The Most Anticipated Movies of October 2026
October 2026 is one of the busiest months of the year for movie fans. Hollywood is mixing prestige dramas with genre crowd-pleasers, Bollywood has a run of mid-size films leading into the festive season, and Tamil cinema has one of its biggest sequels of the year. Here is our guide to the October releases that are worth putting in your calendar.
All dates below are the currently announced release dates as of our last check. Studios move dates often, so tap through to each movie page for the latest information.
Hollywood highlights
Digger — October 2
The month opens with Digger, a dark comedy from Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu starring Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra Hüller. It is a genuine change of pace for Cruise, who is best known for action franchises, and one of the most talked-about films of the autumn.
Verity — October 2
Fans of Colleen Hoover's novels have been waiting for Verity, a psychological thriller starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, directed by Michael Showalter. The book's twisty structure makes it one of Hoover's most popular titles, so expect strong interest.
The Social Reckoning — October 9
Aaron Sorkin writes and directs The Social Reckoning, a companion piece to The Social Network that looks at Facebook's later controversies. Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison and Bill Burr lead the cast.
Street Fighter — October 16
Capcom's legendary fighting game gets a new live-action adaptation in Street Fighter, with Noah Centineo and Jason Momoa among the cast. Video game adaptations have been on a hot streak at the box office, and this is one of the biggest of the season.
Clayface, Klara and the Sun and Wildwood — October 23
October 23 is stacked. Clayface brings DC Studios into body-horror territory; Klara and the Sun sees Taika Waititi adapt Kazuo Ishiguro's novel with Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams; and Wildwood is the new stop-motion adventure from LAIKA, the studio behind Coraline.
Streaming picks
If you prefer watching at home, October has several notable streaming premieres. Animals is a Netflix crime thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck. Apple TV has two big titles on October 9: Matchbox: The Movie, a family action adventure inspired by the toy cars and starring John Cena, and Tenzing, a drama about the Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay with Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe. Tyler Perry's Doing Life arrives on Netflix on October 2.
Bollywood in October
The biggest Hindi release of the month is Drishyam: The Conclusion on October 2, the final chapter of the hugely popular crime-thriller series with Ajay Devgn returning as Vijay Salgaonkar alongside Tabu. October 16 is a crowded Friday with four Hindi films: Udta Teer (Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan), Raftaar (Rajkummar Rao and Keerthy Suresh), Prahaar, a courtroom biography of public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam also starring Rajkummar Rao, and Nayyi Navelli with Yami Gautam. Two Rajkummar Rao films opening on the same day is unusual, so watch for possible date changes.
South Indian cinema
Tamil cinema has its biggest event of the month on October 15 with Jailer 2, Rajinikanth's return as Muthuvel Pandian in the sequel to the 2023 blockbuster. A day later, Om brings together Dhanush, Mammootty and Sai Pallavi. In Telugu, Venkatesh stars in Trivikram Srinivas's family drama Aadarsha Kutumbam (AK 47) on October 2.
Tips for planning your cinema trips
- Book early for opening weekends of big titles like Jailer 2 and Drishyam: The Conclusion, which often sell out in India and overseas.
- Check local release dates. International dates can differ by a few days from the US or Indian date.
- Watch the official trailers on each movie page to decide what suits you before buying tickets.
For the full list, see all upcoming movies in October 2026.
Release dates in this guide were last checked on September 29, 2026. Studios sometimes move dates, so check each movie's page for the latest information.