By Brantley McElroy
September 20, 2026

        A recent survey that Highland middle and high school students reponded to has spotlighted their cinematic tastes, highlighting a strong collective interest in cosmic science fiction, superhero narratives, and intense psychological horror.
        Drawing from late 2026 data, two major productions claimed the top spot in the district-wide survey, each securing 23.4 percent of the total vote: the high-concept space epic Project Hail Mary and the latest entry in the Marvel cinematic universe, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
        Ranking third was the chilling thriller Obsession, which captured 17 percent of student interest. Other significant titles mentioned in the results included the poignant literary adaptation Remarkably Bright Creatures and the explosive military-science fiction hybrid War Machine.
        Regarding viewing habits, Netflix remains the dominant force with 68.8 percent of students utilizing the service. Amazon Prime Video followed closely at 60.4 percent, while Disney+ served as a primary platform for 45.8 percent of the student body.

        Here is a detailed breakdown of the stories captivating audiences across the Highland district this year:

Shared First Place: Project Hail Mary
Genre Focus: Sci-Fi and Deep Space Survival
Inspired by Andy Weir’s acclaimed novel, Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, a scientist who awakens on a spacecraft with no memory of his past or his identity. As his recollections resurface, he discovers he is humanity's solo hope on a critical mission to prevent a stellar phenomenon from destroying the Sun and Earth.
Isolated in deep space, Grace must utilize his vast scientific knowledge to survive. His solitary journey takes a transformative turn when he encounters "Rocky," an extraterrestrial pilot whose own civilization is facing the exact same extinction event.

Shared First Place: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Genre Focus: Action-Drama and Superhero
Set four years after the world forgot Peter Parker’s identity, Brand New Day portrays Peter as a young man living in complete solitude. Acting as a dedicated masked protector in NYC, he maintains a painful distance from Ned and MJ to ensure their safety from his many enemies.
As he manages the daily grind of street-level heroism, the immense psychological toll of his isolation begins to surface. This internal strain causes a dangerous physical transformation just as a calculated string of crimes suggests a lethal new mastermind is watching from the darkness.

Ranked Third: Obsession
Genre Focus: Psychological Horror
A cautionary tale regarding the dangers of unbridled desire, Obsession introduces Bear, a young man fixated on his colleague, Nikki. Following a romantic rejection, Bear acquires a supernatural artifact known as a "One Wish Willow." He uses the object to wish for Nikki’s total devotion, and his request is granted with terrifying speed.
The initial romance quickly devolves into a nightmare. Nikki’s magically induced fixation becomes erratic and violent, turning her affection into an obsessive force that threatens to destroy both her and the man she supposedly loves.

Honorable Mentions
Remarkably Bright Creatures: This moving drama centers on Tova Sullivan, a widow who finds solace in her work at an aquarium while mourning her missing son. She develops a profound bond with Marcellus, a highly sentient giant Pacific octopus. As a new employee named Cameron enters the picture, Marcellus orchestrates events to help these two humans discover a long-hidden connection.

War Machine: Starring Alan Ritchson, this thriller follows a combat engineer known as "81" during an intense Army Ranger training phase. The exercise becomes a desperate battle for survival when an advanced alien craft crashes into the training grounds, forcing the recruits to use their limited resources to fight off a technological terror.