The 2026 Winter Olympic Video games are an enormous yr for skaters utilizing film soundtracks and costumes, and these are the most important 12 film references thus far. The best athletes from all over the world have gathered in Milan-Cortina to compete for the gold medals of their winter sports activities.
Few winter sports activities are as celebrated as determine skating, which takes unimaginable energy and athleticism. Nonetheless, touchdown jumps, spins, and lifts aren’t all the pieces on the subject of reaching the rostrum. There’s additionally a creative aspect.
Selecting the best music can closely affect how a skater performs below immense strain. This yr, many determine skaters have opted to reference massive Blockbuster motion pictures of their choreography, costumes, and music selections. Listed below are a number of the movies that basically stood out.
10
The Lion King
Disney’s The Lion King was launched in 1994 and has grown right into a flourishing franchise of flicks, video games, and TV exhibits. Unsurprisingly, the unique soundtrack has continued to resonate with audiences 32 years later. Hans Zimmer is a prolific composer, and his work is just enhanced by pop icon Elton John’s contributions.
Songs with lyrics have been solely allowed beginning in 2018, so we’ve had three Olympics the place The Lion King music would have been allowed. This yr marks the second consecutive Olympics by which determine skaters have carried out to The Lion King medleys.
This Olympics, Canadian ladies’s skater Madeline Schizas competed for her workforce within the Quick Program to music from the Disney movie, and she or he regarded like she was having a blast. Her costume featured gold, orange, and crimson, just like the “Circle of Life” opening scene from the film. It’s an exquisite ode to The Lion King.
9
Dune & Dune Half Two
The 2026 Olympics appear to be a yr of skating to the scores of epic movies and sci-fi. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is making an look not as soon as however twice. Kazakhstani males’s skater Mikhail Shaidorov did his quick program to music from the primary Dune movie.
Not solely did the music and choreography convey the spirit, however the costume and even the skater’s coiffure felt like close to replicas of Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. It was an exquisite homage to the movie, which was a ardour challenge adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune books.
In the meantime, Dune Half Two will make an look on the eleventh within the ice dance free dance. Spain’s couple, Olivia Good and Tim Dieck, will use the rating from the sequel. The truth that the franchise is getting used twice simply proves how impactful the sci-fi epic is. What’s extra, it builds anticipation for the upcoming third film.
8
Ghost
Ghost is likely one of the greatest love tales of the Nineties, and there are few film songs as instantly recognizable as “Unchained Melody.” The star-crossed romance between the ghostly Sam Wheat and Molly Jensen, performed by the unimaginable Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, is as stunning as it’s tragic.
Slightly than only a single nod to the film, Ghost will get two separate moments within the 2026 Olympics, although technically the primary is a medley from the Broadway musical adaptation. George’s Anastassia Gubanova carried out the ladies’s free skate for her nation’s workforce, encapsulating the drama of the story.
Then, only a few days later, Latvia’s Deniss Vasijevs used “Unchained Melody” for his particular person quick program. These two very completely different interpretations of the identical love story present simply how profound Ghost is.
7
Jaws
Since its launch in 1975, Jaws has struck concern within the hearts of viewers, spawning a concern of sharks that endures to this present day. Whereas the carnage contributes to its affect, a big portion of the credit score should go to prolific composer John Williams, whose rating is so haunting that simply two notes can affect people.
Italian ladies’s skater Lara Naki is an athlete who likes to insert her character into routines. On the 2025 FSU World College Video games, she skated to the Squid Sport theme with a gown that included the pink, black, and the shapes on the Squid Sport card.
Throughout this yr’s workforce free skate, she danced to Jaws with a gown that has blue and black of the water, grey and white of the shark, cutouts that appear to be a shark chew, and glittery crimson accents that appear to be blood.
6
Interstellar
Interstellar is extensively thought-about the most effective science fiction motion pictures of all time due to its correct science and spectacular cinematography. Nonetheless, its true shining star is the music, which, just like the scores of different motion pictures on this record, was composed by Hans Zimmer.
Italian determine skater Mateo Rizzo used this as the premise for his workforce free skate on the 2026 Olympics, and it was really one of the stunning performances. His musicality and choreography completely match the movie’s rating. He additionally wore a dressing up that pale from black to gentle blue, with accents that resembled stars.
He deserved the overwhelming cheering he obtained on the finish. I really like determine skating, and it was one of the stunning performances I’ve ever seen. He really did an exceptional job bringing the story of Interstellar to life in a brand new manner and representing his dwelling nation in Milan.
5
The Minions
The Minions craze started with the primary Despicable Me film in 2010, and it has by no means gone away since. That being stated, of all the films referenced within the 2026 Olympic Video games, essentially the most peculiar and distinctive is The Minions.
Spain’s males’s skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate fought exhausting to safe the rights to music from the Minions motion pictures and Despicable Me, which he utilized in his particular person quick program. He practically needed to change the music on the final minute. Nonetheless, approval lastly got here in.
Not like the opposite movie franchises referenced within the 2026 Olympic determine skating, The Minions is animated and identified for being extraordinarily foolish. Fortunately, Guarino Sabate included the franchise’s goofiness into his choreography. It may need obtained profitable numbers, nevertheless it was extraordinarily enjoyable to observe.
4
James Bond
Since Sean Connery debuted the function in theaters, 007 has turn out to be essentially the most well-known spy in movie or tv. The M16 agent is thought for being a womanizer, driving fancy automobiles, his license to kill, and his martinis, “shaken not stirred.” Six actors have performed James Bond over time, and every brings one thing distinctive to the desk.
Given how fashionable the character is, it shouldn’t be stunning that music from the movies will make an look on the 2026 Olympics. The music for Slovakia skater Adam Hagara’s upcoming free skate is Bond, James Bond.
The following James Bond hasn’t been determined but, however Callum Turner is the present frontrunner for the function. Both manner, Adam Hagara’s efficiency shall be an excellent reminder of what’s to come back.
3
The Matrix
Since The Matrix was launched in 1999, the Wachowski sisters’ film has continued to affect popular culture in thrilling methods. Components of the movies, reminiscent of crimson and blue drugs and dwelling in a simulation, are so ubiquitous that they’ve turn out to be a part of our nomenclature, particularly in digital areas.
Don Davis’s movie rating may not get fairly as a lot consideration or appreciation, nevertheless it deserves all of it the identical. The sound is exclusive and instantly recognizable. The avant-garde fashion of orchestration heightens the expertise of watching the movie.
Followers of the movie might want to watch Czechia’s ice dance free dance on the eleventh, the place skaters Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler will dance to choices from The Matrix.
2
Conclave
The thriller film Conclave took the world by storm in 2024, providing a glimpse into the very secretive course of of selecting the subsequent pope. The movie solely gained extra momentum after the unhappy passing of Pope Francis. In the end, it swept the 2024-2025 awards season with a nonstop string of nominations and wins.
Two of those nominations have been the Critics’ Alternative Award and the BAFTA Award for Greatest Authentic Rating. Whereas the movie didn’t win both, its nomination is proof sufficient that composer Volker Bertleman did one thing particular and impactful with the music.
Clearly, it resonated with Italian males’s skater Daniel Grassi, who will carry out his particular person free skate to the rating of Conclave. It feels particularly significant for an Italian competitor to make use of the rating, since Vatican Metropolis is situated inside Rome, Italy.
1
Gladiator & Gladiator 2
Gladiator and Gladiator 2 are two of the perfect epic movies of all time, telling the story of betrayal and vengeance. The rating takes audiences by a variety of feelings, together with bravery and loss. Hans Zimmer gained a Golden Globe for the rating. Fortunately, the composer got here again for the second film, creating one thing simply as transferring.
The Gladiator scores really feel like a staple of determine skating. This yr, Georgia’s pair skaters Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava used the music for his or her free skate within the workforce competitors. Moreover, the Japanese pair skaters Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara mixed the Gladiator theme with Gladiator 2 for his or her free skate within the workforce competitors.
The film scores showing twice in a single day on the Olympics, not to mention twice in a single competitors, are a testomony to Hans Zimmer and the Gladiator motion pictures.
- Location
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Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
- Dates
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Fri, Feb 6, 2026 to Solar, Feb 22, 2026
- Web site
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https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026