The Most Anticipated Movies of October 2025

October is stacked with major releases across drama, sci-fi, horror, anime, and music biopic territory. From Oscar-winning filmmakers returning to the spotlight to franchise tentpoles pushing their worlds forward, there’s a little bit of everything landing throughout the month. Big theatrical bows anchor most of the slate, with one high-profile Netflix title joining the mix right before awards season heats up.

Below, you’ll find the essentials for each film: the exact release date, who’s behind and in front of the camera, and what the story covers. Use this to map out your watchlist, whether you’re planning opening-night tickets at the multiplex or a couch night when the Netflix title drops.

‘The Smashing Machine’ (2025)

Benny Safdie directs ‘The Smashing Machine,’ set for release in theaters on October 3, 2025, with Dwayne Johnson starring alongside Emily Blunt and Ryan Bader. The film dramatizes the life of MMA icon Mark Kerr, charting his ascent in the sport while confronting the pressures that come with elite competition.

The story follows Kerr’s rise in mixed martial arts and the personal struggles that shadow his success, focusing on the sacrifices and choices that shape a fighter’s career. With Safdie at the helm and a cast built around Johnson, Blunt, and Bader, the feature zeroes in on the intersection of fame, pain, and persistence within the fight world.

‘After the Hunt’ (2025)

Luca Guadagnino’s ‘After the Hunt’ arrives in theaters on October 10, 2025, led by Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri. The film centers on Alma Olsson, a Yale professor on the cusp of tenure, as her professional path collides with complications that ripple through her personal life.

Set against an academic backdrop, the drama examines relationships, ambition, and the stakes of institutional power. Guadagnino’s focus stays on character and consequence as Alma’s choices reverberate across campus and home, pulling in the people closest to her at a pivotal moment in her career.

‘TRON: Ares’ (2025)

‘TRON: Ares’ opens in theaters on October 10, 2025, directed by Joachim Rønning and starring Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Cameron Monaghan, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Hasan Minhaj, and Jeff Bridges. The story follows Ares, a highly sophisticated A.I. program that crosses into the human world on a dangerous mission, shifting the franchise’s focus largely to real-world settings.

While many plot specifics are under wraps, the film explores what happens when boundaries between the grid and everyday reality blur. The ensemble introduces new characters to the ‘TRON’ universe, with Jeff Bridges also appearing, and the narrative expanding the series’ themes of identity, technology, and control.

‘Black Phone 2’ (2025)

Scott Derrickson’s ‘Black Phone 2’ hits theaters on October 17, 2025, bringing back Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and Miguel Mora. The follow-up reunites the original creative team and cast of the 2022 thriller, continuing the story world that pitted a kidnapped boy against a serial killer known as the Raggedy Man.

Plot details remain under wraps, but the first film established Finney Shaw’s fight for survival via a mysterious disconnected telephone that connected him with past victims. The sequel marks another collaboration between producer Jason Blum and Hawke, extending the tense, supernatural crime setup that defined the original.

‘Good Fortune’ (2025)

‘Good Fortune’ is slated for a theatrical release on October 17, 2025, written and directed by Aziz Ansari and starring Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, and Seth Rogen. The story follows an angel who inhabits a man’s boss to deliver a life lesson, with additional casting including Sandra Oh and a role for Ansari.

The film blends workplace misadventure with a supernatural twist as the angelic intervention forces its target to confront choices and consequences. Reeves, Palmer, and Rogen lead the ensemble through a setup that turns professional power dynamics inside-out once the possession reframes what success and accountability look like.

‘A House of Dynamite’ (2025)

Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘A House of Dynamite’ debuts on Netflix on October 24, 2025, starring Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, and Anthony Ramos. The film marks Bigelow’s return to features and centers on a race to identify and stop those responsible for an anonymous missile launch targeting the United States.

Set across urgent investigative beats, the story follows the people tasked with tracing the launch’s origin and preventing escalation. The Netflix release positions the film squarely in the late-October corridor as awards consideration ramps up, with Elba and Ferguson anchoring the high-stakes ensemble.

‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ (2025)

‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ arrives in theaters on October 24, 2025, directed by Scott Cooper and starring Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, and Stephen Graham. The biographical drama chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s album ‘Nebraska,’ capturing a period that marked a turning point in the musician’s life and work.

The film traces the album’s stark creation process and the personal headspace that shaped its songs, following Springsteen’s path through a stripped-down approach that redefined his sound. White leads the cast through studio and off-stage moments as the production unpacks the choices behind the record’s enduring resonance.

‘Regretting You’ (2025)

‘Regretting You’ is set for a theatrical release on October 24, 2025, directed by Josh Boone and starring Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco, and Mason Thames. Adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel, the story follows Morgan and her teenage daughter Clara as they struggle to reconnect after the death of Morgan’s husband and Clara’s father, Chris.

The drama explores grief, family secrets, and the path back to trust, moving between mother-daughter perspectives as each confronts what’s been lost and what remains. Boone’s adaptation brings the novel’s central relationship to the screen with Williams and Grace navigating the fractures and repairs of their bond.

‘Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc’ (2025)

‘Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc’ opens in theaters on October 24, 2025, directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara and featuring the voices of Kikunosuke Toya, Tomori Kusunoki, and Shôgo Sakata. The film adapts the Bomb Girl arc, following Denji—now part of Special Division 4—whose chance meeting with Reze after taking shelter from the rain sets off a chain of events that collide romance with danger.

As Reze’s true identity comes into focus, the story pushes Denji into some of the series’ most emotional and explosive confrontations, while laying groundwork that connects to future arcs. The feature continues the anime’s blend of action and character-driven stakes, translating key manga beats to a big-screen format.

Share your picks: which October releases are you most excited to watch first—tell us in the comments!