It’s just about time to big adieu to summer and allow the fall foliage to do its thing as September enters the picture.
At the movies, we’ve got plenty of options for filmgoers to check out (even if the ongoing Hollywood strikes have shut down the industry).
From big science-fiction epics to rom-coms, there are plenty of options on the table in theaters and at home on streaming.
Let’s break down the 10 most enticing movies that are ahead on the release calendar, and here’s hoping you’ll get all of these on time without any strike-related studio delays. Fingers crossed, at least?
1. Dumb Money
Filmmaker Craig Gillespie returns to the “truth is stranger than fiction” genre for a look at 2021’s infamous GameStop short squeeze from the eyes of those active on the stock market and those who stood to lose a ton of money.
Dumb Money has one of the fall’s most stacked ensembles, featuring Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Shailene Woodley, Pete Davidson, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dane DeHaan and Myha’la Herrold.
Looking as much like an Apatow-era comedy as it does a dramatized telling of a stock exchange fiasco, this underdog dramedy promises to be one of the more entertaining films of the season. We’re buying high on this one.
Release Date: Sept. 15 (limited, theaters), Oct. 6 (wide, theaters)
2. The Creator
Filmmaker Gareth Edwards hasn’t had a movie out since 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and The Creator is his very intriguing fourth feature and returns him to an original concept for the first time since 2010’s outstanding Monsters.
Edwards has one of the best eyes for scope in the entire industry, and his latest follows John David Washington in a grand-looking, futuristic battle against a malevolent AI software with plans to destroy humankind. Unlike past years, this one feels a little relevant! Regardless, this looks like a blast.
Release Date: Sept. 29 (theaters)
3. No One Will Save You
2020’s brilliant high school movie Spontaneous was one of the best movies to come out during the COVID-19 pandemic, and filmmaker Brian Duffield’s mysterious sophomore feature has us very excited for what’s in store.
Duffield teams up with Kaitlyn Dever for a film that, according to its IMDB page, follows “an exiled anxiety-ridden homebody must battle an alien who’s found its way into her home.” Uh, yes. Sign us up.
Release Date: Sept. 22 (streaming, Hulu)
4. Flora and Son
It’s always a delight to have Once and Sing Street filmmaker John Carney back behind the camera for the first time since 2016, and his latest pits Eve Hewson (daughter of Bono), Jack Reynor and Joseph Gordon-Levitt against another dramedy backdrop with a musical spine.
Carney operates in a very particular space, and it’s one he’s mastered over the years. We’re betting this one tugs at the heartstrings and has plenty of great music to boot. While we wait for this one, we’re just going to watch the “Drive It Like You Stole It” scene from Sing Street over and over again for good measure.
Release Date: Sept. 22 (limited, theaters), Sept. 29 (streaming on AppleTV+)
5. Saw X
Jigsaw is back in the habit as Tobin Bell returns to the gory horror franchise for Saw X, a prequel film set before serial killer John Kramer’s death in the film series’ storyline.
After 2021’s Spiral, this Saw film looks like a back-to-basics setup where a bunch of ne’er-do-wells must face off against whatever horrifying traps that Jigsaw can some up with to, y’know, teach them a lesson about not being awful people… if they survive, that is. Also, don’t worry. Billy the Puppet is back on his tricycle to terrorize the masses.
Release date: Sept. 29 (theaters)
6. A Haunting in Venice
Kenneth Branagh’s third Hercule Poirot movie takes him to Venice to solve another Agatha Christie mystery, and Branagh’s wonderfully wooly mustache is back along for the ride.
While these movies might not reach the whodunnit heights of, say, the Knives Out films, they are good, pulpy fun, and it’s just always a gas to see Branagh cavort around with that accent trying to solve murders. We’ll very much be joining Poirot for his latest adventure.
Release Date: Sept. 15 (theaters)
7. Love at First Sight
Haley Lu Richardson’s supporting turn on season two of The White Lotus has boosted her profile immensely, but anyone who knew her stellar work from films like Columbus, Support the Girls, The Edge of Seventeen, After Yang and Five Feet Apart knew she was ready to lead a big movie.
Well, her latest vehicle is a Netflix rom-com that’s adapted from the novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, and we more than trust Richardson’s previous track record to know this one will probably be much better than the litany of low-budget rom-coms on the streaming platform.
It helps to have a really intriguing supporting cast of Ben Hardy, Jameela Jamil, Rob Delaney, Dexter Fletcher and Sally Phillips in tow. British television director Vanessa Caswill (Little Women) makes her feature debut.
Release Date: Sept. 15 (streaming, Netflix)
8. Cassandro
Having premiered to very good reviews at Sundance this past winter, the biopic of wrestler Saúl “Cassandro” Armendáriz stars Gael García Bernal as the titular sports icon and also features Bad Bunny among its ensemble.
It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a really good wrestling movie, so Cassandro looks to fill that bill with plenty of promise.
Release date: Sept. 15 (theaters, limited), Sept. 22 (streaming, Amazon Prime)
9. The Equalizer 3
Do we really need another Equalizer movie? The first one was a lot of fun, but the second one was as forgettable as the fact that they made another Equalizer movie. However, Denzel Washington seems very committed to these movies, so we’ll just take his lead and see where this one goes.
This one does have a Man on Fire reunion with Dakota Fanning joining the cast, so that’s certainly a fun wrinkle for this unlikely franchise.
Release Date: Sept. 1
10. Expend4bles
The Expendables franchise looked like it was retired, but the junky action series is revving up a fourth installment full of explosions, fights and veteran action stars trying to out-ego each other.
The plots of these movies never make any sense, so just know that you’re going to most assuredly get an extension of whatever came before. If you’re good with that, strap right in. If not, you might want to sit this one out.
Release Date: Sept. 22 (theaters)
