Mortal Kombat 2 Punches Its Way to #4 on May’s Most Anticipated Movies List

Alright, let’s go ahead and peek at what movie fans are absolutely losing their minds over for May 2026. Turns out, the most-hyped film isn’t a superhero thing, a reboot, or some desperate franchise cash-in (well, not exactly). At the very top is... a sequel nobody thought would ever exist: The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Props to ScreenRant and the folks who crunch these numbers at Diesel Labs—they basically read the social media tea leaves to see what’s going to be big. They don’t just look at trailers; they dive into the nitty-gritty of likes, shares, comments, and views on places like Facebook and YouTube to get what they call 'Attention Signals.' Think of it as the internet's group chat about which upcoming movies are worth being excited about.

The Most Buzzed-About Movies Coming in May 2026

Let’s break down the top 10, because the list has some safe bets, a few under-the-radar projects, and more than one surprise:

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 (May 1) – At 100% on the attention scale and racking up over 1.3 billion engagement signals, this sequel pretty much nukes the competition. Disney is bringing back the Oscar-nominated cast, giving fans the drama and one-liners they've apparently been craving for nearly two decades.
• Backrooms (May 29) – 31.72% / 416 million+ signals. A24 is behind this sci-fi horror (yep, the ONE about the creepy endless liminal office nightmare), directed by YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Kane Parsons, with Chiwetel Ejiofor starring. This is absolutely one of those weird internet things that somehow got super mainstream.
• The Mandalorian & Grogu (May 22) – 29.92% / 392 million+ signals. Star Wars is finally back in theaters, and Disney is not shy about cashing in on the helmet and the baby Yoda combo.
• Mortal Kombat 2 (May 8) – 9.60% / 126 million signals. Here’s the left-field: the sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat jumps ahead of a bunch of high-profile originals. Karl Urban leads the cast, and apparently, the internet’s still not sick of fatalities.
• I Love Boosters (May 22) – 5.87% / 77 million+ signals. Keke Palmer and Boots Riley team up for a crime comedy, with Neon distributing. This one’s got indie weirdness potential written all over it.
• The Breadwinner (May 29) – 4.97% / 65 million+ signals. Sony’s comedy starring Nate Bargatze, aiming to pull the stand-up crowd into multiplexes.
• The Sheep Detectives (May 8) – 4.12% / 54 million+ signals. Hugh Jackman fronts a murder mystery comedy for Amazon MGM that—let’s be honest—pretty much nobody saw coming.
• Hokum (May 1) – 3.89% / 51 million+ signals. Adam Scott in a horror from Neon, dropping the same day as Prada 2 but obviously not making the kind of noise Disney is.
• Obsession (May 15) – 1.84% / 24 million+ signals. Blumhouse gets in the mix with another horror flick, releasing through Focus Features.
• Animal Farm (May 1) – 1.78% / 23 million+ signals. Andy Serkis directs this animated version of the Orwell classic, packing a strangely stacked voice cast: Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, Steve Buscemi, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close. Yes, really.

What This Says About Movie Fans...

So what’s the big takeaway? The top spots all go to sequels and well-known IP—no surprise there. But the fact that Mortal Kombat 2 landed at #4 proves you really can never predict what will get the most buzz (video game adaptations still print money, apparently).

And in case you needed a number to drive it home: the Prada sequel grabbed more than ten times the attention of the #2 pick. The people want Miranda Priestly back, and they want it now.

One thing’s clear: for all the talk about 'franchise fatigue', moviegoers still show up (at least online) for nostalgia-fueled sequels, weird internet myths turned Hollywood features, and yes, another round of soul-sucking job interviews with Meryl Streep.

'The Devil Wears Prada 2 is so far out in front that it's almost unfair to everyone else.'