Top 10 Highest Rated IMDB Movies to Watch This May 2026

Top 10 Highest Rated IMDB Movies to Watch This May 2026

May is always a big month for cinema.

Studios know that summer audiences are ready — school is winding down, the weather is heating up, and people want to sit in the dark and watch something great. And this May in particular is delivering in a way that has film fans genuinely overwhelmed with choices.

We pulled together the ten highest rated and most talked-about films available to watch this May 2026 — combining IMDB scores, critical reception and pure audience enthusiasm to give you the definitive watchlist for the month.

Whether you want action, sci-fi, horror, comedy or something completely unexpected — May 2026 has it. Here is your guide.

1. Project Hail Mary (2026)

IMDB Rating: ⭐ 8.7/10 | Metacritic: 78 | Genre: Sci-Fi Director: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller

The highest rated film of 2026 so far — and it is not particularly close.

Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a science teacher who wakes up completely alone on a spaceship millions of miles from Earth with no memory of how he got there. As his memory slowly returns, he realises he is on a last-chance mission to save the entire human race from extinction. What he finds when he gets to his destination is something no scientist on Earth could have predicted.

Based on Andy Weir’s beloved novel — the same author who wrote The Martian — Project Hail Mary is the kind of science fiction that makes you remember why you fell in love with the genre. It is full of genuine wonder, unexpected humour and emotional depth that hits completely out of nowhere.

Critics called it a masterpiece. Audiences agree. An 8.7 on IMDB with nearly a thousand ratings means the people who have seen it are not being quiet about it.

This is the film everyone is recommending to everyone they know right now — and for very good reason. Find it in our full movies collection on O2Movie.

2. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

IMDB Rating: ⭐ 7.4/10 | Metacritic: 81 | Genre: Horror Director: Nia DaCosta | Stars: Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes

The best horror film of 2026 is also one of the best films of the entire year — full stop.

Following directly from last year’s 28 Years Later, this sequel follows Spike as he is pulled deeper into the mainland’s terrifying post-apocalyptic world. A brutal gang led by Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal — played by Jack O’Connell in a genuinely electrifying villain performance — controls the survivors with an iron fist. And a discovery made by Dr. Kelson threatens to change everything.

Director Nia DaCosta takes Alex Garland’s script and does something genuinely unexpected with it — the film is darker, stranger and more ambitious than anyone predicted. Audiences who loved the first film have called this one better. The 81 Metacritic score places it among the best reviewed films of the year.

Currently streaming on Netflix and available right here on O2Movie. An essential May watch.

3. The Rip (2026)

IMDB Rating: ⭐ 7.3/10 | Metacritic: 76 | Genre: Crime Thriller Director: Joe Carnahan | Stars: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck back on screen together for the first time in years — and the chemistry that made Good Will Hunting a classic is absolutely still there.

A team of Miami cops stumbles upon millions in cash hidden in a derelict stash house. The discovery should be simple. It immediately is not. Trust begins fracturing between the officers as word gets out about the money and outside forces start closing in. Every person in the room starts asking the same question — can I trust the person standing next to me?

Director Joe Carnahan — who made Narc and The Grey — keeps the tension wire-tight from the very first frame. Critics praised it as “compulsively watchable” and audiences have responded with a strong 7.3 on IMDB. The best crime thriller of the spring and a film that earns every minute of its runtime.

Available now in our full movies section on O2Movie.

4. Send Help (2026)

IMDB Rating: ⭐ 7.2/10 | Metacritic: 75 | Genre: Comedy / Thriller Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien

Sam Raimi directing a survival comedy — and it works better than it has any right to.

Linda Liddle is a corporate strategist who has been overlooked and underestimated her entire career. When she and her insufferable boss Bradley are the sole survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island, everything she has been suppressing finally has somewhere to go. The two people who could not stand each other in a boardroom now need each other to survive.

Rachel McAdams is tremendous — funny, sharp and completely committed to a performance that requires her to be both hilarious and genuinely heroic. Dylan O’Brien plays against type beautifully. The film is tense, funny and surprisingly emotional in its final act. Raimi’s fingerprints are all over the pacing and the occasional burst of completely unexpected darkness.

A 7.2 on IMDB and a 75 Metacritic tells you this one landed exactly as intended. Find it in our full movies collection on O2Movie.

5. Scream 7 (2026)

IMDB Rating: ⭐ 7.1/10 | Genre: Horror / Thriller Director: Kevin Williamson | Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May

Neve Campbell is back. Ghostface is back. And somehow — after all the behind-the-scenes chaos that nearly killed this film entirely — Scream 7 is the best entry in the franchise since the original.

Sidney Prescott has changed her name, moved to a quiet town in Indiana and built a new life. She has a husband. She has a teenage daughter named Tatum. She thought she was finally safe. She was wrong.

A new Ghostface emerges targeting not just Sidney but her daughter — and the film becomes something the franchise has never quite been before. A story about a mother fighting not just for her own survival but for her child. The stakes feel genuinely personal in a way the recent sequels sometimes lacked.

$214 million at the worldwide box office. The highest grossing film in the entire Scream franchise. Kevin Williamson — the original screenwriter of the 1996 classic — directing for the first time. This is the May horror film you cannot miss. Available now on O2Movie.

6. Mortal Kombat II (2026)

IMDB Rating: ⭐ 6.9/10 | Genre: Action Director: Simon McQuoid | Stars: Karl Urban, Ludi Lin, Jessica McNamee

Released May 8 — and Karl Urban as Johnny Cage is everything fans have been waiting for since the reboot began.

The fan favourite champion finally arrives in the franchise alongside the returning cast as Earthrealm faces its most dangerous threat yet — the dark rule of Shao Kahn who threatens to destroy the entire realm. The battles are bigger, the stakes are existential and the action sequences are the most spectacular the franchise has ever delivered.

Karl Urban brings exactly the right energy to Johnny Cage — cocky, hilarious and surprisingly capable when the stakes are highest. The film has already built strong word-of-mouth among fans of the game and the first film. A proper summer action event just in time for May. Get it now on our full movies section on O2Movie.

7. Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)

IMDB Rating: ⭐ 6.8/10 | Genre: Comedy / Drama Director: David Frankel | Stars: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci

Released May 1 — and one of the most warmly received sequels of the year.

Miranda Priestly is back. Andy Sachs is back. The original director, the original writer and most of the original cast all returned for a sequel set two decades later in a drastically changed media landscape. What happens when the most terrifying editor in fashion tries to survive a world that no longer works the way she built her power on?

Meryl Streep is imperious and magnificent. Anne Hathaway brings real depth to a character who has grown significantly since we last saw her. And Emily Blunt’s expanded role gives the film an emotional anchor that the original did not quite have. Warm, funny and deeply satisfying for anyone who loved the first film. Available now on O2Movie.

8. The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026)

IMDB Rating: ⭐ 6.8/10 | Genre: Action / Sci-Fi / Adventure Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Martin Scorsese

Releases May 22 — and Star Wars is back on the big screen for the first time in seven years.

Din Djarin and Grogu leave the small screen behind and step into a full theatrical adventure. The film picks up their journey with a scale and ambition that the Disney+ series — as good as it was — could never quite achieve. The cast additions are extraordinary — Jeremy Allen White in a key role, and Martin Scorsese appearing on screen for the first time in decades.

For fans of The Mandalorian series this is the theatrical event they have been building toward. For newcomers it works as a standalone Star Wars adventure with genuine heart at its centre. May 22 — mark it in your calendar now and find updates on our upcoming movies section.

9. I Love Boosters (2026)

IMDB Rating: ⭐ 6.7/10 | Genre: Comedy / Crime Director: Boots Riley | Stars: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Poppy Liu, Demi Moore

Releases May 22 — and Boots Riley is back with another film that refuses to follow any rulebook.

After the extraordinary Sorry to Bother You, Riley returns with a crew of stylish, political and absolutely charismatic shoplifters who set their sights on a ruthless fashion mogul. Keke Palmer leads a cast packed with talent — Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige and Demi Moore round out an ensemble that crackles with energy.

Premiered at SXSW to strong reviews and immediate audience enthusiasm. Critics called it chaotic, funny and sharply political. The kind of original, bold comedy that does not arrive very often. A May release that deserves far more attention than it is getting.

10. Spider-Man Noir (2026)

IMDB Rating: ⭐ 6.6/10 | Genre: Action / Mystery / Drama Director: Harry Bradbeer | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Brendan Gleeson, Lamorne Morris

Available globally on Amazon Prime Video from May 27 — and it is unlike anything Marvel has ever made.

Nicolas Cage as an aging 1930s private detective version of Spider-Man. Eight episodes dropping all at once. Shot in black and white. Set in New York during the Great Depression. A crime mystery wrapped around a superhero framework and executed with extraordinary craft and a cast that takes every scene seriously.

Brendan Gleeson as Silvermane, a monstrous crime boss. Li Jun Li as Cat Hardy. Lamorne Morris as a journalist fighting to survive in a corrupt city. The chemistry across the full cast is exceptional and the tone — moody, atmospheric, genuinely unsettling at times — is something the superhero genre has never quite delivered before.

If you are tired of typical superhero content and want something that treats you like an adult — this is the May streaming event you need. All eight episodes now available on O2Movie.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the highest IMDB rated movie of May 2026? A: Project Hail Mary holds the top spot with an extraordinary 8.7 on IMDB — making it one of the highest rated films of the entire year so far.

Q: What new movies are releasing in May 2026? A: Major May 2026 releases include Mortal Kombat II (May 8), The Mandalorian & Grogu (May 22), I Love Boosters (May 22) and Spider-Man Noir (May 27). Devil Wears Prada 2 and Scream 7 released earlier and are still performing strongly in cinemas.

Q: Is Project Hail Mary based on a book? A: Yes — it is based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir, the same author behind The Martian.

Q: Where can I watch these movies? A: All of the films on this list are available right here on O2Movie in full HD. Check the full library for the latest additions.

Q: What is the best action movie of May 2026? A: Mortal Kombat II and The Mandalorian & Grogu are the two biggest action releases of May. Both are essential for fans of the genre.