I hate when people claim there are no good new movies. I hate when they say there’s no point in going to the theater anymore. The pessimists of the cinematic universe.
From Sentimental Value and Marty Supreme to The Odyssey and Primetime, every time I’ve gone to the movies, I’ve left a happier woman. There’s something almost magical about the theater, and Nicole Kidman puts it best: “That indescribable feeling … somehow reborn together.” Movies let you forget about the assignment due at 11:59, the guy who hasn’t texted you back, or the shift you have to clock in for the next morning. They let you laugh, cry, try on someone else’s shoes for a moment, and become completely immersed.
In a world where the attention economy asks us to be entertained for mere seconds at a time, the movie theater challenges that expectation. It invites us to stay with a story for two hours or more.
I love the movies, and I hope this finds the people who love them, too.
Think of this as a guide to movies I’m excited about—films to add to your Letterboxd watchlist or jot down in your Notes app. Without further ado, here are ten movies to look out for, in ascending release order.
1. Fjord — October 9, 2026
Directed by two-time Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu, Fjord is a family drama with the tension of a legal thriller, inspired in part by the real-life Bodnariu case. Starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, it follows Mihai and Lisbet Gheorghiu, a conservative, religious couple who leave Romania with their children for a remote Norwegian village. They hope for a peaceful new beginning, but their lives are upended when their daughter Ella arrives at school covered in bruises.
The film premiered at Cannes and invites viewers to sit with a complicated moral question: How should we respond when our beliefs about family, authority, and social responsibility collide? Mungiu has said he wants films to provoke conversation and leave room for different interpretations. By refusing to hand viewers an easy answer, Mungiu holds a mirror to a polarized society that wants complicated moral questions reduced to opposing sides. The film asks us to weigh competing ideas of parental authority, child protection, and social responsibility, and leaves us to decide where we stand.
2. The Social Reckoning — October 9, 2026
It’s been 16 years since The Social Network captured the story of Facebook’s origins and helped define an era. Now writer and director Aaron Sorkin is returning to that world with The Social Reckoning, a companion piece to the original film.
Starring Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, and Jeremy Strong, the film turns its attention to Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and the reporting that brought the company’s internal documents to light. Social media has changed dramatically since Facebook’s debut, and I’m curious to see how Sorkin revisits that world, and what this new chapter has to say about the platforms that shape our lives now.
3. Clayface — October 23, 2026
I’m really excited for this one. Director James Watkins also directed “Shut Up and Dance,” one of my favorite Black Mirror episodes, so I’m eager to see what he brings to Clayface.
The film brings the DC Comics character to the screen as the focus of a body-horror story. Matt Hagen rises from the streets of Gotham to Hollywood fame, only to be left terribly disfigured after an encounter with a local crime boss. Clayface is widely considered one of the most compelling and tragic villains in DC Comics lore, so it will be interesting to see how he translates to the silver screen.
4. Club Kid — November 6, 2026
I absolutely adore a good A24 movie, and Club Kid looks like it could be just that. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Written, directed by, and starring comedian Jordan Firstman, it follows a hard-partying New York club promoter whose life dramatically shifts when he discovers he has a 10-year-old son.
With a plot-driven soundtrack, an authentically LGBTQ+ cast, and a story reaching for our hearts, I’m prepared to fall for this one.
5. Wild Horse Nine — November 6, 2026
Wild Horse Nine is a black comedy and political thriller written and directed by Martin McDonagh, the filmmaker behind In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin. Starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Buscemi, the film follows two CIA agents sent to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup. As they confront their pasts and the conspiracies surrounding them, a new connection threatens to throw their mission off course. This film looks set to be one of McDonagh’s most reflective and personal works, exploring the very nature of regret.
McDonagh has a strong track record, and this mix of politics, dark comedy, and regret sounds right up my alley. This is a must-see for me.
6. Josephine — November 20, 2026, limited release
I saw the trailer for Josephine during my last trip to the theater and immediately added it to my watchlist. Written, directed, and produced by Beth de Araújo, this drama follows an eight-year-old girl who witnesses a brutal assault in Golden Gate Park and struggles with the trauma that follows.
Mason Reeves plays Josephine, in a performance that could be a major breakthrough. The film won both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at Sundance. Its subject matter sounds devastating, but I’m drawn to the promise of a thoughtful, emotionally powerful story.
7. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping — November 20, 2026
For everyone who grew up with The Hunger Games, how could this film not make my list? Based on Suzanne Collins’s prequel novel, which I highly recommend, it tells the story of Haymitch Abernathy and the events that shaped him into the character we meet in the original series.
The film brings the Second Quarter Quell to life, and I’m bracing myself: it’s known as one of the most brutal games in the series. I’m so excited to return to one of my favorite fictional worlds, have my heart broken, and feel my anxiety reach unparalleled heights.
8. Dune: Part Three — December 18, 2026
The first two Dune movies were incredible. I didn’t think the second could top the first, but somehow, in my book, it did. With out-of-this-world cinematography, a stellar, star-studded cast whose performances deliver, and a gripping storyline, Dune: Part Three raises high expectations for fans.
The film continues Paul Atreides’s story after he takes control of the Imperium, as he faces the consequences of the holy war fought in his name. I’m excited to see where Denis Villeneuve takes the story next, and whether this installment can meet the high bar set by the first two.
9. Artificial — December 25, 2026
I was surprised when I first saw the trailer. From Call Me by Your Name to Challengers, a film about artificial intelligence wasn’t what I expected next from Luca Guadagnino.
Artificial is a comedy-drama starring Andrew Garfield as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. It centers on the upheaval around Altman’s firing and return to the company in 2023. Since those events are so recent and actively unfolding, I’m curious to see how the film interprets them, and how it lands with audiences.
10. Werwulf — December 25, 2026
I’m a huge fan of Robert Eggers and his strange, singular imagination, so his new project is an automatic watch for me. Werwulf is a medieval gothic horror film, and, knowing Eggers, I expect it to be unsettling, beautiful, and unnerving.
The cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, and Lily-Rose Depp. Eggers excels at macabre historical settings and period language, so I’m especially excited to see the world he creates this time.
I’m really excited for all ten of these films, and I hope you’ve discovered at least one that excites you, too.