These 10 Iconic Films Are All Turning 20 in 2026
Just like Back to the Future II predicted we’d all be zipping around on hoverboards and flying cars in 2015, according to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, 2026 will be all about fighting to stay alive under primate rule.
There’s plenty to be dubious about in 2026, but thankfully a ruling elite of apes isn’t one of them (yet). Perhaps scariest of all is the rapid passing of time, as demonstrated by a bunch of classic films that are set to celebrate their 20th birthday.
From the cringe to the critics’ favourites, here’s what’s turning 20 this year.
High School Musical
Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez would be in their mid-thirties now. Probably making sickeningly cute couples TikToks complete with the millennial pause and coaching the hell out of a school musical theatre club. When we first met them in 2006, played by then little known actors Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, it caused a Disney phenomenon. The musical film about a maths geek and a basketball jock falling in love through a shared talent for singing kicked off sequels, merch, theatre shows, and a dedicated fanbase still going strong today.
The Departed
Martin Scorsese’s gangster drama featured Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon as an undercover cop and career criminal respectively who have to uncover each other’s identities to save themselves. Considered amongst Scorsese’s classics and his best movie since 1990’s Goodfellas, the film was a critical and commercial success, scooping four Oscars and appearing on ‘best of 2006’ lists far and wide.
The Holiday
One of the absolute classics in the Christmas rotation along with Love Actually and Home Alone, The Holiday is two whole decades old this year. In a way it feels like we’ve always had Mr Napkin Head in our lives, but Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz’s wholesome film about two women having a crap old time with worse-than-bare-minimum men life-swapping and finding love (and themselves) is one for the ages.
Casino Royale
Daniel Craig made his debut appearance as James Bond in 2006’s Casino Royale, silencing naysayers with a performance that was lauded as one of the most accurate representations of Ian Fleming’s cool, cruel Bond (or as the BBC put it - “an absolute swine”). The movie saw Bond tasked with winning a poker game against a financier bankrolling terrorists, and kickstarted Daniel’s complicated relationship with the character.
Borat
As controversial as it was wildly successful, Sacha Baron Cohen made his first major outing as his now infamous character in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Under the guise of the Kazakh reporter, Sacha baits Americans into revealing their racist, sexist and bigoted views in between trying to marry Pamela Anderson in what is now regarded by many as one of the best films of the 21st century.
Pans Labyrinth
Guillermo Del Toro’s disturbing fantasy against the backdrop of 1994 fascist Spain received the longest standing ovation in Cannes history, clocking in at a hand-chafing 22 minutes. It was no big surprise that it went on to win three Oscars and the same amount of BAFTAs. A cult classic, the horror fairytale used an impressive mix of CGI, make-up and animatronics to create some truly gruesome characters that are still etched in the minds of anyone who’s seen Pan’s Labyrinth.
The Devil Wears Prada
Still oft-quoted to this day, The Devil Wears Prada is a stone cold classic. With a sequel set for release in May, we’ve never been more ready to dive back into the world of fearsome fashion editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) and the journalist at her behest, Andy (Anne Hathaway). Proving that ‘chick flicks’ can get Oscar nominations too (Meryl received a nod for Best Actress), The Devil Wears Prada has seen off genre snobs for decades of unironic enjoyment.
Dreamgirls
Cast your mind back to Beyoncé’s acting era in the early noughties. It was an odd time, with the Grammy-winning, billionaire singer appearing in everything from Austin Powers to a poorly received Idris Elba thriller. However she also appeared in the objectively good Dreamgirls, along with Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx, in an adaptation of the Broadway musical that pleased both the box office and the critics.
The Pursuit Of Happyness
Will Smith had everyone weeping in this biographical drama. He portrayed Chris Gardner, a man who experienced homelessness while raising his infant son before ultimately going on to become a successful stockbroker. Featuring Will’s real-life son Jaden, it was a heartwarming tale that earned the actor his second Oscar nomination and won audiences over with the inspirational real-life retelling.
Step Up
Critics didn’t get The Vision of Step Up, but real ones know. Released the very same year as She’s The Man, which also deserves an honourable mention, Channing Tatum continued his breakthrough with this teen dance movie/pure art. There was no drama quite like the sizzling on-screen chemistry between Tyler (Channing) and Nora (Jenna Dewan) as they grappled with their wildly different backgrounds to come together through dance and change their lives.