David Lowery's highly anticipated Mother Mary. Below, we're tracking the genre-bending romances, blockbuster epics, and indie darlings that are sure to be among the best drama movies of 2026. (If you still need to catch up on last year's award winners, check out our list of the best drama movies of 2025.)
The Best Drama Movies Coming in Winter 2026
'Wuthering Heights'
Release date: February 13
Starring: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, Ewan Mitchell, and Owen Cooper
Why it’s worth seeing: Emerald Fennell's take on the classic Emily Brontë novel may be divisive with book purists, but based on early reviews, the "messy" and "yearning romance" will be perfect Valentine's Day viewing.
The Best Drama Movies Coming in Spring 2026
'The Drama'
Release date: April 3
Starring: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Mamoudou Athie, Alana Haim, Hailey Gates, and Zoë Winters
Why it’s worth seeing: What happens when you learn a horrifying secret about your spouse just days before the wedding? If you're in an A24 dramedy, things get harrowing.
'Mother Mary'
Release date: April 17
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, Atheena Frizzell, Kaia Gerber, Jessica Brown Findlay, Isaura Barbé-Brown, Alba Baptista, Sian Clifford, and FKA twigs
Why it’s worth seeing: David Lowery's new film finally hits theaters this year. It stars Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel as an iconic pop star and her estranged costume designer, who reunite ahead of the singer's comeback.
'Michael'
Release date: April 24
Starring: Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Juliano Krue Valdi, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo
Why it’s worth seeing: Michael Jackson is the latest pop icon to get his own biopic, with the King of Pop's real-life nephew bringing the film to life.
The Best Drama Movies Coming in Summer 2026
'Disclosure Day'
Release date: June 12
Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo
Why it’s worth seeing: The plot for Steven Spielberg's latest sci-fi epic is mostly under wraps, except for this ominous tease: "If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people. We are coming close to…Disclosure Day."
'The Odyssey'
Release date: July 17
Starring: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Anne Hathaway, Jon Bernthal, and Lupita Nyong'o
Why it’s worth seeing: For his follow-up to Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan has gathered a new star-studded cast for his adaptation of Homer's epic poem.
The Best Drama Movies Coming in Fall 2026
'The Social Reckoning'
Release date: October 9
Starring: Jeremy Strong, Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, and Bill Burr
Why it’s worth seeing: In this "companion piece" to The Social Network, Kendall Roy himself takes on the role of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Per Variety, the film "tells the true story of how Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a young Facebook engineer, enlists the help of Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White), a Wall Street Journal reporter, to go on a dangerous journey that ends up blowing the whistle on the social network’s most guarded secrets."
'Narnia'
Release date: November (exact date TBA)
Starring: Emma Mackey, Daniel Craig, Carey Mulligan, David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, and Denise Gough
Why it’s worth seeing: Greta Gerwig's upcoming take on C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series is the most secretive film of 2026, but two things are guaranteed: It will be released in theaters (in IMAX no less!) and, based on the Barbie director's track record, it'll be unmissable.
The Best Drama Movies Coming Soon in 2026
'Clarissa'
Release date: TBA
Starring: Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo, India Amarteifio, Ayo Edebiri, Toheeb Jimoh, and Nikki Amuka-Bird
Why it’s worth seeing: Acclaimed filmmakers Arie and Chuko Esiri are behind this modern reimaging of Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway, which will follow the titular socialite (Sophie Okonedo) as she "prepares to host a party at her home in Lagos, Nigeria, where she will unexpectedly encounter once-intimate friends from her youth," per Deadline.
'Here Comes the Flood'
Release date: TBA
Starring: Denzel Washington, Robert Pattinson, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Danai Gurira, Sean Harris, Moisés Arias, and Justin Kirk
Why it’s worth seeing: TBH, all we needed to hear was "Denzel Washington and Robert Pattinson starring" to add this Netflix thriller-drama to our watchlists. For anyone who needs the synopsis: "Here Comes the Flood is an unconventional heist movie about a bank guard, a teller, and a master thief in a deadly game of cons and double crosses."
'The Invite'
Release date: TBA
Starring: Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton
Why it’s worth seeing: The buzziest movie of Sundance is already headed to a wide release, thanks to A24. Wilde directs and stars in the ensemble dramedy, following a "dinner party between a couple who are going through a rough patch and their upstairs neighbors, who turn out to be swingers," per Variety.
'Josephine'
Release date: TBA
Starring: Gemma Chan, Channing Tatum, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy, Michael Angelo Covino, and Mason Reeves
Why it’s worth seeing: This Sundance darling is already getting Oscar buzz. "After 8-year-old Josephine (Reeves) accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, she acts out in search of a way to regain control of her safety while adults are helpless to console her," reads the Sundance logline.
