2026 – MMXXVI
8 January 2025 (London, UK): Welcome to the A1Film Calendar 2026 by Alpha1Media, a showcase highlighting the calendar of top movie releases, anniversary and events throughout the year. (Asterisks * indicate milestone events)
2026:
* 2026 – The 10th Anniversary of the launch of the A1Film Preview of 2016, the A1Film Top Films of 2016 and the A1Film Awards 2016. (Anniversaries)
* 2026 – The 5th Anniversary of the launch of the A1Film Preview of 2021, the A1Film Top Films of 2021 and the A1Film Awards 2021. (Anniversaries)
January 2026:
* January 21 – February 1 – The Sundance Film Festival 2025 takes place in Sundance, Utah, USA. (Festivals)
January 8 – The 10th Anniversary of the release in 2006 of ‘Wazir’, starring winner Amitabh Bachchan, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement, Farhan Akhtar and Neil Nitin Mukesh, which gained No. 8 in the A1Film Top Films of 2018, and wins the A1Film Awards 2018 Best Foreign Picture for Amitabh Bachchan and producer Vinod Vidhu Chopra. (Anniversaries)
February 2026:
February 3 – The 40th Anniversary of the founding in 1986 of Pixar Animation Studios by Edwin Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith, with funding from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who becomes its majority shareholder. (Anniversaries)
February 8 – The 50th Anniversary of the release in 1976 of ‘Taxi Driver’, directed by Martin Scorsese, A1Film Awards 2019 Lifetime Achievement winner and Best Director, and starring Robert De Niro, A1Film Awards 2019 Lifetime Achievement, which wins Best Actor and Best Picture Oscars, to be considered one of the greatest films ever made. (Anniversaries)
* February 12-26 – The 76th edition of the Berlinale is to take place in Berlin, Germany. (Festivals)
February 10 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Police Story: First Strike’ by Stanley Tong, starring Jackie Chan, A1Film Awards 2017 Lifetime Achievement winner. (Anniversaries)
February 23 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Trainspotting’ by Danny Boyle starring Ewan McGregor. (Anniversaries)
February 23 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 in the US of ‘Rumble in the Bronx’ becoming for Jackie Chan, A1Film Awards 2017 Lifetime Achievement winner, his first major box office hit and mainstream breakthrough in the US, with its US box office alone earning over 20 times its budget and up to that time Chan’s biggest ever hit. (Anniversaries)
February 27 – The 50th Anniversary of the release in 1976 of ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ by Yash Chopra starring inaugural Amitabh Bachchan, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner, and a star ensemble cast. (Anniversaries)
March 2026:
* March 15 – The 98th edition of the Oscars is to take place in Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA. (Awards)
* March 20 – ‘Project Hail Mary’, Quintessential in the A1Film Preview 2026, is released. (Quintessential) (Quintessential)
March 22 – The 50th Anniversary of filming beginning on George Lucas’ ‘Star Wars’, which starred Harrison Ford, A1Film Awards 2015 Lifetime Achievement award winner and which has the franchise includes ‘Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens’, begins on March 22, 1976, and in one of the most lucrative business decisions in film history, and global IP history, Lucas declines his directing fee of USD $500,000 in exchange for complete ownership of merchandising and sequel rights. (Anniversaries)
April 2026:
April 7 – The 50th Anniversary of the release in 1976 of ‘The Omen’, directed by Richard Donner, (before 1978’s ‘Superman’) starring Gregory Peck about the coming of the Anti-Christ. (Anniversaries)
* April 13-16 – CinemaCon takes place in Las Vegas, USA. (Events)
* April 24 – ‘Michael’, Quintessential in the A1Film Preview 2026, is released. (Quintessential)
April 24 – The 40th Anniversary of the release in 1986 of ‘Crocodile Dundee’, starring Paul Hogan as the weathered bush-hunter Mick Dundee and American actress Linda Kozlowski as reporter Sue Charlton, which was made on a budget as a deliberate attempt to make a commercial Australian film that would appeal to a mainstream American audience, but proved to be a worldwide phenomenon. (Anniversaries)
April 23 – The 50th Anniversary of the release in 1976 of ‘Stay Hungry’, which wins Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in ‘Escape Plan’, No. 3 on the A1Film Top Films of 2013, the Golden Globe for Best Acting Debut. (Anniversaries)
April 27 – The 25th Anniversary of the release in 2001 of ‘Driven’, by Renny Harlin and starring and written by inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner Sylvester Stallone, with Burt Reynolds, A1Film Awards 2018 In Memoriam. (Anniversaries)
May 2026:
May 10 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Twister’, by Jan de Bont starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt. (Anniversaries)
May 12 – The 40th Anniversary of the release in 1986 of ‘Top Gun,’ directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, A1Film Awards 2022 Best Producer, starring Tom Cruise, A1Film Awards 2022 Best Actor, as US fighter jet pilot, ‘Maverick’, which becomes the highest grossing movie in 1986 and makes Cruise a global icon, with its successor ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, released in 2022 as No. 1 on the A1Film Top Films of 2022 and the Best Picture at the A1Film Awards 2022. (Anniversaries)
* May 13-23 – The 79th edition of Festival de Cannes in Cannes, France, takes place. (Festivals)
May 18 – The 25th Anniversary of the release in 2001 of ‘Ek Rishtaa’, starring Amitabh Bachchan, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner, and Akshay Kumar. (Anniversaries)
May 22 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Mission: Impossible’ , the Hollywood franchise of action spy films, based on the 1966 UA television series starring and produced by Tom Cruise, A1Film Awards 2022 Best Actor, who played superspy Ethan Hunt, with : Impossible – Fallout’, No 7 on the A1Film Top Films of 2018 and ‘Mission: The Final Reckoning’ No. 5 on the A1Film Top Films of 2025. Alpha1Media CEO and Producer Talal Malik as a guest attended the European Premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible’ in London, UK, on July 4, 1996, attended by Tom Cruise and where he met British singer Robbie Williams; as a guest also attended the World Premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ in Dubai, UAE, where he met HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai; and as an industry guest also attended Festival de Cannes in May 2025, which hosted the Gala Premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’. (Anniversaries)
May 23 – The 40th Anniversary of the release in 1986 of ‘Cobra’, starring Sylvester Stallone, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner. (Anniversaries)
June 2026:
June 6 – The 50th Anniversary of the release in 1976 of ‘All The President’s Men’, the story about the Watergate scandal that brought down the US Presidency of Richard Nixon, starring Robert Redford, A1Film Awards 2025 In Memoriam, and Dustin Hoffman as Washington Post investigative journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. (Anniversaries)
June 6 – The 40th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Aakhree Raasta’ starring Amitabh Bachchan, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner, in a dual role. (Anniversaries)
June 6 – The 40th Anniversary of the release in 1986 of ‘Raw Deal’, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in ‘Escape Plan’, No. 3 on the A1Film Top Films of 2013. (Anniversaries)
June 7 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘The Rock’, the classic action thriller directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, A1Film Awards 2022 Best Producer and Best Picture winner, and Don Simpson, and starring Sean Connery, A1Film Awards 2020 In Memoriam, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris. (Anniversaries)
June 10 – The 10th Anniversary of the release in 2016 of ‘Te3n’, starring Amitabh Bachchan, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. (Anniversaries)
June 11 – The 40th Anniversary of the release in 1986 of ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’, starring Matthew Broderick as teen ‘Ferris Bueller’. (Anniversaries)
* June 12 – ‘Disclosure Day’, Quintessential in the A1Film Preview 2026, is released. (Quintessential)
June 19 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, having one of the largest premieres for a motion picture, taking place at the Superdome in New Orleans, USA, with an audience of 65,000 people, as well as free admission. (Anniversaries)
June 21 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Eraser’, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vanessa Williams and James Caan. Alpha1Media CEO and Producer Talal Malik was at the UK Premiere of ‘Eraser’, held at the Warner Bros Cinema in Finchley, London, UK, on August 7, 1996, attended by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in ‘Escape Plan’, No. 3 on the A1Film Top Films of 2013. (Anniversaries)
June 28 – The 70th Anniversary of the release of Hollywood classic ‘The King and I’ starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr on June 28, 1956. (Anniversaries)
July 2026:
July 3 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Independence Day’, the highest-grossing inflation-adjusted film of Will Smith’s career, with Smith the A1Film Awards 2021 Best Actor for ‘King Richard’. Alpha1Media CEO and Producer Talal Malik attended the European Premiere of ‘Independence Day’ in London, UK, on August 6, 1996, attended by Jeff Goldblum. (Anniversaries)
July 13 – The 25th Anniversary of the release in 2001 of ‘Aks’, starring Amitabh Bachchan, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner, and Raveena Tandon. (Anniversaries)
Mid-July – The 30th Anniversary of the Production beginning on James Cameron, A1Film Awards 2022 Best Director and A1Film Awards 2025 Best Director and Best Picture’s, ‘Titanic’, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. (Anniversaries)
* July 17 – ‘The Odyssey’, Quintessential in the A1Film Preview 2026, is released. (Quintessential)
July 18 – The 40th Anniversary of the release in 1986 of ‘Aliens’, written and directed by James Cameron, A1Film Awards 2022 Best Director and A1Film Awards 2025 Best Director and Best Picture winner, and starring Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in the sequel to 1979’s ‘Alien’, and one of the best sequels ever. (Anniversaries)
* July 23-26 – San Diego Comic Con takes place in San Diego, USA. (Events)
July 29 – The 50th Anniversary of the release in 1976 of ‘The Message’, produced and directed by the Syrian-American filmmaker, Moustapha Akkad, the epic film about the life of Prophet Muhammad and the birth of the Islamic civilisation. (Anniversaries)
July 30 – The 60th Anniversary of the release in 1966 of ‘Batman’, the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the iconic DC Comics superhero, with, the film starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin, based on the US television series, with ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, No. 1 in the inaugural the A1Film Top Films of 2012. (Anniversaries)
* July 31 – ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, Quintessential in the A1Film Preview 2026, is released. (Quintessential)
August 2026:
August 3 – The 25th Anniversary of the release in 2001 of ‘Rush Hour 2’ by Brett Ratner starring Jackie Chan, A1Film Awards 2017 Lifetime Achievement winner, and Chris Tucker. (Anniversaries)
August 5 – The 100th Anniversary of Warner Brothers on August 5, 1926, debuting the first Vitaphone film, ‘Don Juan’, which uses plays back music and sound effects synchronised with film. (Anniversaries)
August 6 – Timothy Dalton is officially announced as the fourth actor to portray James Bond. (Anniversaries)
August 16 – The 40th Anniversary of the release in 1986 of ‘Armour of God’, starring and directed by Jackie Chan, A1Film Awards 2017 Lifetime Achievement winner. (Anniversaries)
August 23 – The 100th Anniversary of Rudolph Valentino, whose film then ’The Son of the Sheik’ is currently playing, dies on August 23, 1926, at the age of 31 in New York, with riots occur at the funeral parlour as thousands of people try to see his body. (Anniversaries)
August 27 – The 5th Anniversary of the release in 2021 of ‘Chehre’, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashimi. With the A1Film Awards 2021 Best Foreign Picture Award given to ‘Chehre’ from India, starring Amitabh Bachchan, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner, was recognised as No. 8 on the A1Film Top 10 Films of 2021, Amitabh Bachchan celebrated the A1Film Top 10 List himself on Twitter as his famous T 4144 Tweet to 46.8 million followers. (Anniversaries)
August 31 – The 60th Anniversary of the release in 1966 of ‘The Battle of Algiers’, the Italian-Algerian war film co-written and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo and based on action undertaken by rebels during the Algerian War (1954-1962) against the French government in North Africa, regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. (Anniversaries)
September 2026:
* September 2-12 – The 83rd edition of the Venice International Film Festival takes place in Venice, Italy. (Festivals)
* September 4-14 – The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival takes place in Toronto, Canada. (Festivals)
September 16 – The 10th Anniversary of the release in 2006 of ‘Pink’, starring Amitabh Bachchan, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner. (Anniversaries)
September 19 – The 75th Anniversary of the release of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ on September 19, 1951. starring a virtually unknown actor Marlon Brando who becomes a global Hollywood icon. (Anniversaries)
October 2026:
* October 1 – ‘Digger’, Quintessential in the A1Film Preview 2026, is released. (Quintessential)
October 5 – The 70th Anniversary of the release of ‘The Ten Commandments’ on October 5, 1956, starring Charlton Heaton and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, as his last film, becoming one of the most expensive and highest-grossing films of all time. (Anniversaries)
October 19 – The 60th Anniversary of Gulf and Western Industries acquiring Paramount Pictures on October 19, 1966. (Anniversaries)
November 2026:
* November 2026 – ‘I Play Rocky’, Quintessential in the A1Film Preview 2026, is released. (Quintessential)
November – The 60th Anniversary of Seven Arts Productions reaching an agreement to acquire Warner Bros. for USD $32 million in November 1966, later forming a new company Warner Bros-Seven Arts. (Anniversaries)
November 1 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Romeo + Juliet’, by Baz Luhrmann, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, with Luhrmann and DiCaprio re-teaming for ‘The Great Gatsby’, No. 10 on the A1Film Top Films of 2013, also with the first Hollywood appearance of Amitabh Bachchan, the inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner. (Anniversaries)
November 8 – The 30th Anniversary of the release of ‘Ransom’, directed by Ron Howard, who directed ‘Rush’, No. 9 on the A1Film Top 10 Films of 2013, with Howard publicly thanking Alpha1Media™ on Twitter for the ranking, and starring Mel Gibson. (Anniversaries)
November 15 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘The English Patient’, by Anthony Minghella, starring Ralph Fiennes and Kirstin Scott Thomas. (Anniversaries)
November 15 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Space Jam’, starring Michael Jordan. (Anniversaries)
November 21 – The 50th Anniversary of the release of ‘Rocky’, written and starring Sylvester Stallone, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner, with Carl Weathers, A1Film Awards 2024 In Memoriam, and Burt Young, A1Film Awards 2023 In Memoriam, on November 21, 1976, becoming the highest-grossing film released in the year and going on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and building a global franchise which includes ‘Creed’, No. 1 on the A1Film Top 10 Films of 2015, A1Film Awards 2015 Best Picture and Best Actor for Sylvester Stallone. (Anniversaries)
November 22 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Jingle All The Way’, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in ‘Escape Plan’, No. 3 on the A1Film Top Films of 2013, and Sinbad. (Anniversaries)
December 2026:
* December – The 6th edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival takes place in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (Festivals)
December 6 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Daylight’ by Rob Cohen starring Sylvester Stallone, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner. (Anniversaries)
December 8 – The 20th Anniversary of the release in 2006 of ‘Baabul’, starring Amitabh Bachchan, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner, Salman Khan and John Abraham. (Anniversaries)
December 13 – The 30th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Jerry Maguire’, starring Tom Cruise, A1Film Awards 2022 Best Actor and Best Picture winner. (Anniversaries)
December 14 – The 75th Anniversary of Raj Kapoor’s first blockbuster movie, ’Awaara’, being released in India on December 14, 1951, becoming the world’s highest grossing film for 1951. (Anniversaries)
December 14 – The 70th Anniversary of the release of ‘Dance with Me, Henry’, the last film featuring comedy duo Abbott and Costello, on December 14, 1956. (Anniversaries)
December 14 – The 25th Anniversary of the release in 2001 of ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’, starring Amitabh Bachchan, the inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner, Shah Rukh Khan, A1Film Awards 2024 Best Foreign Picture winner, and Hrithik Roshan. (Anniversaries)
December 15 – The 60th death anniversary of Walt Disney at the age of 65 on December 15, 1966. (Anniversaries)
* December 18 – ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, Quintessential in the A1Film Preview 2026, is released. (Quintessential)
* December 18 – ‘Dune: Part Three’, Quintessential in the A1Film Preview 2026, is released. (Quintessential)
* December 20 – ‘King’, Quintessential in the A1Film Preview 2026, is released. (Quintessential)
December 20 – The 80th Anniversary of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ by Frank Capra and featuring James Stewart opens in New York, on December 20, 1946, still ranking as a Christmas classic today. (Anniversaries)
December 20 – The 20th Anniversary of the release in 1996 of ‘Rocky Balboa’, starring, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, inaugural A1Film Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement winner with its sequel, ‘Creed’, No. 1 on the A1Film Top 10 Films of 2015, A1Film Awards 2015 Best Picture and Best Actor for Sylvester Stallone. (Anniversaries).
December 23 – The 60th Anniversary of the release in 1966 of ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’, the Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood. (Anniversaries)
December 27 – The launch of the A1Film Top 10 Films of 2026. (Events)
December 30 – The launch of the A1Film Awards 2026. (Events)