Fall movie preview: 'Ebenezer,' 'Digger' and 35 more must-see flicks

Hollywood’s goal for the remainder of 2026 is simple: to keep you coming back for more.

Summer broke an all-time box office record, reaching $4.7 billion as Labor Day brought the season to a close. Roughly 20% of that came from "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," according to BoxOfficeMojo, but "The Odyssey," "Toy Story 5” and the surprise horror hit "Obsession" also helped.

And now what? The coming weeks seem full of question marks. Two of Hollywood's biggest stars will deliver new movies — Brad Pitt in the adventure saga "Heart of the Beast" and Tom Cruise in an offbeat comedy "Digger" — but will either be the next big blockbuster? Can the psychological thriller "Verity," based on a Colleen Hoover novel and starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, become another hit like "The Housemaid?"

Will the Johnny Depp vehicle "Ebenezer," a Dickensian fantasy that arrives in November, turn into a Thanksgiving season smash like the past two "Wicked" movies? The only safe bet is that the one-two punch of "Dune: Part Three" and "Avengers: Doomsday" will reignite the box office on Dec. 18.

Here's a look at what’s coming this fall and beyond.

Sept. 18

IF I GO WILL THEY MISS ME In the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts, a Black 12-year-old grapples with his father’s return from prison. Walter Thompson-Hernández’s drama was a hit at Sundance and screened at this year’s Stony Brook Film Festival.

RESIDENT EVIL Following last year’s surprise horror hit "Weapons," writer-director Zach Cregger reboots the zombie-dystopia franchise. With Austin Abrams and Kali Reis.

Sept. 25

FORGOTTEN ISLAND An animated fantasy in which two Filipina friends are transported into a world of folktales. With the voices of Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, H.E.R., Manny Jacinto and Jenny Slate.

HEART OF THE BEAST Following a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, a Special Forces officer (Brad Pitt) and his dog struggle for survival. David Ayer ("Training Day") directs.

PRIMETIME Robert Pattinson plays Chris Hansen, whose "To Catch a Predator" segments for NBC’s "Dateline" became a sensation in the early 2000s. Lance Oppenheim, a career documentarian, directs.

Oct. 2

DIGGER Little is known about the plot of this satirical comedy from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu ("Birdman"), but trailers reveal that Tom Cruise plays a hard-charging mogul in a 10-gallon hat. Co-written by Long Islander Alexander Dinelaris Jr.

VERITY A young writer (Dakota Johnson) visits the mansion of a renowned author (Anne Hathaway) and her husband (Josh Hartnett) in this thriller from unlikely director Michael Showalter ("Wet Hot American Summer"). Based on the novel by Colleen Hoover.

Oct. 9

FJORD A Romanian man (Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice") and his Norwegian wife (Renata Reinsve, "Sentimental Value) find themselves at the center of a child-abuse investigation in Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or-winning drama.

MISTY GREEN Years after her breakthrough performance, a once-rising actress (Rosalind Eleazar) struggles to sustain her career. Also with Adam Driver. Written and directed by Chris Rock.

Oct. 16

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM In 1972, director William Greaves filmed surviving members of the Harlem Renaissance, including musicians Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle attending a party at Duke Ellington’s place. More than 50 years later, David Greaves has completed his late father’s documentary.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY The second feature film adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1811 novel about the Dashwood sisters stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Frank Dillane. Directed by Georgia Oakley.

WHALEFALL Off the California coast, a diver (Austin Abrams) with just one hour of oxygen is swallowed by a whale. Based on the novel by Daniel Kraus, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Brian Duffield.

Oct. 23

CLAYFACE DC Studios takes a detour into horror with this story of a disfigured movie star (Tom Rhys Harries) whose cutting-edge treatment does not go as planned. James Watkins ("The Woman in Black") directs.

KLARA AND THE SUN Writer-director Taika Waititi ("Jojo Rabbit") adapts Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel about an Artificial Friend (Jenna Ortega) who finds a home with a troubled family.

WILDWOOD Director Travis Knight, founder of the stop-motion animation studio Laika ("Kubo and the Two Strings"), directs this tale of two children who enter a hidden forest. Based on the novel by Colin Meloy, front man for indie rock favorites The Decembrists.

Oct. 30

GENTLE MONSTER The life of a concert pianist (Léa Seydoux) is turned upside-down when her husband (Laurence Rupp) is accused of a horrendous crime. Marie Kreutzer’s drama opens in select theaters, then moves to Netflix Nov. 18.

Nov. 6

THE CAT IN THE HAT Bill Hader provides the voice of Dr. Seuss’ famous feline in this animated feature from Warner Bros. Also with America Ferrera and Xochitl Gomez.

CLUB KID A party-hearty club promoter learns that a long-ago sexual adventure resulted in a son. Instagram favorite Jordan Firstman, son of former Newsday reporters Richard Firstman and Jamie Talan, is the writer, director and star.

I PLAY ROCKY In the 1970s, a headstrong Hollywood nobody named Sylvester Stallone (Anthony Ippolito) tries to produce a boxing movie starring himself. Peter Farrelly ("Green Book") directs.

WILD HORSE NINE The new buddy-comedy from Martin McDonagh ("In Bruges") stars Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich as CIA agents dispatched to far-flung Easter Island. With Parker Posey and Tom Waits.

Nov. 13

HOW TO ROB A BANK An FBI agent (John C. Reilly) tracks a crew of principled bank robbers with a social media account. With Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz and Pete Davidson. Directed by David Leitch ("Atomic Blonde," "Bullet Train").

EBENEZER Johnny Depp plays the iconic Christmas killjoy Scrooge in what’s billed as a new twist on Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella. With Daisy Ridley. Ti West ("The Sacrament") directs.

PAPER TIGER In 1986, two New York City brothers (Adam Driver and Miles Teller) unwisely get involved with Russian mobsters. Also starring Scarlett Johansson. Directed by James Gray ("Little Odessa," "Armageddon Time") from his screenplay.

Nov. 20

ELSINORE Andrew Scott plays acclaimed Scottish actor Ian Charleson, who triumphed over AIDS just long enough to deliver one of the London National Theatre’s most celebrated portrayals of Hamlet.

THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING The sixth installment of the dystopian franchise is a prequel that focuses on a young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada). Francis Lawrence returns to direct.

Nov. 25

FOCKER-IN-LAW The comedy franchise that began with 2000’s "Meet the Parents" is on Movie No. 4, featuring Ariana Grande as a possible newcomer to the Focker fold. With Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

HEXED A teenage girl (Hailee Steinfeld) discovers she has magical powers in Disney’s animated fantasy. Also with Rashida Jones, Tracey Ullman and Stephen Fry.

Dec. 4

BEHEMOTH! Adding to his many recent credits, Pedro Pascal plays a gifted cellist in this drama from writer-director Tony Gilroy ("Michael Clayton"). With Olivia Wilde and Will Arnett.

VIOLENT NIGHT 2 David Harbor returns as a tough-talking, butt-kicking Santa Claus, this time protecting The Silver Bell Mall from terrorists. The first film made $76 million.

Dec. 11

THE DEBUT Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg ("A Real Pain") returns with a comedy-drama about a mousy housewife (Julianne Moore) whose foray into stage acting under an imperious director (Paul Giamatti) leads to unexpected results.

Dec. 18

AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Robert Downey Jr. trades his heroic Iron Man suit for the villainous cape of Dr. Doom in what’s expected to be one of the year’s biggest movie events. Nearly every Marvel cast member is also here, including Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Ian McKellen and even Rebecca Romijn.

DUNE: PART THREE This is it, folks — the final installment in Denis Villeneuve’s IMAX-sized, sci-fi franchise starring Timothee Chalamet as a young rebel leader. The first two films combined earned $1.1 billion worldwide and eight Oscars.

Dec. 23

THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 3 Jason Sudeikis returns to the animated franchise as the voice of Red, now facing the challenge of fatherhood. Also with Josh Gad and Emma Myers.

Dec. 25

ARTIFICIAL This biopic of OpenAI founder Sam Altman (Andrew Garfield) was dropped by Amazon following its $50 billion investment in the company. Oscar-decorated studio Neon (“Anora”) picked it up. Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me by Your Name”) directs.

JUMANJI: OPEN WORLD Movie No. 3 in the new series reunites the original cast — Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan — for more avatar-juggling action. Directed by Jake Kasdan.

MR. IRRELEVANT David Corenswet trades his "Superman" cape for a New York Giants jersey to play John Tuggle, who went from last-drafted zero to award-winning hero in 1983.

WERWULF Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe and Lily-Rose Depp join the latest horror film from Robert Eggers ("Nosferatu," "The Witch"). The studio, Focus Features, is already selling the movie’s merch online.