2026 Movie Anniversaries: All the Biggest Genre Movies Celebrating Milestones This Year
SOURCE:Gizmodo|BY:Germain Lussier
'Frankenstein,' 'Carrie,' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'Independence Day,' and more sci-fi, fantasy, and horror movies with big anniversaries coming up.
We’re over a quarter of a century into this century. Isn’t that wild? And if that doesn’t make you feel old, this list is definitely going to do the trick. Each year, io9 goes back in time and sees what movies are celebrating milestones this year. Basically, for 2026, anything released with a “6” or a “1” at the end of it qualifies, and there are some all-timers here up and down the list.
A few notes before we get started, though. One, we’re io9, so we just cover the genre stuff—fantasy, sci-fi, horror, etc. And two, we’re not doing five-year anniversaries. Ten years and up only. Sorry, 2021. You’ll get there soon.
Beyond that, here are all the big genre movies celebrating anniversaries in 2026.
Frankenstein, 1931 – Universal
1926 – 100th Anniversary
The General – We’re breaking the rules right off the bat here because Buster Keaton’s unforgettable comedy isn’t actually “genre.” However, the things that happen in it are so magical, and we wanted something in this 100-year slot, so we’re making an exception. But it’s the only exception.
1931 – 95th Anniversary
Frankenstein – Mere months after the release of the new version by Guillermo del Toro, the most famous adaptation of the story, directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff, celebrates a big one.
Also: Dracula, M
1941 – 85th Anniversary
Dumbo – When seminal Disney movies start turning this old, it’s kind of wild. Almost as wild as an elephant with ears so big he can fly.
Also: Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Hold that Ghost, The Wolf Man
It’s a Wonderful Life – RKO
1946 – 80th Anniversary
It’s a Wonderful Life – Our pick for the greatest holiday genre film of all time (it centers on an alternate reality, don’t forget) celebrates 80 years of perfection this year.
Also: Beauty and the Beast, Notorious, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Song of the South
The Thing from Another World – The film that inspired your (probably) favorite John Carpenter movie, The Thing, celebrates its diamond anniversary this year.
Also: Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man, Alice in Wonderland, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Superman and the Mole Men
1956 – 70th Anniversary
Invasion of the Body Snatchers – The film that students study when they want to learn about horror with social commentary, which also happens to be creepy and awesome, turns 70 this year.
Also: Around the World in 80 Days, Forbidden Planet
1961 – 65th Anniversary
101 Dalmatians – Can you believe it’s been 65 years since audiences were first exposed to Cruella de Vil and those lovely spotted pups?
Also: The Absent-Minded Professor
Image: 20th Century Studios
1966 – 60th Anniversary
Batman: The Movie – In our mind, this now 60-year-old feature-length adaptation of the classic Adam West show might be the best Batman movie. Why? Because it has all the biggest villains in it at once, something none of the other films have ever done.
Also: Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Fahrenheit 451, Fantastic Voyage, One Million Years B.C., Thunderbirds Are Go
1971 – 55th Anniversary
A Clockwork Orange – Around here, 1971 is when we start to see the number of notable genre films start to rise exponentially. In 1971 specifically, there were some great ones (as you can see below), but we still can’t get this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece out of our minds and probably never will.
Also: Diamonds Are Forever, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Godzilla vs. Hedorah, The Omega Man, THX 1138, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
1976 – 50th Anniversary
Carrie – As Sissy Spacek’s landmark performance in this Stephen King adaptation turns 50, Hollywood is currently working on a new take from King superfan Mike Flanagan. A perfect way to celebrate a great film, an incredible milestone, and clearly, an amazing year overall.
Also: Assault on Precinct 13, Freaky Friday, King Kong, Logan’s Run, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Marathon Man, The Omen, Robin and Marian
Raiders of the Lost Ark – Paramount
1981 – 45th Anniversary
Raiders of the Lost Ark – Nothing sucks about Raiders of the Lost Ark or the year it was released, but a 45th anniversary kind of sucks, right? It’s so close to that all-important 50th anniversary that it’s almost not worth mentioning. But when you look at films like this and the others released in 1981, it’s easy to get excited for this year and 2031.
Also: An American Werewolf in London, Clash of the Titans, Dragonslayer, Escape from New York, The Evil Dead, Excalibur, Friday the 13th Part 2, The Great Muppet Caper, Halloween II, Heavy Metal, History of the World Part I, Scanners, Superman II, Time Bandits
1986 – 40th Anniversary
Aliens – As you read this, James Cameron has his fourth billion-dollar grosser in a row in theaters. So it’s fun to remember that long before he became the “King of the World,” he made Aliens, one of the best sequels of all time. He’s been kicking ass for 40 years plus.
Also: An American Tail, Big Trouble in Little China, Blue Velvet, Critters, Flight of the Navigator, The Fly, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, The Golden Child, The Great Mouse Detective, Highlander, Howard the Duck, The Karate Kid Part II, King Kong Lives, Labyrinth, Little Shop of Horrors, Maximum Overdrive, Night of the Creeps, Robotech: The Movie, Short Circuit, Solarbabies, SpaceCamp, Stand By Me, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Transformers: The Movie, The Wraith
1991 – 35th Anniversary
The Silence of the Lambs – If you look back at a list of Best Picture Oscar winners, The Silence of the Lambs sticks out like a bottle of Chianti. Never before had a film with such distinct horror elements been bestowed such an honor. And, this year, we honor that milestone landmark in genre history.
Also: The Addams Family, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Beauty and the Beast, Hook, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, The People Under The Stairs, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Rocketeer, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Image: Fox
1996 – 30th Anniversary
Independence Day – It’s hard to describe what 1996 was like at the movies. For me, at age 16, I was at the theater basically every week, seeing movies that changed the way I felt about life, love, and cinema itself. Among my favorites, though, was this sci-fi disaster epic, which at the time felt so much bigger and grander than anything I’d ever seen before. Can’t believe it’s been 30 years.
Also: 101 Dalmatians, The Cable Guy, The Craft, Dragonheart, Fargo, The Frighteners, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Island of Dr. Moreau, James and the Giant Peach, Jingle All the Way, Mars Attacks!, Matilda, Mission: Impossible, Multiplicity, Muppet Treasure Island, The Nutty Professor, The Rock, Scream, Star Trek: First Contact, Space Jam, Twister
2001 – 25th Anniversary
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – As formative as 1996 was, though, 2001 kind of blows it out of the water. Just look at this list of films that came out below. And, of course, the year culminated in The Fellowship of the Ring, a game-changer of an experience that we still watch and discuss to this day. On it, and their silver anniversary, let’s celebrate all of these movies.
Also: A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Amélie, Donnie Darko, The Fast and the Furious, Hannibal, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Josie and the Pussycats, Jurassic Park III, A Knight’s Tale, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Memento, Monsters Inc., Moulin Rouge!, Mulholland Drive, The Mummy Returns, Planet of the Apes, Shrek, Spirited Away, Spy Kids, Vanilla Sky, Waking Life, Zoolander
2006 – 20th Anniversary
Children of Men – Alfonso Cuarón’s brilliant, dystopian vision of the future feels even more relevant now than it did 20 years ago. And yet, somehow, Children of Men seems like one of those incredible movies that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. It certainly should.
Also: 300, Cars, Casino Royale, The Descent, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, The Fountain, Happy Feet, High School Musical, Mission: Impossible III, Night at the Museum, Pan’s Labyrinth, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Prestige, A Scanner Darkly, Slither, Snakes on a Plane, Superman Returns, V for Vendetta, X-Men: The Last Stand
Fast Five – Universal
2011 – 15th Anniversary
Fast Five – It took 10 years for the Fast and Furious franchise to morph from 2001’s fun, street-level racing film to a full-blown mega franchise. But, in 2011, it happened with Justin Lin’s Fast Five. Since then, the results have been decidedly mixed, and we still don’t know where things are going, but there’s no denying that 15 years ago, Fast Five took action movies to a whole other level.
Also: The Adventures of Tintin, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Cabin in the Woods, Cowboys & Aliens, The Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hobo with a Shotgun, Hugo, Insidious, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Muppets, Paul, Puss In Boots, Rango, Real Steel, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Scream 4, Sucker Punch, Super, Super 8, Thor, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, X-Men: First Class
2016 – 10th Anniversary
Deadpool – The movies of 2016 are all so fresh in our minds, it’s hard to pick just one to highlight. But I’m going with Deadpool, just because the character remains so popular and relevant. It honestly feels like the big-screen version of the character has been around longer than 10 years, but, alas, he has not. We also think he’ll be around for many more years, though, as well as all of these excellent movies celebrating a decade.
Also: 10 Cloverfield Lane, Arrival, Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Blair Witch, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, La La Land, Moana, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Sausage Party, Suicide Squad, Swiss Army Man, Terrifier, Train to Busan, The Witch, Your Name, Zootopia
