The 5 Most Anticipated Movies of October
This month's top picks include world warriors, a DC villain, a mogul on a mission, a scary mama, and a forest adventure.
Despite it being spooky season, there are surprisingly few outright horror films debuting in October. That said, we do have a handful of chills and thrills coming to theaters, as well as a pretty wide variety of offerings ranging from crime dramas to gonzo satires to period romances and even a video game adaptation.
We asked you to vote for your Most Anticipated Movies of October, and the numbers came back surprisingly even across the board. Read on for the top five!
Street Fighter
Release Date: October 16, 2026
Ready, fight! From the trailers, fans will definitely delight in tons of hand-to-hand fight scenes and off-the-wall action. Street Fighter sees the return of iconic characters such as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, and Vega, and an ensemble cast including Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, Jason Momoa, and Cody Rhodes hopes to bring the adaptation to a Perfect finish.
Clayface
Release Date: October 23, 2026
All eyes are on the DCU for their cinematic universe reset, and fans are eager to witness Batman villain Clayface’s solo film debut. Horror maestro Mike Flanagan contributes the screenplay, and first glimpses from the trailer show a gripping body horror story featuring unconventional violence, melting face prosthetics, and Tom Rhys Harries as the titular character. Clayface is shaping up to be DC’s goriest movie yet.
Digger
Release Date: October 2, 2026
Hold tight, we’re in for nasty weather. Tom Cruise plays wealthy oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, who must find a way to revert the damage his business caused and save humanity. Cruise leading a film is always a welcome sight, especially when paired with an Oscar-winning director like Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Plus, with an original story about an ultra-wealthy man forced to reckon with the consequences of their actions, it’s no wonder why fans are eagerly waiting to see Digger.
Other Mommy
Release Date: October 9, 2026
If spooky season hasn’t already started yet, Other Mommy is sure to kick it off. Jessica Chastain stars as both Ursula, the mother to 8-year-old Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark), and the “Other Mommy,” an entity who looks like Bela’s mother, in this new psychological horror from director Rob Savage that is sure to mess with viewers’ heads. Horror fans are already eagerly anticipating the scares in this new feature — the most-watched moment from the trailer is a scene of the Other Mommy jump-scaring both Bela and her father (Jay Duplass).
Wildwood
Release Date: October 23, 2026
From LAIKA, the animation studio behind the hit classic Coraline, comes the new stop-motion animated feature Wildwood. Peyton Elizabeth Lee stars as Prue McKeel, a teenager who travels into the mysterious forest Wildwood with her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) to save her infant brother Mac when he is abducted by crows. In the forest, she learns the crows are controlled by Alexandra (Carey Mulligan), the ruler of Wildwood, who turns to dark magic after being trapped in a cycle of grief for her young son. With 9% of the votes this month, the hand-animated charm of Laika Studios stands as resistance against AI art.
Thumbnail image by ©Paramount Pictures
