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 and updates on genre films, streaming and theatrical.
Sci Fi Movie Premieres This Week:
This Friday brings the next entry in the Summer 2026 Blockbuster Sweepstakes as Masters of the Universe sends He-Man to battle for Box Office supremacy. That one will be available in wide release, though it has a fair amount of competition to contend with. Getting limited release in theaters, and hitting VOD, is the indie sci fi film Signal One, which also arrives on Friday. There are more genre entries on the way (you can see our Summer 2026 preview at this link), and you can watch trailers and get info for all the current and upcoming sci fi and fantasy films at this link.
Masters of the Universe (In Theaters, June 5th): In Masters of the Universe, an orphan named Adam discovers he is a prince destined to be the savior of a faraway land and must quickly learn of his power and the importance of saving his true home from an evil force.
Directed by: Travis Knight
Starring: Noah Centineo, Morena Baccarin, Jared Leto, Steve Tisch, Kristen Wiig, James Purefoy
Signal One (In Theaters-Limited and On Demand, June 5th): A brilliant scientist is recruited by a charismatic tech billionaire (Dennis Quaid) to work on a secret project that might change humanity’s place in the universe, though it comes at great risk.
Directed by: Jonathon Sobol
Starring: Noah Centineo, Morena Baccarin, Jared Leto, Steve Tisch, Kristen Wiig, James Purefoy
Sci Fi Movie News of Note:
As expected, the Netflix action/sci fi film War Machine will be getting a sequel. This one, about a group of elite Army Ranger trainees in a desperate fight for survival against a deadly extraterrestrial war machine, premiered on the streaming service in March 2026. It spent 8 weeks in the Netflix Top 10 and entered that streamer’s most popular film list. No casting announcements have been made yet, but Patrick Hughes will be back to helm the film and Alan Ritchson its expected to return as 81. Production on this will likely start soon, though late 2027 is the earliest it would have its premiere.
Hollywood loves a reboot, and they are going that route with John Carpenter’s cult classic from 1981 Escape from New York. That one has been in the queue for a while, and it is now moving forward with Zack Snyder (Watchmen, Man of Steel) attached as director. In the original film, Manhattan Island has been turned into a maximum-security prison, and after the president’s plane crashes there, the outlaw Snake Plissken is sent in to recover him. It starred Kurt Russell as Plissken along with Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Donald Pleasance, Harry Dean Stanton, and Adrienne Barbeau. There is no word at this point on the direction of the new film, but expect it to be set up as an ongoing IP.
The supernatural drama Obsession has performed quite well in theaters (more on that below), and while it was originally set for a quick release to streaming, that has been delayed. The plan was to make the indie film available early June, but its continued Box Office succes has shifted its streaming premiere. It has been moved to a 45-day window which would have it arriving on June 30th. That has not been confirmed yet, though, and could change if the film continues to do well in its theatrical run.
Sci Fi Box Office:
Blockbusters did not top the charts this past weekend as the more modestly budgeted films Backrooms and Obsession took the Number 1 and 2 slots at the Box Office. Sci fi/horror entry Backrooms had an impressive debut, pulling in $81 million in domestic receipts while competing against big names in the theaters like The Mandalorian and Grogu and The Devil Wears Prada 2. With a budget of only $10 million and a global tally of over $125 million, it already counts as a runaway hit. The micro-budget supernatural drama Obsession continued to perform well, adding another $27 million to it domestic tally in its second week which totals nearly $106 million so far. With production costs of less than one million dollars, that one has also proven quite successful. More sci fi Box Office results plus a look at streaming viewing at this link.
Recent Trailers
I Am Frankelda (Streaming-Netflix, June 12): Frankelda, a determined 19th-century Mexican writer, journeys into her subconscious to face the monsters she’s written about. Guided by a tormented prince, she must restore the balance between fiction and reality before it’s too late.
Directed by: Madeleine Rotzler
Starring: Mireya Mendoza, Arturo Mercado Jr., Luis Leonardo Suárez
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