Whether you're refreshing your collection for the fall or planning programming around newer titles, this roundup highlights a diverse slate of 2025 and 2026 releases worth keeping an eye on. From dark comedies and horror throwbacks to animated family fare and underserved genres like romantic comedy, these films offer something for virtually every patron and discussion group. Here's what's coming to physical media and what makes each title a strong candidate for your shelves.
How To Make a Killing (2026) dir. John Patton Ford
How To Make a Killing is a dark comedy starring Glenn Powell, who boasts his tutelage studying under the mentorship of Tom Cruise on the set of Top Gun: Maverick by displaying charisma in spades as Beckett, the orphaned son of a woman disowned by her wealthy family. The indignation of being abandoned by the upper crust of society drives Beckett to reclaim his inheritance by any means necessary, as he plots to murder every heir standing in the way of his family’s fortune. This very macabre subject matter is treated with appropriate gravity, but also rather brilliantly balanced with a derisive sense of humor. A tonal dissonance like this could be handily fumbled by many stars, but it bubbles naturally to perfection via Glenn Powell’s confident and layered performance.
With shades of ‘whodunnit’ murder thrillers and harrowing character drama, the heavier aspects of this story aren’t left behind while the more absurd nuances of the cast shines through and lightens the mood. In the director’s chair, John Patton Ford captures a memorable aesthetic that reflects the juxtaposition between Beckett’s affluent ambitions and the humble means he’s been forced into. Library browsers seeking a statement on class conflict and a parable about the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ of the world will be gripped by this selection.
Click here to get your copy of How to Make a Killing on DVD.
The Sheep Detectives (2026) dir. Kyle Balda
It would be a mistake to assume a light hearted tone is what awaits viewers of The Sheep Detectives, despite the colorful cast and talking animals, this is a far cry tonally and intellectually from most children’s films released today. The story focuses on a flock of sheep who find their kindhearted shepherd murdered in his own home, prompting them to take on the burden of investigating who killed him. Though not without lighthearted comedy and tones, the film takes several startling turns, as the endearingly naive sheep protagonists have to confront the concepts of death, animal abuse, and familial deception. The nuanced and emotionally intelligent handling of these topics makes The Sheep Detectives an excellent waypoint for guided viewing with children to help breach these difficult ideas, although families may want to be aware of some scenes that could be frightening to younger viewers.
This is tied together beautifully by an all star cast, Julia Louise Dreyfuss and Bryan Cranston lending their voices to lovable sheep heroes, while Hugh Jackman, Molly Gordon, and Nicholas Galitzine round out the human cast of amusingly animated human characters. Library stockers will be enticed by the potential to poise this film alongside the book from which it is adapted, Three Bags Full by Leonie Swan, allowing a potential for families or classrooms to explore and discuss how the book and film differ and explore its pertinent themes.
Click here to pre-order your copy of The Sheep Detectives on DVD.
Send Help (2026) dir. Sam Raimi
Director Sam Raimi earned notoriety in circles of cult horror by breathing life into his brain child, The Evil Dead in 1981 on a shoestring budget and a minimal production and crew. As a franchise, The Evil Dead would explode past Raimi’s means and expectations, and this ramshackle monster movie would spawn what is today regarded as a landmark of horror cinema, spawning multiple sequels, tie-in comics, and a TV series. As recently as this year, Raimi showed he still had the ghoulish inventiveness that made works such as those and Drag Me to Hell such reliable Halloween rotation choices, releasing Send Help, described by many as the result of Misery and Cast Away stuffed into a blender. Send Help is focused on a petulant CEO who finds himself one of the lone survivors of a plane crash, and must contend being stranded on a remote island along with his employee, who he has historically belittled and mistreated. This results in a clash of egos that approaches the gruesome as both characters leave behind their sanity the further they stray from civilization.
This is precisely the sort of morbid curiosity a browser of library collections will be delighted to happen upon when it’s their turn for scary movie night. In a continually inflated crowd of horror that’s elevated by lofty ideas and social commentary, works with a more traditional ‘creature feature’ slant like Zach Cregger’s Weapons and Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu have found a niche among audiences seeking something straightforward, but by no means lacking in creative substance. Send Help slots into this position perfectly, as Raimi locates the same sadistic glee he’s always reserved for his characters to ensure audiences can laugh and cringe at every grim misfortune thrown their way. Above all else, this film is a star-making thesis in favor of Rachel McAdams, who has never had trouble proving her talent, but uncovers a remarkable facet of her range as the unhinged but oddly endearing Linda Liddle, a put-upon survivalist who duals psychologically with her spoiled boss when the two are put on even footing for the first time.
Click here to get your copy of Send Help on DVD.
The Drama (2026) dir. Kristoffer Borgli
Some of the oldest publications of the ancient fairy tale Beauty and the Beast describe it as a parable that attests that true love is begotten when you can love someone at the point where they are truly unlovable. This is a thesis that occurs over and over during the runtime of Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama. A24 spearheaded a brilliant marketing campaign that drew raucous attention to this film, using a simple trailer depicting two couples uniting over a quaint dinner. They agree to share ‘the worst thing I’ve ever done’, each sharing a provocative, giggle-worthy story, before attention turns to Emma (a vulnerable and compelling Zendaya), who shares her secret, which the trailer very intentionally censors in explicit mention, only cutting directly to the reactions of everyone else, who respond with varying degrees of anxiety, horror, and disgust.
Viewers turned out in droves to learn Emma’s secret, and while the subject matter it involves was a source of controversy to some, the movie itself accomplished a slam dunk in a way of sticking a sympathetic landing, bestowing Emma a thorough and feasible point of view. The film paints a vivid and compelling narrative of her perspective, as opposed to incuriously excusing her, while exposing how Emma bearing her worst moment almost forcefully brings out the worst in everyone around her. This in particular transforms Robert Pattinson as her sweet but dense fiancee, who goes through hell and back navigating his attachment to Emma in light of her dirty laundry being aired so shortly before they’re to be wed. This is a perfect film to circle up with friends after watching to debate and explore the nuances and moral ambiguities of the cast. Borgli’s tense, darkly comedic timing makes watching the movie beforehand no chore.
Click here to get your copy of The Drama on Blu-ray.
Song Sung Blue (2025) dir. Craig Brewer
The winter months are a veritable holiday for movie lovers, as every studio’s major awards contenders are grouped together to entice family gathering ticket sales after summer blockbusters comfortably settle in the rear view. Lost in this most recent December shuffle of releases, but not to be outdone in heart and quality is Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue, a dramatization of the true story of Lightning and Thunder, a Neil Diamond tribute and cover band assembled by passionate fans in a modest Milwaukee neighborhood.
Anyone sharing the common sentiment of fatigue with musician biopics has no reason to fear, as the secret ingredient of Song Sung Blue is the deeply earnest depiction of musicians who start off as hobbyists and climb the ladder of local fame and viral attention, as opposed to mythological superstars that films are often relegated to. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson play a couple in deep love that can be felt with their every interaction and gesture, an opinion shared by those who successfully voted to nominate Kate Hudson in Best Supporting Actress for her work as Claire Sardina at the most recent Academy Awards. Libraries shouldn’t dismiss this unconventional, but still touching, slice of rock and roll history simply because it trades a setting of Beverly Hills for the Badger State.
Click here to get your copy of Song Sung Blue on DVD.
Billie Eilish -- Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (2026) dir. James Cameron and Billie Eilish
Pop music and blockbuster films are sides of the same coin, accessible and reliable fare that is dismissed in haughtier circles, but is revered by those enlightened to how they act as gateways to more esoteric and experimental works of film and music. There is perhaps no better possible pair to bring that thesis to life than James Cameron and Billie Eilish. The legendary filmmaker and longtime family friend of the pop sensation took such a liking to Billie’s music that they agreed to a joint effort to bring a compiled performance of Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to big screens. Cameron’s filmmaking genius that made cinematic history with Titanic and Avatar could likely find a compelling way to record footage of paint drying, which leaves little to guess as to the sheer electricity and excitement that Cameron’s camera work begets when it has a performer as versatile and energetic as Billie Eilish to focus on.
Some may bristle as the overall strangeness of the project on paper, many unable to imagine why the creator of the Terminator would want to collaborate with the auteur of Birds of a Feather, but as the documentary progresses it becomes clear that this unexpected duo came together to learn from one another just as much as supplementing each other. We see in spades how the less sentimental James Cameron is taken in by the deeply reflective and thoughtful junctures Eilish bestows herself and her entourage that births the magic of her on stage acts that sell out stadiums globally. If the music of Eilish isn’t enough to sell you, the image of James Cameron entertaining the idea of a therapeutic ‘Puppy Room’ for his next military blockbuster ought to.
I Love Boosters (2026) dir. Boots Riley
Director Boots Riley is no stranger to the surreal, making waves with his debut feature Sorry To Bother You, a film that opened on notes of absurd but biting satire that only veered more into the fantastical and at some junctures, horrific as it carried on. His sophomore film I Love Boosters is more lighthearted in tone, but no less bizarre or memorable. Riley assembles an all star cast as Keke Palmer, Demi Moore, LaKeith Stanfield and Naomi Ackie (just to cover the tip of an ensemble iceberg) to tell the story of an aspiring clothing designer who has her ideas plagiarized by an affluent fashion mogul. This prompts the young creative to fight back by ‘boosting’ the products of her nemesis, becoming a fashion-industry Robin Hood by stealing designer clothes and re-selling them at an affordable price.
While the issues this film tackles of gentrification and exploitation of the working class could not be more relevant and relatable, Riley’s house style lays these matters out in a way that’s earnestly funny, as the actors contort and speed about like cartoon characters to indulge their thirty second lunch break before returning to their sweat shop adjacent working conditions. The production as a whole commits heartily to practical effects as well, made on a budget of 20 million dollars (less than a fifth of the amount of money spent to make a modern superhero blockbuster), CGI skeptics can rest easy and assured they will be treated to something hand made, which befits the firm's core message as well as its delightfully unhinged imagery.
Click here to stream I Love Boosters on Prime Video.
You, Me and Tuscany (2026) dir. Kat Coiro
Among a generation that observed film before the ubiquity of streaming access, there is no shortage of nostalgia for romantic comedies, a very specific breed with a fun, feather weight tone and infectious stars that act as the key ingredient for making a slumber party feel complete. The truly great rom-com feels like an art that’s been left behind, largely because contemporary films of this sort are often relegated to streaming while the theatrical experience is dominated by works that are bigger, louder, and more expensive. Today’s younger generation never had the delight of stumbling upon a formative, romantic work such as Never Been Kissed or Clueless because the masses dismiss ‘chick flicks’ as something to be buried in the index of a streaming service. Director Kat Coiro aimed to change that this year with her theatrical release of You, Me and Tuscany, a classically toned romantic comedy about a down-on-her-luck cook who seeks romance and a change of pace from her tiring routine with a dream vacation in Italy, where she finds herself entangled in a misunderstanding that piles up and causes tension with two potential lovers.
If escapism is being sought by a library browser, they’ll find no outlet better than this film, whisked away into the charming realm of an idyllic Tuscan village through the point of view of the plucky and lovable protagonist Anna (a breathtaking Halle Bailey) as she juggles her passion for cooking, exploration, and Italian locals. This movie may well be the sort of discovery that ties a ribbon on a perfect evening with friends, popcorn, and a setting appropriate choice of Rosé.
Click here to get your copy of You, Me and Tuscany on DVD.
GOAT (2026) dir. Tyree Dillihay
Swerving back to more family oriented choices, GOAT is an animated sports story about a league of basketball playing animals who greet a diminutive but spirited goat into their ranks. Produced by (and starring in a secondary voice role) real life NBA star Stephen Curry, sports fans owe it to themselves to tune into this fantastical but thematically grounded adventure. As over-the-top as a film about athletic animals sounds, the characters’ core conflict remains resonating, as our heroes fight the society that bullies and underestimates them for their size, age, and humble origins. This is an underdog story that will make a splendid inspiration for instilling young viewers with messages of believing in oneself and rising above unfathomable challenges.
This is all to say nothing of the awe inspiring art direction of the film. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, GOAT shares a creative pedigree with the artists that made modern cultural touchstones like Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and K-Pop Demon Hunters. This movie has the potential to be a pop culture phenomenon of that same breed, and librarians would be delighting a young generation by exposing them to a cast of impeccable role models in the values of hard work and constructive determination.
Click here to get your copy of GOAT on DVD.
Pillion (2025) dir. Harry Lighton
A more staunchly adult entry to round out this list--Harry Lighton’s Pillion focuses on Colin (played excellently by Harry Melling, who eagle eyed viewers may recognize from his younger years in the Harry Potter movies), a chorus singer seeking companionship. He finds it in the last place he anticipates, begotten by the enigmatic Ray (Alexander Skarsgard), who smells Colin’s desire like blood in the water and exercises his penchant for domination with him. What follows is a raunchy and wryly humorous exploration of this pairing, as Colin has to balance his interest in being Ray’s passenger with his own limits for the duties (and sometimes indignities) that come with it.
Similar to You, Me and Tuscany above, this movie fills a niche that goes underserved in the modern media landscape in the way of a story about everyday people exploring relationship issues that feel familiar through the magic and scope of cinema. What’s simply a relationship that matches a preference to Colin and Ray breeds confusion and objection among their communities and family, and the sensitive writing of the film leaves a lot of room to contemplatively breath in the matters at hand, which counters nicely with the film’s spontaneously crass humor that drove many audiences into uproarious laughter. The juxtaposing characters played to excellent chemistry will produce laughs and endear viewers before an ambiguous, bittersweet ending is sure to leave anyone tenderly musing about the quietly defined characters long after first viewing.
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