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The Odyssey’s British director Christopher Nolan has reinvented the comic-book movie, somehow made a thriller that takes place entirely inside the mind, spawned significant scientific contributions to astrophysical theory, and turned a story of nuclear physics into a smash-hit summer blockbuster and Best Picture winner. For his next trick, he’s taken the foundational text of Western literature and turned into in the movie of 2026. And he did it all without even rumpling his suit. But which is his best work? We took a look back… RECOMMENDED: 🔥 The best movies of 2026 (so far)📽️ The 100 greatest movies of all time

Is it safe to say movies are back? Christopher Nolan is here to put the seal on it with a breathtaking adaptation of The Odyssey that has already sold out IMAX screenings for a year and is good enough to do the same for the next 12 months (if that were an option). The British filmmaker’s epic and audacious take on Homer is going to be huge, but even without it 2026 has already given us new hope that the bad old days of the pandemic lockdowns and rote franchise filmmaking may be behind us. Any time you get both a Project Hail Mary and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – not to mention leftfield horror triumphs like Backrooms and Obsession – all before the calendar’s halfway point, you know it’s a good time to be a film fan, especially when there’s a massive new Marvel movie and the finale of the Dune franchise on the horizon.  But that’s later. Here’s the best of what we’ve seen so far.  📺 The best TV and streaming shows of 2026 (so far)😂 The best comedy movies of 2026 (so far)📕 15 book-to-movie adaptations to get excited about in 2026🔥 The 100 greatest movies ever made

Is it safe to laugh again? Over the last decade, comedy movie from all but disappeared from cinemas – and those that emerged on streaming weren’t exactly keeping us in hysterics. But so far, 2026 is looking like something of a rebound for both big- and small-screen comedies. Granted, nothing is breaking the box office like back in the aughts, but surprise hits like The Drama and under-the-radar gems like Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie have cracked us up harder than anything we’ve seen in a few years – and there’s more on the way. For now, here are funniest movies we’ve seen in 2026 so far. RECOMMENDED: 📽️ The best movies of 2026 (so far)🔥 The best TV and streaming shows of 2026😂 The 100 greatest comedy movies ever made

Paddle, pop up, and whoosh along the waves – the thrill of surfing is addictive, and if you get hooked, you’ll soon be chasing those highs wherever you go. Perhaps you’ll even start planning your travels based on where the best swells are: surf tourism is well and truly on the rise, with the industry expected to grow 6 percent by 2030.  Whether you’re a total beginner looking for the perfect place to start your surf journey, or a seasoned surfer searching for a new favourite spot, these are the world’s coolest places to grab your board and ride the tides. RECOMMENDED: 🏄🏿 Move over, Taghazout: This is Africa’s coolest surf town⛰️ The best hikes in the world🚲 The world’s most beautiful cycling trails Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world. 

With the return of popular animes like Jujutsu Kaisen and Frieren in January, this year in anime kicked off pretty early with heroic characters, cutting-edge animation, and rave reviews from dedicated fanbases. But if the spring anime calendar offers any hints for what is to come, anime fans (or otakus and weebs, as the vernacular goes) are eating good in 2026. New titles like Witch Hat Atelier and Daemons of the Shadow Realm have already won over audiences with their early episodes, while cult favourites like Hell’s Paradise and Dorohedoro are returning to our screens after an overlong hiatus. There’s a lot to catch up on. So, here’s how to get started with the best anime of the year so far.  📺 The best TV and streaming shows of 2026 (so far)🇯🇵 The best anime movies of all time, ranked🔥 The best movies of 2026 (so far)

Are we still in the Golden Age of Television? Probably not. Since the end of Succession, it hasn’t felt like there’s been a major prestige series to grip the culture in a way similar to Breaking Bad, Mad Men et al. But it doesn’t mean there isn’t still great stuff to watch – stuff that, as they go along, could grow into one of those zeitgeist-gripping all-timers. In 2026, that includes the likes of HBO’s Industry, which has grown from cult fave to must-watch over four seasons, and The Pitt, still probably the best show currently on despite its, let’s say, fervent fanbase. And don’t forget Heated Rivalry, Bait and yet another Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of Seven Kingdoms. We’ve put off sleep and watched them all to determine the best TV of the year so far.  Recommended: 📽️ The best movies of 2026 (so far)🔥 The best TV and streaming shows of 2025📺 The 100 greatest TV shows of all time

Not to be a downer, but you never truly know the song of the summer until it’s all over. When you look back on the tune that soundtracked long, balmy days. The one that dominated parties and the festival circuit. The track that you’ll hear decades later and remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when it had its moment.  In other words, we’re a bit early to crown a song of the summer for 2026. But that doesn’t mean we don’t already know the contenders. So far we have several era-defining tunes on repeat from the likes of Madonna, Olivia Rodrigo, Zara Larsson and Vince Staples. And no, Charli xcx, you cannot sneak your way into the list by naming your new single after the season. Below you’ll find a mix of tracks that are inescapable right now and tunes that the Time Out office has on repeat. Which one will officially be the song of the summer 2026? Well, check back in September and see which one you’ve overplayed the most.

Easter eggs are the ultimate treat for movie geeks – and nobody does them like Pixar. For the uninitiated, these are the secret references in movies that are hidden in plain sight. For Pixar, they’re an opportunity to celebrate the studio’s rich history, with plenty of nods to their past, present, and future – and well as influences, inspirations and plain old for-the-fun-of-it. With Toy Story 5 hitting theaters this weekend, it’s the perfect time to dive into how these hidden gems tell the story of one of cinema’s greatest animation studios. RECOMMENDED: 📽️ The best movies of 2026 (so far)🔥 The 100 greatest animated movies of all time

If writing about music is like ‘dancing about architecture’, what is writing about movies like? Painting about biology? Rapping about the tides? Cinema is an artform that contains all other artforms, and it aspires to tell us about ourselves and the world we live in. How can puny letters and punctuation marks ever hope to measure up? Well, you’d be surprised. Books about movies have been around almost as long as the movies themselves – shout out to Hugo Münsterberg’s 1916 tome The Photoplay – providing insight into a medium that can seem like pure magic. But books demystifying the process – from screenwriting to cinematography to editing – are only one part of the rich history of the literature of film. There are tell-all memoirs and making-ofs. In some cases, like Peter Biskind’s Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, the books have come to define the period they cover as much as the movies themselves. We cover all the must-reads in this list of the best film books ever published. It’s the rare moment when we’ll tell you to stop watching, and get to reading – and then watch again.RECOMMENDED:🍿 The 100 greatest films ever made📚 The world’s 20 best cities for art and culture in 2026

Famously, Steven Spielberg grew up in the public eye, maturing from good-versus-Nazis blockbusters into a more nuanced engagement with human evil. His art found its apex in an extraordinary 1993, during which the director released two masterpieces: the highest-grossing Hollywood roller coaster up to that point (Jurassic Park) and a morally complex Oscar-winning triumph (Schindler’s List). It’s an achievement that will likely never be matched. We love all kinds of Steven Spielberg movies – ones about sharks and Abraham Lincoln alike. In honour of his latest effort, Disclosure Day (admittedly, not that high on our list), we’ve ranked all 34 Steven Spielberg movies, from the thrilling peaks to the so-so valleys. He’s never made a truly terrible film, and that in itself is impressive.