5 Best New Movies to Watch This Weekend (June 26-28): ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ and More

The Avatar saga continues in the third film in the blockbuster series, Avatar: Fire and Ash. Neteyam’s (Jamie Flatters) death in the last film is still being absorbed by his parents, Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), who decide to return their human adopted son, Spider (Jack Champion), after he nearly dies. Before they can say goodbye, a potential new enemy, Varang (Oona Chaplin), makes herself known. A charismatic leader of a rival Na’vi sect, Varang prefers violence over peace, and her presence could endanger the Suilly family as well as all of Pandora. 

After the first two movies grossed billions of dollars, broke box-office records and were nominated for a slew of Oscars, Fire and Ash failed to duplicate those accomplishments. It only grossed nearly $1.5 billion dollars and was nominated for just two Oscars (Best Costume Design and Best Visual Effects). That doesn’t make it a bad film, though. On the contrary, it’s better than The Way of Water, with bigger, bolder action scenes and a more interesting villain with Varang. While there’s some feeling of “been there, done that” hanging over the picture, Fire and Ash brings the heat home in a way few blockbusters do nowadays. (Marvel, I’m looking at you.)

In the 1980s and 1990s, high-concept comedies like Twins, Weekend at Bernie’s and Kindergarten Cop ruled the box office. They were silly, far-fetched and – let’s be honest – kinda stupid, but they were also funny. While that era has long passed, Netflix is reviving it, albeit briefly, with Little Brother, a new comedy starring former pro wrestler John Cena and Eric André from The Eric André Show as brothers. 

OK, not real brothers, but former adolescent members of the Big Brother-Little Brother program who have since grown up – and grown apart. While Rudd (Cena) is a successful realtor with a loving wife, Deirdre (Michelle Monaghan), Marcus (André) is single, broke and practically homeless. When Deirdre invites Marcus to stay at their place for a while, chaos ensues, but Rudd realizes he actually misses the bond he forged with his faux little bro all those years ago.  

High concept? Check. Kinda stupid? Check. Funny as hell? Hell yes. Little Brother is the kind of movie you don’t tell anyone you’re watching, let alone like. But I laughed a lot more than I expected to, and that’s due mostly to the oddball chemistry between Cena and André. These two performers don’t make much sense when they share the screen, which is precisely why they can spin comedy gold out of even the lamest gags. 

We’ve seen zombie apocalypses before, but never one as bloody, funny or fierce as the one in Queens of the Dead. When her party headliner unexpectedly drops out of an upcoming warehouse party, DJ Dre (Katy O’Brien) has to scramble to find a replacement. She reluctantly agrees to let Sam (Jaquel Spivey) take the stage, even though he suffers from crippling stage fright. Dre would normally be nervous about Sam, but she doesn’t have time to feel much of anything except fear when a gang of zombies comes crashing through her door. Determined to live, Dre, Sam and the rest of the club’s inhabitants must band together or else they’ll become the undead’s next meal.

Queens of the Dead is directed by Tina Romero and, much like her famous father George, she shows an affinity for the walking dead. She also possesses a flair for comedy and LGBT representation, and that’s what separates the film from all the other countless zombie flicks out there. Pride Month is wrapping up, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate queer joy than by watching a drag queen punch the hell out of some flesh-eating monsters.

Mean Girls meets The Craft in Forbidden Fruits, a deliberately schizoid genre mashup that’s part comedy, part horror and all fun. When Pumpkin (Lola Tung) starts a new job at a Dallas mall, she immediately is drawn to the cool girls who work at a nearby boutique store. Apple (Lili Reinhart), Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp) welcome Pumpkin into their tight clique, but the new girl soon realizes it’s more than a clique – it’s a coven! Apple is the bitchy witch who leads them all, and she rules her coven with an iron fist. Pumpkin wants out, but she quickly realizes the only way to leave is in a coffin.

Directed by Meredith Alloway, Forbidden Fruits is a poisoned love letter to ‘90s femme classics like Clueless, Jawbreaker and yes, The Craft. Reinhart makes the most of her role as the HBIC, whose acid tongue could burn all the Heathers in Heathers and even Regina George in Mean Girls. The climax is a splatter fest, with deaths by a malfunctioning escalator and falling glass, so prepare to be gagged. 

Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) is a middle-grade science teacher who wakes up in a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. Eventually, he learns why – he’s part of a last-ditch attempt to save Earth from a rapidly cooling Sun. He’s helped by a rock-like alien creature, Rocky (James Ortiz), but the two face daunting odds. Even if they are somehow successful, their mission is a fatal one, as there’s no way they can go back to their respective home planets.

Adapted from the hit novel by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary is one of 2026’s best movies. There are plenty of reasons why: it has an interesting story that blends fantastic sci-fi elements with realistic science; the production values, including the cinematography and visual effects, are top-notch; and the central friendship between Ryland and Rocky is surprisingly touching. Project Hail Mary is big, bold and beautiful, and it showcases just how great mainstream American cinema can be.