From Jana Nayagan To Jailer 2: 17 South Theatrical Releases Which Will Hit Screens In 2026

As

we welcome the New Year, film buffs are excited to about the upcoming line up of films in 2026. This year's movie calendar is filled with a variety of releases. Major studios are collaborating with big stars for the projects. For moviegoers this will hint at an interesting lineup planned for the year. Fans of every genre, be it romance, comedy, action or horror, will get to watch something they like. From Vijay's Jana Nayagan to Prabhas' The Raja Saab - here's a list of films hitting screens in 2026.

Jana Nayagan To Jailer 2 - 7 South Theatrical Releases In 2026

Jana NayaganRelease Date: 9 January

Jana Nayagan is one of Tamil cinema's most awaited films, as it stars Thalapathy Vijay in the lead. Directed by H. Vinoth and produced by KVN Productions. The film also stars Pooja Hegde and Bobby Deol in the lead roles, alongside Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain and Priyamani. It is said to be the final film appearance of Vijay before his full-fledged entry into politics, and KVN's first Tamil film production.Parasakthi Release Date: 10 January

Starring Sivakarthikeyan in the lead, the film Parasakthi is a political historical drama film directed by Sudha Kongara and produced by Aakash Bhaskaran of Dawn Pictures. The film, set in the 1960s, stars Ravi Mohan as the antagonist. It also features Atharvaa and Sreeleela (in her Tamil debut) in the lead roles, alongside Dev Ramnath, Prithvi Rajan, Guru Somasundaram and Malayalam actor Basil Joseph.The Raja SaabRelease Date: 9 January

Starring Prabhas in the lead, the horror comedy is written and directed by Maruthi. It also stars Sanjay Dutt, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan (in her Telugu film debut), Riddhi Kumar and Zarina Wahab.Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu (MSVG) Release Date: 12 January

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu stars Chiranjeevi in the lead. The film directed by Anil Ravipudi stars Nayanthara alongside megastar. The film also sees Venkatesh in a cameo. Anaganaga Oka Raju Release Date: 14 January

A comedy drama starring Naveen Polishetty, Anaganaga Oka Raju also stars Meenakshi Chaudhary. It is directed by MaariBhartha Mahasayulaku VignapthiRelease Date: 13 January

The film is a comedy drama starring Ravi Teja in the lead. It is directed by Kishore Tirumala. The film also stars Ashika Ranganath · Dimple Hayathi in key roles.Dacoit: A Love StoryRelease Date: 19 March

Dacoit: A Love Story is a bilingual action drama starring Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur, with Anurag Kashyap and Prakash Raj in key roles. The film marks Shaneil Deo’s directorial debut.PeddiRelease Date: 27 March

Starring Ram Charan in the lead, the sports action drama written and directed by Buchi Babu Sana. The film stars Janhvi Kapoor in an ensemble cast featuring Shiva Rajkumar, Jagapathi Babu and DivyennduLove Insurance KompanyRelease Month: January

After multiple delays in the film hitting the screens, Love Insurance Kompany is likely to release in January, however a new date hasn't been announced yet. Directed by Vignesh Shivan, jointly produced by Rowdy Pictures and Seven Screen Studio, the film stars Pradeep Ranganathan, S. J. Suryah and Krithi Shetty in the lead roles. Yogi Babu, Seeman, Gouri G Kishan, Shah Ra play supporting roles.Karuppu Release Month: Summer 2026

Karuppu starring Suriya in the lead, is directed by RJ turned director RJ Balaji. The film was officially announced in October 2024 under the tentative title Suriya 45. It stars Trisha, Swasika, Sshivada, and Indrans in key roles.Jailer 2

A sequel to the 2023 film Jailer, Rajinikanth's film is one of the biggest films of the year. Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar the film also stars Suryah, Ramya Krishnan, Vinayakan, Yogi Babu and Mirnaa. It is rumored to star Shah Rukh Khan as well

Mookuthi Amman 2

Release Month: Summer 2026

Produced on a budget of Rs 100 crore, director Sundar C's Mookuthi Amman 2 stars Nayanthara in the lead. It also features Urvashi, Duniya Vijay, Regina Cassandra, Yogi Babu and Abhinaya in supporting rolesSardar 2

Karthi's action thriller film directed by P S Mithran is a sequel to their film Sardar. It stars S. J. Suryah, Malavika Mohanan and Ashika Ranganath in key roles.

Aadu 3

The third and final installment of Aadu franchise stars Jayasurya, Saiju Kurup, Vinayakan, Renji Panicker. It is set to release in March 2026.Patriot

Patriot is a highly anticipated Malayalam political thriller directed by Mahesh Narayanan, and stars Mammootty and Mohanlal in lead roles, alongside Fahadh Faasil, Nayanthara, Kunchacko Boban. The ambitious project with a star-studded cast is likely to release during Vishu.Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-UpsRelease Date: 19 March

Yash's film with Geetu Mohandas will release in Kannada and Hindi. The highly-talked about project also includes Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi in key roles.

KD: The Devil

Release Month: April

Dhruva Sarja's action film is directed by Prem and produced by Venkat K. Narayana under the KVN Productions. The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa Shetty, Jisshu Sengupta and Nora Fatehi in key roles.