There has been no shortage of new action movies on the 2025 movie schedule. It doesn’t look like things are slowing down at all in the final stretch of the year, or when we kick off the 2026 movie schedule.
Now that big action flicks like Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Predator: Badlands, and The Running Man have rocked the big screen, there are some new movies I can’t wait to see do the same in the coming weeks, months, and years. With hotly anticipated releases from James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, and others, it’s going to be a busy time for action movie fans for a while to come. Here are the action flicks I can’t wait to see…
Avatar: Fire & Ash - December 19, 2025
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire & Ash will undoubtedly end up becoming one of the biggest movies of the year, both in terms of pop culture reach and box office success (especially if it’s anything like its predecessors). Coming out less than a week before Christmas, this highly anticipated threequel will see Jake (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), and their family come face-to-face with the Ash People, a deadly Na’vi tribe. But that isn’t all, as they still have Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and the RDA to deal with once again.
What’s crazy is that this is just one of multiple Avatar movies slated to come out in the next decade.
Anaconda - December 25, 2025
In a world of legacy sequels, reboots, and remakes, the upcoming Anaconda movie feels like a unique take on bringing back a franchise. This upcoming horror movie, which also sounds like it’ll have a lot of comedy and action throughout, stars Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Thandiwe Newton, and Steve Zahn as a group of friends hellbent on recreating their favorite movie (1997’s Anaconda), and that sounds wild!
There’s been talk of an Anaconda reboot for years, and honestly, this approach to the classic creature feature has me both curious and excited. If the rest of the movie is anything like the trailer Sony Pictures dropped back in September, this is going to be one hell of a ride come Christmas.
Greenland 2: Migration - January 9, 2026
I have been following Greenland 2: Migration and its developments for what seems like years now. In a matter of months, I’ll finally be able to see what’s next for Gerard Butler’s John Garrity and his family as they attempt to start a new life in a world decimated by an asteroid.
Butler has pretty much cemented himself as the king of the January box office, and I have a feeling this hotly anticipated disaster-action film will only add to that distinction when he and director Ric Roman Waugh team up again. Everything I’ve seen about this one has my attention. Now, I’m just counting down the months, weeks, and days.
The Rip - January 16, 2026
Lifelong friends and creative partners Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been household names for the better part of the past 30 years, making several movies together since hitting it big with Good Will Hunting. Well, they’re about to team up once again for The Rip, an upcoming Netflix movie directed by Joe Carnahan (the guy behind Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team, and more).
Set in Miami, the movie follows a tight-knit group of cops who discover a massive amount of money hidden in a stash house and try to decide what to do with the cash. Will they do the right thing, or will they take the money and run? I can’t wait to see when this one drops in January 2026.
Shelter - January 30, 2026
Jason Statham will continue his trend of dropping action thrillers in the early part of the year when Shelter comes out on January 30, 2026. Directed by Ric Roman Raugh (whose Greenland 2: Migration comes out a few weeks earlier), the movie will follow a recluse played by Statham as he is forced to come out of retirement and save a young girl in a deadly storm.
Based on everything I’ve both heard and seen about this movie (the trailer just dropped in December 2025), this is going to be right up my alley. It has action, drama, a tale of redemption, and Jason Statham kicking all kinds of ass on the big screen. However, this isn’t the last time we’ll see the action star in 2026.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die - February 13, 2026
Gore Verbinski, who directed the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, is gearing up to release his next picture, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. This sci-fi action film debuting in February 2026 will follow a man from the future who travels back in time to recruit people to help him fight off a rogue artificial intelligence. With a cast that includes Sam Rockwell, Michael Peña, Juno Temple, and Haley Lu Richardson, this movie looks and sounds absolutely bonkers.
If the film is half as hilarious and intense as the first teaser trailer makes it out to be, this could be one of the wildest sci-fi action movies we’ve had in a long time. Or, at least the weirdest…
Mortal Kombat II - May 15, 2026
As someone who grew up pumping quarters into Mortal Kombat machines at the local arcade (Aladdin’s Castle, I miss you!) and then playing the various ports at home, I’ve long been obsessed with this fighting game franchise. Though the movies have been hit or miss over the years, I have high hopes for Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat 2.
In addition to seeing the debut of Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, as well as the return of other fan-favorite characters, this highly anticipated sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat will also feature the titular combat tournament between fighters from Earth and Outworld. We’ll have to wait a few months longer than expected, though, as Warner Bros. has shifted it to a May 2026 release.
The Odyssey - July 17, 2026
I know, I know, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is going to be more of a fantasy epic than a standard action movie, but I would be remiss in leaving it off this list. Years in the making, the Academy Award winner’s take on Homer’s influential epic poem has the potential to be the biggest film of the year, and perhaps of Nolan’s career. Anyone who’s read The Odyssey knows this thing is going to be full of big set pieces on land, in the sea, and in Odysseus’ (Matt Damon) kingdom.
I’m going to be seeing this on the biggest screen possible (most likely more than once) when The Odyssey finally arrives on July 17, 2026.
Mutiny - August 21, 2026
Nearly seven months after Jason Statham plays a former assassin in Shelter, the prolific action star will be starring in Mutiny, a new action thriller directed by Plane helmer Jean-Francois Richet. This time around, Statham will take on the role of Cole Reed, a private security guard framed for murdering his close friend, who’s a multi-billionaire. So, what does this man with a certain set of skills do? If you guessed “do time for a crime he didn’t commit,” you’re wrong.
Based on everything I’ve been able to dig up about Mutiny, this sounds like it’s going to be a no-nonsense and action-packed one-man crusade for justice and revenge when it opens on August 21, 2026.
Cliffhanger - August 28, 2026
There has been talk of a Cliffhanger remake or reboot or retooling for well over a decade now, but it’s actually happening next summer. I didn’t believe it at first, but Jaume Collet-Serra, the director of Non-Stop, House of Wax, and Carry-On, is turning his attention to the reboot of the iconic 1993 movie. Though Sylvester Stallone won’t be returning as Gabe Walker, we will get to see Lily James and Pierce Brosnan play a daughter-father duo in the Dolomites.
It sounds like James’ Naomi Cooper will be the focal point of the 2026 action flick, as she will be tasked with saving her father and sister from a group of terrorists high up in the mountains. I can’t wait to hear (and see) more about this one in the coming months.
Street Fighter - October 16, 2026
The new Street Fighter movie is one of the 2026 releases I can’t stop thinking about. I’m a massive (and unabashed) fan of the 1994 adaptation starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and the late Raul Julia, and Kitao Sakurai’s star-studded fighting movie has me all jazzed up like I’m a kid again.
No footage has been made public as of December 2025, and there is still a little less than a year before this one is slated to hit big screens around the world. However, I can’t wait to find out more about one of my most anticipated upcoming video game movies, especially after Cody Rhodes namechecked Van Damme when hyping it up.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping - November 20, 2026
I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of The Hunger Games. That said, when I saw the first trailer for Sunrise on the Reaping, I made sure to put this on my list of movies to check out in 2026. Directed by Francis Lawrence, this upcoming book-to-screen adaptation sounds like it’s going to be a fun, dramatic, and intense-as-all-hell origin story for Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada, in place of Woody Harrelson) as he competes in the 50th Hunger Games around a quarter-century before the events of the first film.
With a cast that includes McKenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Ralph Fiennes, Jesse Plemons, Glenn Close, and more than a dozen other big-time stars, this has all the trappings of the next great action spectacle and the next phase for the beloved franchise. That said, mark your calendars for November 20, 2026.
Violent Night 2 - December 4, 2026
Bloodier action, Mrs. Claus, and the North Pole are all things we want to see in Violent Night 2, and maybe, just maybe, that’ll all happen when David Harbour returns as St. Nick next holiday season. Though there’s already a December 2026 release, not a whole lot has been revealed about Tommy Wirkola’s upcoming sequel, outside of the casting of Kristen Bell as Mrs. Claus and other featured players.
That said, if it’s anything like its rude, crude, and merry as all hell 2023 predecessor, we’re in for one hell of a night before Christmas when Santa swoops in to save the day… if he doesn’t kill himself first.
New Jumanji Movie - December 11, 2026
I don’t know if I should call this Jumanji 3 or Jumanji 4, as the franchise’s ordering is all over the place. With that out of the way, I cannot wait to see the return of Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black in Jake Kasdan’s latest adventure set in a scenic yet deadly video game.
This one will drop before the end of next year with a December 11, 2026, release date. Details are still being kept under wraps at this point, but Dwayne Johnson and Karen Gillan have both shared some behind-the-scenes photos with audiences. That’ll do, for now…
The Beekeeper 2 - TBD
Though The Beekeeper 2 isn’t yet dated, I feel obligated to add the Jason Statham sequel to this list simply because the first film was such a fun and pleasant surprise in 2024. I mean, I loved pretty much everything about this movie and will defend it until I’m blue in the face. Details about the plot are being kept secret at this point in time, but I honestly cannot wait to see what Statham’s Adam Clay gets into next after taking down a phishing scheme that went to the top of the United States government.
According to Variety, Nobody 2 and The Night Comes for Us director Timo Tjahjanto is helping the project, which will see the return of Jeremy Irons, Jemma Redgrave, and Emmy Raver-Lampman’s characters alongside new additions like Pom Klementieff and Adam Copeland. I’ll be talking about this for a long time…
With more movies being announced all the time, it won’t be long before this list of upcoming action flicks gets even longer. In the words of Bart Scott: “Can’t wait!”
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