“Anora”
As one of the year’s most-anticipated films, Sean Baker’s “Anora” arrives in theaters this October. Winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the film follows Mikey Madison as Anora, a sex worker who gets swept up in a whirlwind romance with the son of an oligarch. Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov, Darya Ekamasova, and more also star. (Read our review.)
Release Date: October 18 via NEON.
“Magpie”
Daisy Ridley continues her busy year with the upcoming drama “Magpie” from director Sam Yates. The film follows a young father who, while chaperoning his daughter to her first acting gig, falls in love with the main actress despite himself being married. Shazad Latif and Matilda Lutz also star.
Release Date: October 25 via Shout!Studios.
“Venom: The Last Dance”
Tom Hardy returns for his third turn as Eddie Brock and his symbiote, Venom, in “Venom: The Last Dance.” Kelly Marcel, a screenwriter for the previous two films, steps up as director, the film following Eddie and Venom as they go on the run as they’re hunted by parities from both their worlds. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, and Rhys Ifans also stars.
Release Date: October 25 via Sony Pictures Releasing.
“La Cocina”
Directed by acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacio (“A Cop Movie,” “Outer Range,” “Andor” season two), his latest drama, “La Cocina,” may sound similar to the kitchen drama “The Bear,” but it’s a different beast. While also a behind-the-scenes look at the fast-paced world of restaurants, “La Cocina” is more of a tale about immigrants and dreamers trying to find their place in a society that rarely regards them. The film stars Rooney Mara, Raúl Briones Carmona, Anna Diaz, Motell Foster, Oded Fehr, Eduardo Olmos and Spenser Granese.
Release Date: October 25 via Willa Films.
“Conclave”
Following his Academy Award-winning “All Quiet on the Western Front,” director Edward Berger returns with “Conclave” starring Ralph Fiennes. Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, who is tasked with organizing an election for the replacement of the recently deceased Pope and, along the way, learns that the Pope has a secret that must be uncovered. Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini also star (read our review).
Release Date: October 25 via Focus Features.
Honorable mentions:
Dylan O’Brien and Eliza Scanlan star in the M. Night Shyamalan produced “Caddo Lake” for HBO on October 10. Marc Forster directs the adaptation of the coming-of-age graphic novel “White Bird,” in theaters on October 4. Musician Pharrell Williams gets the biopic treatment but with Lego animation in “Piece by Piece,” out October 11. Ariana DeBose stars in the horror-thriller film “House of Spoils” out October 4 on Prime Video from directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy. Mati Diop delivers a powerful documentary in her latest, “Dahomey,” out October 26.
The science-fiction thriller “Things Will Be Different” delivers the directorial debut from Michael Felker. Horror fans will get another treat with “Don’t Move,” which follows a killer who injects a grieving woman with a paralytic agent, available on Netflix on October 25. Caroline Lindy adapts her own short film into a feature-length with “Your Monster” starring Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey, out October 25. Lewis Pullman stars in the latest Stephen King adaptation with “Salems Lot,” out October 3. And Nick Frost stars in “Krazy House,” the horror-actioner from writer and directors Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kui, out October 4.
