The 4K UHD Releases I'm Actually Excited About in 2026

Every January I do this thing where I go through all the announced 4K release schedules and make a list of what I'm pre-ordering. My partner thinks this is unhinged behavior. I think it's responsible financial planning. We've agreed to disagree.

This year's slate is genuinely stacked. Like, embarrassingly stacked. Here's what's got me reaching for my wallet — and what I'm side-eyeing from a safe distance.

The "Shut Up and Take My Money" Tier

These are pre-ordered. The decision was made before the announcement was even finished.

The Thing (1982) — Arrow's New 4K Restoration

Arrow finally got the rights and they are doing this right. New 4K scan from the original camera negative. Dolby Vision HDR. Three discs. A book. A poster. Probably some other stuff I'll pretend I didn't pay for.

I already own three different versions of The Thing on physical media. I will buy this. There is no version of reality where I do not buy this.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me — Criterion Edition

Criterion doing Lynch in 4K is exactly the kind of thing physical media exists for. Streaming will never give us a proper transfer of this movie. Streaming barely gives us the actual movie. I want the booklet, I want the audio commentary, I want it presented like the masterpiece it is.

If Criterion just gives us the original cut and not the Missing Pieces footage too, I'll riot. Politely. With a strongly worded forum post.

The Mission: Impossible Complete Collection

All eight movies, all in 4K, all in one box with new artwork. Look, I don't even consider myself a huge M:I guy. But the Fallout 4K is one of the best demo discs ever made and I want the rest of them at that quality. Plus it'll look great on the shelf.

Quick aside: the Paramount 4K transfers have been on a tear lately. Top Gun: Maverick, The Godfather Trilogy, Heat — all reference quality. They've earned my pre-order trust.

The "Yeah Probably" Tier

Strong interest, waiting for reviews before committing.

• Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke 4K — GKIDS is doing it. Early word on the transfer is mixed (some grain management concerns) so I'm waiting for the proper reviews to drop. If it's good, day one. If it's been DNR'd into oblivion, I'll keep my Blu-ray.
• The Coen Brothers Collection — Six films, all in 4K, all with new commentaries. The pricing is the question mark. If it comes in under $200 I'm in. If it's $300, I'm picking favorites individually.
• A24's Hereditary and Midsommar double feature steelbook — A24 finally getting their physical media act together is one of the best collector stories of the decade. Just please make the steelbook art good and I'm there.

The "Show Me More" Tier

Intrigued but skeptical.

The big one here is the rumored Wes Anderson box set. I love these movies but I already own most of them in nice editions. This needs to be substantially better than what I have or I'm passing. Show me the special features. Show me the new transfers. Don't just slap them in a fancy box and call it a day.

Also lurking: a complete Hayao Miyazaki director's collection. The price on this is going to be insane. Probably $400+. I'd love to own it. I probably won't. But I'll think about it for like six months and then decide either way.

The "Hard Pass" Tier (Sorry)

Listen, not everything announced is for everyone. A few I'm cheerfully skipping:

1. Yet another Lord of the Rings re-release. I have the Extended Editions on 4K already. I have the theatrical cuts on Blu-ray. I have the soundtracks. I'm done. I love you, Frodo, but I'm done.
2. Most of the "Disney Vault" reissues. Disney's 4K transfers of their animated catalog have been hit or miss, the steelbooks are pretty but overpriced, and the special features are usually just leftovers from the Blu-ray.
3. Anything advertised as "AI upscaled to 4K." I'd rather have a real Blu-ray than a fake 4K. This is a hill I will die on.

What I'm Actually Worried About

Two things keep me up at night about the 2026 slate:

Pricing creep. Single-disc 4Ks regularly hitting $35-40 now. Limited editions touching $80-100. I get that production costs are real, but at some point we price ourselves out of new collectors and the whole format suffers.

The death of the physical-only release window. More and more, physical releases are coming out months after streaming, which kills the whole "I want to own it before everyone else watches it" energy. Studios, please. Give us a window.

The Bottom Line

2026 is going to cost me a lot of money. I've made peace with this. If even half of these releases live up to their announcements, it'll be one of the best years for 4K UHD since the format launched.

The takeaway? Pre-order the limited editions early. They sell out and the aftermarket prices are no joke. Wait on the standard editions until the reviews drop. And maybe don't buy every Criterion announcement just because it's Criterion. (Note to self.)

What are you most excited about? Drop your picks in the forum. I'm always looking for an excuse to spend more money I don't have on movies I already own.

See you on release day. 💿