From action-packed stories to romantic thrillers, it’s time to grab the popcorn.
October is shaping up to be a strong month for screen time, with everything from family-friendly adventures to edge-of-your-seat horror and glossy crime dramas. Whether you’re heading to the cinema for a big-screen fix or settling in for a boxset night at home, here’s what to watch across Netflix, cinemas and streaming platforms this month.
Cinema
Digger: 1 October
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu directs Tom Cruise in the satirical black comedy Digger. Cruise plays Digger, the most powerful man in the world, who causes a catastrophic disaster and launches a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s saviour. John Goodman plays the US president and Riz Ahmed plays an adviser, with Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, Michael Stuhlbarg, Emma D’Arcy and Sophie Wilde also in the cast.
Verity: 1 October
Director Michael Showalter adapts Colleen Hoover’s bestselling psychological thriller Verity. Struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) is hired to finish the hit book series of Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), who is unable to continue after an accident. While working at the Crawford home alongside Verity’s husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), Lowen discovers chilling autobiographical notes that raise questions about Verity’s true nature and uncover dark family secrets. Ismael Cruz Córdova, Brady Wagner, and Michael Abbott Jr. round out a strong supporting cast.
Drishyam: The Conclusion: 2 October
Director Abhishek Pathak brings the Bollywood crime saga to its final chapter. Ajay Devgn returns as Vijay Salgaonkar, the patriarch who once outwitted the police to protect his family. Tabu returns as Meera Deshmukh, a former IG and grieving mother who knows the truth, and the trailer suggests her pursuit is now personal. Jaideep Ahlawat joins as SP Crime Branch, alongside Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta, Rajat Kapoor and Prakash Raj.
Other Mommy: 8 October
Director Rob Savage (Host, The Boogeyman) teams up with producer James Wan for the supernatural horror Other Mommy, based on Josh Malerman’s bestselling novel Incidents Around the House. Young Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) begins communicating with a sinister entity in her home that looks exactly like her mother, and Jessica Chastain plays both roles. As the entity works its way into the family’s life, love, trust and identity are twisted into something horrifying that threatens their very survival. Jay Duplass, Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed, and Karen Allen round out the cast.
Psycho: 8 October
Arabic horror thriller Psycho stars Asem Alawad, Omar Al Mulla and Sandra Hodges. When a ruthless highway bandit known for his brutal killings resurfaces after years on the run, car transporter Nasser becomes the primary suspect in a complex murder investigation involving a character named Maryam. Wrongly accused by the police and hunted by a merciless psychopath, he must clear his name and uncover the truth before becoming the killer’s next victim.
Udta Teer: 9 October
Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan team up for the Bollywood spy comedy Udta Teer, directed by debutant Akash A Kaushik. Khurrana plays Bilal, a Pakistani spy who loses his memory after an explosion and becomes convinced he is an officer with India’s Counter-Terrorism Squad. Khan plays a fellow officer, unaware of his true origins. Mistaken identities and comic chaos follow as his Pakistani spy handlers frantically attempt to restore his memory after he becomes a patriotic Indian officer arresting his own people, with Rahul Bose, Ram Kapoor, Gulshan Grover and Raghubir Yadav in support.
Sense and Sensibility: 15 October
Director Georgia Oakley brings a naturalistic new take to Jane Austen’s classic Sense and Sensibility. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles star as sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, whose lives are upended when they lose their family home. Relocated to a modest cottage in Devon with their widowed mother (Caitríona Balfe), the sisters navigate social convention, romance and heartbreak in a changing 19th-century society. George MacKay, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, Chloe Pirrie and Fiona Shaw round out a strong supporting cast.
Street Fighter: 15 October
Director Kitao Sakurai brings Capcom’s legendary video game franchise to the big screen. Set in 1993, estranged fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are pulled back into combat when Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament, behind which lies a deadly conspiracy. The cast also includes Jason Momoa as Blanka, 50 Cent as Balrog, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Roman Reigns as Akuma and David Dastmalchian as M. Bison.
Whalefall: 15 October
Director Brian Duffield helms the aquatic survival thriller Whalefall, based on Daniel Kraus’s novel. Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams), a scuba diver searching the California coast for his late father’s (Josh Brolin) remains, is swallowed by an 80-foot sperm whale. Trapped inside with one hour of oxygen left, he must fight to escape while realising the lessons his father imparted may be the key to his survival. Elisabeth Shue, Jane Levy, John Ortiz and Emily Rudd round out the cast.
Clayface: 22 October
Director James Watkins (Speak No Evil) brings body horror to the DC Universe with Clayface, from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. Rising Hollywood star Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is horribly disfigured after a Gotham crime boss’s actions, and seeks a cutting-edge treatment from a doctor (Naomi Ackie). It restores him, but it also loosens his grip on reality, granting him deadly shapeshifting abilities and sending him on a path of revenge. Max Minghella, David Dencik, Eddie Marsan and Nancy Carroll round out a strong supporting cast.
Klara and the Sun: 22 October
Director Taika Waititi adapts Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel Klara and the Sun. Jenna Ortega stars as Klara, an Artificial Friend who wants nothing more than to find the perfect home. She is bought to keep company with Josie (Mia Tharia), a teenager suffering from a mysterious illness, and her mother (Amy Adams), and her innocent wonder and loyalty begin to heal a family that has suffered great loss in a poignant exploration of what it means to love. Aran Murphy, Steve Buscemi, Natasha Lyonne and Rachel House also star.
Wildwood: 29 October
Acclaimed animation studio LAIKA returns with the stop-motion fantasy adventure Wildwood, directed by Travis Knight. After her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows, teenager Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) launches a rescue mission into an enchanted forest hidden just beyond Portland. She is joined by her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay), and together they meet talking animals, bandits and powerful figures in an epic battle for the fate of the realm. The voice cast includes Carey Mulligan, Awkwafina, Richard E. Grant and Jake Johnson.
Series and Streaming
Crazy Rich, Incredibly Broke: 1 October (Netflix)
Netflix introduces the AlThahabi family in the riotous Saudi comedy film Crazy Rich, Incredibly Broke, directed by Ahmed El Gendy. Set in Riyadh, the story follows an elite family who discover they are not as wealthy as they thought and must burn through what is left to fake their lavish lifestyle. Starring legendary actor Rashed Al Shamrani as principal patriarch Sultan AlThahabi, the feature delivers a sharp, witty satire on the fine art of maintaining appearances at all costs.
East of Eden: 1 October (Netflix)
John Steinbeck’s classic American novel receives a sweeping limited series adaptation written by Zoe Kazan with East of Eden. Set against the sun-drenched backdrop of California’s Salinas Valley, the multi-generational saga explores love, moral reckoning, and family legacy. Florence Pugh delivers a commanding lead performance as the enigmatic Cathy Ames, navigating the dark currents between two brothers bound by rivalry and moral conflict alongside Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist.
War: 1 October (OSN+)
Created by George Kay (Lupin, Hijack), HBO and Sky’s eight-part legal drama series War arrives exclusively on OSN+ for its regional premiere. Starring Dominic West as tech billionaire Morgan Henderson and Sienna Miller as international film star Carla Duval, the intense drama chronicles the biggest celebrity divorce trial in British legal history. As the former couple tear each other apart, two elite rival London law firms—Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne (starring Nina Sosanya, Pip Torrens, Phoebe Fox, and James McArdle), clash in a high-stakes legal battle where ambition is currency and betrayal is strategy.
Coven Academy: 2 October (Disney+)
Anchoring Disney+’s seasonal October lineup, fantasy drama Coven Academy explores witch lore through a sharp coming-of-age framework. Created by Tim Federle and set in New Orleans, the narrative focuses on institutional secrecy, and complex power dynamics within an elite institution for young witches. Airing on Disney, the series stars Malina Pauli Weissman as main teenager witch Briar alongside Tiffani Thiessen as head school official Miss Graves, delivering an atmospheric, story-driven pick for the autumn streaming season.
Carrie: 7 October (Prime Video)
Horror maestro Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) tackles Stephen King’s legendary debut novel with an eight-episode limited series adaptation of Carrie. The thriller reinterprets the tragic story of high school outcast Carrie White, whose latent telekinetic abilities manifest amidst relentless peer bullying and oppressive maternal control. Starring Summer H. Howell and Samantha Sloyan, Flanagan’s vision offers a sharp, modern take on King’s classic exploration of isolation, guilt, and power.
Matchbox The Movie: 9 October (Apple TV+)
Director Sam Hargrave (Extraction) turns the iconic toy line into a fast-paced action comedy with Matchbox The Movie. The story follows a group of lifelong friends whose mundane lives are upended when their former ringleader, now a covert CIA operative (John Cena), unexpectedly returns to their small town and accidentally embroils them in an international espionage conspiracy. Alongside Jessica Biel and Sam Richardson, Cena leads a globe-trotting adventure packed with kinetic practical stunts, rapid-fire humour, and high-stakes covert ops.
VisionQuest: 14 October (Disney+)
Marvel televisions delivers its flagship release of the month with VisionQuest, helmed by showrunner Terry Matalas. Starring Paul Bettany, the series serves as a high-concept psychological character study following Vision as he seeks to regain his memories and existential purpose. Featuring the return of James Spader as Ultron, the narrative moves past standard superhero action to explore artificial intelligence, identity, and moral agency across a cerebral sci-fi backdrop.
The Diplomat (Season 4): 15 October (Netflix)
High-stakes geopolitical chaos and marital friction reach a fever pitch as The Diplomat returns for its fourth season on Netflix. Keri Russell reprises her role as US Ambassador Kate Wyler, plunged straight into the explosive fallout of a conspiracy capable of igniting a global conflict. To stop President Grace Penn and her own husband, Vice President Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), from engineering a global crisis with their conspiracy to steal Russia’s most powerful weapon, Kate forms an uneasy alliance with First Gentleman Todd Penn (Bradley Whitford) to prevent the rogue administration from upending the balance of power at home and abroad. The ensemble cast also stars Ato Essandoh, Ali Ahn, Nana Mensah, and Rory Kinnear.
The Terminal List: 21 October (Prime Video)
Chris Pratt returns as former Navy SEAL James Reece in the second season of Prime Video’s military action thriller The Terminal List, adapting Jack Carr’s novel True Believer. When a devastating terrorist attack in London pulls Reece back into the fight, the new chapter plunges him into an international web of paramilitary intelligence, state-sanctioned betrayal, and covert warfare. All episodes balance high-octane action with an examination of moral compromise and survival at the highest levels of global espionage.
The One About Matthew Perry: 27 October (Netflix)
Directed by Emmy winner Mary Robertson (Quiet on Set), The One About Matthew Perry offers an intimate, three-part deep dive into the life, genius, and legacy of the late Friends icon. Moving beyond Chandler Bing and his public battles with addiction, the docuseries features never-before-seen archive footage alongside candid testimonies from family, close friends, and creative collaborators. Releasing a day before the third anniversary of his passing, it presents an unvarnished, deeply affectionate portrait of the comedic star—highlighting his quick wit, generous spirit, and complex human story.