Judging by the movies of 2026, cinema belongs to a handful of actors cornering the market on box office smash hits. But who will win 2026 and be the star of the year?
It’s been a bumper box office year so far. Five films have grossed over a billion each across the world. In 2025, only four movies managed it across the entire year, with Ne Zha 2 skewing the chart by grossing $2.2 billion, with almost its entirety (bar around $70 million dollars) coming in its native China alone. The jump in box office heft this year has been impressive, and all before Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday have dropped too.
Aside from a boom in ticket sales and a suggestion that Gen Z audiences have really shown up for indie horror made by their generation with the likes of Obsession and Backrooms, 2026 has also seen another interesting anomaly. If we’re talking mainstream star-driven movies, then you might start noticing something. Are there but a handful of actors in Hollywood right now? Yes, the same faces seem to be popping up left, right, and center with regularity.
From Jon Bernthal to Anne Hathaway, to Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Robert Pattinson, the only wonder of 2026 so far is how quiet Glen Powell has been, having starred in every film ever made seemingly before 2026. Glen hasn’t been inactive by any stretch, though, with How to Make a Killing coming out earlier in the year but disappearing without much trace. Still, not all doom and gloom for Glen, who provided a voice in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, so technically he’s been part of one of those billion-dollar grossers. Meanwhile, the overused Pedro Pascal has been relatively quiet with the less-than-stellar Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu movie thus far, but will return as Reed Richards in Avengers: Doomsday.
Tom Holland wasn’t content with starring in one billion-dollar grossing behemoth. In fact, as well as playing the son of leading man Matt Damon in The Odyssey, he reprised his role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day just a couple of weeks later. Tommy Boy has headlined comfortably over two billion dollars of box office heft, which will probably finish at safely over three all-in.
He’s not the only one either, with Mrs Tom Holland, Zendaya, also starring in both movies, albeit a bit less prominently in The Odyssey. However, let’s not belittle her accomplishments up against Tom (actually, Mr. Zendaya sounds more accurate) because Zendaya might actually be in every film that’s come out in 2026. Not only that, but a hit TV series (Euphoria) in the midst of The Drama, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Then, to top it off, she’s back again with Dune: Part Three at Christmas. Ironically, it doesn’t feel like it, but there wasn’t a Zendaya release last year. No, seriously.
So does Zendaya win 2026? That added might of Denis Villeneuve’s final Dune instalment could conceivably have her with three billion-dollar mega movies. Not to mention the more modest success of The Drama, which grossed over $100 million worldwide on its meagre (comparatively) budget. Can we yet bet against a Spidey appearance in Doomsday? If Holland does pop up, it would likely be a cameo, so crediting him with significantly contributing to its box office success might be a big much. Plus, if he’s part of $4 billion dollars worth of box office within 6 months, he’s gonna get a big head, and they’ll need to re-design his Spidey mask.
However, Robert Pattinson is THE star who is going to win in 2026. Taking box office considerations purely aside, of these ever-present poster stars, Robert Pattinson is also going to edge the year for range and, if there’s anything to come to these young box office stalwarts, awards season, it’s more likely to be ‘Battinson.’ It’s probably fair to say Zendaya has perhaps done her bit in smaller doses with the tentpole films, without showing a huge degree of range. In fairness, star names aren’t often given the scope for playing chameleon-esque roles, more often afforded to character actors. Pattinson has managed to pirouette out of Twilight’s shadow to successfully lead many eclectic and diverse roles. He’s spanned indie, arthouse, and world cinema whilst doing so. He’s also headed up tentpole pictures and been Batman (albeit in one of his least interesting performances in truth).
Through 2025, there was a danger that R-Batz was taking too many air swings. Not quite hitting the mark. Die My Love was met with mixed reviews and poor box office. Mickey 17 likewise, and both films marked somewhat below-par additions to the respective stellar CVs of Lynne Ramsay (Die My Love) and Bong Joon Ho (Mickey 17). Still, Pattinson is a man in demand given the kind of high-profile directors he’s had come for him. In his attempts to shake off Batman, there was a sense that last year’s efforts had an air of trying too hard, particularly in the case of Mickey 17 and its quirky comedy.
Kristoffer Borgli’s black comedy, The Drama, was a more intimate character piece, with an intense dynamic, brimming with energy. It benefits from two excellent performances from Pattinson and Zendaya. Pattinson seems eager to throw himself into roles requiring intensity, having really pushed the boat out the past few years, particularly with The Lighthouse. That film pitted him against the might and gravitas of Willem Dafoe in a two-hander, and for Patz not to be consumed and spat out was a testament to his own performance. It was still a lesson in immersion from a master, but judging by what is still to come in 2026, and his scene-stealing turn in Nolan’s The Odyssey, Pattinson is about to take another potential leap forward.
In Dune: Part Three, Pattinson appears to be pushing his villainy even more with a look that evokes Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner, and which will no doubt be injected with plenty of complexity. Villeneuve will demand it, and Pattinson is probably going to deliver it. It also looks like a villain far removed from the snivelling cowardice of his delightfully slimy turn in The Odyssey.
Before that, there’s also the intriguing prospect of Primetime, based on the true story of Chris Hansen, the first high-profile predator hunter who popularised televised pedophile confrontations (now sort of replaced by live streaming vigilante nonce hunters). The trailer shows Pattinson completely inhabiting his role as the famed and ruthlessly ambitious host, chasing ratings before ethics. Whether Lance Oppenheim’s film strikes enough attention on its release to attract the academy remains to be seen. The subject matter may be too dark, but if a trailer can suggest Oscar buzz, then Primetime certainly teases the prospect that Pattinson could find himself in contention. Plus, it’s shot on film, which will no doubt strike a chord with Academy voters (not that they’re starved of choice there).
With two hits and plenty of critical acclaim already, Pattinson’s two upcoming films to round off 2026 are enough to suggest one thing: He’s a man in huge demand. By the end of the year, with his name attached to beefy box office hits and potentially beginning an awards season push (some recognition for The Drama or The Odyssey may not be out of the question either), will Pattinson take home the title of star of the year? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
