The Big Picture · Auction

The 2026 Movie Auction

January 14, 2026/ 141 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins · Chris Ryan

The first-half movie auction (Part 1). Sean, Amanda, and Chris each draft five upcoming 2026 films with a $1,000 budget, against the season's triggers ($100M box office, Oscar noms, 85+ Metacritic, ≤2 sequels). They open by grading last year's 2025 slate. This is the companion to the July auction already catalogued.

A sale of 15 lots across 3 paddles, $2,321 at the hammer.

Top lot: The Odyssey, to Paddle 2, $926.

The paddles who spent what

Paddle 1

Amanda Dobbins

$1,000

5 lots

Paddle 2

Sean Fennessey

$1,000

5 lots

Paddle 3

Chris Ryan

$321

5 lots · $679 unspent

The board this sale, by hammer price

01

The Odyssey 2026

No.2 Sean Fennessey

$926
Nolan's epic, and the sale's top lot after a long bidding war. Big cast, practical effects, a July release.
02

Dune: Part Three 2026

No.1 Amanda Dobbins

$775
Villeneuve's finale, with Chalamet, Zendaya, Pugh, Pattinson. A likely tic-tac-toe (box office plus a Return-of-the-King Best Picture nod).
03

Project Hail Mary 2026

No.1 Amanda Dobbins

$200
Lord & Miller / Gosling; Drew Goddard adapting Andy Weir. Amazon MGM betting on original sci-fi.
04

The Adventures of Cliff Booth 2026

No.3 Chris Ryan

$76
David Fincher directs Tarantino's script; Brad Pitt returns. Netflix.
05

Wuthering Heights 2026

No.3 Chris Ryan

$75
Emerald Fennell's Brontë; Jacob Elordi, Margot Robbie, Charli XCX scoring. A Valentine's swing.
06

Resident Evil 2026

No.3 Chris Ryan

$72
Zach Cregger's 'spiritual' game adaptation; Austin Abrams. A box-office bet on Raccoon City.
07

Disclosure Day 2026

No.3 Chris Ryan

$72
Spielberg's UFO movie; Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Josh O'Connor. Universal's big original event.
08

Jack of Spades 2026

No.2 Sean Fennessey

$50
Joel Coen's Apple mystery; Josh O'Connor, Frances McDormand. A 19th-century, Poe-coded flyer.
09

The Devil Wears Prada 2 2026

No.3 Chris Ryan

$26
David Frankel returns; a near-lock for $100M.
10

The Mandalorian and Grogu 2026

No.1 Amanda Dobbins

$19
A pure box-office play she's lukewarm on: 'or Grogu, as he's known in my home.'
11

Narnia: The Magician's Nephew 2026

No.2 Sean Fennessey

$18
Greta Gerwig's Netflix prequel; a two-week IMAX-exclusive box-office bet.
12

Verity 2026

No.1 Amanda Dobbins

$5
Colleen Hoover adaptation; Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett; dir. Michael Showalter.
13

Digger 2026

No.2 Sean Fennessey

$5
Iñárritu with Tom Cruise, a 'modern Dr. Strangelove'; a test of Cruise's stardom at the box office.
14

The Social Reckoning 2026

No.1 Amanda Dobbins

$1
Aaron Sorkin's Facebook follow-up; Mikey Madison as Frances Haugen. A brand pick.
15

Toy Story 5 2026

No.2 Sean Fennessey

$1
A value play: the villain is a tablet (voiced by Greta Lee). Near-certain money plus an Oscar nod.