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2025 fall movie preview: 25 must-see films coming soon to theaters and streaming
The 2025 fall movie preview has films for every taste, including Oscar hopefuls like "One Battle After Another," family-friendly films like "Zootopia 2," and blockbusters like "Avatar: Fire & Ash."
The final quarter of the film calendar is here, and studios are preparing to release their usual slew of awards season contenders for eager cinephiles. But this 2025 fall movie preview also features a surprising number of big-budget blockbusters, ones that could easily crack a billion dollars worldwide and wouldn’t be out of place on a typical summer movie slate.
For every Oscar shoo-in like Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” (Sept. 26), there’s a family-friendly sequel like “Zootopia 2” (Nov. 26). Then there’s the movies that could both rule the box office and score Oscar statuettes, like “Wicked: For Good” (Nov. 21) and “Avatar: Fire & Ash” (Dec. 19).
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Over the last decade, streaming movies have also become a part of the fall movie conversation, thanks to companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple pushing for awards prestige. Will Netflix put its Best Picture marketing budget behind Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” (Oct. 17), Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite” (Oct. 24), Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly” (Dec. 5), or something else?
Below, you’ll find release dates for the 25 biggest movies of fall 2025, including blockbusters, Oscar hopefuls, and films starring actors with Massachusetts ties.
(Release dates are theatrical unless indicated otherwise)
September 2025 movie releases
“The Lost Bus” (Sept. 19 in theaters, Oct. 3 on Apple TV+)
Paul Greengrass (“The Bourne Identity”) directs this drama based on the true story of a school bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) and schoolteacher (America Ferrera) attempting to save the lives of 22 children during the deadliest wildfire in California’s history.
“One Battle After Another” (Sept. 26)
Every movie directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (“Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood”) is worth watching, but this action-thriller — starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an ex-revolutionary who jumps back into the fray on a rescue mission — promises to be one of his most purely entertaining.
“Eleanor the Great” (Sept. 26)
Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut stars June Squibb (who was excellent in last year’s “Thelma”) as an elderly woman pretending to be a survivor of the Holocaust.
October 2025 movie releases
“Play Dirty” (Oct. 1 on Prime Video)
In the latest film adaptation of Donald Westlake’s Parker novels, Mark Wahlberg plays the titular thief while Shane Black (“The Nice Guys”) directs.
“The Smashing Machine” (Oct. 3)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gets serious in this Benny Safdie (“Uncut Gems”) film, playing former MMA fighter Mark Kerr while Emily Blunt (“A Quiet Place”) plays his wife.
“Anemone” (Oct. 3)
Daniel Day-Lewis supposedly retired from acting following his role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Phantom Thread,” but the actor couldn’t resist returning to lead this drama directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis.
“Roofman” (Oct. 10)
Based on a true story, Channing Tatum plays a prison escapee successfully hiding inside a Toys R Us while building a new double life.
“Tron: Ares” (Oct. 10)
Jeff Bridges is no longer center stage, but the veteran actor still appears alongside Jared Leto and Greta Lee in this third film in the sci-fi series, which concerns a new AI program that crosses over from the digital to the real world.
“After the Hunt” (Oct. 10)
Luca Guadagnino’s provocative thriller “After the Hunt” stars Julia Roberts as a professor whose close friend and colleague (Andrew Garfield) is accused of assault by a promising pupil (Ayo Edebiri).
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” (Oct. 10)
Rose Byrne (“Neighbors”) plays a mother on the brink of a total breakdown in this drama, which also features Conan O’Brien in a rare dramatic role as her therapist.
“Frankenstein” (Oct. 17 in theaters, Nov. 7 on Netflix)
Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”) takes on Mary Shelley’s classic novel, with Oscar Isaac (“Dune”) playing the mad scientist and Jacob Elordi (“Saltburn”) as Frankenstein’s monster.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” (Oct. 24)
Rather than spanning Bruce Springsteen’s entire career, “Deliver Me From Nowhere” features Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”) as The Boss during the making of his 1982 album, “Nebraska,” while Boston native Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) plays Springsteen’s manager/producer Jon Landau.
“Bugonia” (Oct. 24)
Director Yorgos Lanthimos has reunited with Emma Stone for a fourth consecutive project, with the “Poor Things” actress playing a CEO who has been kidnapped by a conspiracy-addled man (Jesse Plemons) convinced she’s an alien.
“A House of Dynamite” (Oct. 24 on Netflix)
Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker,” “Zero Dark Thirty”) directs this thriller about a team of White House officials scrambling to respond to a lone missile headed toward the United States.
November 2025 movie releases
“The Running Man” (Nov. 14)
Almost 40 years after Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in this Stephen King movie adaptation, director Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead”) is teaming up with Glenn Powell (“Twisters”) for a new take on the dystopian game show.
“Jay Kelly” (Nov. 14 in theaters, Dec. 5 on Netflix)
George Clooney plays a famous actor (what a stretch!) on a journey of self-discovery, while New Hampshire’s own Adam Sandler takes on a rare dramatic role as his manager.
“Wicked: For Good” (Nov. 21)
Following the success of 2024’s musical adaptation, part two finds Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) trying to expose the truth about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) despite being shunned as the Wicked Witch of the West, while her classmate Glinda (Ariana Grande) has become a symbol of virtue.
“Rental Family” (Nov. 21)
A struggling American actor (Brendan Fraser) living in Tokyo takes on his strangest role yet: working for a “rental family” agency and pretending to be an orphaned girl’s father.
“Zootopia 2” (Nov. 26)
Set one week after the 2016 film, officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her new partner Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are once again investigating a case in the metropolitan animal kingdom.
“Hamnet” (Nov. 27)
Director Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) helms this drama about the relationship between William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife, Agnes, (Jessie Buckley) after their son dies — and the masterpiece (“Hamlet”) inspired by that personal tragedy.
December 2025 movie releases
“Ella McCay” (Dec. 12)
Legendary director James L. Brooks (“Broadcast News,” “As Good as It Gets,” “Terms of Endearment”) took to Rhode Island to film this comedy-drama about a young politician (Emma Mackey) and her messy family. The film co-stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Kumail Nanjiani, Albert Brooks, and Dorchester native Ayo Edebiri.
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (Dec. 12 on Netflix)
World-famous detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back to solve another mystery, with a cast of suspects/accomplices including Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, and Cailee Spaeny.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (Dec. 19)
After two films in which the common enemy was humanity, Na’vi leaders Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) face off against the fiery and adversarial Ash Tribe in the third chapter of James Cameron’s sci-fi epic.
“Is This Thing On?” (Dec. 19)
Bradley Cooper directs this drama set in the New York comedy scene, where Alex (Will Arnett) uses standup to comes to terms with his impending divorce from Tess (Laura Dern).
“Marty Supreme” (Dec. 25)
Josh Safdie (“Uncut Gems”) directs his pal Timothée Chalamet in this ’50s drama, in which Chalamet plays a brash table tennis star with a hustler’s mentality who has eyes for a classy actress (Gwyneth Paltrow).
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