October at the movies is a weird, spooky thing. Sure, there are ghosts and masked maniacs lurking around the multiplex, but that’s just the surface. Underneath, you’ll find heavyweight dramas elbowing for Oscar buzz, sequels swinging for the fences, and the kind of films that remind you why theaters still matter. If you want to know what’s worth a ticket this month—and who’s likely to love it—you’re in the right place. Think of this as your friendly, unapologetic map to October’s cinematic jungle.
Wide Release Movies
The Smashing Machine
Opening Date: Oct 3
Benny Safdie hands Dwayne Johnson the most vulnerable role of his career as MMA legend Mark Kerr, with Emily Blunt matching him beat for beat. Not a chest‑thumping sports movie—more bruised romantic tragedy with fight scenes that matter because the people do.
TRON: Ares
Opening Date: Oct 10
Jared Leto is Ares, a program pushed into our world, with Jeff Bridges back and a stacked cast around them. Think first‑contact sci‑fi with neon nerves and a Nine Inch Nails score that hums like a hard drive about to burst.
Available in XD, IMAX, and ScreenX in select theaters.
Soul on Fire
Opening Date: Oct 10
A faith‑forward true story: John O’Leary’s survival and renewal after a devastating childhood fire, led by Joel Courtney, John Corbett, and William H. Macy. Director Sean McNamara goes for heart and hope over sentimentality.
Roofman
Opening Date: Oct 10
Channing Tatum plays Jeffrey “Roofman” Manchester, the real‑life thief who cut into McDonald’s through the ceiling and hid in a Toys “R” Us. Derek Cianfrance directs; Kirsten Dunst co‑stars. It’s part folk‑crime, part offbeat romance, and weirdly tender.
Black Phone 2
Opening Date: Oct 17
The phone rings again. Scott Derrickson leans into camp‑fire‑legend energy with returning players Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, and Ethan Hawke’s Grabber presence in a new, colder key.
Available in XD at select locations.
Good Fortune
Opening Date: Oct 17
Aziz Ansari writes/directs; Keanu Reeves plays a well‑meaning but chaotic guardian angel; Seth Rogen and Keke Palmer round it out. It’s a body‑swap fable that asks whether money fixes anything or just swaps your problems.
Truth & Treason
Opening Date: Oct 17
The true story of Helmuth Hübener, a German teen who fought Nazi propaganda with a DIY resistance. Shot in Lithuania, built like a thriller, and pitched for mainstream and faith audiences.
After the Hunt
Opening Pattern: Limited Oct 10, expands Oct 17
Julia Roberts is a professor caught in a moral crossfire after a student (Ayo Edebiri) accuses a colleague (Andrew Garfield). Luca Guadagnino plays it as a coolly coiled campus thriller.
Regretting You
Opening Date: Oct 24
Colleen Hoover’s mother‑daughter heartbreaker lands with Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco, and Mason Thames. Grief, secrets, first love—then the hard part: forgiveness.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Opening Date: Oct 24
Jeremy Allen White goes all‑in as Bruce Springsteen during the lonely Nebraska sessions. Scott Cooper keeps it intimate: four tracks, one room, a brain full of ghosts.
Shelby Oaks
Opening Date: Oct 24
Chris Stuckmann’s found‑footage‑adjacent debut: a woman’s search for her missing sister twists into urban‑legend dread. Tight, personal, and old‑school creepy.
Bugonia
Opening Pattern: Limited Oct 24, wide Oct 31
Yorgos Lanthimos remakes Save the Green Planet as a black‑comic abduction chamber piece. Emma Stone is a pharma CEO; Jesse Plemons is convinced she’s an alien.
Other Special Screenings and Movie Events
FOMO is back!
Cinemark’s Fear of Missing Out series is basically your safety net for the movies everyone’s buzzing about but you somehow skipped. These are curated, limited‑time encores of recent hits—think surprise Oscar contenders, cult favorites, and that one blockbuster your group chat won’t shut up about.
Casper — 30th Anniversary
Universal and Amblin are bringing the friendliest ghost back to theaters Oct 3–31. Target audience: families with younger kids, 90s nostalgia seekers.
Corpse Bride — 20th Anniversary (4K)
Returning to cinemas in October with a shiny restoration.
D‑BOX seats available in select theaters.
The Nightmare Before Christmas — special re‑release window
Two‑night engagements around Oct 22 at major chains.
Available in 3D in select locations.
The Twilight Saga — five‑night national series event
All five films return Oct 29–Nov 2 with bonus roundtables and anniversary fanfare.