7 Must-Watch Movies Coming Out In October 2026
Spooky season is finally here, and October is about to deliver not only scares but also some cozy autumn movies we've been counting down the days until. September gave us some real winners like Forgotten Island (2026) and The Love Hypothesis (2026), and though they were released in July, Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) and The Odyssey (2026) continue to break incredible records.
October surprisingly doesn't have as much as the summer months or what we'll start to get in November. Still, there's plenty to look forward to with both theatrical releases and the movies that'll premiere directly on streaming. Here are the seven we're most excited about.
October 2
Tom Cruise's Digger is one of the biggest movies to be released in 2026, a satirical dark comedy that also stars Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Emma D'Arcy, and more. The premise is interestingly kept a secret, but what we know so far is that the movie will essentially be about a wealthy man who tries to save humanity from a mess he himself created.
Sounds pretty familiar to a lot of movies we've seen in the past few years, and it's certainly going to be a big one when it comes to social media conversations. Given how epic and incredible Alejandro G. Iñárritu's work has been in the past, there's no doubt that Digger will also be a hit for audiences.
October 9
The movie that scared the daylights out of countless people—myself included—while the trailer played during The Odyssey earlier this summer is finally about to be released. Other Mommy stars Jessica Chastain, a demon who resembles the mother of a little girl (also played by Chastain), and it's safe to say this one is not scaredy-cat friendly.
It's been a pretty solid year for horror movies with Obsession (2026), Backrooms (2026), the new Resident Evil (2026), and more, but whether Other Mommy will be a flop or a winner, only time will tell. The premise sounds utterly terrifying even just reading about it, so if that's any indication of how it'll go, I'd be curious to see what horror fans think of it. Ultimately, there's no denying it's one of the bigger releases in October and has been since the trailers started making headlines.
October 9
The long-awaited sequel to The Social Network (2010) is finally set to release, but I still can't tell if it's a good idea or not. While 2026 has delivered some excellent and worthy sequels like The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026), it's not every movie that we need to revisit. Because really, in the day and age of social media that we're living in, The Social Reckoning can either be necessary or another story that simply feeds the beast.
Still, we're getting it either way, and it's undoubtedly one of the movies that many people will be going out of their way to watch. It stars Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, Jeremy Strong, Billy Magnussen, Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, and more, and if for no other reason, it's the cast that's most exciting for this one.
October 16
Every Jane Austen fan you know is counting down the days until Georgia Oakley's Sense and Sensibility, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and George MacKay. We haven't had a movie about the Dashwood sisters since 2008, so this feels like a long-awaited gift in more ways than one. Early critical reception is also already so positive that it makes the anticipation all the more exciting.
While we've had new movies for Emma and we'll also be getting a new limited series on Pride and Prejudice (2026) later this year on Netflix, Sense and Sensibility is one of Austen's more underrated series.
In addition, the fact that we're getting a theatrical release makes it even more incredible because the 20th anniversary rerelease of Pride and Prejudice (2005) last year made for an absolute blast for romance fans. With how universally beloved Austen is, there's also a good chance that even those who've never read the books could appreciate what the movie has to offer.
October 23
The next installment in James Gunn's DCU is finally set to release, and given how incredible some of the new features have been, I have full faith in the Clayface adaptation. Starring Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, and more, the movie's meant to be an origin story of sorts, but Gunn has also noted that this is the same character we meet in his Creature Commandos (2024).
It's also the last movie we'll get before Man of Tomorrow (2027), so if you want to be fully prepared in the DCU, it's not one to be missed. While Supergirl (2026) had mixed reception at the box office, it's still a significant movie that gives us more insight into the lore and universe. I imagine that Clayface will be impactful, though it might not be scaredy-cat friendly if you don't like body horror.
October 23
From the Laika studios that brought us Coraline (2009) and ParaNorman (2012), the latest stop-motion animation is releasing at the perfect time for spooky season. Wildwood is bound to be a gorgeous adventure, and that much is clear just judging by the trailers. Animation is an art form that people keep begging for new content with, and movies like Wildwood, along with Forgotten Island, are the answer.
These movies aren't just meticulously crafted to deliver something that's beautiful, but they're meant to underscore a gorgeous story within and deserve the viewership so we can continue getting more. Everything about Wildwood looks gorgeous, and it even features voice acting from Mahershala Ali, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Jake Johnson, Carey Mulligan, and more.
October 30
We're finally approaching Wicker season, another movie that people have been talking about since the official trailer, and this time, it's not that anyone was terrified like they were with Other Mommy, but they were swept away and counting down the days, especially for romance fans. People began comparing Alexander Skarsgård's Wicker Man to Jonathan Bailey's Fiyero at the end of Wicked: For Good (2025), and every complimentary comment since has made the internet a glorious place to be.
The most riveting detail, however, is that we'll be seeing Olivia Colman's character in a position where she's clearly loved and cherished, and there's so much to appreciate in that detail alone. Women after 50 should absolutely, without question, be the center of attention, and it feels like a major finger to Hollywood and its inherent ageism. No matter how the movie performs, if there's a happy ending for the characters, I can guarantee romance fans will be singing its praises left and right.
