20 films turning 20 in 2026, including The Devil Wears Prada, Little Miss Sunshine and Borat

In 2006, cinema was undergoing a quiet revolution. Franchises were proving they could reach billion-dollar dominance while awards-season films found wider audiences. The year saw a surge in global storytelling, with films crossing borders in language, subject and setting, from Morocco in Babel to wartime Spain in Pan’s Labyrinth.

Streaming had not yet reshaped distribution, meaning theatrical runs still dictated cultural impact. Multiplexes were eclectic spaces where political satire, environmental urgency, studio animation and prestige thrillers shared screens in the same season. DVD sales were near their peak, helping mid-budget films thrive. It was a year where tone diversified, technology matured, and cinema still felt unpredictable, communal and gloriously global.

Here are 20 films that will turn 20 years old in 2026.

The Departed

Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed. Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

Martin Scorsese’s gritty Boston crime drama remains one of his most celebrated works. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson, the film grossed about $291.5 million worldwide on an estimated $90 million budget, showing that prestige cinema could also be a box-office force. At the 79th Academy Awards, it won four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director – Scorsese’s first Oscar – as well as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Its layered themes of loyalty, betrayal and identity have influenced crime cinema across the next two decades.

Pan’s Labyrinth

Pan’s Labyrinth demonstrated how a foreign-language fantasy could transcend markets and critics alike. Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

Guillermo del Toro’s poetic fable explores Francoist Spain, interweaving mythic fantasy and historical darkness. With a modest global gross of about $83 million, it demonstrated how a foreign-language fantasy could transcend markets and critics alike. The film earned three Oscars and was chosen as Best Film by the National Society of Film Critics. Its creatures and visual imagination remain touchstones for filmmakers exploring genre hybridity.

Children of Men

Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men explored a world without children. Photo: Universal Pictures

Alfonso Cuaron’s bleakly inventive dystopia about a world without children was not a huge commercial juggernaut, making about $70 million worldwide, but it became an instant critical classic. Celebrated for its long, immersive takes and documentary-like filmmaking, it received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and cemented Cuaron’s reputation as a visionary director. Nearly 20 years later, its themes of hope, crisis and societal decay feel ever more prescient for contemporary audiences.

The Prestige

The Prestige featured standout performances by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

Between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan directed this cerebral tale of obsession an