Fall might technically be pumpkin spice season, but let’s be honest—it’s also prestige movie season. Studios roll out their biggest Oscar hopefuls, Netflix drops its buzziest titles, and even the crowd-pleasers come with a little extra weight. This year’s slate has everything from Dwayne Johnson going full “serious actor” to Margot Robbie wandering through magical doorways to Daniel Craig solving a murder in a very Catholic town. In other words: the movies are about to get good.
Here are the movies you’ll want to have on your radar this season:
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
In theaters Sept. 19
Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell star in Kogonada’s magical realist romance about two strangers who stumble through surreal doorways into the defining moments of their lives. With Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the mix and a score from Studio Ghibli legend Joe Hisaishi, this is fall’s most beautiful blend of arthouse wonder and mainstream star power—basically tailor-made for anyone who loves movies about love.
The Smashing Machine
In theaters
Dwayne Johnson finally trades charisma for vulnerability as MMA legend Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie’s bruising biopic, with Emily Blunt co-starring. Festival reactions called it Johnson’s best performance—yes, ever. Don’t be shocked if this is the movie that turns “The Rock” into a serious awards contender.
Soul on Fire
Joel Courtney leads this true story about a boy who survived severe burns and turned tragedy into a global mission, joined by William H. Macy and John Corbett. It’s the rare inspirational drama that looks poised to rise above cliché, balancing faith, trauma and redemption in a way that actually feels earned.
Good Fortune
Aziz Ansari directs himself opposite Keanu Reeves, who plays an angel—something he’s lowkey been destined to play, in a way—trying to guide his life with mixed results. Add in Seth Rogen and Sandra Oh, and you’ve got a modern parable about grace and second chances, wrapped in a comedy that’s slyly more spiritual than it first appears.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
Jeremy Allen White takes on Bruce Springsteen in Scott Cooper’s portrait of the Nebraska years—a period of isolation, raw acoustic songwriting and deep spiritual wrestling. Jeremy Strong co-stars as Springsteen’s manager. Less rock-star spectacle, more stripped-down confession, it’s the rare music film that feels like it has something real to say about art and survival.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Daniel Craig returns as detective Benoit Blanc, this time in a gothic Catholic town where a priest (Josh O’Connor) might hold the key to a bizarre murder. Rian Johnson packs the cast with Glenn Close, Kerry Washington and Andrew Scott, among others. Expect the usual sharp satire, but darker and thornier than its predecessors.
Nuremberg
Russell Crowe flexes his skills in this heavyweight historical drama centered on the post-WWII trials. As thrilling as this will be, this isn’t a movie designed for popcorn fun. With democracy wobbling worldwide, a story about accountability and justice has rarely felt more timely.
Sarah’s Oil
The incredible true story of Sarah Rector, an 11-year-old girl in 1900s Oklahoma who discovered oil on her land and became one of America’s first Black female millionaires. Naya Desir-Johnson stars with Zachary Levi and Sonequa Martin-Green. It’s a story about faith, providence and wealth in a world that rarely shared either.
Rebuilding
The second Josh O’Connor film to have on your radar this season. This time, he’s playing a rancher trying to piece life together after devastating wildfires, reconnecting with family and the land in Max Walker-Silverman’s intimate drama.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
The magician-thieves return—Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco—with a new heist and some fresh faces like Justice Smith and Ariana Greenblatt. Is it silly? Sure. But it’s also fun spectacle, and not everything in fall has to be homework.
Eternity
Elizabeth Olsen plays a woman in the afterlife faced with choosing between her ex-husband (Miles Teller) and her first love (Callum Turner). Equal parts metaphysical rom-com and existential crisis, it’s a clever riff on love, loss and what it means to really commit.
Rental Family
Brendan Fraser stars as a washed-up actor in Tokyo who finds work pretending to be a stand-in family member for clients. What sounds like an oddball comedy unfolds into something tender about loneliness, performance, and belonging. Expect tissues.
Train Dreams
Joel Edgerton headlines this adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella about a logger navigating America’s shifting frontier, with Felicity Jones and Kerry Condon in support. Sweeping, meditative and tinged with spiritual ache, it’s what we’d happily dub, “the art-film entry of the season.”
