Movies Coming in October 2024

Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth star in the upcoming film "Lonely Planet." Netflix

With summer fully in the rearview mirror, October starts the fall award season in earnest, when studios begin trotting out their more prestigious titles. If history is any kind of indicator, few, if any, of what we’ll see next month will make the short list of most “best-of” compilations.

Here are a few of the more interesting-looking titles coming out next month. Please note: All opening dates are subject to change.

Oct. 4

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

Billed as a “musical psychological thriller,” this standalone sequel to the 2019 Oscar-winning blockbuster hit stars Joaquin Phoenix returning as the maniacal title character. This story explores the genesis of Joker’s tumultuous romantic entanglement with Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga). A therapist that has crossed over to the dark side, this seems like a glove fit for Gaga. (Warner Bros.)

‘White Bird’

Serving as both a prequel and sequel to “Wonder” (2017), “White Bird” (originally scheduled for a fall 2022 release) stars Helen Mirren as the adult version of Jewish teen Sara (Ariella Glaser), who recounts her early life growing up in Nazi-controlled Europe. Reprising his role as Julian, the bully in “Wonder,” is Bryce Gheisar whose recent prep school expulsion forces him to change his attitude. (Lionsgate)

Poster for "White Bird." Lionsgate

Oct. 6

‘The Franchise’

Directed and co-created by Sam Mendes (“American Beauty,” “Road to Perdition”), this eight-episode limited series comes with a unique and clever premise. Led by Himesh Patel, Richard E. Grant, and Billy Magnussen, the crew on the set of a big-budget superhero movie faces a number of production issues, which causes some of them to have emotional meltdowns. (HBO Max)

Oct. 11

‘Saturday Night’

This acerbic comedy takes place backstage in the hours leading up to the debut broadcast of “Saturday Night Live” on (surprise!) Oct. 11, 1975. The lead character is showrunner and producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle of 2022’s “The Fabelmans”), who must deal with multiple issues including an unruly, drug-riddled cast and top NBC brass who seem to want the entire endeavor to fail. (Columbia Pictures)

Poster for "Saturday Night." Columbia Pictures

‘Brothers’

In this bawdy action comedy, co-producers Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage star as perpetually inept (and obviously) fraternal twin criminals. The plot revolves around some decades-old stolen emeralds that seem to change hands every other minute. Offering support are Brendan Fraser, Marisa Tomei and an unrecognizable Glenn Close as the train wreck mother of the twins. (Amazon Prime Video)

‘Lonely Planet’

Reminiscent of “Under the Tuscan Sun” (2003), Laura Dern stars as a novelist with writer’s block, attending a Moroccan retreat, where she meets a much younger man (Liam Hemsworth) who draws her out of her shell. This is the third effort of director Susannah Grant, known mostly as the screenwriter of “28 Days” (2000), “Erin Brockovoich” (2000), “In Her Shoes” (2005), and “The Soloist” (2009). (Netflix)

Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth star in the upcoming film "Lonely Planet." Netflix

‘The Silent Hour’

Joel Kinnaman and Mark Strong star as Boston police detectives who are charged with protecting a deaf murder witness (Sandra Mae Frank), who is the target of a band of corrupt cops. (Republic Pictures)

Oct. 16

‘Shrinking’: Season 2

After the unexpected death of his wife, therapist Jimmy (Jason Segel, also show co-creator) has a semi-nervous breakdown. Thinking he can work it out on his own, Jimmy grudgingly accepts advice from two other therapists (Jessica Williams and Harrison Ford). Oh yeah, it’s a comedy. (Apple TV)

Oct. 18

‘Goodrich’

In this touching drama, a recently separated husband (Michael Keaton) calls on his pregnant daughter from a previous marriage (Mila Kunis) to help him raise his twin sons. (Pascal Pictures)

Poster for "Goodrich." Pascal Pictures

‘Woman of the Hour’

In her directorial debut, Anne Kendrick stars as an aspiring actress, who appeared on “The Dating Game” in the early 1970s. As the bachelorette on the show, she chose Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), a yet-to-be-identified serial killer. (Netflix)

Oct. 24

‘Canary Black’

Kate Beckinsale stars in this action spy thriller as a C.I.A. agent who goes off the grid to confront terrorists who have kidnapped her husband and will exchange him for sensitive government secrets. (Amazon MGM Studios)

‘Territory’

Being presented as “Yellowstone Down Under,” this six-part Australian series centers on a generations’ old cattle ranching family grappling with shady competitors, organized crime, and ruthless miners. (Netflix)

A scene from "Territory." Netflix

Oct. 25

‘La Cocina’ Season 5

This second film adaptation of the 1957 stage play “The Kitchen” by Arnold Wesker takes place over a single day, behind the scenes, at an upscale Manhattan restaurant. Rooney Mara stars as a waitress with newcomer Raúl Briones Carmona playing a chef and her possible love interest.

What to Watch for

All eyes will be on “Joker: Folie a Deux” for a multitude of reasons. The 2019 first installment surprisingly became the highest-grossing “R” rated movie of all time until it was eclipsed this past summer by “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Will it reclaim the top spot? It’s highly unlikely.

The unknown variable here is whether the “Joker”-faithful will warm to an atypical musical presentation. As Lady Gaga proved in “A Star is Born,” she can more than handle the singing chores, but the big questions here are these: Can Phoenix even carry a tune and will that even matter?

I’m going to go out on a short limb here and predict that “Lonely Planet” will be a surprise sleeper hit with the over-30 female demographic, but this will depend mostly on positive word-of-mouth on opening weekend.

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