4 Highly-Anticipated 2026 Movies That Disappointed Audiences, Ranked
Numerous great movies have been released in 2026 already, from the immensely successful original horror films Obsession and Backrooms to franchise heavyweights like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. More is still to come, with highly-anticipated releases like The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Dune: Part III yet to hit theaters. However, despite the year's film success and hyped projects, not every film can meet these expectations.
Not every disappointing movie is a bad movie, but they can feel like massive letdowns when audiences have been looking forward to a franchise's return or an ambitious passion project. Some of the year's most anticipated releases carried enormous hype, but the final product failed to meet expectations, leaving moviegoers feeling disappointed.
4 Scary Movie 6's Comedy Missed the Mark
When Scary Movie 6 was announced, the return of Anna Faris, Regina Hall, and Marlon and Shawn Wayans generated a ton of excitement, especially from audiences who had grown up with the Scary Movie franchise. The poorly received fifth installment had effectively ended the comedy/horror series over a decade ago, so expectations for Scary Movie 6 were high.
What could have been a great reunion for a nostalgic franchise was instead full of uninspired pop culture references that missed the mark and failed to pack any punch. The story tracks Cindy Campbell and her classmates, who accidentally hit a pedestrian with their car, dump the body, and swear themselves to secrecy. One year later, a bumbling killer wearing a Ghostface mask begins murdering the teens one by one, executing a series of raunchy gags that mock late-'90s horror tropes.
Faris and Hall still possessed the same chemistry that made Cindy and Brenda such memorable characters, and many audiences enjoyed seeing them on screen again. Scary Movie 6 wasn't a failure, but audiences largely felt that the movie just retread the past instead of reinventing itself. Some of the biggest criticisms levied against it were its choice of parodies, lack of successful jokes, and its frequent callbacks to earlier films, resulting in the movie earning a 21% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
3 The Mandalorian and Grogu Was a Disappointing Return to Theaters
Modern Star Wars can often struggle to find consensus among fans, but Din Djarin and Grogu are a rare unifying success. The Mandalorian helped solidify interest in the two characters, making the announcement of a spinoff movie feel like the logical next step. Fans' excitement only grew as the franchise prepared to return to theaters for the first time since Rise of Skywalker, expecting bigger action and larger stakes.
Set after the fall of the Galactic Empire, The Mandalorian and Grogu centers on bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice, Grogu, working for the New Republic. Tasked with hunting down Imperial warlords, Mando accepts a mission to locate a missing commander. To get the necessary intel, he must first rescue Rotta the Hutt from a rival syndicate, leading to a galactic chase involving bounty hunters and Imperial remnants. It's fun, action-packed, and has plenty of impressive visual effects, but it disappointed Star Wars fans and critics alike.
Ironically, The Mandalorian and Grogu's biggest criticism is that it felt too much like another episode of the Disney+ show. The side quests and episodic structure often undermined the sense of scale that audiences have come to expect from a big-screen Star Wars adventure, and the movie overall didn't feel consequential enough to justify its existence, earning only 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. Many viewers had hoped for something closer to Rogue One or The Force Awakens for Star Wars' triumphant return to theaters.
2 Fans Were Hyped For Supergirl As the DCU's Second Theatrical Outing
As James Gunn's second theatrical outing for the DCU, following 2025's successful Superman, many superhero fans were looking forward to 2026's Supergirl. This is especially true after Gunn's comments about Kara Zor-El being fundamentally different from Clark Kent generated genuine excitement with comic readers. Milly Alcock had become a fan favorite thanks to House of the Dragon, and audiences were hyped to see a hardened character shaped by trauma and loss, as opposed to another optimistic hero.
Supergirl centers on Kara Zor-El, a Kryptonian survivor who relocates to Earth after watching her homeworld crumble. Living under the shadow of her famous cousin, Superman, her quiet routine is disrupted when a planetary threat emerges. The story details her journey to manage her latent abilities, form alliances, and confront an interstellar adversary. Many viewers singled Alcock out as Supergirl's greatest strength, while Jason Momoa's energetic Lobo also earned praise. However, many other elements of the film disappointed audiences.
Complaints about a bland visual identity, weak emotional core, underdeveloped characters, jarring tonal shifts, and pacing issues became recurring themes throughout Supergirl's reviews. Several critics argued that the film seemed torn between focusing on a new hero, establishing the future DCU, and telling its own story. Supergirl seemingly impressed audiences more than critics, and it's still a fun, enjoyable watch, even if it didn't quite live up to expectations.
1 Michael Was Exceptionally Controversial
Biopics often arrive under enormous expectations, but Michael was operating under a level of scrutiny that few films ever experience. Michael Jackson remains one of the most successful and controversial figures in music history, which meant the movie faced the difficult task of satisfying longtime fans while also accurately depicting the decades of public debate surrounding his personal life. The casting of Jaafar Jackson generated huge attention, with many viewers surprised by how closely he resembled his uncle.
The biographical film tracks the life of singer Michael Jackson, from his early years with the Jackson 5 to his peak solo success during the 1980s. The plot outlines his rise to global prominence alongside the subsequent media attention, complex legal issues, and financial strains that defined his later career. Michael's musical sequences, recreations of famous performances, and Jaafar Jackson's portrayal received frequent praise, and for many, the movie succeeded as a celebration of Michael Jackson's cultural impact.
However, the audience's disappointment came from what Michael didn't explore. Reports of rewrites and reshoots gave the impression that the movie was struggling with capturing all elements of Michael Jackson's life, and the final product leaned far too heavily into celebration. Huge, defining moments in Michael Jackson's life, particularly his childhood and his abuse allegations, were glossed over or omitted entirely, leaving the biopic to feel shallow and sanitized. Audiences didn't leave Michael with any further insight into who the singer was.
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