“Eleanor The Great”
Scarlett Johansson’s feature directorial debut (written by Tory Kamen) centers on a 94-year-old widow (June Squibb) who relocates to New York after a profound loss and forges an unexpected friendship with a college student; Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht, Erin Kellyman, and Rita Zohar co-star.
Release Date: September 26 via Sony Pictures Classics.
Honorable Mentions:
“Twinless” (September 5, Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate — Dylan O’Brien); “The Cut” (September 5, Republic Pictures — Orlando Bloom); “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (September 12, Focus Features — Michelle Dockery); “Tin Soldier” (September 12, Samuel Goldwyn Films — Jamie Foxx, Robert De Niro); “The Wrong Paris” (September 12, Netflix — Miranda Cosgrove); “Rabbit Trap” (September 12, Magnet Releasing — Dev Patel); “The Man in My Basement” (September 12, Andscape/Hulu — Corey Hawkins, Willem Dafoe); “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” (September 12, The Future of Film Is Female); “Him” (September 19, Universal); “Swiped” (September 19, Hulu — Lily James); “Adulthood” (September 19, Paramount); “American Sweatshop” (September 19, Brainstorm Media — Lili Reinhart); “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” (September 26, Universal); “The Strangers – Chapter 2” (September 26, Lionsgate — Madelaine Petsch); “All of You” (September 26, Apple TV+ — Brett Goldstein, Imogen Poots).
OCTOBER
“The Smashing Machine”
Writer-director Benny Safdie turns the true story of MMA pioneer Mark Kerr into a bruising character study set at the dawn of the sport’s mainstream breakout. Dwayne Johnson plays Kerr, an NCAA wrestling star who blitzes early UFC and PRIDE tournaments while a growing dependence on painkillers and the grind of fight-camp cycles unravel his life outside the cage; Emily Blunt co-stars as Dawn Staples, the partner trying to hold the pieces together as injuries, promoters, and fame close in.
Release Date: October 3 via A24.
“Steve”
Tim Mielants directs a lean, one-day character study adapted by Max Porter from his novella Shy: Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy plays a headteacher fighting to keep a last-chance reform school open while his own mental health frays, intercut with the odyssey of a volatile pupil (Jay Lycurgo). Tracey Ullman, Emily Watson, Simbi Ajikawo (Little Simz), and Roger Allam co-star and the score is written by Beak, aka Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow of Portishead.
Release Date: October 3 via Netflix (select theaters September 19).
“Play Dirty”
Shane Black adapts Donald E. Westlake’s Parker novels into a hard-nosed heist thriller, which he co-wrote with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi. Mark Wahlberg stars as Parker, an implacable professional thief drawn into a double-cross that pits him against a South American strongman, New York syndicates, and a tech mogul, with LaKeith Stanfield as his actor-thief frenemy Grofield; the ensemble also includes Rosa Salazar, Dermot Mulroney, Tony Shalhoub, Keegan-Michael Key, Nat Wolff, Chukwudi Iwuji, and Thomas Jane.
Release Date: October 1 via Prime Video.
“Orwell: 2+2=5”
Raoul Peck assembles a rigorously argued portrait of George Orwell’s life and ideas, tracing the path from Burma and Spain to the warnings of “Animal Farm” and “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” and how propaganda, surveillance, and language manipulation echo now; narrated by Damian Lewis.
Release Date: October 3 via NEON.
“Anemone”
Despite so-called retirement, Daniel Day-Lewis returns to acting for the first time since “Phantom Thread,” starring in his son Ronan Day-Lewis’ feature debut—an intimate, slow-burning family drama about estranged brothers who reunite on the wild Northern England coast, where long-buried grievances and a violent past resurface. Co-written by the father-son acting and directing pair and produced by Plan B, the film co-stars Sean Bean, Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley, and Safia Oakley-Green (NYFF world premiere).
Release Date: October 3 (limited); expands October 10 via Focus Features.
“Shelby Oaks”
Chris Stuckmann’s supernatural mystery follows a woman (Camille Sullivan) searching for her missing sister, the leader of a viral ghost-hunting collective whose final, fragmented clues point to a malevolent presence. Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, Keith David, and Derek Mears round out the ensemble.
Release Date: October 3 via NEON.
“Roofman”
Derek Cianfrance turns the astonishing true story of Jeffrey “Roofman” Manchester into a crime dramedy about a charming fugitive (Channing Tatum) who robs McDonald’s by cutting through the roof, then hides for months inside a Toys “R” Us while plotting his next move. As a wary store manager (Peter Dinklage) and a single mom employee (Kirsten Dunst) complicate his cover, the net tightens with help and hindrance from figures on the margins. Ben Mendelsohn, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Uzo Aduba, Melonie Diaz, Lily Collias, Tony Revolori, and Jimmy O. Yang co-star; shot on 35mm by Andrij Parekh with an original score by Grizzly Bear.
Release Date: October 10 via Paramount Pictures/Miramax.
“Urchin”
Actor Harris Dickinson’s feature directing debut follows a Londoner (Frank Dillane) clawing for stability after a stint inside—odd jobs, rehab, fragile reconnections—only to find old debts closing in; shot with street-level immediacy and a bruised sense of hope.
Release Date: October 10 via 1-2 Special.
