May 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most stacked months at the box office in recent memory, with six major releases spanning sequels, adaptations, and entirely new properties. The headliners include Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu hitting theaters on May 22, The Devil Wears Prada 2 opening the month on May 1, and Mortal Kombat II arriving on May 8 after multiple delays.
Whether you are a franchise loyalist or someone looking for something genuinely different, this month has an unusual amount of range. Beyond the tentpole sequels, May 2026 also brings an animated George Orwell adaptation in Animal Farm from Andy Serkis, a Netflix original film based on the bestselling novel Remarkably Bright Creatures, and A24’s Backrooms, a horror film born from internet creepypasta. This guide breaks down every major release, what we know about each film’s cast and creative team, and which weekends are likely to see the fiercest competition for your ticket money.
Table of Contents
- What Are the Biggest May 2026 Blockbuster Movies to Watch?
- How The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Animal Farm Set the Tone for May
- Mortal Kombat II and the Franchise Sequel Pressure
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Takes Over Memorial Day Weekend
- Backrooms and the Risk of Adapting Internet Culture
- Counter-Programming and the Netflix Factor
- What May 2026 Tells Us About the Rest of the Year
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Biggest May 2026 Blockbuster Movies to Watch?
The month opens strong on May 1 with two very different films competing for attention. The Devil Wears Prada 2, directed by David Frankel and reuniting Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt, picks up the story of Andy Sachs returning to Runway magazine as Miranda Priestly navigates a transformed media landscape. The sequel also brings in Kenneth Branagh, Simone Ashley, Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Pauline Chalamet, B.J. Novak, and a Lady Gaga cameo as Donatella Versace. Sharing that opening weekend is Animal Farm from Angel Studios, an animated adaptation of George Orwell’s 1945 novella directed by Andy Serkis with a voice cast that includes Seth Rogen, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close, and Woody Harrelson. The film already premiered at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which gives it some early critical buzz heading into wide release.
The month’s second weekend belongs to Mortal Kombat II on May 8, the long-awaited sequel that has been delayed from its original October 2025 slot and then again from May 15. Karl Urban steps into the role of Johnny Cage alongside returning cast members Hiroyuki Sanada, Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, and Joe Taslim, with Simon McQuoid back in the director’s chair. That same weekend, Netflix releases Remarkably Bright Creatures, directed by Olivia Newman and starring Sally Field opposite Alfred Molina as the voice of Marcellus the giant Pacific octopus. Then comes the biggest single release of the month. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu lands on May 22, directed by Jon Favreau with Pedro Pascal returning as Din Djarin. The film adds Sigourney Weaver as a New Republic colonel and features Jeremy Allen White voicing Rotta the Hutt and, in one of the more unexpected casting choices of the year, Martin Scorsese voicing an Ardennian shopkeeper. The month closes out on May 29 with A24’s Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons, the creator of the original YouTube web series, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve.
How The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Animal Farm Set the Tone for May
Sequels arriving nearly two decades after their predecessors face a specific challenge: the audience that loved the original has aged, and younger viewers may not carry the same attachment. The Devil Wears Prada came out in 2006, and its cultural footprint has been sustained more by cable reruns and streaming than by any active franchise management. Aline Brosh McKenna returning to write the screenplay is a reassuring sign of continuity, and the premise of Miranda confronting a media industry that has been gutted by digital transformation gives the story a reason to exist beyond nostalgia. The addition of Simone Ashley and Pauline Chalamet signals an effort to bring in younger audiences alongside the returning core cast. Animal Farm is a harder sell commercially, but a fascinating creative bet.
Andy Serkis directing an animated Orwell adaptation through Angel Studios places a literary property in an unusual distribution pipeline. The voice cast is stacked, with Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close, Steve Buscemi, Jim Parsons, Kathleen Turner, and Iman Vellani rounding out an ensemble that also includes Laverne Cox and Gaten Matarazzo. However, if you are expecting a light animated romp, this is George Orwell. The source material is a political allegory about totalitarianism, and how dark the film is willing to go will likely determine whether it connects with a broad audience or remains a critical favorite with a modest theatrical run. Its Annecy premiere suggests the filmmakers are positioning it as prestige animation rather than a family tentpole.
Mortal Kombat II and the Franchise Sequel Pressure
The first Mortal Kombat in 2021 performed reasonably well given its pandemic-era release, earning enough to justify a sequel while leaving plenty of room for improvement. Mortal Kombat II has had a rocky path to release, shifting dates multiple times before landing on May 8, 2026. The repeated delays are not necessarily a bad sign; sometimes studios move films to find a better competitive window rather than because of production problems. But it does mean anticipation has had to be sustained over a longer period than originally planned. The casting of Karl Urban as Johnny Cage is the sequel’s biggest new card to play. Urban brings genuine action credibility and enough charisma to anchor the wisecracking fighter that fans have been waiting to see done right on screen.
Jeremy Slater taking over the screenplay from Greg Russo is another significant change. The returning cast, including Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Lewis Tan as Cole Young, and Joe Taslim now playing Noob Saibot after his Sub-Zero was killed in the first film, provides continuity while new additions like Adeline Rudolph as Kitana and Tati Gabrielle as Jade expand the roster. The risk here is familiar to any video game adaptation: the need to service fan-favorite characters can crowd out coherent storytelling if the film tries to do too much. The same weekend sees Remarkably Bright Creatures arriving on Netflix, which creates an interesting counter-programming dynamic. Sally Field starring in an adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel about a widow who forms a bond with a giant Pacific octopus at her local aquarium is about as far from Mortal Kombat’s tone as you can get. With Colm Meaney, Joan Chen, and Kathy Baker in supporting roles and Alfred Molina voicing the octopus, this one is aimed squarely at the audience that made the book a word-of-mouth hit. Because it is a Netflix release, it will not directly compete for box office dollars, but it will compete for attention during a crowded month.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Takes Over Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day weekend has historically been one of the most reliable launching pads for blockbusters, and Lucasfilm is betting big by placing The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22. Jon Favreau directing the franchise’s theatrical transition makes sense given his involvement since the series began, and the decision to bring the story to the big screen rather than continue as a Disney Plus exclusive reflects both the characters’ popularity and Lucasfilm’s desire to re-establish Star Wars as a theatrical event. The cast additions are where things get genuinely interesting. Sigourney Weaver playing New Republic Colonel Ward brings a different kind of gravity to the Star Wars universe. Jeremy Allen White voicing Rotta the Hutt, the son of Jabba, adds a connection to the broader Star Wars mythology that the series has been slowly building toward.
And then there is Martin Scorsese voicing an Ardennian shopkeeper, a casting choice that feels like either a delightful inside joke or one of the more surreal moments in franchise history, given Scorsese’s well-documented skepticism about superhero and franchise filmmaking. Ludwig Göransson returning to compose the score ensures musical continuity with the series. The plot follows the New Republic enlisting Din Djarin and Grogu as remaining Imperial warlords continue to threaten galactic stability, which keeps the stakes grounded in the personal relationship that made the show work in the first place. The tradeoff for Lucasfilm is clear: a theatrical release means higher revenue potential but also higher risk. The Mandalorian built its audience on the accessibility of streaming, where viewers could watch at their own pace. Asking that audience to show up on opening weekend is a different proposition, though the Baby Yoda phenomenon suggests the demand is there.
Backrooms and the Risk of Adapting Internet Culture
A24’s Backrooms, closing out the month on May 29, represents one of the more unusual origin stories for a studio film. Kane Parsons created the original Backrooms YouTube series as a teenager, building a massive following around the concept of liminal spaces and the unsettling feeling of being trapped in an endless, empty structure. The creepypasta source material has no traditional narrative structure, which is both its creative opportunity and its biggest limitation. Roberto Patino wrote the screenplay, and the cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, and Avan Jogia. The production pedigree is strong, with A24 partnering with Chernin Entertainment, Atomic Monster (James Wan’s company), and 21 Laps Entertainment (the Stranger Things producers).
However, internet phenomena have a mixed track record when translated to feature films. The concept works brilliantly in short-form content where the viewer’s imagination fills in the gaps, but a feature-length runtime demands character development and narrative structure that the original format intentionally avoided. If the film can maintain the dread and atmosphere of the source material while giving audiences characters they care about, it could be a breakout. If it over-explains the mythology or leans too heavily on conventional horror beats, it risks losing exactly what made the Backrooms compelling in the first place. The May 29 release date gives Backrooms a week of relatively clear runway before June’s blockbusters arrive, though it will still be competing with The Mandalorian and Grogu in its second weekend. For A24, which has built its brand on distinctive genre work, this is a chance to prove that internet-native horror can work at a theatrical scale.
Counter-Programming and the Netflix Factor
Remarkably Bright Creatures occupying the May 8 slot on Netflix is a reminder that the theatrical box office no longer exists in isolation. Olivia Newman directing Sally Field in a story about grief, connection, and a surprisingly intelligent octopus is the kind of mid-budget, character-driven film that used to be a theatrical staple but has increasingly migrated to streaming.
Lewis Pullman in a supporting role continues his steady rise after appearances in Top Gun: Maverick and Salem’s Lot, and Alfred Molina voicing an octopus is exactly the kind of casting that makes a film appointment viewing for a certain audience. For viewers who find May’s theatrical slate too loud or too franchise-driven, this is the alternative that does not require leaving the house.
What May 2026 Tells Us About the Rest of the Year
May 2026 is a useful barometer for where the film industry stands heading into summer. The month features legacy sequels (Devil Wears Prada 2, Mortal Kombat II), franchise expansions (Mandalorian and Grogu), literary adaptations (Animal Farm, Remarkably Bright Creatures), and internet-culture originals (Backrooms). That variety suggests studios are still willing to bet on a range of properties rather than consolidating entirely around existing IP.
The performance of these films, particularly whether Backrooms and Animal Farm can find audiences alongside the franchise heavyweights, will signal how much room remains for non-sequel storytelling in the blockbuster calendar. If The Mandalorian and Grogu succeeds theatrically, expect Lucasfilm to accelerate its plans for more Star Wars films. If it underperforms, the streaming-to-theatrical pipeline that every studio is experimenting with will face harder questions.
Conclusion
May 2026 offers one of the more varied blockbuster lineups in recent years. From the fashion world satire of The Devil Wears Prada 2 to the political allegory of Animal Farm, from Mortal Kombat II’s fighting tournament action to the intimate grief story of Remarkably Bright Creatures, and from Star Wars’ theatrical return to A24’s internet horror experiment, there is genuinely something for every kind of moviegoer this month. The marquee event is The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22, but the month’s real story may be whether the smaller, stranger films can hold their own.
Plan your May accordingly. The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Animal Farm open the month on May 1, Mortal Kombat II follows on May 8, The Mandalorian and Grogu dominates Memorial Day weekend starting May 22, and Backrooms rounds things out on May 29. Tickets for the bigger releases will likely go on sale well in advance, and if the last few years have taught us anything, opening weekend availability for a Star Wars film is not something to take for granted.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu come out?
The Mandalorian and Grogu releases theatrically on May 22, 2026, directed by Jon Favreau with Pedro Pascal returning as Din Djarin.
Who plays Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat II?
Karl Urban takes on the role of Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat II, joining returning cast members including Lewis Tan, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Jessica McNamee.
Is Remarkably Bright Creatures in theaters or on Netflix?
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a Netflix release arriving on May 8, 2026, starring Sally Field with Alfred Molina voicing Marcellus the giant Pacific octopus.
Is The Devil Wears Prada 2 a direct sequel to the original?
Yes. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is directed by David Frankel and written by Aline Brosh McKenna, both returning from the 2006 original. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt all reprise their roles, with the story following Andy’s return to Runway.
What is Backrooms based on?
Backrooms is based on the viral creepypasta and YouTube web series created by Kane Parsons, who also directs the A24 film. It explores the concept of liminal spaces and infinite, unsettling empty structures.
Did Animal Farm premiere before its theatrical release?
Yes. Animal Farm, directed by Andy Serkis for Angel Studios, premiered at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival before its wide theatrical release on May 1, 2026.
