With the beginning of a new year, there have been a large amount of new movies that have hit the theaters, with huge ones from the end of 2025 carrying into this year. Some big names to kick off the year are Sam Raimi’s “Send Help”, Johannes Roberts’ “Primate” and Timur Bekmambetov’s “Mercy.” Almost all have received positive reviews from critics and the public and have come through with impressive box office performances. With genres spanned from horror, to sci-fi, to comedy the month of January has been filled with great movies for fans.

To start, the oldest movie on this list, “Primate”, which follows the story of Lucy Pinborough, who has returned to her home with her family in Hawaii, and she brings along some friends. But when their family pet Chimp, Ben, goes rabid, her homecoming turns into a fight for survival for her and her friends with the pet they loved.

This is the type of horror movie you have fun watching. With a lot of people like me going in with low expectations, I found this as a very tense, very fun horror movie with scenes with jaw-dropping gore and practical effects. And with some very funny and likable characters, this movies has you rooting for mostly all characters and gives you a feeling that no one is safe, which will have viewers on edge for all 90 minutes With a budget of $21 million, Primate was able to bring in of $36 million worldwide, and considered a strong start to the year for the genre.

Next up, “Send Help”, which is a horror and comedy movie that follows a woman and her arrogant boss end up as the only two survivors of a company plane crash, and they end up stranded on a deserted island, And they must overcome their past difference and work together to survive and make it out of the island alive.

This is another type of horror movie with a fun aspect, with a lot of comedy bits added within the movie. The acting in this movie by both Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brian really tie this whole movie together and make you want to keep watching. And the suspense in this movie will keep you not wanting to take your eyes off the screen until they end, definitely a movie I would recommend if you have a few free hours to kill.

And finally, a movie set in the near future, “Mercy” follows the new use of an AI judge, that gives you 90 minutes to prove your case and your innocence, or face execution. And lead detective Chris, has been charged with the murder of his wife. He has 90 minutes and access to all files, camera footage, and evidence possibly in the city to save his life.

This is an intense, high-stakes movie which has you itching to see how it will end the whole time. The director did an amazing job creating a high-pressure environment through the screen, seen the clock tick down with Chris. It also has a VR-type of feel to it, which makes you feel like you are experiencing the movie first hand. The VFX in this movie is amazing and everything combined together creates a very good watch to anyone who enjoys high stakes, fast paced movies.

Although the year of 2026 just started, there has already been a very solid start in the theaters that has movie fans waiting to see what big hit will release next.