February 2026 turned out to be much stronger than the usual “dump month” reputation suggests, with several acclaimed festival holdovers, standout international dramas, and a few ambitious studio releases hitting theaters and streaming. Based on early critic scores, editorial picks, and release coverage, the month’s best films included EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, My Father’s Shadow, Pillion, The President’s Cake, and Sirât.
Why February surprised critics
Metacritic’s February 2026 preview showed an unusually rich lineup, mixing auteur cinema, prestige festival winners, a major music documentary, and commercial genre releases in the same month. That meant February wasn’t only about franchise fare like Scream 7 or high-profile adaptations like Wuthering Heights; it also became a strong month for smaller films that arrived with serious critical momentum.
Rotten Tomatoes’ running 2026 rankings point the same way, with titles released or breaking wider in this period landing near the top of the year’s best-reviewed films. The result was a month where the best movies were often not the loudest ones, but the ones critics found most emotionally precise, formally confident, or culturally resonant.
The top films
1. EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert
Baz Luhrmann’s restored and re-edited Elvis concert documentary was one of the month’s most acclaimed releases, carrying an 86 Metascore and “universal acclaim” in Metacritic’s February preview. The film is built from rediscovered early-1970s concert footage and archival audio Luhrmann unearthed while researching Elvis, then restored into a new theatrical experience.
What makes it more than fan service is the critical response to its craft and scale. Metacritic’s preview noted that the film impressed critics after premiering at TIFF in 2025, which gave it unusual prestige for a music documentary entering a crowded awards-season landscape.
2. My Father’s Shadow
Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow was another critical standout, earning an 85 Metascore and “universal acclaim” before its February 6 theatrical launch. The semi-autobiographical drama follows a father and his two sons in Lagos on the day Nigeria’s 1993 democratic election was annulled, tying intimate family storytelling to national political trauma.
Its acclaim was already well established before release. Metacritic notes that the film won a Camera d’Or Special Distinction at Cannes 2025 and a Breakthrough Director honor at the 2025 Gotham Awards, which framed it as one of the month’s essential serious dramas.
3. Pillion
Harry Lighton’s Pillion also posted an 85 Metascore with “universal acclaim,” making it one of February’s best-reviewed narrative features. The film stars Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård in a relationship drama described by Metacritic as explicit on the surface but relatable, funny, tender, and deeply human at its core.
That combination of intimacy and boldness helped it stand out in a month full of louder releases. Metacritic also highlights that Lighton won Best Screenplay in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section for the film, underscoring why many critics viewed it as more than just a provocative premise.
4. The President’s Cake
Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake was one of February’s breakout critical favorites, with an 84 Metascore and “universal acclaim.” Set in 1990s Iraq, the film follows a nine-year-old girl trying to gather ingredients for a school cake mandated to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthday, blending childhood perspective with political satire and social critique.
Its pedigree is equally strong. Metacritic reports that it won the Camera d’Or at Cannes 2025 as well as the Directors’ Fortnight People’s Choice prize, and Rotten Tomatoes lists it at the very top of its best-reviewed 2026 movie rankings with a 99% score.
5. Sirât
Óliver Laxe’s Sirât earned an 84 Metascore and “universal acclaim,” making it one of the month’s strongest international releases. The film follows a father and son searching for a missing family member, moving from a mountain rave in Morocco into harsher desert terrain, where the story becomes a test of endurance, grief, and obsession.
Metacritic also notes that the film shared the Jury Prize at Cannes 2025 and went on to receive two Oscar nominations, for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound. That mix of festival prestige and sensory ambition made it one of February’s most artistically significant releases.
Other standouts
Several other February films were worth attention even if they landed a little below the top tier. Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie scored a 78 Metascore and arrived with strong notices as a time-travel buddy comedy, while Calle Málaga earned a 73 for its warm, humanistic character study from The Blue Caftan director Maryam Touzani.
On the more commercial side, Crime 101 drew a 68 Metascore and was positioned as a sleek California crime thriller with Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry, while Gore Verbinski’s Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die scored a 66 and was praised in pre-release coverage for its energetic sci-fi-comedy setup. These were not the month’s most acclaimed films, but they added range for audiences looking beyond prestige drama.
Streaming coverage also broadened the month’s conversation. Variety highlighted films such as Eternity, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Urchin among the best movies newly arriving on streaming in February, giving the month unusual depth both in theaters and at home.
Disappointments and mixed bets
Not every prestige title landed. Wuthering Heights, despite the attention around Emerald Fennell, Margot Robbie, and Jacob Elordi, carried a 55 Metascore in Metacritic’s preview coverage, suggesting a sharply divided response rather than broad acclaim.
The bigger stumble was Scream 7, which entered theaters February 27 with a 35 Metascore and “generally unfavorable” early reception in Metacritic’s roundup. That made it one of the clearest examples of how February’s best films came less from franchise expectations and more from critics championing daring originals, festival discoveries, and international cinema.
Best movies ranked
| Rank | Movie | Why it stood out |
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