When autumn arrives, the cultural imagination often retreats indoors. People envision the cozy comfort of staying at home with blankets pulled up to their chins, a steaming mug of hot cider in hand, and a nostalgic, kooky, or downright terrifying movie playing on the television. After all, fall signals the inevitable arrival of Halloween and the crisp, chilly precursor to winter just around the corner. However, as moviegoers discover in the comprehensive Fall 2026 Preview, there are just as many compelling reasons to grab a drink and a large bucket of popcorn at the local cinema in the coming months.
The upcoming season offers a remarkably diverse slate of theatrical releases. For audiences seeking a touch of naughtiness and dark comedy on the silver screen, there is the highly anticipated return of a foul-mouthed Santa Claus and his equally profane partner in Violent Night 2, alongside the bizarre rural shenanigans of Wicker. Meanwhile, Disney’s latest animated adventure, Hexed, arrives with the potential to capture the massive demographic that championed KPop Demon Hunters. Video game enthusiasts also have plenty to anticipate this autumn, thanks to high-profile adaptations like Resident Evil and Street Fighter.
Industry analysts have rounded up and ranked the most exciting films arriving between now and the end of 2026, highlighting which silver-screen projects are truly worth the trip out of a warm home and into a darkened theater.
10. Hexed (Nov. 27)
Animation has long served as the ultimate playground for showcasing the wonders of magic, whether through soaring musical numbers or the fantastical gleam of a spellbound sword. Disney’s upcoming feature Hexed takes the thrill of sorcery to an entirely new level by following a rebellious teenage girl named Billie, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld. Billie discovers that her latent magical abilities have the power to transport her directly to Hexe, a mystical realm inhabited by witches.
With director Fawn Veerasunthorn, known for her work on Raya and the Last Dragon, at the helm, Hexed is shaping up to be a strong alternative for fans of KPop Demon Hunters. The film promises a narrative deeply focused on female relationships and family secrets, all presented in showstopping, highly stylized animation that leverages the latest advancements in digital artistry.
9. Wicker (Oct. 30)
Small medieval towns are no strangers to kooky local shenanigans, but Wicker, directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, pushes those eccentricities to unprecedented extremes. Based on a short story by Ursula Wills, the film follows a reclusive fisherwoman, played by Olivia Colman, who has spent years facing ostracism from her village simply because she is unmarried. Fed up with the town’s judgment, she decides to exact a unique form of revenge by commissioning a husband constructed entirely out of wicker.
However, her newly constructed wicker husband, brought to life by Alexander Skarsgård, turns out to be remarkably honest and fiercely romantic. Their unconventional relationship rapidly spirals out of control, throwing the entire village into utter chaos. Colman and Skarsgård are supported by a stellar ensemble cast that includes Richard E. Grant and Peter Dinklage.
8. Violent Night 2 (Dec. 4)
For audiences looking for a heavy dose of festive dark comedy and unfiltered action, horror and satire director Tommy Wirkola returns with a sequel to his breakout mercenary Santa film, Violent Night. Having finally settled into his demanding role as the genuine article, Saint Nick, played once again by David Harbour, faces a surprising professional crisis: he finds himself placed on the naughty list.
With his position as the world’s holiday icon suddenly at risk, Santa must rediscover the true meaning of Christmas while simultaneously taking down a new gang of ruthless thugs terrorizing a small community. Kris Kringle will not have to handle the threat alone, however. He is joined by Mrs. Claus, portrayed by Kristen Bell, who appears even more chaotic and vengeful than her husband. Whether the true meaning of Christmas involves escalating levels of extreme violence remains to be seen when the sequel debuts this December.
7. Street Fighter (Oct. 16)
Video game adaptations remain a major commodity in contemporary entertainment, and Capcom’s legendary fighting franchise Street Fighter is no exception. The original 1994 live-action film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia achieved cult status through its glorious campiness, even if it took considerable creative liberties with the source material.
Director Kitao Sakurai’s 2026 action-comedy adaptation appears poised to capture a similar energetic tone while offering a much deeper narrative exploration of individual characters on the expansive roster. The cast features Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, and Andrew Koji as Ryu. Furthermore, the film boasts a surprisingly star-studded ensemble for a video game adaptation, enlisting Jason Momoa as Blanka, professional wrestler Cody Rhodes as Guile, and hip-hop artist Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog.
6. The Hunger Games – Sunrise on the Reaping (Nov. 26)
Audiences eager to witness young adults thrust back into a brutal arena for the entertainment of a tyrannical society will find plenty to digest in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling novel of the same name, this cinematic prequel is set 24 years before the events of the main trilogy.
The story follows a young Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, as he is selected to participate as a tribute. Because Haymitch enters the arena during the grim milestone of the 50th Hunger Games, the narrative introduces a devastating twist: double the number of tributes entering the competition, translating directly into double the casualties.
5. Avengers: Doomsday (Dec. 18)
Marvel Studios and Disney have anchored the global box office with superhero blockbusters ever since the release of Iron Man in 2008. Now, nearly two decades later, returning directors Anthony and Joe Russo hope to recapture that lightning-in-a-bottle momentum with Avengers: Doomsday.
This expansive superhero team-up movie spans the multiverse, pitting Earth’s mightiest heroes against the formidable and villainous Doctor Doom. The colliding universes will showcase characters from previous Marvel Cinematic Universe entries, including Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, alongside prominent figures from 20th Century Fox’s historic X-Men film franchise, such as Ian McKellen’s Magneto and Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier. For fans of massive crossover events that unite the Avengers and the X-Men on screen, Doomsday represents a major theatrical milestone.
4. Clayface (Oct. 23)
Boasting a creative team that includes director James Watkins and modern horror master Mike Flanagan, DC Studios’ upcoming body horror feature Clayface promises to thoroughly unsettle viewers. The film centers on Matt Hagen, a struggling movie star played by Tom Rhys Harries, who undergoes experimental surgery in an attempt to restore his original face.
Instead of healing, he suffers horrifying biological side effects that slowly transform his physical form into a malleable, clay-like substance. While Batman fans will undoubtedly appreciate the grim Gotham City setting and thematic ties to one of the most celebrated episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, the film’s deeper focus on the psychological and physical toll of losing one’s identity is designed to attract mainstream horror enthusiasts as well.
3. Resident Evil (Sept. 18)
Capcom’s survival horror franchise Resident Evil is a cornerstone of interactive media, and if Weapons director Zach Cregger has any influence, the property might finally achieve the cinematic prestige it has long sought. Cregger’s fresh reboot of the Resident Evil film series takes place parallel to the events of Resident Evil 2.
However, rather than focusing on franchise veterans Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield during the initial T-virus outbreak in Raccoon City, the narrative follows a medical courier named Bryan, played by Austin Abrams. Choosing to center the story on an original character may test the patience of longtime video game purists, but it grants Cregger the creative freedom to inject a distinct directorial vision into a 30-year-old franchise that desperately requires a critical and commercial victory.
2. Godzilla Minus Zero (Nov. 6)
Following the critical acclaim and international box office triumph of Godzilla Minus One, writer and director Takashi Yamazaki returns with the direct sequel, Godzilla Minus Zero. The story re-centers on the Shikishima family, who were first introduced in the predecessor, and is set in 1949, just two years after the catastrophic events that nearly wiped them and their nation out.
As Japan continues its agonizing struggle to recover from the devastation wrought by the monster’s initial appearance, the emergence of a fresh threat threatens to extinguish what little hope remains among the survivors. This time around, however, the legendary kaiju appears to have targeted an entirely different metropolis: New York City.
1. Dune: Part 3 (Dec. 18)
Director Denis Villeneuve captivated audiences globally with his first two cinematic adaptations of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi masterpiece Dune, and expectations are exceptionally high for the epic conclusion to the trilogy. Set 17 years after the events of Dune: Part 2—a slight chronological expansion from the 12-year gap in the original novels—Part 3 does not shy away from challenging audience perceptions.
The story directly confronts the mythos surrounding Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, dismantling the idea of him as a selfless liberator and instead re-examining him as a ruthless, imperialist dictator. Paul’s sweeping holy war has effectively conquered the known universe, but this unchecked absolute power brings severe consequences—catastrophic fallout that Paul and the individuals closest to him may ultimately fail to survive.
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