While 2025 ended on a high note with Dhurandhar, the franchise continued to dominate in 2026 with the second installment releasing in March, breaking the records set by the first installment. Today, on the 52nd day of its run, Dhurandhar: The Revenge has crossed 1141.99 crores in India and the worldwide gross stands at 1793 crores. With the benchmark set so high, all eyes are on the big inflows expected by 2026. Expectations are rising not only because of the scale of these films, but also because of their star-studded casts and high production values.Here are five movies with high expectations at the box office in the coming months of 2026!Film expert Akshaye Rathi shares his thoughts on the movies that created the most buzz this year. Speaking to ETimes, he said, “Ramayana, Toxic and King are definitely the films to look forward to. These are the top three films of the year with very high expectations. Apart from them, Rajinikanth’s Jailor 2 is another film that is poised to be huge, especially in Tamil cinema. The fifth could be a surprise hit like Saiyaarapan 2, for example.” Another film I am personally looking forward to is Sooraj Barjatya’s next, Yeh Prem Mol Liya”.Releases planned for 2026The Ramayana: Part 1Ramayana: Part 1 is set to release this Diwali, and the makers have recently unveiled the first look. Ranbir Kapoor Like Lord Rama. Although the look received mixed reactions online, the film remains one of the most anticipated releases of the year.Akshaye further elaborated on the film’s box office expectations and said, “Despite all the criticism, Adipurush still opened to strong numbers. It proves that the appetite for a story like the Ramayana in India is huge. It’s all about telling the story well, and someone like Nitesh Tiwari is a fantastic filmmaker. With stellar performers like Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi and Sunny Deol, this is one of the best opportunities we’ve had to do justice to Ramayana, which is deeply rooted in our faith.“Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film has a budget of 400 million euros, and the second part will be released in 2027.toxicYash’s Toxic has faced several delays. The film was originally slated to release on June 4, but the makers have just released a statement confirming the delay. Although Toxic is originally a Kannada film, it will release in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. He said: “There are films we make, and then there are films that remind us why we fell in love with cinema. Toxic has been such a journey. Presenting our film at CinemaCon and witnessing the incredible global response has confirmed what we’ve always believed: this film deserves to reach its full potential worldwide.”The statement added: “Toxic is complete, and we are currently lining up global distribution and partnerships. In light of this, we have decided to recalibrate our release timeline. While we will not release on June 4 as previously announced, we will release on a later, globally aligned date. Toxic will be hitting theaters worldwide soon.”The film also stars Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, Kiara Advani, Rukmini Vasanth and Akshay Oberoi.the kingShah Rukh Khan This Christmas she will return to the big screen with King, teaming up with Pathaan director Siddharth Anand. Of course, expectations are very high. The first look of the film was unveiled on SRK’s birthday last year, and the recent viral video of him shooting a romantic song with Deepika Padukone has only added to fans’ excitement.It stars Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Suhana Khan, Arshad Warsi and Jaideep Ahlawat among others.Aawarapan 2As the famous dialogue says, “Aakha Bollywood ek taraf aur Emraan Hashmi ek taraf”. Clearly, Aawarapan 2 has created excitement among the fans who are eager to see Emraan Hashmi back in his vibrant signature avatar with soulful music. Unsurprisingly, it has emerged as one of the most anticipated films of the year.Welcome to the jungle and Drishyam 32026 will also witness the return of beloved franchises. The third installment of the Welcome franchise, Welcome To The Jungle stars Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Suniel Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta and others. Disha Patani among many others. With Akshay returning to comedy, the film is undoubtedly one of the most awaited entertainers of the year.Meanwhile, the anticipation of Drishyam 3 is at its peak after the trailer of Mohanlal’s Malayalam version was launched. Audiences are now eager for Ajay Devgn to step into the shoes of Vijay Salgaonkar. The film will release on the iconic date of October 2 this year – a date that fans of the Ajay Devgn-Tabu franchise know holds special significance.
