Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc is back. So are the stars of “Wicked” and the animals of “Zootopia.”
Summer may be known as sequel season, but part twos, and threes, will play big roles this fall at the movies. That goes not just for the likes of Rian Johnson's “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” “Wicked: For Good” and “Zootopia 2,” but for new installments in family sagas, ranging from the Crawleys (“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale”) to the Na'vi (“Avatar: Fire & Ash”).
Still, much of the season will belong, as it always does, to original dramas and awards contenders. Hollywood tends to save its best for last. This year includes some already-seen sure bets (Jafar Panahi's “It Was Just an Accident,” Joachim Trier's “Sentimental Value” ) and dozens of promising new releases from top filmmakers, such as Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite,” Yorgos Lanthimos' “Bugonia” and Chloé Zhao's “Hamnet.”
Here’s The Associated Press’ guide for the movies heading to theaters and the home through Christmas.
SEPTEMBER MOVIE RELEASES
Sept. 5
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” (Warner Bros., in theaters): The fourth entry in the James Wan-created horror franchise.
“Twinless” (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions, in theaters): Dylan O’Brien stars as twins, one of whom dies early in James Sweeney’s darkly funny tale.
“The Baltimorons” (IFC, in theaters): Jay Duplass directs this quirky Baltimore odyssey about a man (Michael Strassner) and his emergency dentist (Liz Larsen) on Christmas Eve.
Sept. 12
“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (Focus Features, in theaters): Julian Fellowes brings his Crawley family saga to a close in this third and supposedly final “Downton Abbey” film.
“The History of Sound” (Mubi, in theaters): Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor star in Oliver Hermanus’ New England-set period romance.
“Spinal Tap: The End Continues” (Bleecker Street, in theaters): Rob Reiner and company return for a sequel to the 1984 mockumentary classic.
“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” (Neon, in theaters): Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol bring their cult comedy series to the big screen.
“Rabbit Trap” (Magnolia, in theaters): Rosy McEwen and Dev Patel play musicians recording a record in the Welsh countryside who inadvertently stir dark woodland forces.
“The Long Walk” (Lionsgate, in theaters): Cooper Hoffman stars in this Stephen King adaptation, directed by Francis Lawrence, about a march across a dystopian America.
“Looking Through Water” (Good Deed Entertainment, in theaters): Michael Douglas stars as a father trying to reconnect with his son during a father-son fishing competition.
“Dreams” (Greenwich Entertainment, in theaters): Norwegian filmmaker Dag Johan Haugerud brings his trilogy to a close, following the 2025 films “Love” and “Sex."
“Happyend” (Film Movement, in theaters): In filmmaker Neo Sora’s first narrative feature, set in a near-future Tokyo, a prank by high schoolers triggers a surveillance state.
“Tin Soldier” (Samuel Goldwyn Films, in theaters): Jamie Foxx, Robert De Niro, Scott Eastwood and John Leguizamo star in this action movie about mercenaries.
Sept. 13
“Lost in the Jungle” (National Geographic Documentary Films, streaming Disney+/Hulu): E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin and Juan Camilo Cruz's documentary chronicles a dramatic rescue for a four young siblings after a plane crash in the Colombian rainforest.
Sept. 19
“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” (Sony Pictures, in theaters): Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell play lovers who travel back in time in Kogonada’s latest tender sci-fi drama. Co-starring Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
“The Lost Bus” (Apple TV+, in theaters; streaming Oct. 3): Paul Greengrass directs this based-on-a-true-story drama about a school bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) and schoolteacher (America Ferrera) trying to save 22 children from California’s 2018 Camp Fire.
“Him” (Universal, in theaters): Former college wide-receiver Tyriq Withers stars as Cameron Cade in this Jordan Peele-produced thriller fusing football drama with horror.
“Adulthood” (Paramount, in theaters): Josh Gad and Kaya Scodelario play siblings who discover a long-buried corpse in their parents’ basement in this dark comedy directed by Alex Winter.
“Predators” (MTV, in theaters): David Osit’s documentary looks at the NBC series on child predators, “To Catch a Predator.”
“My Sunshine” (Film Movement, in theaters): A coming-of-age drama from Japanese filmmaker Hiroshi Okuyama.
“Swiped” (Hulu, streaming): Lily James plays Whitney Wolfe Herd in Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s drama about the founder of the dating app Bumble.
“Steve” (Netflix, in theaters; streaming Oct. 3): Cillian Murphy reteams with “Small Things Like These” filmmaker Tim Mielants in this drama about a reform college’s headteacher.
“Riefenstahl” (Kino Lorber, in theaters): Andres Veiel's documentary is about the German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl whose films for the Nazis include “Triumph of the Will.”
Sept. 26
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros., in theaters): Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor plays parents with a vigilante past that reemerges in Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest.
“All of You” (Apple TV+, streaming): Brett Goldstein and Imogen Poots star in a sci-fi romance.
“Eleanor the Great” (Sony Pictures Classics, in theaters): June Squibb stars in Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut about an elderly woman who pretends to be a Holocaust survivor.
“Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” (Universal, in theaters): A big-screen version of the kids series, from DreamWorks Animation.
“The Strangers: Chapter 2” (Lionsgate, in theaters): The second chapter of a new trilogy in the “Strangers” horror series.
OCTOBER MOVIE RELEASES
Oct. 1
“Play Dirty” (Prime Video, streaming): Mark Wahlberg stars as a thief trying for a major heist in a thriller from director Shane Black.
Oct. 3
“The Smashing Machine” (A24, in theaters): Dwayne Johnson stars as a mixed martial arts fighter in Benny Safdie’s film.
“Anemone” (Focus Features, in theaters): Daniel Day-Lewis comes out of retirement to star in this drama about family bonds, directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis.
“Shelby Oaks” (Neon, in theaters): YouTube movie reviewer Chris Stuckmann makes his directorial debut in this horror film about a woman’s search for her long-lost sister.
“Orwell: 2+2=5” (Neon, in theaters): Filmmaker Raoul Peck examines the work of George Orwell, with reflections on recent and contemporary times.
“Good Boy” (IFC, in theaters): A haunted house movie from the perspective of a dog.
“Are We Good?” (Utopia, in theaters): A documentary about comedian and podcast pioneer Marc Maron following the sudden loss of his partner, the filmmaker Lynn Shelton.
Oct. 10
“Roofman” (Paramount, in theaters): Channing Tatum plays a prison escapee who hides out inside a Toys R Us in Derek Cianfrance’s film.
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” (Roadside Attractions, in theaters): Bill Condon’s film, based on the stage musical stars Diego Luna as a political prisoner who grows closer to his cellmate (Tonatiuh Elizarraraz), with song-and-dance interludes with Jennifer Lopez.
“Tron: Ares” (Disney, in theaters): The third film in the futuristic sci-fi series, and a sequel to 2010’s “Tron: Legacy.”
“After the Hunt” (Amazon MGM, in theaters): Luca Guadagnino’s psychological thriller stars Julia Roberts as a professor whose close friend and colleague is accused of assault. With Ayo Edebiri.
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” (A24, in theaters): Rose Byrne plays a mother on the brink in Mary Bronstein’s drama.
“John Candy: I Like Me” (Prime Video, streaming): A documentary portrait of the great Canadian actor, directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds.
“Urchin” (1-2 Special, in theaters): Harris Dickinson makes his directorial debut with this portrait of a drifter.
“The Woman in Cabin 10” (Netflix, streaming): Keira Knightley plays a woman on a cruise ship convinced she’s seen someone thrown overboard.
“Fairyland” (Lionsgate, in theaters): A daughter-father drama, starring Emilia Jones and Scoot McNairy.
“Vicious” (Paramount+, streaming): Dakota Fanning stars in a reality-bending horror film.
Oct. 15
“It Was Just an Accident” (Neon, in theaters): Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winning revenge drama.
“Ballad of a Small Player” (Netflix, in theaters; streams Oct. 29): Colin Farrell plays a gambler in financial trouble in Macao in director Edward Berger’s latest.
Oct. 17
“Frankenstein” (Netflix, in theaters; streams Nov. 7.): Guillermo del Toro’s Mary Shelley adaptation, starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi.
“Black Phone 2” (Universal, in theaters): A sequel to Scott Derrickson's supernatural horror film.
“Good Fortune” (Lionsgate, in theaters): Aziz Ansari directs this comedy about an angel (Keanu Reeves) whose body-swap lesson for a struggling worker (Ansari) with a wealthy venture capitalist (Seth Rogen) results in him losing his wings.
“Blue Moon” (Sony Pictures Classics, in theaters): Ethan Hawke plays songwriter Lorenz Hart in Richard Linklater’s film set on the 1943 opening night of “Oklahoma!” With Andrew Scott as Richard Rodgers.
“The Mastermind” (Mubi, in theaters): Kelly Reichardt’s 1970s-set heist movie stars Josh O’Connor as an unlikely art thief.
“Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost” (Apple Studios, in theaters; streaming Oct. 24): Ben Stiller profiles his comedy duo parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara in this documentary.
Oct. 24
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” (20th Century Studios, in theaters): Jeremy Allen White plays Bruce Springsteen during the making of his 1982 album, “Nebraska.”
“Bugonia” (Focus, in theaters): A conspiracy-obsessed man (Jesse Plemons) and his cousin (Aidan Delbis) kidnap a CEO (Emma Stone) they’re convinced is an alien. From director Yorgos Lanthimos.
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix, streaming): Kathryn Bigelow directs a thriller about the White House scrambling to handle an incoming missile attack.
“Mortal Kombat II” (Warner Bros., in theaters): The video game adaptation series continues with this sequel to the 2021 film.
“Hedda” (Amazon MGM, in theaters; Prime Video on Oct. 29): Tessa Thompson stars in Nia DaCosta’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler.”
“Regretting You” (Paramount, in theaters): A romance adapted from the author of “It Ends With Us,” Colleen Hoover, starring Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace and Dave Franco.
“Last Days” (Vertical, in theaters): Justin Lin directs this based-on-a-true story of a Christian missionary attempting to evangelize to the Sentinelese people.
Oct. 31
“Nouvelle Vague” (Netflix, in theaters; streaming Nov. 14): Richard Linklater captures the French New Wave and the making of “Breathless.”
“Hallow Road” (XYZ Films, in theaters): Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys star as parents rushing to help their daughter after a tragic accident.
“The White House Effect” (Netflix, streaming): A documentary about a key moment in the climate crisis, during President George H.W. Bush's administration.
NOVEMBER MOVIE RELEASE
S
Nov. 7
“Nuremberg” (Sony Pictures Classics, in theaters): A historical drama about the Nuremberg trials, with Rami Malek as the chief psychiatrist Douglas Kelley and Russell Crowe as the Nazi Hermann Göring.
“Die, My Love” (Mubi, in theaters): Lynne Ramsay directs Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, who play new parents in a rural home.
“Predator: Badlands” (20th Century Studios, in theaters): A new “Predator” film, this one rooted in the experience of a Predator and an android, played by Elle Fanning.
“Sentimental Value” (Neon, in theaters): Joachim Trier’s Norwegian drama about a filmmaking family, with Renate Reinsve as the estranged actor daughter of Stellan Skarsgård’s director patriarch.
“Train Dreams” (Netflix, in theaters; streams Nov. 21): Clint Bentley’s adaptation of the Denis Johnson novella, about a logger in the Pacific Northwest in the early 20th century.
“Sarah’s Oil” (Amazon MGM, in theaters): A biopic of Sarah Rector (Naya Desir-Johnson), one of the first female Black millionaires in the United States.
“Peter Hujar’s Day” (Janus and Sideshow, in theaters): Writer-director Ira Sachs’ drama stars Ben Whishaw as ’70s photographer Peter Hujar and Rebecca Hall as his friend, the author Linda Rosenkrantz.
“Rebuilding” (Bleecker Street, in theaters): Josh O’Connor plays a cowboy whose ranch is taken by wildfires.
Nov. 14
“Keeper” (Neon, in theaters): Osgood Perkins, director of “Longlegs” and “The Monkey,” returns with more horror, starring Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland.
“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” (Lionsgate, in theaters): Nine years after the last “Now You See Me” film, more magician heist games, with Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Morgan Freeman.
“The Running Man” (Paramount, in theaters): Edgar Wright adapts the dystopian Stephen King novel, starring Glen Powell.
“Jay Kelly” (Netflix, in theaters, streams Dec. 5): George Clooney plays a famous actor and Adam Sandler his manager in Noah Baumbach’s latest.
“Eternity” (A24, in theaters): A romantic comedy set in the afterlife, with Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen and Callum Turner.
“In Your Dreams” (Netflix, streaming): An animated adventure in which two siblings travel into the world of dreams.
“Sirāt” (Neon, in theaters): Óliver Laxe’s Cannes prizewinner follows a father (Sergi López) and his son (Bruno Núñez Arjona) searching the Moroccan desert for his missing daughter.
“Left-Handed Girl” (Netflix, in theaters, streams Nov. 28): Shih-Ching Tsou, a regular collaborator of Sean Baker, directs a drama following three generations of women building a life in Taipei.
“Arco” (Neon, in theaters): A French, animated sci-fi adventure about a 10-year-old boy from the future who accidentally travels back in time to the year 2075.
“Come See Me in the Good Light” (Apple TV+, streaming): Ryan White’s documentary follows poet and activist Andrea Gibson navigating a diagnosis of terminal ovarian cancer.
Nov. 21
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal, in theaters): Part two of Jon M. Chu’s extravagant big-screen adaptation of the stage musical, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
“Rental Family” (Searchlight, in theaters): Brendan Fraser plays an American actor in Tokyo who begins working for a rental family service.
“Sisu: Road to Revenge” (Stage 6 and Screen Gems, in theaters): A sequel to the 2022 action film “Sisu,” with Jorma Tommila returning as the Nazi killer Aatami Korpi.
Nov. 26
“Zootopia 2” (Disney, in theaters): Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are back on a new mysterious case in the animal metropolis.
“The Secret Agent” (Neon, in theaters): Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ’70s-set Brazilian political thriller stars Wagner Moura as a technology expert returning to his hometown.
Nov. 27
“Hamnet” (Focus Features, in theaters): Chloé Zhao adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s bestseller about William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and wife Agnes Shakespeare (Jessie Buckley) after the death of their son.
DECEMBER MOVIE RELEASES
Dec. 1
“Troll 2” (Netflix, streaming): A Norwegian monster movie and sequel to 2022’s “Troll.”
Dec. 3
“Oh. What. Fun.” (Prime Video, streaming): Michelle Pfeiffer stars an underappreciated matriarch in Michael Showalter’s Christmas comedy.
Dec. 5
“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” (Universal, in theaters): A sequel to the 2023 video-game adaptation, starring Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio and Matthew Lillard.
Dec. 12
“Ella McCay” (20th Century Studios, in theaters): Writer-director James L. Brooks returns with a comedy-drama about a young politician (Emma Mackey), with Jamie Lee Curtis as her aunt.
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix, streaming): Daniel Craig returns as the investigator Benoit Blanc in the third of Rian Johnson’s whodunits.
“Scarlet” (Sony, in theaters): Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda’s anime is about a princess who transcends time and space.
“Silent Night, Deadly Night” (Cineverse, in theaters): A Christmas-themed slasher and remake of the 1984 film.
“Dust Bunny” (Lionsgate and Roadside, in theaters): A young girl asks her neighbor to help her kill the monster under her bed, with Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver.
Dec. 19
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century Studios): James Cameron extends his sci-fi epic in the third film of the franchise in which the Na’vi encounter an aggressive tribe called the Ash People.
“Is This Thing On?” (Searchlight, in theaters): Bradley Cooper directs and co-stars in a comedy about post-divorce life, starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern.
“The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” (Paramount, in theaters): SpongeBob travels to the deepest depths of the ocean to face off against the Flying Dutchman.
Dec. 24
“The Plague” (IFC, in theaters): A socially anxious 12-year-old boy encounters hazing at an all-boys water polo camp, with Joel Edgerton.
Dec. 25
“Marty Supreme” (A24, in theaters): Timothée Chalamet stars as Marty Mauser, an aspiring table tennis player, in Josh Safdie’s ’50s-set drama. Co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
“Anaconda” (Sony, in theaters): Childhood friends (Jack Black, Paul Rudd) travel to the rainforest to remake their favorite film from their youth.
“The Housemaid” (Lionsgate): Paul Feig’s psychological thriller stars Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried.
“Song Sung Blue” (Focus Features, in theaters): Two down-on-their-luck musicians (Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson) form a Neil Diamond tribute band, directed by Craig Brewer.
“The Choral” (Sony Pictures Classics, in theaters): Ralph Fiennes stars as the leader of a Yorkshire choral society in 1916, during World War I.
The Associated Press
