Multiple Films Got Snubbed by Fandango's Top 10 Summer 2026 Movies

Many movie fans are understandably angry over Fandango’s list of the most-anticipated summer movies in 2026 for snubbing multiple films. The popular ticketing company conducted a survey that asked over 6,000 customers on what movies they want to watch this summer, and the results are somewhat surprising. While some of the films that appear at the top of the list will likely be box office hits, like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Devil Wears Prada 2, it is disappointingly filled with sequels, with the exception of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. On the flipside, the absence of several notable movies reveals that they potentially lack brand awareness or audience interest (so we’re here to fix that).

Fans surprised by survey on the most-anticipated summer films

The full results of Fandango’s most anticipated Summer 2026 movies are full of existing franchises:

1. Toy Story 5
2. Spider-Man: Brand New Day
3. The Devil Wears Prada 2
4. The Odyssey
5. Scary Movie 6
6. Moana (2026)
7. Minions & Monsters
8. Mortal Kombat 2
9. Supergirl
10. Insidious: Out of the Further [or “Sony/Blumhouse Insidious” in the survey]

Looking at the comments, much of the anger has been directed toward the live-action remake of Moana, which has been negatively received by fans since it was announced. The official November 2025 teaser for the Disney film, which releases on July 10 in the US, has 54,000 upvotes but 167,000 downvotes (by way of the Return YouTube Dislike extension on Google Chrome). Many are disappointed by the production using so much CGI that it looks like AI. As a result, many comments are surprised that Moana has taken the place of other films that they feel are more deserving.

The Mandalorian & Grogu

On that front, the most glaring absence from the list is The Mandalorian & Grogu, which comes on May 22 and will bring the Star Wars franchise back in theaters after a six-year break. Given the popularity of the franchise and the series on Disney+ that stars the silent but adorable “Baby Yoda” and Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin (or “Mando”), it’s projected to earn $71 million in its domestic opening weekend. That’s a rather high expectation for a movie that didn’t make the Fandango list.

That said, there are several reasons why audiences feel tepid about the adaptation. It’s usually difficult for a series to translate successfully into a film, and the third season of the show received a middling 51% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to the 91% audience rating for Season 2). Fans of the show are also aware that the fourth season of The Mandalorian was in production before LucasFilm decided to transform it into a more condensed movie. Meanwhile, casual viewers might feel as though they need to do homework and watch all three seasons of the show (and some of The Book of Boba Fett) to understand what’s going on The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Disclosure Day

Another surprising snub went to Stephen Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, which reunites the famed director with his favorite subject: UFOs. Releasing on June 12, the sci-fi thriller stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, and more in a story about how society would react to proof that aliens exist. Reflecting on the US government’s real-life disclosures and military declassifications on UFOs, it focuses on the political, psychological, and social fallout that would occur amid a first contact event with extraterrestrial life.

Thus far, the trailers for Disclosure Day have done decently well. The official teaser has received 33 million views on YouTube, while the official trailer has 29 million views, showing strong audience interest. But as an original work, it may not have the same brand recognition as other films on the list, like Mortal Kombat, Insidious, and Supergirl (which is technically a new IP but is a widely recognized superhero who is a part of the broader DCU reboot).

Masters of the Universe

The live-action He-Man film Masters of the Universe is another blockbuster that has been left off the list. Produced by Amazon MGM Studios, the film is slated to release on June 5 and features Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man / Adam Glenn, Idris Elba as Duncan, and Jared Leto as Skeletor. This reboot sees Adam spirited away as a child to Earth during a civil war on Eternia but then rediscovering who he is as an adult and returning to his home planet as He-Man to fight off Skeletor’s army.

While He-Man is an established IP, the cartoon was mainly popular in the mid-1980s, so it’s not shocking that this reboot didn’t make Fandango’s Top 10 list. The project has been in development hell for a long time too, with the film having gone through Sony in 2009, Netflix in 2022, and then Amazon MGM Studios in 2023. However, the official teaser trailer has received 38 million views on YouTube and the official trailer released at the end of March has garnered over 25 million views, both of which weren’t afraid to lean into the inherent silliness of the franchise.

Backrooms

One summer horror film that deserve an honorable mention is A24’s Backrooms. Releasing on May 29, Backrooms is a psychological thriller based on a series of viral short films made by YouTuber Kane Parsons that expand upon a 2019 creepypasta about weird empty office spaces. The trailer has received over 22 million views on YouTube, and A24 is no slouch when it comes to choosing original films that could do well with audiences.