Fall movie season traditionally moves from festival discoveries and awards contenders in September toward horror in October, prestige releases around Thanksgiving, and major studio spectacles over Christmas. The 2026 calendar follows that general progression, but with enough auteur films, streaming premieres, franchise revivals, and unexpected genre swings scattered across all four months to make the season considerably less predictable.
September brings new films from Paul Greengrass and Na Hong-jin, along with Robert Pattinson’s plunge into sensationalist television and Zach Cregger’s reinvention of “Resident Evil.” October pairs Tom Cruise with Alejandro G. Iñárritu and adds projects from Ben Affleck, Aaron Sorkin, Lee Chang-dong, Paweł Pawlikowski, and Chris Rock. November delivers David Fincher’s return to Cliff Booth, another “Hunger Games,” Ava DuVernay’s “14th,” and new work from James Gray, Pedro Almodóvar, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
December is even more crowded, with Mike Leigh, Danny Boyle, Brad Bird, Robert Eggers, Denis Villeneuve, and the Russo brothers competing for attention alongside several major holiday releases. And with several prominent festival films still awaiting firm domestic dates, the fall slate is not finished growing. Here are the movies to keep on your radar through the end of 2026.
September
“By Any Means”
“Pier Kids” filmmaker Elegance Bratton makes a substantial jump in scale with this historical crime thriller. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays a Black FBI agent investigating the murders of civil rights leaders in Mississippi who is partnered with notorious Mafia hitman Gregory Scarpa, played by Mark Wahlberg. Giancarlo Esposito and David Strathairn co-star.
Release Date: September 4 in theaters via Paramount Pictures.
“Onslaught”
After two “Godzilla vs. Kong” films, Adam Wingard returns to the smaller-scale, hard-R mayhem of his early career. Adria Arjona stars as an Army sniper who must protect her daughter when a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers breaks loose in the desert. Dan Stevens, Michael Biehn, Alex Pereira, and Drew Starkey co-star.
Release Date: September 4 in theaters via A24.
“Mayday”
Following “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” writer-directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein turn their action-comedy instincts toward the Cold War. Ryan Reynolds plays an American Navy pilot stranded in Soviet territory, where a former KGB agent played by Kenneth Branagh becomes his unlikely hope of getting home. Marcin Dorociński, Maria Bakalova, David Morse, Lovell Adams-Gray, and Clark Johnson co-star.
Release Date: September 4 on Apple TV.
“Hope”
“The Wailing” filmmaker Na Hong-jin returns with a sprawling science-fiction creature feature set in the remote South Korean village of Hope Harbor. Hwang Jung-min, Hoyeon, and Zo In-sung play local authorities and hunters confronting a mysterious creature, while Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton join the international ensemble.
Release Date: September 9 in theaters via NEON.
“The Uprising”
Paul Greengrass tackles the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, with Andrew Garfield playing Ploughman, a grieving farmer who becomes an unlikely leader after oppressive taxes ignite rebellion against King Richard II. Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Thomasin McKenzie, Cosmo Jarvis, Jonny Lee Miller, and Katherine Waterston co-star.
Release Date: September 11 in theaters via Focus Features.
“Practical Magic 2”
Nearly three decades after the original became a seasonal favorite, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as the Owens sisters. Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest are also back, while Joey King, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace, and Xolo Maridueña join the family, with Susanne Bier directing.
Release Date: September 11 in theaters via Warner Bros. Pictures.
“Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie”
Documentarian Alex Gibney examines the 2022 attack that nearly killed Salman Rushdie, as well as the author’s recovery and return to public life. The Sundance documentary gives Rushdie considerable space to grapple with violence, mortality, and what it means to continue creating after decades spent under threat.
Release Date: September 17 at New York’s IFC Center, followed by a North American theatrical rollout via Abramorama.
“Bad Apples”
Four-time Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan leads this black comedy as an increasingly desperate primary-school teacher overwhelmed by one disruptive student. After accidentally taking the child hostage, she discovers that her classroom begins thriving without him, leaving her in an escalating moral predicament. Jonatan Etzler directs the adaptation of Rasmus Lindgren’s novel, with Jacob Anderson, Rakie Ayola, Robert Emms, and Eddie Waller co-starring.
Release Date: September 18 in theaters via Republic Pictures.
“Resident Evil”
After “Barbarian” and “Weapons,” Zach Cregger turns to Capcom’s survival-horror franchise. Rather than continuing either previous movie series, the new adaptation follows a medical courier, played by Austin Abrams, whose routine delivery becomes a fight for survival. Paul Walter Hauser, Kali Reis, and Zach Cherry co-star.
Release Date: September 18 in theaters via Sony Pictures.
“The Weight”
Set in Depression-era Oregon, Padraic McKinley’s survival drama stars Ethan Hawke as an incarcerated father sent to a brutal work camp. A warden played by Russell Crowe offers him a path toward freedom if he joins a group of prisoners transporting stolen gold through dangerous wilderness. Austin Amelio, Ava Capri, Julia Jones, and Zsane Jhe co-star.
Release Date: September 18 in theaters via Vertical.
