The 20 Most Anticipated Movies Releasing in Fall 2026

The 21 Most Anticipated Movies Releasing in Fall 2026: ‘Primetime,’ ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ & More

From ‘Primetime’ to ‘Doomsday,’ these are this fall’s most anticipated movies

Just this week, it was reported that the 2026 summer box office took in a record $4.76 billion, thanks in part to summer blockbusters like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey, among others. (Theater admissions are actually down compared to years prior, but that never stopped a positive box office report before.) With that success, the onus is now on the Fall 2026 slate of films to grab the baton and carry the year further into uncharted territory. The question, as always, is simple: do they have the movies to make it happen?

It shouldn’t be difficult, given that December features Dunesday, aka both Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three hitting theaters on the same day (December 18). There’s heat all over the slate, though; Robert Pattinson, who is a part of Dune: Part Three, will be playing the infamous Chris Hansen in A24’s Primetime, while DC has the body horror Clayface due out in time for Halloween. Nicolas Cage will be playing John Madden (no, seriously), Roman Reigns will be the Street Fighter boss Akuma (no, seriously), and Austin Abrams gets swallowed by a whale.

For those of you looking to get your Fall theater schedule in order, here’s a look at the most anticipated movies released in Fall 2026.

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Primetime

Director: Lance Oppenheim
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Matthew Maher, Bokeem Woodbine, Anna Faris
Release date: September 25, 2026

With 2026 being the year that many realized that post-Twilight Pattinson has been lit, he decides to showcase it once more, taking on the role of Chris Hansen in a film that will showcase Hansen’s rise during the To Catch a Predator run. It’s been wild to see Hansen try to get his side of the story outbefore the film’s release; he may be doing all the publicity work for A24.

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

Director: Bassam Tariq
Starring: Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Abubakr Ali, Tramell Tillman, Tiffany Boone, Laith Nakli
Release date: September 25, 2026

Tariq is one of the directors the two-time Oscar-winning Ali was working with to get a Blade project off the ground at Marvel. They link up again to tell a more intimate tale from within the Muslim faith, in a project that could let them get some of those final Blade moments off.

Digger

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons
Release date: October 2, 2026

Digger finds Tom Cruise playing the most powerful man in the world, a man who is tasked with saving the world from the very danger that he created. It may be one of the more intriguing Cruise performances we’ve seen on film in a while.

Love of Your Life

Director: Rachel Morrison
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aaron Pierre, Gabriel Basso, Catherine Keener
Release date: October 7, 2026

Margaret Qualley stars in what looks like a gripping dramatic tale of finding love, losing love, and learning to love once again. At this point, anything with Aaron Pierre gets a watch from us, and Qualley is regularly stellar; Love of Your Life may be for a specific set of lovers out there.

The Social Reckoning

Director: Aaron Sorkin
Starring: Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen, Bill Burr, Jeremy Strong
Release date: October 9, 2026

The follow-up to 2010’s The Social Network, The Social Reckoning looks at the 2021 Facebook leak. With the way Facebook has morphed since the first film was released, a follow-up was inevitable like Thanos. This one has an intriguing cast, including Jeremy Strong, who portrays Mark Zuckerberg.

Other Mommy

Director: Rob Savage
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jay Duplass, Arabella Olie: October 9, 2026

Based on the 2024 novel Incidents Around the House, Other Mommy finds a mother (Chastain) doing battle with an entity that looks just like her…and seemingly wants to take her place. James Wan is on as a producer, so don’t be surprised if you catch Insidious vibes at times! In a time where you want pure scary flicks, Other Mommy may be one of your better tickets in theaters.

Misty Green

Director: Chris Rock
Starring: Rosalind Eleazar, Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace, Chris Rock
Release date: October 9, 2026

Chris Rock’s latest film as a director finds Eleazar as Misty Green, an actress looking to make amends while rebuilding her career. This could be one of the more surprising films on this list, off star power and that trailer alone.

Street Fighter

Director: Kitao Sakurai
Starring: Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, Roman Reigns, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, Andrew Schulz, Vidyut Jammwal, Eric André, Orville Peck, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Jason Momoa
Release date: October 16, 2026

Leaning fully into camp, 2026’s Street Fighter may be one of the more unapologetically fun times in the cinema this fall. The iconic fighting game series may be a real hit this October if fans do what they are supposed to at the box office.

Whalefall

Director: Brian Duffield
Starring: Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy, Emily Rudd
Release date: October 16, 2026.

After spending time in Raccoon City in Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, Austin Abrams’ next role is as a scuba diver who gets swallowed by a sperm whale while searching for his father’s remains.

You Can See Everything

Director(s): Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim
Starring: Elizabeth Holmes, Nathan Fielder, Billy Evans
Release date: October 16, 2026

Nathan Fielder directing a three-hour documentary on Theranos grifter Elizabeth Holmes…in secret? The man behind The Rehearsal may have one of the most talked-about films of the year on his hands.

Clayface

Director: James Watkins
Starring: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan
Release date: October 23, 2026

One of the more fun parts about James Gunn running DC is that his background in horror makes films like Clayface, a body horror flick about Matt Hagen’s version of the clay-like shapeshifter, feel like they are applying the same sensibilities in nailing Lanterns and giving that the full “what if this guy’s body was clay?” vibe.

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

Director: Noah Segan
Starring: John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Victoria Moroles, Steve Buscemi, Jamie Lee Curtis
Release date: October 23, 2026

What an interesting tale; have you ever thought about what a pickpocket has to go through in a world where people don’t carry cash? This film takes us into that world and shows what happens when the right pickpocket gets hold of the wrong item and has to figure out how to save himself.

I Play Rocky

Director: Peter Farrelly
Starring: Anthony Ippolito, Stephan James, AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon, P. J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass, Robert Morgan
Release date: November 6, 2026

Fifty years after the release of the film that changed the trajectory of Sylvester Stallone’s career, Peter Farrelly directs a film that highlights the creation of Rocky, from writing and casting to production. Rockymay or may not be that iconic to you, but that may make this film all the more necessary.

How to Rob a Bank

Director: David Leitch
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Anna Sawai, Pete Davidson, Rhenzy Feliz, Zoë Kravitz, John C. Reilly, Christian Slater
Release date: November 13, 2026

Two years after the release of the well-received action flick The Fall Guy, David Leitch returns with a comedy heist film that feels like a premonition of a culture that’s always online and committing crimes. How to Rob a Bank follows a crew that, well, robs banks and then shares footage of their work online, which puts the police on the hunt. Nicholas Hoult is in the driver’s seat of a cast that also features Pete Davidson and Zoë Kravitz alongside John C. Reilly and Christian Slater. Don’t get any ideas!

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Joseph Zada, Jesse Plemons, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Mckenna Grace, Whitney Peak, Ben Wang, Maya Hawke, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close
Release date: November 20, 2026

The sixth installment of the Hunger Games franchise is both a prequel to the 2012 Hunger Games film and a sequel to 2023’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. This film follows Haymitch Abernathy (Zada), who later becomes Katniss’ mentor. You may want to rewatch the previous films to see how Sunrise reworks the past.

Focker-in-Law

Director: John Hamburg
Starring: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Ariana Grande, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Skyler Gisondo, Beanie Feldstein, Eduardo Franco
Release date: November 25, 2026

Back to the essence, we’re guessing. For the fourth Focker film, Ariana Grande essentially in the Ben Stiller role from the first film, being hazed into the Focker family of FBI agents and other assorted relatives. A bit of a rinse-and-repeat, given that Meet the Parents first released in 2000, but maybe that’s enough time to revive the franchise.

The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth

Director: David Fincher
Starring: Brad Pitt, Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Peter Weller, Matt Groove, JB Tadena, Corey Fogelmanis, Karren Karagulian, Holt McCallany, Timothy Olyphant
Release date: November 25, 2026 (IMAX), December 23, 2206 (Netflix)

Why yes, this is totally a sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, featuring Brad Pitt reprising his role as Cliff Booth. No, it doesn’t appear Leonardo DiCaprio will be part of this; it also doesn’t look like Tarantino will be, aside from writing the project. And no, there’s no trailer yet. You know you’re tuned in, though.

Madden

Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Christian Bale, Kathryn Hahn, John Mulaney, Sienna Miller, Shane Gillis
Release date: November 25, 2026

Nicolas Cage as, well, anyone in a film is a sight to see. Cage as NFL legend John Madden, detailing Madden’s life through the creation of the iconic Madden video game series? With Christian Bale and John Mulaney to boot? We hope it is better than we expect.

Behemoth!

Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Oliams, Margarita Levieva, Hank Azaria, Will Arnett
Release date: December 4, 2026

If anything looks and feels like “take all of the awards during 2027 awards season,” it’s Behemoth!, which stars Pascal as a world-renowned cellist who return to Los Angeles to score movies and get his life back on track after a tumultuous relationship.

Avengers: Doomsday

Directors: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Wyatt Russell, Channing Tatum, Simu Liu, Ian McKellen, Tom Hiddleston, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Joseph Quinn, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman, Kelsey Grammer, Kathryn Newton, Danny Ramirez, Winston Duke, Alan Cumming, Hannah John-Kamen, Rebecca Romijn, Mabel Cadena, Tenoch Huerta Mejía
Release date: December 18, 2026

The first-half of Dunesday won’t have IMAX screens upon release. (You will have to deal with InfinityVision.) What Doomsday will have is Robert Downey Jr. back in the MCU as Doctor Doom, with Fox’s X-Men and the Fantastic Four touching down in the MCU’s Earth-616 as well. We’re not 100 percent sure on what the scenario is, but it likely has to do with incursions and the future of many universes. Now’s the time.

Dune: Part Three

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, Isaach De Bankolé, Charlotte Rampling, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, Javier Bardem
Release date: December 18, 2026

The other half of Dunesday is the third and final installment of Denis Villeneuve’s Dunetrilogy, featuring Chalamet, Zendaya, Momoa, Pugh, Pattinson, Bardem, and more, set two decades after Atreides took control of the Imperium. Everything comes to a head in this film; there’s no turning back. This will be the true IMAX epic for the holiday season; we hope Villeneuve sticks the landing.