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James Marsh

Autumn is one of the most bountiful seasons on the moviegoing calendar, as a growing crop of potential awards contenders emerges alongside a mouthwatering array of holiday entertainment and bona fide blockbusters.
This year is no exception, with many of Hollywood’s biggest stars unveiling their latest works, and some of the most formidable franchises in recent memory returning to the big screen.
Here are 14 of the most tantalising prospects to arrive between now and Christmas (opening dates are for Hong Kong).
1. Heart of the Beast


Brad Pitt reunites with Fury director David Ayer to tell the story of a retired US special forces officer who crash-lands in the Alaskan wilderness with his dog, also a seasoned combat veteran.
The film promises to be as much a celebration of the military’s highly skilled four-legged operatives as a brawny survival thriller about war heroes battling the elements and their own inner demons. (Opens on September 24.)
2. Digger


Tom Cruise is already being hotly tipped as a best actor contender for his larger-than-life performance anchoring Alejandro G. Inarritu’s political black comedy.
Cruise plays a billionaire oil tycoon who finds himself at the centre of a global catastrophe for which he is largely responsible, while also becoming humanity’s only hope of survival.
Giving off strong Dr. Strangelove vibes, the film is an acerbic satire that promises to delight and infuriate in equal measure. (Opens on October 1.)
3. Other Mommy


Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain takes on double duty in the latest horror offering from hit factory Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, produced by James Wan.
Adapted from Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House and directed by Rob Savage (Host), the film sees Chastain play a mother battling to protect her young daughter from a supernatural entity known as “Other Mommy” that looks just like her.
Jay Duplass and Severance star Dichen Lachman also feature. (Opens on October 8.)
4. The Social Reckoning


Aaron Sorkin won an Oscar for penning The Social Network, which charted the meteoric rise of Facebook. He wrote and now directs this sequel in which Succession star Jeremy Strong plays Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the 2021 leak that exposed the company’s awareness of the harmful impact of its platform and lack of action to counter it.
Best actress winner Mikey Madison (Anora) co-stars as corporate whistle-blower Frances Haugen. (Opens on October 8.)
5. Street Fighter


Past attempts to bring Capcom’s beloved fighting video game to the big screen have wavered from bad (the 1994 version starring Jean-Claude Van Damme) to abysmal (2009’s The Legend of Chun-Li), but this latest iteration appears to be embracing the property’s campier elements.
Noah Centineo (next to be seen as Rambo) stars alongside Andrew Koji, Callina Liang and Jason Momoa, as well as WWE veterans Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. (Opens on October 16.)
6. Klara and the Sun


Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) helms this adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s dystopian science fiction novel about a solar-powered “Artificial Friend” named Klara (Jenna Ortega), who is chosen by an ailing teenager (Mia Tharia) to live with her family in the countryside.
Waititi appears to have injected a good deal of his trademark quirky humour into Ishiguro’s story, which sees a well-intentioned AI strive to make human lives better. What could possibly go wrong? (Opens on October 22.)
7. Clayface


The DC Universe takes a dark turn as its latest entry skews hard into the realm of visceral body horror. Directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil) from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep), the film stars Tom Rhys Harries as a rising film star whose face is disfigured by gangsters.
After turning to a shady backstreet scientist (Naomi Ackie) for help, he emerges as the shape-shifting anti-hero Clayface, a notorious adversary of Batman. (Opens on October 22.)
8. Ebenezer


Johnny Depp stars in his first major Hollywood role in eight years, playing the iconic curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ perennial festive favourite, A Christmas Carol.
The film promises to delve deeper into the character’s backstory and boasts an ensemble that includes Andrea Riseborough, Daisy Ridley and Ian McKellen as Jacob Marley. Fans will be hoping that Depp’s triumphant return proves to be more festive cheer than overstuffed turkey. (Opens on November 12.)
9. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping


While a prequel series to the Jennifer Lawrence-led franchise seemed unnecessary, 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes emerged as a surprising reinvigoration of the dystopian death match saga.
This second instalment focuses on Katniss’s future mentor Haymitch Abernathy – here a 16-year-old tribute from District 12 played by Joseph Zada – as he is selected to compete in the Second Quarter Quell. Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin and Elle Fanning also star. (Opens on November 19.)
10. Focker-in-Law


The latest instalment in the family-focused comedy franchise that pits Robert De Niro’s retired CIA agent Jack against his unassuming son-in-law Greg (Ben Stiller) now adds Ariana Grande to the mix.
Olivia (Grande) is an FBI hostage negotiator engaged to Greg’s mollycoddled son (Skyler Gisondo). Hilarity ensues when the family convenes for the holidays. After quickly winning over the typically suspicious Jack, Olivia becomes determined to free her betrothed from his overbearing parents. (Opens on November 26.)
11. Hexed


Disney Animation’s latest feature-length fantasy follows Billie, a typically awkward and unpopular teenage heroine. After she is expelled from high school, she discovers that she is descended from witches and is transported – together with her mother – into the magical realm of Hexe.
Hailee Steinfeld headlines the voice cast, which also includes Rashida Jones, Jodie Foster, Walton Goggins and Stephen Fry. Fawn Veerasunthorn, the Thai-born director of Wish (2023), takes the helm alongside Jason Hand. (Opens on November 28.)
12. The Cat in the Hat


Loosely based on the beloved children’s book written and illustrated by Dr Seuss, this animated feature casts Bill Hader as the voice of the eponymous feline, tasked with entertaining a pair of human children.
While that pretty much covers the original narrative, the film gives The Cat a complicated backstory involving the “Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC”, but one suspects audiences will be attracted by brand recognition alone. (Opens on December 3.)
13. Avengers: Doomsday


Marvel Studios is hoping to restore faith in its flagging superhero franchise, going so far as to bring back Cap, Thor and other original Avengers who had been put out to pasture, while casting Robert Downey Jnr as new nemesis Doctor Doom.
As if that was not enough, 2019’s box-office-busting finale Avengers: Endgame is being re-released on September 24 in an extended “Encore” edition to prime audiences for this all-new multiverse-fuelled adventure. (Opens on December 16.)
14. Dune: Part Three


The third and final chapter in Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s hugely influential science fiction opus takes place around 20 years after the events of its predecessors.
Based primarily on Dune Messiah, the film sees Paul (Timothee Chalamet) ruling as a ruthless emperor whose reign comes under threat from a scheming new enemy, played by Robert Pattinson.
Zendaya returns as Paul’s former lover Chani, mother of his two children, as do Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem and Anya Taylor-Joy. (Opens on December 17.)
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Street Fighter, The Social Reckoning and the new Hunger Games film also make our list of the most tantalising upcoming Hollywood movies


Street Fighter, The Social Reckoning and the new Hunger Games film also make our list of the most tantalising upcoming Hollywood movies.


14 new Hollywood movies to watch in autumn 2026, from Digger to Avengers: Doomsday

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Street Fighter, The Social Reckoning and the new Hunger Games film also make our list of the most tantalising upcoming Hollywood movies

1. Heart of the Beast

Street Fighter, The Social Reckoning and the new Hunger Games film also make our list of the most tantalising upcoming Hollywood movies