KA-POW! The Pop Cultured Podcast · www.youdownwithkpp.com

Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast #455 2026 Movie Preview

·1 hr 51 min·5 clips

Whistle uses an ancient Aztec death whistle that is said to summon future deaths upon the people who hear it.

1. Kapow! The Pop Cultured Podcast opens its 2026 movie preview with Jordan Lowe, Cliff Barnes, Seth, and recurring guest Jared Lowe. 2. Jordan Lowe hosts the episode, Cliff Barnes and Seth react throughout, and Jared Lowe returns for what the group calls an annual tradition. 3. The episode exists to sort through 2026 releases, predict the year's most anticipated films, and compare those guesses with the previous year's results. 4. Jared says he saw "more than 50 movies in theaters" in the past year, while the others compare their own theater counts. 5. Jordan is pressed on his earlier prediction that he would see four movies in theaters, and the group revisits the superhero titles he listed. 6. The hosts recap last year's anticipation list, including Fantastic Four, Superman, Thunderbolts, Captain America, Wake Up Dead Man, Mission Impossible, Mickey 17, and The Running Man. 7. They also revisit prediction categories for the highest box office movie and the year’s eventual favorite film. 8. Jordan mentions Sinners as one of his favorite movies of the year even though it was not on the anticipation list. 9. Jared describes going to see the 35th anniversary re-release of the original Turtles movie, which becomes a running example of his theater habits. 10. The conversation also touches on a Regal gift card for Christmas and the possibility of seeing a few more movies because of it. 11. The group moves into January titles like Greenland: Migration, where they discuss Gerard Butler, a migration after the end of the world, and what they call his plot armor. 12. Jared and Nick also watch the plot of Greenland before seeing Greenland: Migration, continuing a joke the hosts have done before with other Gerard Butler movies. 13. Several horror and genre titles follow, including Primate, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Charlie the Wonder Dog, and All You Need Is Kill. 14. The hosts describe Mercy as a Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson sci-fi project that feels like Minority Report with an AI judge. 15. They note Send Help as a Sam Raimi film with Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien, and Shelter as another Jason Statham title built around a dangerous past. 16. February brings Dracula, Stranger Things chapter three? no, Stranger: Chapter Three, Whistle, Cold Storage, Crime 101, Goat, and Don't Die, a mix that keeps the schedule moving quickly. 17. The tone is conversational, joke-heavy, and highly reactive, with the hosts constantly interrupting one another as they read titles. 18. The format is a long, free-flowing release calendar discussion rather than a structured interview, and the group keeps circling back to box office, theaters, and franchise fatigue. 19. Listeners who enjoy franchise release calendars and pop-culture forecasting will get the most out of this episode. 20. Listeners who want focused reviews or spoiler-free analysis of one movie should probably skip it.

As heard by us

A movie preview with jokes, gripes, and a few picks.

Kapow's annual movie preview returns with Jared Lowe as the recurring guest, and the format still works because he is refreshingly blunt about not getting to movies much anymore.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get a 2026 movie preview with jokes, gripes, and a few real bets.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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