After the characteristically slow days of January and February, March is slated to be the first big movie month of the year. There’s plenty on offer this month — family films, adult dramas, thrilling horror, big-budget sci-fi and more.
Here are the most anticipated movies of March 2026.
“Hoppers”
Release Date: March 6
Directed by “We Bare Bears” creator Daniel Chong and written by Jesse Andrews, “Hoppers” puts an “Avatar”-like spin on the animal kingdom, following a young woman who transfers her consciousness into a robo-beaver to communicate with woodland critters. The film received rave reviews from early screenings, with many praising it as one of Pixar’s best — particularly funniest — movies in years.
“It’s smart, it’s wacky, it’s morally complex, and we need more films like it,” TheWrap’s William Bibbiani wrote.
“The Bride!”
Release Date: March 6
Just months after Guillermo del Toro finally gave his take on Mary Shelley’s iconic story, Maggie Gyllenhaal puts her on spin on the “Frankenstein” story with “The Bride!” Probable future Oscar winner Jessie Buckley stars as the Bride of Frankenstein opposite Christian Bale’s Creature in this “Bonnie and Clyde”-style monster mash-up.
“Reminders of Him”
Release date: March 13
After “Regretting You” made $90 million and “It Ends with Us” made a whopping $351 million, Colleen Hoover fans will be treated with a third cinematic adaptation of her work this March: “Reminders of Him.” Hoover wrote the adapted screenplay alongside Lauren Levine, with Vanessa Caswill serving as director.
“Reminders of Him” follows a woman who, while attempting to reunite with her daughter after serving prison time, develops a romantic connection with her dead boyfriend’s best friend. The film stars Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford.
“Undertone”
Release date: March 13
Ian Tuason wrote “Undertone” from his childhood home, working on his debut feature during the COVID pandemic as he cared for his parents, both of whom had received terminal cancer diagnoses. This experience inextricably altered his first horror movie, which filmed in the very home where he watched his family succumb to illness.
The result was a critically acclaimed horror feature that premiered at Fantasia Fest and later went on to Sundance. “Undertone,” which features only one star (Nina Kiri) on-camera, has been widely praised for its intense, inventive sound design, with TheWrap’s Chase Hutchinson calling it “a formally ambitious little film defined by some of the most spine-chilling sound design you’ll ever hear.”
“Project Hail Mary”
Release date: March 20
We may have one of 2025’s first big hits on our hands with “Project Hail Mary,” a big-budget sci-fi adaptation of Andy Weir’s celebrated novel from directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. (Drew Goddard adapted.) Like Weir’s “The Martian,” “Project Hail Mary” sees a lone astronaut (this time played by Ryan Gosling) on a science-filled adventure in space.
But while “The Martian” follows a single man trying to make it off a planet, “Project Hail Mary” sees Gosling’s Ryland Grace trying to save a planet, searching for a way to keep the Sun (and humanity) from dying out. The film received massively positive initial reactions, making it one of the year’s first cinematic events.
“Ready or Not 2: Here I Come”
Release date: March 20
With a script by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s “Ready or Not” made the initially eye-rolling premise of “Hide and Seek horror movie” into a genuinely fun horror-comedy, anchored by a phenomenal final girl performance from Samara Weaving. Now, the whole team has returned for a follow-up, this time bringing Kathryn Newton into the fold as Weaving’s onscreen sister as they’re both drawn into another twisted game.
“The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist”
Release date: March 27
Just a few years after his Oscar-winning documentary “Navalny,” Daniel Roher is taking on the world of tech — particularly artificial intelligence — in “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist.” Roher co-directed the film with Charlie Tyrell, bringing along “Navalny” producers Shane Boris and Diane Becker and the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” team of Daniel Kwan and Jonathan Wang.
The film, which premiered at Sundance, followed Roher as he attempts to understand artificial intelligence (both its promises and its dangers) as he sits on the cusp of fatherhood. It’s a confrontation of the world we’re leaving our children, releasing in theaters from Focus Features on March 27.
“Alpha”
Release date: March 27
Julia Ducournau is one of the most exciting filmmakers we have right now. Her debut film, “Raw,” was a thrilling coming-of-age body horror allegory, while her sophomore feature, “Titane,” was a fascinating drama (also in the body horror space) and exhilarating Palme d’Or winner at Cannes Film Festival.
Now, Neon will release Ducournau’s long-anticipated third feature, “Alpha,” which also premiered at Cannes. “There is a crushing terror to the film, most certainly, but it is also balanced with an enduring sense of compassion,” TheWrap’s Chase Hutchinson wrote. “’Alpha’ is a work about remembering the beauty and pain of the people that are lost to us as well as the impact they had on those who loved them.”
