Sci Fi Movies This Week: Weekly column tracking what is coming in the current week in the way of sci fi, fantasy, and horror releases as well as news on genre films.
Premiering This Week:
Arriving in theaters nationwide this Friday is the sci fi/horror entry Iron Lung which comes from director Mark Fischbach and is based on the game of the same name. Also on Friday, the post-apocalyptic Worldbreaker will have its premiere in limited release. Available On Demand on Friday is the superhero movie Lazarus: The Awakening. Below are some highlights, and you can read more about these and see all the upcoming sci fi and fantasy at this link.
Iron Lung (In Theaters, Jan 30): The stars are gone. The planets have disappeared. Only individuals aboard space stations or starships were left to give the end a name — The Quiet Rapture. After decades of decay and crumbling infrastructure, the Consolidation of Iron has made a discovery on a barren moon designated AT-5. An ocean of blood. Hoping to discover desperately needed resources they immediately launch an expedition. A submarine is crafted and a convict is welded inside. Due to the pressure and depth of the ocean the forward viewport has been encased in metal. If successful, they will earn their freedom. If not, another will follow. This will be the 13th expedition. Based on the video game of the same name by David Szymanski.
Directed by: Mark Fischbach
Starring: Mark Fischbach, Elsie Lovelock, Elle LaMont, Caroline Kaplan
Worldbreaker (In Theaters-Limited, Jan 30): Follows a young girl named Willa (Boullet), whose parents, a battle-scarred veteran father (Evans) and her monster-killing mother (Jovovich), protect their home on a remote island from creatures called Breakers. However, Willa is forced to join the fight when a young girl arrives to their home, bringing the war they left behind to their shores. It’s unclear where these monsters came from, but it seems like there is no part of Earth where you can escape them.
Directed by: Brad Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans, Mila Harris, Billie Boullet
Sci Fi Movie News
Apple TV has acquired the rights to Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books with plans to do movies and at least one television series. The Mistborn series will be the focus of feature films and The Stormlight Archive series will be adapted as an ongoing series. Following is the description of the properties provided by The Hollywood Reporter:
The first Mistborn trilogy of books centered on metal-using magicians who attempt to overthrow a despotic empire. Stormlight Archives’ first novel, The Way of Kings, is set in a world with magically powered storms, magically powered knights and monsters known as the Voidbringers.
Apple TV picked these up in a very competitive situation, and Sanderson will be given a fair amount of control over the productions. Expect production on the movies and series to begin soon.
The upcoming sci fi film Matter of Time, which was stars Sean Astin and his daughter Ali, has received a release date of February 27th. Following is the official description of the film:
Charlie Fleck, a 29-year-old aspiring videogame designer, is given the opportunity of a lifetime with a time-stopping device given to him by his friend, an eccentric Toy shop owner Gibbs.
It is directed by Jeremy Snead who also co-wrote the script, and you can see the trailer for the film below.
The animated supernatural thriller KPop Demon Hunters was the most-streamed film of 2025 according to Nielsen. It pulled in an estimated 20.5 billion minutes of viewing from its premiere in June through the end of the year, and it spent over 24 weeks in the streaming Top 10. Netflix is currently considering follow-ups to the film including sequels and a possible television series.
In production news, Robert Eggers’ upcoming horror film Werwulf has wrapped filming which has it on track for its planned December 25th premiere date. And the sci fi film Klara and the Sun–directed by Taika Waititi and starring Jenna Ortega–is back on track for a 2026 release after several delays. A premiere date has not been given, though.
Box Office Results
Avatar: Fire and Ash finally got dethroned from the top spot at the domestic Box Office as new sci fi entry Mercy surpassed it this past weekend, bringing in nearly $11 million in receipts across North America. The Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson film was made on a budget of $60 million (modest for Hollywood these days), though it may struggle to turn a profit. The third Avatar film added another $6.4 million to its tally, and it is now at nearly $1.4 million globally. The horror film Return to Silent Hill debuted at Number 7 with $3.3 million in domestic receipts, which puts it on an uphill battle to recoup its $23 million budget. The Lord of the Rings trilogy films stuck around for a second weekend as they continue to add to the global tally of that franchise. And Greenland 2: Migration slipped pretty quickly in its third weekend of release, dropping to the Number 15 slot with less than $1 million in ticket sales. That one looks like it may end up as a flop, with only $23 million in global receipts vs. a $90 million budget at this point.
Box Office Results for the Weekend of January 23rd to 25th:
| Rank | Prior | Title | Weekend Gross | Theaters | Average | Total Gross | Weeks |
| 1 | – | Mercy | $10,809,178 | 3468 | $3,116 | $10,809,178 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Avatar: Fire and Ash | $6,407,504 | 3150 | $2,034 | $377,900,089 | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple | $3,425,078 | 3506 | $976 | $20,575,607 | 2 |
| 7 | – | Return to Silent Hill | $3,252,000 | 2000 | $1,626 | $3,252,000 | 1 |
| 8 | 7 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | $2,000,000 | 843 | $2,372 | $5,940,331 | 2 |
| 10 | 12 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | $1,600,000 | 421 | $3,800 | $3,971,340 | 2 |
| 11 | 11 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | $1,600,000 | 217 | $7,373 | $4,093,642 | 2 |
| 12 | 6 | Primate | $1,554,423 | 2145 | $724 | $23,417,300 | 3 |
| 13 | 9 | Anaconda | $1,308,782 | 1807 | $724 | $62,180,802 | 5 |
| 15 | 8 | Greenland 2: Migration | $974,369 | 1889 | $515 | $16,910,391 | 3 |
Recent Trailers
Matter of Time (In Theaters-Limited, February 27, 2026): Charlie Fleck, a 29-year-old aspiring videogame designer, is given the opportunity of a lifetime with a time-stopping device given to him by his friend, an eccentric Toy shop owner Gibbs.
Directed by: Jeremy Snead
Starring: Ian Campbell, Myles Erlick, Sean Astin, Ali Astin, Jason Baumgardner, Zach Smith
Be sure to follow our Sci Fi Movie Schedule page to keep up with all the upcoming genre releases.
