Unless you’re willing to count a notable (and decidedly political) return of the Man of Steel, this summer’s theatrical movie lineup has been less than super. It’s no big shock that, during blockbuster season, most of the films playing at your movie house probably won’t be top-quality fare. Summer is when audiences flock to the theater to escape the heat in air conditioning that they don’t have to pay for. And when the sidewalk is hot enough to melt the plastic on a Labubu, just about any movie is better than sweating it out under the sun.
But this summer’s batch of big-budget bombs is egregiously bad. There have been sequels, prequels and freakquels, and less than a handful of them have come anywhere close to decent. Younger viewers haven’t fared much better, either. Pixar’s output used to be reliably great, but the studio has been flagging in recent years. June’s “Elio” came and went, dominated by the live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” and dwarfed by Netflix’s massively successful “KPop Demon Hunters,” which will, ironically, be closing out the summer with theatrical sing-alongs — take that, Ted Sarandos’ business model!
What audiences crave are original stories, or, at the very least, adaptations and franchise films made for serious, curious audiences. Viewers want movies that can dazzle without cutting corners, movies that are made for adults, by adults. (Or, for kids with adults somewhere in mind.) Consider the box office success of Celine Song’s highly debated “Materialists,” the word-of-mouth hype for Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby” or the buzzy reach of Zach Cregger’s “Weapons,” which is winding down summer’s dog days with excited viewers still discussing and dissecting its every frame, weeks after release.
What audiences crave are original stories, or, at the very least, adaptations and franchise films made for serious, curious audiences. Viewers want movies that can dazzle without cutting corners, movies that are made for adults, by adults. (Or, for kids with adults somewhere in mind.)
Lucky for us, this fall boasts a strong collection of titles with a diverse set of genres, ideal for anyone still recovering from the whiplash incurred by the car crash that was “M3GAN 2.0.” So, stop paying your chiropractor and start saving up for tickets. Below, we’ve got the scoop on the 11 fall films sure to ease your summer movie fatigue. (And five wild cards you’ll want to keep an eye on.)
“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (Sept. 12)
It’s been almost a decade since the beloved British series “Downton Abbey” bowed after six seasons. But with two highly successful follow-up films, it’s only right that the saga concludes with a third act to finish out its supplemental trilogy, and it seems this final installment may shake things up on the Crawley family grounds. As the 1930s begin, a new age is set to unfold, one of international political and economic strife and looming talk of war. At Downton, scandal has a foothold as Mary (Michelle Dockery) endures a divorce and the family reckons with being thrust into a new way of life. And with the series’ stateside programmer PBS facing a recent loss of public funding, saying one last goodbye to “Downton” will make this sequel an especially bittersweet affair.
“One Battle After Another” (Sept. 26)
Given that Leonardo DiCaprio only stars in one movie about every two to three years, each new role feels like an event. The same can be said for acclaimed writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, who directs DiCaprio in “One Battle After Another,” the filmmaker’s first film since 2021’s “Licorice Pizza.” DiCaprio and PTA are known for their mutually zany taste, and their anticipated collaboration, loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel ‘Vineland,” is the ideal marriage between the director’s visual flair and the actor’s go-for-broke style.
The movie follows a band of ex-revolutionaries on a mission to rescue DiCaprio’s character’s daughter, and with a star-studded cast including Regina Hall, Benicio Del Toro and Teyana Taylor — not to mention being filmed in VistaVision — “One Battle After Another” will no doubt be the fall season’s first event movie.
“After the Hunt” (Oct. 17)
Following up the one-two punch of his pair of 2024 knockouts, “Challengers” and “Queer,” Luca Guadagnino is once again proving he’s one of cinema’s most unpredictable, economical and ambitious filmmakers. With a screenplay from first-time writer Nora Garrett, Guadagnino tackles the divisive attitudes of a post-MeToo era in this she-said/he-said/she-said dramatic thriller. Julia Roberts plays Alma, a college professor who is thrust into the center of a thorny dispute between her protégée, Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), and a fellow professor, Hank (Andrew Garfield), when Maggie accuses Hank of assault. Guadagnino’s penchant for taking big, artistic swings and wrapping narratives in riddles will no doubt lend itself to the movie’s thematic framework. And with supporting efforts from the director’s previous muses Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny, “After the Hunt” is sure to spark some lively, thrilling conversations.
“Frankenstein” (Oct. 17)
There is perhaps no one better to capture the equal romance and tragedy of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” than Guillermo Del Toro, who has demonstrated his strength in both genres time and again. Just in time for Halloween, Del Toro’s long-gestating vision of “Frankenstein” will be brought to life with a limited, three-week theatrical run before hitting Netflix. Del Toro has vowed to depict his favorite aspects of Shelley’s novel, not yet seen in other adaptations, and tapped Osar Isaac, Mia Goth and Jacob Elordi to play the infamous scientist, his betrothed and his most fearsome, tenderhearted creation, respectively. But don’t wait to watch this one on your couch. A Del Toro spectacle deserves to be seen on the big screen, the premier place for an old tale to get a brand new life.
“Bugonia” (Oct. 31)
Any time Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos and his foremost muse Emma Stone link up, it’s sure to be a great, memorably strange time. “Bugonia,” Lanthimos’ remake of the 2003 South Korean film “Save the Green Planet!” will be no different, given that the movie is about two men, Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis), who suspect Stone’s high-powered CEO is really an alien hellbent on destroying Earth. Here, Lanthimos lampoons hypocritical executives and well-meaning radicals, surveying the damage that can be done by both parties when they intersect in his typically stylistic manner. Whether this collaboration with Lanthimos will land Stone another Oscar is anyone’s guess, but it’ll be prudent to have your opinion in early.
“Die, My Love” (Nov. 7)
In retrospect, we didn’t know how good we had it during the early 2010s. Politically and socially, sure, but it was also a time when Jennifer Lawrence did more than one movie every couple of years. Now, with a safe distance from cries of, “Overexposed!,” Lawrence is returning to her first major dramatic role in three years in Lynne Ramsay’s “Die, My Love,” a psychological drama about a new mother who moves with her husband to Montana and begins to spiral into anguish. Don’t let the mixed reactions out of the movie’s Cannes premiere this year sway you: A film starring Lawrence, co-starring Robert Pattinson and helmed by the button-pushing Ramsay is a can’t-miss theatrical experience — a perfect amuse-bouche for the tense Thanksgiving season.
“The Running Man” (Nov. 14)
With the end of “Squid Game” disappointing some fans, death game fanatics will be glad to know there’s another right around the corner, sprawling in scope and crawling with stars. In “The Running Man,” Glen Powell stars as the titular guy on the move, a contestant in a globally televised hunt to the death who must survive 30 days to win $1 billion. Based on a 1982 Stephen King novel, itself set in 2025, “The Running Man” will be a worthwhile watch just to see a vision of what King envisioned for our future, stylishly adapted by Edgar Wright. Action-packed? Yes. Depressing? Definitely. But that’s why Powell and co-stars Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin and Lee Pace are there: A little extra beauty never hurts in tough times.
“Wicked: For Good” (Nov. 21)
Much like Rosie O’Donnell’s character in “And Just Like That,” there’s a good chance that we’ll be changed for good by seeing the second part of Jon M. Chu’s two-part “Wicked” adaptation. Fans of the musical know that the show’s second act is … let’s just say, not quite as strong as its first. But Chu and stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande helped part one fly above its flaws (that lighting!), and we can only hope the same will be true for the finale. Either way, surely you remember last year’s holiday season. Bet on the movie being so inescapable you’ll be convinced to see it, even if you have no desire at all.
“Zootopia 2” (Nov. 26)
Disney’s massive hit “Zootopia” was released in 2016, which is about seven decades ago in studio-animated franchise film time. While it’s surprising it took this long for a sequel to come, there’s a chance that might mean that “Zootopia 2” isn’t just a cash grab, but a follow-up that’s as sweet, charming and genuinely thrilling as the first film. With Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman reprising their voice roles, and Ke Huy Quan coming on to s-s-s-spice things up as a villainous snake, “Zootopia 2” promises to be as enjoyable for parents and grandparents as it is a blast for kids during the holiday season.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (Dec. 19)
All three of the five planned “Avatar” movies being released around the holidays is starting to make me think James Cameron has even more of a God complex than we thought. He is, after all, pushing his cinema-saving (or, at least that’s how he seems to extol them) franchise out around Christmas. But these toiled-over films are no immaculate conception; the “Avatar” franchise has been delayed so long it’s a miracle we’re seeing the third film at all, and judging from the first glimpses, “Fire and Ash” looks like it’ll be more on par with the warring action of the first film than 2022’s seaside spectacle, “The Way of Water.” With time will hopefully come perfection, and given that the Na’vi people are facing a dangerous new adversary, there’s a chance “Fire and Ash” could be a war movie for the ages.
“Marty Supreme” (Dec. 25)
If “Marty Supreme” has its way, star Timothée Chalamet will be taking home his hard-won first Oscar early next year. But, worry not, the film won’t be nearly as sleepy as Chalamet’s work in last year’s “A Complete Unknown.” Here, Chalamet stars as a rising ping pong star in the 1950s, making a name for himself — and his sport — stateside while wooing an actress (Gwyneth Paltrow, in her first non-Marvel movie in 10 years) and luring her into his orbit. The film, directed by Josh Safdie, is unfortunately marked by the distasteful MAGA stain of Kevin O’Leary, who plays an adversary in Marty’s business. But Chalamet’s irresistible charms will go a long way in tampering that distaste, especially as a wily ping pong player. This Christmas, we owe it to ourselves to see that boy earn his thin, little mustache!
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Wild cards to keep your eye on:
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” (Oct. 10): Rose Byrne claws at sanity (and her Oscar) in this festival favorite.
“Tron Ares” (Oct. 10): Jared Leto can be overlooked under the right circumstances, and new Nine Inch Nails music is one of them.
“The Mastermind” (Oct. 17): Kelly Reichardt directs Josh O’Connor as an art thief. I mean, come on.
“Ballad of a Small Player” (Oct. 29): From the Vatican to Vegas, Edward Berger’s first post-“Conclave” feature looks just as thrilling.
“Keeper” (Nov. 14): Will Osgood Perkins regain his footing after a remarkable stumble?
