Movies releasing in October 2026 are taking us everywhere this month, from the dizzying heights of K2 and Mount Everest to California, New Zealand and beyond. With plenty of big names in the mix too, including Tom Cruise, Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett, Jenna Ortega and Ben Affleck, there’s no shortage of reasons to add a few new titles to your watchlist.
As always, we’ve rounded up the movies releasing in October 2026 that have caught our attention, along with where to watch them and some of the destinations and filming locations behind the stories.
So, whether you’re after a mountain adventure, a dark thriller, a spooky Halloween scare or your next Netflix binge, here are 10 movies releasing in October 2026 to have on your radar.
1. Klara and the Sun
- Cast: Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Steve Buscemi, Natasha Lyonne
- Release: October 23, 2026
- Where to watch: Cinemas
Directed by Taika Waititi and based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Klara and the Sun follows Klara, an Artificial Friend chosen to become a companion to a teenage girl named Josie. Jenna Ortega takes on the title role, with the futuristic story brought to life through filming in locations including New Zealand.
2. Verity
- Cast: Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett, Ismael Cruz Córdova
- Release: October 2, 2026
- Where to watch: Cinemas
Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, Verity follows struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), who moves into the remote home of famous author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) to complete her unfinished books. There, Lowen discovers a disturbing manuscript that makes her question everything she knows about Verity and her husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett).
3. Digger
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons
- Release: October 2, 2026
- Where to watch: Cinemas
Tom Cruise takes on one of his more unusual roles in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger, playing a powerful man desperately attempting to prove he can save humanity from a disaster he helped unleash. The movie was shot in the UK, including at Pinewood Studios, where stages, workshops and office spaces were used for the production.
4. The Last First: Winter K2
- Director: Amir Bar-Lev
- Release: October 2, 2026
- Where to watch: Apple TV
Amir Bar-Lev’s Apple documentary heads high into the Karakoram to revisit the extraordinary 2021 race to summit K2 during winter. Following climbers including John Snorri Sigurjónsson and Pakistani father-son duo Ali and Sajid Sadpara, the film explores both the dangers of K2 and the changing culture of commercial mountaineering.
5. The Social Reckoning
- Cast: Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen
- Release: October 9, 2026
- Where to watch: Cinemas
Aaron Sorkin returns to the world of The Social Network with a companion film centred on Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) and journalist Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White). Jeremy Strong steps into the role of Mark Zuckerberg as the story follows the events surrounding the leaking of internal Facebook documents.
6. Other Mommy
- Cast: Jessica Chastain, Jay Duplass, Arabella Olivia Clark, Dichen Lachman, Karen Allen
- Release: October 9, 2026
- Where to watch: Cinemas
October wouldn’t be complete without a new horror movie, and Jessica Chastain leads Other Mommy, based on Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House. The story follows a young girl tormented by a sinister presence she calls “Other Mommy,” with production taking place in Ireland, including Dublin and Wicklow.
7. Animals
- Cast: Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington
- Release: October 9, 2026
- Where to watch: Netflix
Ben Affleck directs and stars in Animals as Los Angeles mayoral candidate Mark Kimball, whose carefully constructed life begins to collapse when his son is kidnapped. Kerry Washington plays his wife Abigail in the political thriller, with Los Angeles itself providing the backdrop to Mark’s increasingly desperate fight to protect his family.
8. Love of Your Life
- Cast: Margaret Qualley, Aaron Pierre, Gabriel Basso, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Catherine Keener
- Release: October 14, 2026
- Where to watch: Prime Video
Margaret Qualley leads this new romantic drama about a young woman whose life is transformed by an unexpected love and the journey that follows. Directed by Rachel Morrison and produced by Ryan Gosling, Love of Your Life was filmed across Europe, giving this one a natural travel angle alongside the romance. Love Of Your Life will clearly be one of the most anticipated movies releasing in October 2026.
9. Whalefall
- Cast: Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy, Emily Rudd
- Release: October 16, 2026
- Where to watch: Cinemas
Based on Daniel Kraus’ novel, Whalefall stars Austin Abrams as Jay Gardiner, a diver searching for his late father’s remains off California’s Central Coast who is swallowed by a sperm whale. The survival thriller keeps its California connection behind the scenes too, with production taking place in the state.
10. Everest: The Other Side
- Featuring: Jim Morrison, Hilaree Nelson
- Release: October 30, 2026
- Where to watch: Cinemas
From Free Solo filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, Everest: The Other Side follows ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson as they pursue an extraordinary goal: climbing and skiing Everest’s direct North Face. Unsurprisingly, this is the October release offering some of the month’s most spectacular and unforgiving mountain scenery.
The movies releasing in October 2026 offer plenty of opportunities to escape somewhere new without leaving your seat. Let us know if you’re planning on watching any of these movies releasing in October 2026!