Los Angeles, Jan 15 (UNI) IMDb has revealed its list of the most anticipated Indian films of 2026, with Shah Rukh Khan’s action thriller ‘King’ claiming the top spot, based on global user engagement from the platform’s worldwide audience, according to Variety.
The rankings, determined by actual page views from IMDb’s 250 million monthly visitors, highlight growing international interest in India’s diverse cinematic offerings. The list features 20 films across five languages: 10 Hindi, five Telugu, three Tamil, and one each in Malayalam and Kannada.
‘King’ reunites Khan with Pathaan director Siddharth Anand and marks the superstar’s first theatrical release in nearly three years. Its top position reflects strong anticipation for Khan’s return to the big screen, highlights Variety.
Other highly anticipated films include Nitesh Tiwari’s mythological epic Ramayana Part 1, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Yash; H. Vinoth’s Tamil political drama Jana Nayagan, rumored to be actor-turned-politician Vijay’s final role; Prabhas’ Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga; and Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic, featuring Yash.
Several stars appear multiple times on the list. Nayanthara features in both ‘Toxic’ and ‘Patriot’, the latter headlined by Malayalam cinema legends Mammootty and Mohanlal.
Yash appears in ‘Ramayana Part 1’ and ‘Toxic’. Sunny Deol stars in ‘Ramayana Part 1’ and ‘Border 2’, while Prabhas leads ‘Spirit’ and ‘Fauzi’.
Ranbir Kapoor appears in ‘Ramayana Part 1’ and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Love & War’, also starring Alia Bhatt, who features in ‘Alpha’, part of the Yash Raj Films Spy Universe. Triptii Dimri appears in both ‘Spirit’ and ‘O Romeo’.
The list also includes sequels and franchise expansions, such as ‘Dhurandhar 2’, ‘Alpha’ (YRF Spy Universe), ‘Benz’ (Lokesh Cinematic Universe), and ‘Shakti Shalini’ (Maddock Horror-Comedy Universe).
Rounding out the top 20 are Salman Khan’s Battle of Galwan, Pradeep Ranganathan’s LIK: Love Insurance Kompany, Nani’s The Paradise, Ram Charan’s Peddi, NTR Jr’s Dragon, and Akshay Kumar’s Bhooth Bangla.
IMDb’s methodology focused on sustained user engagement, measuring which upcoming Indian films generated the most consistent interest from its global audience ahead of their 2026 theatrical releases, as per Variety.
