2024 Fall Movie Preview: The 22 Most Buzzworthy Upcoming Releases!

As the days get shorter and the smell of pumpkin spiced lattes fill the air, you know it’s the signs of Summer turning to Fall, and for us movie fans, it’s the transition point between the Summer movie season and the Fall season. Gone are the Summer blockbusters and in are… Fall blockbusters!

After hits like Inside Out 2, Twisters, and Deadpool & Wolverine helped revitalize the box office from the slump that it had been in previously, hopes are high for this batch of Fall movies to do the same, while also giving us a wider glimpse of what could be making the play for Oscars come March 2025. So little time, so much to see, so let’s get right to it by starting with the first release of September going all the way until Thanksgiving weekend. 

1. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (September 6) 

That’s right, Michael Keaton is finally back as the Ghost With The Most after 36 long years. Well, for his character, that probably isn’t as long of a time, but that’s besides the point. Returning alongside him are stars Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, with the king of goth in the director’s chair, Tim Burton. Joining them is little up-and-comer named Jenna Ortega in this spooky fun adventure that is bound to be an exciting start to the Fall movie season, as early buzz is already saying we have a hit on our hands. We don’t have too much longer to wait for this movie!

2. Speak No Evil (September 13) 

Sticking with the spooky side of things, albeit with less of an emphasis on "fun for the whole family" and more on "terrorizing the whole family", Speak No Evil seems to be just that. Based off the Danish film of the same name, the film stars James McAvoy as the father of a British family who invites over their American family friends, and guess what? Things are not what they seem. It’s a Blumhouse movie, so assuming the trailer proves right, this should give horror fans a good, tense time right before the Halloween season!

3. Transformers One (September 20)

Continuing on with things that are more than meets the eye, Transformers One offers a first look into the backstory our favorite Autobots and Decepticons. With Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry as Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively, we’re expecting to see how these two robots became not only Transformers but mortal enemies after they were (gasp!) childhood besties. Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley’s latest animated venture has seen a lot early screenings filled with rave reviews, so here’s hoping it lives up to the hype and the franchise legacy.

4. The Substance (September 20) 

This next one is a particularly interesting film. Having premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and winning the screenplay award there, The Substance features an out-of-grace model played by Demi Moore getting offered a chance to transform into a younger version of herself (played by Margaret Qualley). Clearly, this seems to be some sort of “be careful what you wish for” story, so it’s best not to delve any deeper into specifics. Mubi is the distributor behind this one and they seem to be pretty confident with their limited release model, so this will probably be one that genre fans won’t want to miss.

5. Megalopolis (September 27) 

When the behind-the-scenes drama is being described as similar to that of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now — one of the most infamous making-of stories in the history of film — one must wonder what kind of movie warrants that reputation. In this case, that film is Megalopolis, a sci-fi satirical fable… at least that’s what the trailer is leading us to believe. Adam Driver leads this stacked cast of actors who hopped on board for FFC’s self-funded passion project. With vibes similar to Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, this film is going to be quite the conversation starter once it releases late-September.

6. The Wild Robot (September 27) 

Not to pick any favorites, but if I had to, I’m not not saying that The Wild Robot would be one of mine for this. Dreamworks’ latest is a little under a month out and is getting many animation fans more excited for a Dreamworks movie than they have been in a long time. Starring Lupita Nyong’o as the titular robot, the film’s animation style seems to be employing similar techniques to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which many people held in quite high regard. With a story that looks emotional and compelling to boot, The Wild Robot is one that nobody will want to miss when it comes out — we can guarantee it!

9. Joker: Folie À Deux (October 4) 

Hey look, it’s the dancing clown fella! Yup, the highly-anticipated sequel Joker: Folie À Deux is set to release in theaters at the beginning of October, and even with how much we already know about it, there is still a lot we don’t. Todd Phillips returns to direct Joaquin Phoenix after his Oscar-winning performance as Arthur Fleck, and this time, he’s set to bounce off against one of the most popular characters in DC — Batman mythos or otherwise — via Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. We know it’s going to be a musical (sort of), but we don’t know exactly what that entails. All we know is that people are going to be very passionate one way or the other if the first film was any indicator. 

10. The Outrun (October 4) 

Shifting from one Oscar hopeful to another, The Outrun is absolutely going to be counterprogramming to the Clown Prince of Crime this weekend. Headlined by Saoirse Ronan, the film follows a young woman returning to her home in Scotland to try and escape her alcohol addiction. Based off a memoir by Amy Liptrot, the film seems to be an incredibly intimate drama that is bound to warrant some tissues when audiences walk in and out of the theater. Having premiered at Sundance toward the beginning of the year, The Outrun has a lot of competition in the Awards race this season but won’t be one to miss no matter what. 

11. Saturday Night (October 11) 

It is odd to think about a world without the iconic "Saturday Night Live", and yet, this film seeks to give us a glimpse into that window of time where nobody knew if this would succeed. Focusing in on the 90 minutes before the pilot of "SNL" that aired back in 1974, writer/director Jason Reitman is set to detail the onslaught of events that made that night hell for everyone there, and when comedians are at play, it’s bound to get fun! The Fabelmans star Gabriel LaBelle plays Lorne Michaels, who many know now but few knew then, alongside the many other up-and-coming comedians. Releasing just in time for SNL’s 50th anniversary, this should be fun to watch, even if we already know how this one turns out in the end.

12. Piece by Piece (October 11) 

You know, if anyone says this is how they expected Pharrell Williams to tell his story on the big screen -- as a LEGO animated movie -- you should probably go to Vegas with those kind of betting odds. Anyways, you read that correctly; Piece by Piece is planning on telling the story of Pharrell Williams’s life in the form of a LEGO movie. I mean, what more do you need to be sold on other than that?

13. Smile 2 (October 18) 

Following the insane success of the first movie that was originally supposed to release straight-to-streaming, Smile 2 is coming out at the height of Spooky Season and for good reason. Those who have seen the first already have a good impression of what to expect here, although the added element of Naomi Scott playing a massive pop star who gets this curse creates an interesting new dynamic. With a marketing campaign that was already infamously good the first time around, expect to see more creepy smily people everywhere you go in the leadup to the release of Smile 2 on October 18th.

14. Venom: The Last Dance (October 25) 

Forget the craziness of Deapool getting his own trilogy; how about Venom getting an entire trilogy?! As crazy as it is, Venom: The Last Dance is expected to capstone this trilogy of the iconic Spider-Man villain…’s adventures without Spider-Man present. The events of Spider-Man: No Way Home are bound to have an effect on this universe as Eddie Brock/Venom are now on the run and. oh, if you think things were bad enough, now a whole planet of symbiotes are about to invade Earth! Tom Hardy always has fun with this character, so it will be equally as fun to see what he does in this once it releases in late-October.

15. Here (November 1) 

Robert Zemeckis directing, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright starring, seems a little familiar, doesn’t it? Well, that Forrest Gump reunion isn’t going to be the only thing sparking nostalgia in this film if the trailer is anything to believe. Here is going with an ambitious attempt to show life in all of its many facets from one shot, one angle, the whole running time. If it works, it could be the comeback that Zemeckis has been looking for, so keep your eyes out for this one.

16. A Real Pain (November 1) 

Another Oscar hopeful releases the same day as Here with Jesse Eisenberg’s writer/directorial venture, A Real Pain. Eisenberg stars in the film himself alongside that Kieran Culkin kid as cousins meeting up to travel across Poland in memory of their grandmother. Early buzz from its premiere at Sundance is pointing to this being a good time.   

17. Conclave (November 8) 

If anyone's in the mood for more election drama on the same week as Election Day, look no further than Edward Berger’s Conclave. The Oscar-winning filmmaker behind All Quiet on the Western Front tackles this story following the death of the Pope, and in the mediary, Ralph Fiennes’s character is the one tasked with overseeing the selection of a new Pope. Given the pedigree of such a position, a whole movie’s worth of events is sure to ensue. Sound appealing to you? You should probably go see Conclave then.

18. Red One (November 15) 

It may be early to think about the Holiday season now, but come November 15, audiences should be more than ready for a jolly good time with Red One. When none other than Santa Claus gets kidnapped, it’s up to the head of North Pole Security — unsurprisingly played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — to team up with world class thief (Chris Evans, you may have heard of him) to bring back Santa and save Christmas. The Rock reteams with Jake Kasdan after they made two very successful Jumanji films together, so if all goes well, Red One should be on the Nice List.

19. Heretic (November 15) 

Time for some more counterprogramming, unless you’d like to pair your family holiday action flick with an A24 horror/thriller (to each their own). Heretic features Hugh Grant as a seemingly innocent guy who’s visited by two missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East). Yeah, if you watch the trailer, you know he’s not innocent. How he is not so innocent, well, that answer is a mystery for all of us until this movie releases in theaters November.

20. Gladiator II (November 22) 

We’re getting towards the home stretch, so what’s more homey than gladiators dueling it out to the death amidst the reign of the Roman Empire? Assuming your answer is Ridley Scott’s highly-anticipated Gladiator II, then you’ve come to the right place. Starring some little time actors — Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen — the film is taking place a couple decades after Maximus made history in the Colosseum. It’s safe to say that blood will be spilt and expectations are high for this movie, so we’re not gonna’ waste too much time talking about something you’re probably going to see already anyway.

21. Wicked (November 22) 

Ah yes, another indie film. If you’ve heard of this little-known play called Wicked, then you’ll be excited to hear that we’re only a couple months away from the long-awaited film adaptation! Jon M. Chu directs this as the first-half of the story of two young witches whose story is about to change forever when one decides gravity is overrated. Cast-wise, you’ve Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and the illustrious Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard… need we say more?! Right on time for Thanksgiving, Wicked is a story decades in the making, so yeah, of course we can’t wait!

22. Moana 2 (November 27) 

Last but certainly not least is another sequel to one of Disney Animation’s best from the past decade in the form of Moana 2. Reworked from a Disney+ series into this feature film follow-up, Auli‘i Cravalho returns as the titular princess on a new adventure on the high seas, assisted once again by the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson). If you know the way to the theater on Thanksgiving weekend, Moana 2 should be an easy sell for the whole family. You’re welcome!

With all that said and done, what is your most anticipated movie for this fall?