Movie Preview: March 2026

Winter is coming to a close here in North America. With spring weather around the corner, or already here in some areas, that means the box office itself looks to be warming up as well as the spring and summer months are often pretty productive.

In regards to how February turned out, it was expectedly pretty quiet. When the holiday holdovers from the end of the previous year die down, it takes a second for the new year to get fired up. And the Academy Awards aren’t until mid-March this time around, so that leaves February in a bit of an awkward lull. “Wuthering Heights” did decent numbers, but not breakout numbers. And without any superhero titles scheduled, like “Black Panther” or “Deadpool” in years past, or even last year’s “Captain America: Brave New World,” it wound up being “Wuthering Heights” that took the crown within the calendar month itself with a total of $70.29 million domestically. I add the second decimal point there because the animated film “GOAT” finished just a hair behind it with $70.22 million. In the first few days of March, “GOAT” has since overtaken “Wuthering Heights” on the 2026 annual box office calendar.

The biggest story, though, came in the final two days of February where “Scream 7” wound up opening to a franchise record $63.6 million. That was too late in the month to make a huge impact on February itself, especially since the final day of that opening weekend was indeed March 1, but that momentum, with it easily being the biggest opening of 2026 so far, will carry us into our March slate, which currently seems poised to at least have a couple of titles that will at least come close to matching that. March as a month has actually struggled a bit in the post-COVID era, but the 2010s proved consistently that the month has very high potential as in many years it acted like a summer box office month. That potential has not been lost on Hollywood. Even though the quantity is not as high this month, there’s certainly some top quality for us to explore, so let’s get to it!

Usually this final paragraph is where I give quick credit to my main sources – the-numbers.com and boxofficepro.com – and note that release dates are always subject to change. But this week The Numbers has had their site under maintenance. And they’ve been my best source for actual release date information, especially when it comes to wide vs. limited and estimated theater counts. They’ll be back up soon, but that doesn’t help me in the present. So to do my best in being accurate, I double checked Box Office Pro with the likes of Box Office Mojo and IMDb, as well as looking at my local theaters. And I’m confident that I’ve nailed down all the major releases, but if I’m missing any moderate releases, that’s why. Anyways, let’s continue to the main post!

March 6 – 8

Pixar's "Hoppers"

Before we look at this weekend’s upcoming releases, a quick check-in on the second weekend of “Scream 7.” Horror is traditionally a very frontloaded genre, especially when it comes to franchise affair. The previous two Scream movies fell 61 and 59 percent, respectively. And that’s right on the average for the genre. That would give “Scream 7” a total this weekend right around $25 million. However, given the mostly negative reactions so far (a franchise low 31 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), a steeper drop could be in store. Last year “The Conjuring: Last Rites” opened to a massive $84 million, but then tumbled 69.5 percent in Weekend 2 to make $25.6 million. A similar 70 percent drop for “Scream 7” would put it closer to $19 million. With that $19-25 million for its potential range, let’s move onto the two new releases this weekend.

The movie this weekend that’s almost certain to take the top spot is the latest original animated movie from Pixar, Hoppers. On the surface this sounds like a well-timed Easter movie. However, the “Hoppers” program in this movie is a technology developed by a group of scientists that allows human consciousness to “hop” into a robotic animal and experience life close up as that species. Our main character in this movie, a young woman by the name of Mabel, uses this to jump into the mind of a robotic beaver and communicate with and save the animal kingdom, as the mayor of the city has announced plans to turn a cherished forest glade into a freeway. The movie is expected to open in the range of $40-50 million range, although slight hesitation has to be given, as Pixar’s last two original films, “Elio” and “Elemental,” opened to $20.8 million and $29.6 million, respectively. The post-COVID realm has been rough to Pixar originals, leading to the Pixar brand not being the guaranteed success it once was. Pixar hopes this helps revert this to the status quo, with a potential comparison to “Coco” in 2017, the last Pixar original before the pandemic hit. Not a perfect comparison as that was a Thanksgiving release, but that movie’s 3-day opening weekend wound up being $50.8 million. Likely helping “Hoppers” out is a very strong early response, currently sitting a 96 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes as of me typing this. Regardless of opening weekend, that should lead to positive word of mouth and an excellent run at the box office, especially with an open runway all of March with no direct competition until April.

Looking to battle with “Scream 7” for second place on the weekend is Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! This is the second feature-length film that Gyllenhaal has directed, the first being the 2021 film “The Lost Daughter,” starring Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, which earned three Oscar nominations. Now for her second feature, Gyllenhaal has taken a deep dive into the lore of “The Bride of Frankenstein,” which conceptually originated in Mary Shelley’s novel, but as more of an idea than an actual event. Frankenstein’s monster wants companionship and demands Victor to create him a bride. In the novel, Victor starts the process, but ultimately rejects it for various reasons. That concept is the subject of the 1935 film, “The Bride of Frankenstein,” wherein the Bride becomes a real character for the very first time. And now Gyllenhaal has taken this idea and ran with it, in a very ambitious gothic horror film that sees Jessie Buckley as the Bride and Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s Monster, named Frank in this movie. This was initially poised as an awards film, set to be released last fall. But they delayed it to this March instead. Likely a good decision in hindsight. Mixed reviews suggest it wouldn’t have been an awards film and now it gets to sit in its own sphere rather than directly compete with Guillermo del Toro’s film that was also released at the end of last year and has been a major awards film. The projection from Box Office Pro is $10-15 million this weekend, which would land it in third place.

March 13 – 15

Universal's "Reminders of Him"

After what looks to be a busy opening weekend of March, the second weekend of March looks to take a bit of a breather before our next main event film the following weekend. In fact, if “Hoppers” hits its current opening weekend projections, it’s very likely to take a second weekend crown here. The top new release this weekend is likely to be Reminders of Him, the latest adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel. In August 2024, “It Ends with Us” became a massive breakout hit, opening to $50 million and finishing with $148.5 million domestically. It also came with a long string of controversies and still has an ongoing legal battle. All that aside, the money is what Hollywood loves the most, so “Reminders of Him” is the first of two Colleen Hoover movie adaptations this year, the next coming with “Verity,” expected to be released in October. “Reminders of Him” follows a lady released from prison who is trying to put her life together and reconnect with her young daughter, while also making connections with a bar owner who has ties to her child. A messy plot that goes many directions, but perhaps intentionally so. Life is rarely squeaky clean and storybook friendly. “Reminders of Him” will actually be the third Colleen Hoover adaptation to be released as this past October also had “Regretting You,” which didn’t make as much of a mark and got pretty badly panned by critics, with a 29 percent Rotten Tomatoes score. That resulted in a $13.7 million opening and a final total of $48.8 million domestically that didn’t even match the opening weekend of “It Ends with Us.” Critics score aside, that trajectory is likely where “Regretting You” is headed, thus establishing a more realistic pathway for these movies, with “It Ends with Us” perhaps being the outlier.

Paired with “Reminders of Him” is the A24 horror film Undertone, which the poster describes as “the scariest movie you’ll ever hear.” The wording there being a specific nod to the movie’s premise surrounding a podcast host who becomes haunted by mysterious recordings sent her way. The movie premiered at Sundance this year to solid reaction, as it currently holds an 88 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes after 33 reviews. Some have called it a creepy audio nightmare and a terrifying slow burn, which definitely gives it early vibes that it won’t necessarily be a huge mainstream success. A24 is very good and finding and distributing more unconventional, indie horror that cinephiles and niche horror fans fall in love with, that your more general audiences find a bit more divisive. This does appear to be a movie that is indeed getting a wide release instead of being a movie that A24 slowly rolls out, but Box Office Pro is projecting it to open in the $3-5 million range, so a niche surprise for horror fans as opposed to a breakout hit.

That appears to be it in terms of wide releases on this weekend. In regards to mid-sized releases, my own investigation into local showtimes suggests that the body horror Slanted might be available in some markets. This is a movie where an insecure Chinese-American teen undergoes a surgery to appear white, a movie where the trailer itself compares it to “The Substance” meets “Mean Girls,” removing me from the personal guilt of comparing every new body horror film to “The Substance.” Outside that, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” will be getting a re-release from GKIDS. The Oscars are also on Sunday, so look out for movies like “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “The Secret Agent,” or “Sentimental Value” to get one final push. “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” could also show up in theaters again, as the night’s likely biggest winners. But both have been on HBO Max for quite some time now.

March 20 – 22

Amazon MGM's "Project Hail Mary"

The movie event of the month is poised to be the highly anticipated movie adaptation of Project Hail Mary. From fans of the book, this is a project that has been hyped for quite some time. The novel was written by Andy Weir, the author of “The Martian,” which was adapted into film by Ridley Scott and starred Matt Damon. Writer Drew Goddard took on the task of adapting this into film. He did the same thing for “The Martian” and is also a writer for the likes of “The Cabin in the Woods,” “World War Z,” and Netflix’s “Daredevil” series. “Project Hail Mary” is directed by the duo of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who are most well known for their works in the animated realm for the likes of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” and “The LEGO Movie,” but have also worked in live action with “21 Jump Street” and its sequel. So a strong writer/director team, with Ryan Gosling in the lead role as an astronaut who wakes up with no memory of himself or his mission and deduces that he is the sole survivor of a crew sent to save Earth from disaster. Back in 2015, “The Martian” opened to $54.3 million. Adjust for 11 years of ticket price inflation and that total would equal about $73 million. Early buzz suggests “Project Hail Mary” is very likely to match that. Box Office Pro’s latest long range forecast puts it in the $70-85 million range for its opening, which is up from their previous projection of $55-70 million. The review embargo hasn’t been lifted as of me typing this, but it has been screened by critics and the early buzz seems extremely positive. A highly anticipated movie that potentially comes with great reviews is a perfect formula for a huge, smashing success, that likely maintains strong holding power as well.

The other wide release of the weekend is perhaps a surprise sequel, but to fans of the first is a welcome outing. That movie is Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. The first movie, “Ready or Not,” was a niche horror comedy that only opened to $8 million and finished with $28.7 million domestically, but it was a very well liked film by horror fans. It was about a bride who thought she was simply getting married, poised to have the best night of her life. But she quickly realizes that she married into a crazy cult family. After the ceremony, they’re all hunting her down to kill her in a big, bloody game of Hide-and-Seek and she has to fight them all off. The movie is directed by the duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, whose success with the film is likely what got them the job in directing the fifth and sixth Scream films. And now after finishing those, as well as the horror film “Abigail,” they’re back to the franchise that found them their initial success. The bride “won” the first game, but now learns that it’s not over. She now gets to play a new game. And she’s forced to do so because her sister has been dragged into, so unless she wants to let her sister die, she can’t exactly leave. While a popular film, the original movie remains a niche one, so the expectations for this movie are in the same realm as the original, especially since it’s now been seven years since that release.

Like the previous weekend, those are the two major releases of this third weekend. In exploring potential moderate releases, I came across The Pout-Pout Fish, an animated movie from Viva Pictures where Nick Offerman voices a grumpy, disinterested “pout-pout” fish who is forced to go on an adventure with a much more lively, eccentric fish. Viva Pictures has been remarkably consistent in their release pattern, despite their movies not making a ton. “Charlie the Wonderdog” only opened to $781,550 back in January in 1,200 theaters. Similar results with the likes of “Pets on a Train,” “Grand Prix of Europe” and “Buffalo Kids.” But they continue to come out! Another option could be Whitney Springs, a musical comedy from Trey Parker about a young black man interning as a slave reenactor at a living history museum who learns his white girlfriend’s ancestors once owned his. I see conflicting results on this latter one, though. It’s likely to come out at some point, though, even if its just to Paramount+.

March 27 – 29

Warner Bros.' "They Will Kill You"

Only one major release in the final weekend of the month. And it might sound awfully familiar when I describe it. A horror comedy about a young woman trapped in a building where a crazy cult is hunting her down to kill her in order to offer her up as a human sacrifice. Yep, I just described this weekend’s new release, They Will Kill You from Warner Bros. Although it probably sounds an awful lot like “Ready or Not” from the weekend before. Competing target audiences that might hurt one or both financially? Perhaps. Or it could be a double dose of watching a young female star beat up on a bunch of rich crazies. “Ready or Not 2” has Samara Weaving returning to her role from the first. “They Will Kill You” is Zazie Beatz. The specific premise is that she gets hired as a housekeeper in a New York City high-rise, unaware of the building’s history. Once she’s in, the building gets all locked up and she’s the prey that they’re hunting. It’s also being projected by Box Office Pro in the $6-10 million range, much like “Ready or Not 2.” It’ll also be premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 17, so it’ll get a chance to build buzz there before its theatrical release at the end of the month.

It’s hard to believe that’s the only new wide release that hits theaters on this weekend. A few small releases I’ll mention that could fill the void. She Dances stars Ethan Hawke as a struggling single father trying to connect with teenage daughter while chaperoning her at a dance competition. It debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. Forbidden Fruits is a horror comedy from IFC and Shudder about a secret witch cult in the basement of a mall. IFC usually releases these in at least a moderate amount of theaters before they eventually go to Shudder. Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is an action comedy starring Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Eiza Gonzalez as two gangsters and the woman they love trying to survive the most dangerous night of their lives, with a flavor of time travel involved. Although that one might be a Hulu original and not a theatrical release. And while I’m thinking of potential streaming films, Netflix plans on releasing Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man in a select number of theaters at the beginning of the month before putting it on Netflix towards the end of the month. This is a movie follow-up to the popular Netflix series that sees Cillian Murphy back as Tommy Shelby.

That provides you with a few options at the end of the month, either to watch in theaters if they do show up, put on your watch list if they’re limited for now, or catch on streaming at home. The likely reasoning for this being quiet is Hollywood bracing for the impact of “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” in the first weekend of April, which is likely to debut to at least $150 million, possibly close to $200 million. Stay tuned next month for more on that.