We know it may not feel like it at this very moment, but it’s coming. Cooler temperatures. Leaves changing colors. Spooky season. Heavy jackets. Snow. All of it. Yes, the summer is still here, but it’s going away. Fall and winter are approaching, and that means a whole new season of exciting movies coming to theaters.
It’ll be difficult to top this past summer, which saw a few of the most successful movies in cinema history, but Hollywood is going to try. We’ve got mega blockbusters, video game adaptations, exciting animated films, horror, and sometimes, a mix of a few of those things. But, as always, we have to remind you we’re io9. We only cover films with a genre twist, so some of the fall’s bigger, more dramatic films (Digger, The Social Reckoning, I Play Rocky, etc.) don’t make this list. What does? Here we go, in release date order.
Onslaught (September 4)
Before he made huge action spectacles like Godzilla vs. Kong, director Adam Wingard rose to fame with grounded, kick-ass action films. Which is exactly what he’s returning to this fall. Onslaught stars Adria Arjona as a woman trying to save her friends and family from a group of super soldiers.
Hope (September 9)
The buzz has been everywhere for the new film from director Na Hong-jin (The Wailing). It premiered at Cannes to very mixed reception; the director reportedly changed it slightly, and now many are raving. All of which makes us incredibly curious, especially considering the movie is about the relatively simple story of humans protecting the world from an alien invasion.
Practical Magic 2 (September 11)
Almost 30 years have passed since we last followed two sisters, played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, trying to cope with the fact that they were witches. Well, they’re back, and it sure seems like not much has changed. Which is for the best. This one has its sights set on maximum nostalgia.
Resident Evil (September 18)
Two films in, and Zach Cregger can do no wrong. That’s why, despite it being an original story, we are beyond hyped to see what he does within the world of the iconic horror video game series Resident Evil. Austin Abrams, who is set to have a heck of a fall, stars as a medical courier who finds himself trapped in Raccoon City.
Forgotten Island (September 25)
Rumored to be among the best animated films DreamWorks has ever done, Forgotten Island follows two friends who find themselves on a magic island. An island that, you guessed it, makes people forget.
The Incomer (September 25)
We’ve actually seen this delightful little indie starring Domhnall Gleeson as a man who is forced to go to a small island and evict its two residents. Things then get super weird and funny, in lots of very charming ways.
Victorian Psycho (September 25)
We love Maika Monroe in basically everything, so her starring as a Victorian woman who may or may not be killing all of the staff at the estate where she works sounds simply delightful.
Other Mommy (October 9)
When Universal decided to put the trailer for Other Mommy in front of The Odyssey, it showed a level of confidence that was basically unheard of. When you see the trailer, though, you get it. The idea of a creature that is posing as your mother is so terrifying, and Jessica Chastain looks like she nails it.
Matchbox: The Movie (October 9 on Apple TV)
We still don’t quite understand what this live-action adaptation of the popular toy line has to do with the popular toy line, except that it’s in it. We also don’t know if the movie is supposed to be serious or campy. But whatever the case, thanks to John Cena, Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro, and Teyonah Parris, we are going to check it out and see.
Street Fighter (October 16)
Film adaptations of fighting games don’t have the best track record, but we’re holding out hope for the new Street Fighter. The cast is so good, and the trailers look so fun that we just want to have a blast watching it all come to life. Cross your fingers.
Whalefall (October 16)
Want to watch a man (Austin Abrams, again) survive being swallowed whole by a whale in real time? Of course you do. And we do too.
Clayface (October 23)
A superhero horror movie? That’s a rarity these days (RIP Blade). But Clayface looks like it could be something special. A dash of DC lore, set in the world of Batman, and a whole lot of scary, gross body horror about a man who turns to clay.
Klara and the Sun (October 23)
Many people were down on Thor: Love and Thunder, but we’re still up for anything director Taika Waititi wants to give us. Next up is this adaptation of a story about an android (Jenna Ortega) who is purchased to bond with a sick girl.
Wildwood (October 23)
Laika, the company behind Coraline, Paranorman, and The Boxtrolls, is back with a fantasy adventure that looks like its biggest film yet. Truly, it looks stunning, human, and emotional. We have high hopes.
Wicker (October 23)
Ever want to see what happens when an Oscar winner (Olivia Colman) starts banging an artificial man made out of wicker (Alexander Skarsgård)? Probably not, but now that the image is in your head, you totally do, right?
Godzilla Minus Zero (November 6)
One of the best Godzilla films of all time gets its sequel, and we are rumbling with excitement. Surely, this new film couldn’t come close to the previous one, could it? Wait, could it?
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (November 20)
The Hunger Games is back, this time with another one of its mega prequels following a whole new cast and a whole new games. Normally, we’d be a little down on it, but this cast (which includes Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Jesse Plemons, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, McKenna Grace, and Maya Hawke, among others) has us thinking maybe this will be the best one yet.
Hexed (November 25)
While the trailers for the latest film from Disney Animation haven’t quite grabbed us yet, it is, after all, a new film from Disney Animation. Anytime that company makes something, decades of history tell us it’s worth taking notice. So we’ll be seated to watch (and hear) Hailee Steinfeld, Rashida Jones, and Jodie Foster in a story about a young woman discovering a world of witches.
Violent Night 2 (December 4)
David Harbour returns as the most kick-ass Santa of all time. This time, Santa has somehow been placed on the Naughty List, and he has to fight his way through a shopping mall of bad guys to get back in the good graces of Christmas. As a bonus, Kristen Bell joins the franchise as Mrs. Claus.
Above the Below (December 4)
Of all the films on this list, this is the one we know the least about. There’s no trailer. Not a lot of info out there. But the info we do has us very intrigued. Above the Below is co-directed by and stars Idris Elba, who leads a group of astronauts who struggle to get back to Earth, only to crash into the ocean and get trapped again. So it’s part space story, part underwater survival story.
Avengers: Doomsday (December 18)
December 18 is the day. The day movie fans everywhere have been looking forward to for years, even if they didn’t know it at the time. It’s the day when, after seven years away, we finally get a new Avengers movie. One that stars Robert Downey Jr. as not the hero, but the villain, Doctor Doom. That alone is enough to get excited about. But then also…
Dune: Part Three (December 18)
December 18 brings us the third and final film in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy. This adaptation of the second Dune book, Dune Messiah, promises more action, more intrigue, and more of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) being an increasingly horrible leader. But wait, there’s more…
Ray Gunn (December 18 on Netflix)
December 18 also brings a decades-in-the-making vision from the legendary Brad Bird. Bird’s latest film is an animated detective story that looks like a film noir, but is set in the future, and features the voices of Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson. It should be awesome.
Werwulf (December 25)
When Robert Eggers’ last movie, Nosferatu, opened on Christmas Day, most people were confused. How would this black-and-white, R-rated, gothic horror movie fit into the holiday season? The answer, it turned out, was perfect. That film went on to be a huge hit, and now Eggers is back tackling not a vampire, but a werewolf, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Jumanji: Open World (December 25)
After two solid and successful Jumanji movies, the team is back, and this time, the game makes it out into the real world. Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black all reprise their roles in what promises to be the biggest, and last, film in this iteration of the franchise. We hope it goes out in style.
Bonus: Re-releases!
For the first time in a long time, Hollywood is leaning into re-releases in a big way this fall. We’ve got a few on the docket that we wanted to mention. Plan accordingly.
- Cars (Sept 4)
- Transformers: The Movie (September 17)
- Avengers Endgame: Encore (September 25)
- Pan’s Labyrinth (October 9)
- V for Vendetta (November 1)
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
